U.S. Attorney op-eds for the first time

Andre Birotte, Jr., the United States Attorney for the Los Angeles district, made the first op-ed piece of his term about the importance of respecting civil liberties in the fight against terrorism. The article ran this weekend in the Daily News. Excerpt:

When we meet with the Muslim, Arab and Sikh communities in our district, we send the message that the Justice Department's fight against terrorism has not dimmed our commitment to protect civil liberties. In this regard, President Barack Obama's reminder that America is not at war with Islam and that Osama bin Laden was a mass murderer of innocent Muslims, spoke volumes.

Meeting with, listening to and learning from our Muslim, Arab and Sikh communities on this and other public safety issues, is vital. There are several reasons for this.

First, our law enforcement efforts must be designed around the specific needs and threats confronted by our local Muslim, Arab and Sikh communities, including allegations of hate crime, racial profiling, and bullying. We can only understand those needs and those threats when we engage and share information with each other. While I was inspector general for the Los Angeles Police Department, I learned that we are only as good as the information we receive.

The Muslim, Arab and Sikh combination appears five times.