The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom NCW S Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - 7A
NYPD i nformant forced
to 'bait' Muslim terrorists
19 year old asked
to partake in
'create and capture'
program
NEW YORK (AP) - A paid
informant for the New York
Police Department's intelli-
gence unit was under orders
to "bait" Muslims into saying
inflammatory things as he lived
a double life, snapping pictures
inside mosques and collecting
the names of innocent people
attending study groups on Islam,
he told The Associated Press.
Shamiur Rahman, a 19-year-
old American of Bangladeshi
descent who has now denounced
his work as an informant, said
police told him to embrace a
strategy called "create and cap-
ture." He said it involved creat-
ing a conversation about jihad
or terrorism, then capturing the
response to send to the NYPD.
For his work, he earned as much
as $1,000 a month and goodwill
from the police after a string of
minor marijuana arrests.
"We need you to pretend to be
one of them," Rahman recalled
the police tellinghim. "It's street
theater."
Rahman said he now believes
his work as an informant against
Muslims in New York was "det-
rimental to the Constitution."
After he disclosed to friends
details about his work for the
police - and after he told the
police that he had been con-
tacted by the AP - he stopped
receiving text messages from his
NYPD handler, "Steve," and his
handler's NYPD phone number
was disconnected.
Rahman's account shows how
the NYPD unleashed informants
on Muslim neighborhoods, often
without specific targets or crim-
inal leads. Much of what Rah-
man said represents a tactic the
NYPD has denied using.
The AP corroborated Rah-
man's account through arrest
records and weeks of text mes-
sages between Rahman and
his police handler. The AP also
reviewed the photos Rahman
sent to police. Friends confirmed
Rahman was at certain events
when he said he was there, and
former NYPD officials, while
not personally familiar with
Rahman, said the tactics he
described were used by infor-
mants.
Informants like Rahman
are a central component of the
NYPD's wide-ranging programs
to monitor life in Muslim neigh-
borhoods since the 2001 terror-
ist attacks. Police officers have
eavesdropped inside Muslim
businesses, trained video cam-
eras on mosques and collected
license plates of worshippers.
Informants who trawl the
mosques - known informally
as "mosque crawlers" - tell
police what the imam says at
sermons and provide police lists
of attendees, even when there's
no evidence they committed a
crime.
The programs were built with
unprecedented help from the
CIA.
Police recruited Rah-
man in late January, after his
third arrest on misdemeanor
drug charges, which Rahman
believed would lead to serious
legal consequences. An NYPD
plainclothes officer approached
him in a Queens jail and asked
whether he wanted to turn his
life around.
The next month, Rahman
said, he was on the NYPD's pay-
roll.
NYPD spokesman Paul
Browne did not immediately
return a message seeking com-
ment about Tuesday. He has
denied widespread NYPD spy-
ing, saying police only follow
leads.
In an Oct. 15 interview with
the AP, however, Rahman said
he received little training and
spied on "everything and any-
one." He took pictures inside the
many mosques he visited and
eavesdropped on imams. By his
own measure, he said he was
very good at his job and his han-
dler never once told him he was
collecting too much, no matter
whom he was spying on.
Rahman said he thought he
was doing important work pro-
tecting New York City and con-
sidered himself a hero.
One of his earliest assign-
ments was to spy on a lecture
at the Muslim Student Asso-
ciation at John Jay College of
Criminal Justice in Manhat-
tan. The speaker was Ali Abdul
Karim, the head of security at
the Masjid At-Taqwa mosque in
Brooklyn. The NYPD had been
concerned about Karim for years
and already had infiltrated the
mosque, according to NYPD
documents obtained by the AP.
Rahman also was instructed
to monitor the student group
itself, though he wasn't told to
target anyone specifically. His
NYPD handler, Steve, told him
to take pictures of people at the
events, determine who belonged
to the student association and
identify its leadership.
On Feb. 23, Rahman attended
the event with Karim and lis-
tened, ready to catch what he
called a "speaker's gaffe." The
NYPD was interested in buzz
words such as "jihad" and "revo-
lution," he said. Any radical rhet-
oric, the NYPD told him, needed
to be reported.
John Jay president Jeremy
Travis said Tuesday that police
had not told the school about
the surveillance. He did not say
whether he believed the tactic
was appropriate.
OHIO
From Page 1A
mount issue in the state, and has
remained a theme in campaign
appearances by all candidates.
In his speech, Biden delineat-
ed the clear vision of the Obama
administration for alleviating
social issues and aiding the mid-
dle class before a crowd of about
1,500 attendees.
Biden talked about job out-
sourcing, and distinguished
between the two presidential
candidates on the issue, noting
that while Romney emphasizes a
difference between "off-shoring"
and "outsourcing," he and Obama
seeboth as takingjobs away from
Americans.
"The president's job is to bring
jobs home; the president's job is to
create jobs here," Biden said.
He emphasized the need for
Americans to stand for what they
believe in and vote in a way that
reflects what they want, adding
that there should be a heavier
focus on the middle class and a
concerted effort to continue cre-
ating jobs.
Biden said Romney and Ryan
have not publicly addressed their
thoughts on how to ensure eco-
nomic success for the middle
class well enough.
"Instead of signing a pledge ...
promising that they'll cut taxes
for the very wealthy, they should
be signing a pledge to you, the
middle class, saying that they'll
level the playing field," he said.
"That's the pledge we wrote -
that's why we're running."
He noted that he and Obama
have already started develop a
plan to create new manufactur-
ing jobs and double the country's
exports.
"We're going to give tax breaks
to companies who stay here and
come here - not those who go
abroad," Biden said. "We're going
to develop home-grown energy."
If re-elected, he explained
that he and Obama foresee an
increase in coal, oil and natural
gas generated domestically, as
well as solar power energy and
biofuel. Noting that the admin-
istration plans to create 600,000
jobs solely in natural gas produc-
tion.
Guyton Mathews, a Univer-
sity of Toledo junior studying
political science and communi-
cations, was chosen to address
the audience before Biden took
the stage. In an interview after
the event, he said he was glad
to see that the vice president
addressed some of his primary
concerns - affordable education
and women's rights.
Mathews added that with the
help of supporters like Biden,
the Obama administration can
secure Ohio's support.
"If they just keep at it the way
they're doing it now, (Obama
will) definitely getOhio,"he said.
Mathews was one of many
Ohioans to take advantage of
early voting, which began in late
September.
"It's alot more convenient,"he
said. "We have classes so some-
times it's not as easy to get out to
the polls."
Deonte Howard, a University
of Toledo junior studying social
work, also voted early. Howard
explained that because he has
cerebral palsy, it is hard for him
to stand in line or walk long dis-
tances.
"Early voting gives me the
opportunity to (vote) at a slower
pace so I won't be tired on Elec-
tion Day," he said.
Howard added he thinks
Biden's speech "hit home" for the
college students in attendance.
"I feel like Biden coming down
... is showing that they do care
about us," Howard said. "We are
willing to put in our vote and
I appreciate the fact that they
acknowledge that."
- The Associated Press
contributed to this report. Daily
Staff Reporter Anna Rozenberg
reported from Toledo and Daily
News Editor Rayza Goldsmith
less than 90 minutes each time, once again broke this curfew on
JENSON except for the fifth occurrence Oct.13 by about half an hour.
From Page 1A on Oct. 1, when he returned more At the hearing in Detroit, Jen-
than three hours after curfew at son will have the opportunity to
to be in his residence between 8 11:17 p.m. respond to the allegations.
p.m. and 8a.m. daily. On Oct. 3, his nightly curfew Jenson's lawyer, Raymond Cas-
Jenson, whose location is mon- was reduced to 5 p.m. because of sar, was not immediately avail-
itored by the court, was late by his repeated violations. Jenson able for comment.
PROP. 6
From Page 1A
any bridge built thereafter,"
Snyder said in a statement.
A second bridge has been in
development for years, starting
in 2005 while former Demo-
cratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm
was still in office. The Michi-
gan Department of Transporta-
tion reported then that another
bridge was necessary to relieve
traffic congestion at the cross-
ing.
Granholm was not success-
ful in building the bridge due to
Moroun's continued influence
on legislators.
When Synder took office after
Granholm, he indicated the con-
struction of a second bridge was
one of his top priorities as gov-
ernor.
Despite the Legislature's con-
tinued disapproval of bills for
the new bridge, Snyder signed
an agreement with the Cana-
dian Government in June for
the bridge's construction where
Canada agreed to pay for the
construction.
Before Snyder made the
agreement, the Legislature
passed a supplemental budget
which indicated no tax dol-
lars could be spent on a bridge
between Canada and Michigan.
The 82-year-old Ambassa-
dor bridge is one of the busiest
international border crossings
in North America and about
10,000 vehicles cross it each
day. Advocates of the second
crossing say the region will lose
shipping traffic to other border
crossings if another bridge isn't
built.
"The new bridge will be a
great benefit for our state, and
we shouldn't let one billionaire
and his special interest monopo-
ly get in the way," Snyder said in
the release.
Business Economics Prof.
Thomas Lyon said in an Oct.
17 panel discussion at the Ford
School of Public Policy that the
new bridge construction would
make funds available for other
resources in the state.
"(The bridge) would actually
generate $2.2 billion in addition-
al federal highway money that
will be freed up and be given to
the state of Michigan as a gift if
we have the bridge," Lyon said.
Lyon said the only obstacle
to the endowment is Moroun
and his interest in maintain-
ing ownership of international
crossings.
"Well there's one guy that
doesn't like (the deal) ... it's the
monopolist trying to block free
money coming into the state, so
the message is to vote no on Pro-
posal 6," Lyon said. "This one
should be a no brainer."
State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann
Arbor) said The People Should
Decide committee, which is
behind the proposal, has been
campaigning for the proposal.
"There's a very heavy ad cam-
paign behind (Proposal 6), and
the message of that ad campaign
is somewhat compelling," Irwin
said. "People generally have that
initial reaction of having a vote
by the people on these kinds of
things, what could be wrong with
that?"
The commercials, which have
been making claims that the
state will be losing state-funded
programs due to the cost of the
bridge, have cost an estimated
$10 million, which has been fund-
ed by Moroun. Snyder has refuted
the claims the ads are making
because the bridge is to be funded
entirely by the Canadian govern-
ment.
Irwin said the United Auto
Workers support the construc-
tion of a second bridge because
of the opportunities it would
provide for shipping and trans-
portation, and having a vote on
such construction could slow
down or halt the progress.
"We've heard repeatedly in
the Legislature from the auto
companies and from the UAW
that building this new span ...
would be a real benefit to the
auto industry," Irwin said. "It
would be more of an impetus
for (the auto industry) to invest
more here in Michigan."
Representative Mark Oui-
met (R-Scio Twp.) said other
states have implemented policy
similar to Proposal 6 and it has
proven to be inflexible.
"California operates a ballot
initiative, and it ties the hand
of legislative process to work
through (crossing construc-
tion), regardless if they are
Republican or Democrat," Oui-
met said.
Ouimet added that such mea-
sures should not be included
in statewide, permanent law
and could have negative future
implications.
"I just don't think it's good
that (Proposal 6) be in our Con-
stitution," Ouimet said. "I think
that that could be very danger-
ous."
LSA senior Lauren Coffman,
the communications director
for the University's chapter of
the College Democrats, wrote
in an e-mail interview that the
organization has no official
stance on Proposal 6.
LSA senior Nicole Miller,
member of the University's
chapter of the College Republi-
cans, said the unclear phrasing
of the proposal makes it difficult
to support.
"The wording is a little bit
vague and so it could threaten
the construction of other bridg-
es and other projects in the
state," Miller said. "I just think
that the need for a new bridge
in addition to the Ambassador
Bridge is great enough that hav-
ing the proposal passed would
be detrimental."
She added that Proposal 6 is
less partisan and less relatable
to students than many other
measures on the ballot.
- Daily News Editor Paige
Pearcy contributed to this report.
ENROLLMENT
From Page 1A
Multicultural Initiatives, said
minority enrollment numbers
have decreased as a result of
Proposal 2, the 2006 state refer-
endum that banned affirmative
action policies, which prevented
public institutions from using
race or ethnicity as a deciding
factor in admissions decisions.
According to Nina Grant, the
director of the Office of Multi-
Ethnic Student Affairs, under-
represented minorities have
consistently comprised about 10
percent of incoming freshman
classes in recent years. Grant
added that while she always
hopes to see an increase in
minority enrollment at the Uni-
versity, the numbers nationwide
are not where they ought to be
either.
Underrepresented minority
groups include African-Ameri-
can, Hispanic and Native Ameri-
can students. Lester Monts, the
senior vice provost for academic
affairs, said most Asian ethnici-
ties are not considered under-
represented at the University or
in Michigan because they have
such a prominent presence in the
state.
Monts said the number of
underrepresented minorities
might also be lower at the Uni-
versity due to the relatively
homogenous population of the
state, adding that comparing the
University's numbers with col-
leges in other states is mislead-
ing.
"California's population, is
much, much larger than Michi-
gan's, and because of immigra-
tion, its proximity to Mexico and
being on the West Coast ... there
are more people from diverse,
racial and ethnic backgrounds,"
Monts said. "So it's ill-advised,
to make that kind of comparison
based on the number or percent-
age of students."
Michigan State University's
demographic make-up is simi-
lar to the University's - black
students represent about 6.2
percent of the student body and
Hispanics consist of 3.4 percent.
Eastern Michigan University,
however, boasts an underrepre-
sented minority population of 24
percent among undergraduates.
University officials assert-
ed that statistics often do not
accurately reflect the general
attitudes and commitment to
diversity on campus. Matlock
said he believes that diversity
is one of the University's most
defining attributes.
"I think some schools get into
the numbers game ... to me diver-
sity is not only who and how many
people you bring in, but how many
people you get out and what kind
of climate they have that's condu-
cive to it," Matlock said.
Matlock pointed to the large
populations of out-of-state, eth-
nic minority, lower income and
international students as proof
of the University's commitment
to expanding diversity. He noted
that while the gender imbalance
is no longer a primary concern,
only 25 years ago women were not
as equally represented at the Uni-
versity as they are today. Students
in this year's freshman class rep-
resent 46 states and 60 countries.
Monts concurred, stressing
that the impressive number of
international students alone has
created tremendous cultural
diversity and representation.
"We can't really dwell on any
one aspect of diversity," Monts
said. "We really do have to move
beyond just race and ethnicity
because there are other kinds of
diversity that make this Univer-
sity strong."
Matlock said he is impressed
with University efforts focused
on increasing accessibility to
higher education for financially
disadvantaged students.
"I think we've done a much
better job in terms of recogniz-
ing social-economic diversity
(and) trying to put in scholarship
programs and funding programs
to deal with first generation stu-
dents," Matlock said. "We ask for
that information in the admis-
sions application, looking at
social-economics."
Williams, however, said he
feels there is a disparity between
the University's statements
regarding overall diversity and
the reality on campus.
"I don't think it's diverse in a
way that the University conveys
it as," Williams said. "It seems
like they're more committed to
sustainability than diversity."
Despite this inconsistency,
Williams said the wide array of
multicultural support systems
has helped address the lack of
representation for many groups.
Williams has mentored black
freshmen, promoted diversity
issues and is now a student man-
ager at the Trotter Multicultural
Center, which provides a venue
for groups to meet and socialize.
Support for Incoming Black
Students is a mentorship pro-
gram through which African-
American freshmen are paired
with African-American upper-
classmen that connect incoming
students with academic resourc-
es and social opportunities dur-
ing weekly meetings.
Latino freshmen also have
access to an expansive sup-
port system through Assisting
Latinos to Maximize Achieve-
ment. Like SIBS, the program
offers mentorship opportunities,
recruitment efforts and attempts
to generate understanding and
enthusiasm about Latino issues
on campus.
These various multicultural
groups, in combination with
Trotter, are organized and run
by MESA. While these groups
have an extensive presence on
campus, Williams said he hopes
to see more University funding
for and attention paid to multi-
cultural groups in the future.
AWARD
From Page 1A
who saved the lives of thou-
sands of Hungarian Jews during
the Holocaust. The University
presents the annual award in
his memory.
"She demonstrates how
much difference one person
can make," Hanlon said while
introducing Gunnoe. "Her
dedication to educating and
empowering others will have a
lasting impact. She is an inspir-
ing example of Wallenberg's
belief of the power of the indi-
vidual."
Gunnoe said Wallenberg
inspired her to make a differ-
ence in the world, and under-
stand the value of humanitarian
work at all levels.
"I am humbled to be in the
company of such an amazing
person as Wallenberg," Gunnoe
said. "His human rights work
allowed me to believe in real
change to begin at the grass-
roots. Our struggles will always
benefit the next generation if
each generation continues to
demand better for future gen-
erations."
Gunnoe also discussed her
testimony in June before the
U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Energy and
Mineral Resources about the
Obama administration's actions
against the Spruce Coal Mine
in West Virginia. The Spruce
mine is a controversial project
in West Virginia that the Obama
administration tried to block.
She said the Republican com-
mittee members would not
allow her to show a photo of a
five year-old girl in a tub filled
with "tea-colored bath water"
to demonstrate the realities
of hazardous water because it
qualified as "child pornogra-
phy."
"They are willing to do just
about everything to keep their
evil deeds under protection,"
Gunnoe said.
Sean Goodrich, an Engineer-
ing junior and a member of Stu-
dents for Clean Energy, said
Gunnoe's activism is inspiring.
"She's a really powerful tes-
tament to what one person can
do to stop coal and to encourage
more sustainable, clean energy,"
Goodrich said.
Goodrich said Students for
Clean Energy hopes to orga-
nize a grassroots movement
to encourage the University's
investment in cleaner energy,
adding that Gunnoe serves as a
strong example of how to lead
a successful grassroots move-
ment.
"She emphasized that we
should tell stories and try
to spread word through the
media," Goodrich said.."Hear-
ing this from Maria Gunnoe is
very inspiring, and I think it
can definitely help and rally our
club to encourage some support
for it."
Goodrich added that though
Gunnoe demonstrates the
efficacy of a grassroots move-
ment, there are still vast areas
for growth in environmental
efforts.
"Our work will never truly be
done," Gunnoe said. "We are all
one person and this one person's
name ishumanity."