On September 4, 2012, a group of eight Muslim men, who are all students at local colleges, rented two cars and drove to Lake Chelan, WA to jet ski on the lake. They parked their cars in the parking lot of the jet ski rental shop and left the car unattended while jet skiing, from 5:30 to 8:00 that evening.
When they returned, they found one of their cars vandalized with racist slurs and pornographic images. In black ink the words “sand ni***r” and “doon coon” were written on the side of the car. Scratched into the paint were two images – one of male genitalia and one of female breasts.
CAIR-WA then sent a letter to the FBI asking for a federal hate crime investigation.
CAIR-WA then quickly followed up with the driver who stated that the Chelan Police Department was working on their investigation and a report had not yet been issued. CAIR-WA discussed the benefits of taking public action on these cases by reporting them to media sources. The benefits include:
- Encouraging others in the Muslim community to report incidents of hate
- Informing the broader public that the Muslim community is the target of increasing bigotry and encourage them to step up as allies
- Holding law enforcement accountable by encouraging them to perform to their highest potential in response to the incident
- Publicly requesting that the FBI investigate the incident as a federal hate crime to send a message that bigoted and hateful attacks will not be tolerated and will be dealt with the full force of the law
The driver of the vehicle expressed concerns that appearing publicly could draw attention to himself and lead to further attacks, or an act of retaliation. The driver, concerned for his safety, was not comfortable speaking to media sources and suggested that CAIR-WA contact one of his friends who was a passenger, Ahmed Brown.
Ahmed agreed to speak in the press conference and CAIR-WA helped him craft a narrative and prepare for possible questions from media reporters. On September 6th, CAIR-WA issued a press release to several local media sources including all the major TV news channels, radio stations, and newspapers.
On September 7th, CAIR-WA welcomed reporters to our office where Executive Director Arsalan Bukhari and Ahmed Brown were prepared delivered their remarks and answered questions. Click here to see photos from the news conference.
WATCH TV and read print media coverage here:
Redmond Patch coverage of full statement by Ahmed Brown:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CttCo7GiOg8&feature=plcp
KCPQ 13 TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrIIlOzrhJ4&feature=plcp
KCPQ 13 TV (another story): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqsREG39fSc&feature=plcp
KING 5 TV:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sb9RyTR-Dg&feature=plcp
KIRO 7 TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mWxOPm5tx0&feature=plcp
Wenatchee World:http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/sep/13/racist-vandalism-in-chelan-prompts-call-for-fbi/?print
Lake Chelan Mirror: http://lakechelanmirror.com/main.asp?SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=6686&SectionID=5
Following the press conference, CAIR-WA received a call from the Seattle Office of the FBI indicating that they had already received notice of the incident from the Chelan Police Department and were going to join the investigation. Because active FBI investigations are confidential, the FBI denied CAIR-WA’s request to stay informed of any updates but said it will keep the victims informed.
CAIR-WA released a second press release welcoming the FBI’s involvement and thanking them for joining the investigation. Shortly thereafter, the men who reported the incident were contacted by the FBI and scheduled interviews to discuss the incident. CAIR-WA offered to provide volunteer attorneys for the interviews (to make sure the FBI agents stayed on topic and did not ask any inappropriate questions), but the men declined.
Currently, the men report that the investigation is ongoing and law enforcement reports optimism that they will be able to catch the perpetrators if someone, even a friend or family member of the perpetrator, comes forward with information about the case.
A reward of up to $10,000 is now being offered by the FBI for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those who committed this crime. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 206-622-0460, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
CAIR-WA will publicly announce if/when the perpetrator is caught and maintain biweekly contact with the complainants in the meantime. We are pleased the Chelan Police Department and FBI are treating this case with the seriousness that it deserves, and hope that others will come forward and report all cases (even if they seem small!) to both law enforcement and to CAIR-WA.