ADC: Demand immediate hate crime charges in the Miami Shooting

Sent out the evening of February 19th:

ACTION ALERT: Demand Immediate Hate Crime Charges in the Miami Shooting

On Saturday, February 15, 2025, Mordechai Brafman opened fire on two visiting Israeli tourists because he believed they were Palestinian. After his arrest, Brafman admitted he “saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both.” Although the victims turned out not to be Arab or Palestinian, the bias-fueled nature of this attack makes it clear that this crime was driven by anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab hatred.   Troublingly, one of the victims later posted “Death to Arabs,” further exposing the pervasive and deep-seated anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment at play.   The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is deeply alarmed by this escalating violence and the ongoing rise in hate crimes targeting Arabs, Palestinians, and Muslims. We cannot allow these threats to go unaddressed. We must demand that local officials and federal authorities treat this shooting as the hate crime it clearly is.   ADC calls on Mayor of Miami Beach Steven Meiner to take swift and decisive action on these three critical demands:   1. Recommit to the protection and safety of Arab and Muslim communities.   The mayors must publicly reassure Arab and Muslim residents and visitors that they will be safe in Miami. This means issuing a clear public statement condemning anti-Arab hate and outlining concrete steps to protect these communities.   2. Condemn this incident as a hate crime. Despite the clear bias motivating this attack, Mayor Meiner is yet to issue a statement acknowledging the tragedy or labeling it as the hate crime it is. 3. Demand an immediate FBI investigation. The public deserves to know if there is a possibility Brafman is part of a wider radicalized group aiming to target Arabs and Muslims. Federal intervention is essential to ensure extremist networks are identified and dismantled. TAKE ACTION NOW

We urge all ADC members and concerned individuals to email Mayor Meiner immediately. Let him know our community will not stand for hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims to go unaddressed. [Reposting: On Saturday, February 15, 2025, Mordechai Brafman opened fire on two visiting Israeli tourists because he believed they were Palestinian. After his arrest, Brafman admitted he “saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both.” Although the victims turned out not to be Arab or Palestinian, the bias-fueled nature of this attack makes it clear that this crime was driven by anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab hatred.   Troublingly, one of the victims later posted “Death to Arabs,” further exposing the pervasive and deep-seated anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment at play.   The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is deeply alarmed by this escalating violence and the ongoing rise in hate crimes targeting Arabs, Palestinians, and Muslims. We cannot allow these threats to go unaddressed. We must demand that local officials and federal authorities treat this shooting as the hate crime it clearly is.   ADC calls on Mayor of Miami Beach Steven Meiner to take swift and decisive action on these three critical demands:   1. Recommit to the protection and safety of Arab and Muslim communities.   The mayors must publicly reassure Arab and Muslim residents and visitors that they will be safe in Miami. This means issuing a clear public statement condemning anti-Arab hate and outlining concrete steps to protect these communities.   2. Condemn this incident as a hate crime. Despite the clear bias motivating this attack, Mayor Meiner is yet to issue a statement acknowledging the tragedy or labeling it as the hate crime it is. 3. Demand an immediate FBI investigation. The public deserves to know if there is a possibility Brafman is part of a wider radicalized group aiming to target Arabs and Muslims. Federal intervention is essential to ensure extremist networks are identified and dismantled. TAKE ACTION NOW We urge all ADC members and concerned individuals to email Mayor Meiner immediately. Let him know our community will not stand for hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims to go unaddressed.