Dearborn police chief urge residents not to engage with outside groups potentially coming to city
As anti-Islam protesters allegedly plan to come to next week's city council meeting in Dearborn, police are telling residents that it's best to just avoid them.
"Please stay home. These groups that are coming here are coming for one reason, and that is to provoke a reaction and generate attention. If nobody shows up to react, they have nothing," Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said in a video.
Dearborn police say they will have an "enhanced presence" at the Aug. 18 city council meeting and a comprehensive plan to ensure everyone's safety.
The message from Shahin comes as groups of people, allegedly led by Jake Lang, may be planning on coming to Dearborn next Tuesday. Lang has visited Dearborn before and was seen walking around the streets and going to city council meetings, shouting Islamophobic rhetoric and harassing residents.
"He (Lang) needs to get out of here, if I'm being completely honest, he needs to get out of here," Dearborn resident Zayne Whitson told CBS Detroit.
On Wednesday, Dearborn City Councilmember Kamal Alsawafy said, "Everybody is entitled to their First Amendment rights, but there's a difference between expressing an opinion and deliberately coming into a community to provoke people because of their faith."
Alsawafy told CBS Detroit that he agrees with Dearborn police's message to residents to hold back from confronting the group that continues to attempt to cast Dearborn in a bad light.
"And if anybody has actual business with the City Council, of course, they're more than welcome, just like any city council; otherwise, don't fall for the bait and become a viral moment for somebody else," said Alsawafy.
Other residents agreed as well.
"Yeah, I think just avoid him and don't give them attention because we're not that type of people, we are good people," resident Oula Charara said.
This comes as a man from Alaska was charged with making threats against Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. Dearborn's Muslim residents say the people outside of their community sharing hate have it all wrong.
"They're so generous, they're peaceful neighbors, they just mind their own business. We care a lot about family life, you know, and of course, you know, we care about our religion. Our religion is a peaceful religion," said Charara.
