The Armenian Bar Association invites the community to attend an important in person discussion addressing the impact of prejudicial public rhetoric, ethnic profiling, and online hate on the Armenian-American community and other communities across Los Angeles.
Earlier this year, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, visited Los Angeles and posted a video in which he made a number of unfounded allegations against the Armenian-American community. In the video, Armenian-language signage and Armenian-owned businesses were presented as supposed indicators of criminal activity, including references to a so-called “Russian-Armenian Mafia” and alleged Medicaid fraud.
The Armenian Bar Association remains seriously concerned that such statements unfairly associate Armenian language, culture, and heritage with criminal conduct and risk manufacturing discrimination, bias, and distrust toward Armenian Americans.
The Association supports lawful efforts to combat all healthcare fraud regardless of the alleged wrongdoer’s race or ethnic background, while emphasizing that investigations and public communications must be grounded in evidence and must not rely on ethnicity, language, or national origin as proxies for alleged criminal conduct.
In response to this and similar incidents, at the initiative of Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, the City of Los Angeles Civil, Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights) is hosting a community roundtable bringing together local business owners, scholars, faith leaders, community advocates, and other stakeholders to discuss the social, economic, and civil-rights consequences of public rhetoric and online hate.
The event will also provide an opportunity to learn about City resources available to combat hate and discrimination and to promote understanding among Los Angeles’ diverse communities.
The community roundtable will take place August 27, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at TUMO Los Angeles located at 4146 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91602.
Before the August 27 community roundtable, we encourage community members and businesses to share their experiences through the City’s anonymous survey. The survey seeks to document the social, economic, professional, and personal impacts of the incident involving Dr. Mehmet Oz’s statements about the Armenian-American community. Your response can help ensure that the experiences of Armenian-American residents, business owners, professionals, and community members are reflected in the City’s assessment of the incident.