Letter to LAUSD Board

To the LA Unified School District Superintendent and Board,

We, as the concerned parents of Turkish American children who are enrolled in your school programs, are writing to you in light of the increasing hostility and violent aggression against the Turkish community in Los Angeles, as most recently demonstrated by a racist attack on Cafe Istanbul in Beverly Hills by a group of Armenian extremists on November 4, 2020.

As clearly evident in the unedited footage from the restaurant’s security cameras (https://youtu.be/uVFgZqhQmb4), the assault was violent and vicious: the perpetrators stormed inside and ransacked the restaurant during business hours, and physically attacked the employees amid death threats and pro-Armenian sentiments -- leaving at least one employee injured and a small family business that’s already struggling due to the pandemic un-operational for several days.

This hate crime (as described by the Beverly Hills Police Department in an official statement) and racially motivated hate attack (as condemned by Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic and Consul General Can Oguz) is a clear example of the escalating aggression against the Turkish community in Los Angeles. It is also a clear example of the hateful, violent and dangerous behavior that endangers our children in their own neighborhoods and schools, where they should be safe and learning to peacefully thrive with people of all ethnicities and racial backgrounds.

We, the Turkish American Community of Southern California, are extremely concerned about the safety of our children in light of this incident and the increasing racial attacks on Turkish people in Los Angeles, which has been inflamed by the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Such deep-seated animosity, albeit in another part of the world, is incredibly volatile and has the potential for sparking racial hate and violent behavior anywhere including here in Los Angeles, as already demonstrated by: the attack on the restaurant; the assassination of three Turkish diplomats by Armenian hate groups; and the violent attack on a small group of Azerbaijanis and Turks who were engaged in a peaceful protest. It is because of this concern that we appeal to you to understand and please consider the following:

We ask the LA Unified School District Board to reverse its decision about the April 24th holiday, and teach historical events in a balanced manner with accuracy without favoring one ethnic group.

• We would like you to understand why this holiday declaration is a racial trigger, one that endangers our children to systemic discrimination, bullying, and aggression in the very spaces that should be safe, peaceful, and nurturing for them. This request is not intended to make anyone “pick sides” nor to undermine or antagonize the Armenian American community. As a matter of fact, most of us were raised to live and thrive peacefully with people of different ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, and religious beliefs, including Armenians. (In its 10 years of business, Cafe Istanbul’s loyal customers include many Armenians, along with other ethnic communities.) But such a declaration fuels an already intensifying and violent issue in our own city, even if its origins is over a hundred years old and the current conflict is on the other side of the world.
• Initiate a dialogue with the parents of Turkish American children that attend your schools. A sensible and fair consultation should take place before implementing such mandates that affect not just a single community, but all constituents. We understand that there are a great number of Armenians in LA, but please consider the wellbeing of all children entrusted to your care. Turkish American scholars are willing to provide necessary educational materials to offer unbiased and factual education. We are happy to contribute towards that goal in any way we can.

The attack against Café Istanbul earlier last month is just one of many examples of Armenian hatred crimes towards the Turkish American community, which are alarmingly increasing even amongst children. As a community and as parents, we are extremely worried about the safety of our children, and about the damaging effects and trauma caused by racial hate speech and bullying.

Our children are a minority and outnumbered by the Armenian American kids in your school district. Thus, we kindly ask the LA Unified School District Board to address the following questions:

• What can you do to protect Turkish American children from being bullied?
• How can you cultivate a culture of tolerance and openness at schools?
• How will you prevent hatred speech surge toward Turkish American children?
• Where do we start to prevent further attacks and this vicious cycle of breeding hatred?
• How can you ensure that our kids won’t feel the need to suppress or even hide their Turkish American identity in classrooms?
• Finally, what would you do if you were in our shoes?

Understand that the racial hate speech and bullying that kids suffer, and experience are committed by children too. Some Armenian kids are still being told stories filled with contempt, resentment, vengeance, and more against Turkish people. This is the root source of such behaviors; this is where the violence starts. As early as elementary school, these kids already carry these feelings of hatred and animosity that have been passed down through generations and they take it out on another child in school—simply because the kid is Turkish American. The last thing any of our children need is a public declaration that fuels, triggers, even legitimizes the antagonistic and violent behavior of Armenian kids towards Turkish American children.

In future communications, we will share with you several examples of hate speech and bullying that our kids in LA Schools have been a victim of from Armenian kids.

As you are well aware, Los Angeles is one of the world’s most diverse cities, proudly home to people from more than 140 countries, speaking over 200 different languages.  Racism and racially motivated hate crimes or favoritism have no place here—neither does enabling such racism.  If a well-respected institution like the LAUSD effectively marginalizes an already vulnerable minority, this will unfortunately legitimize further hate and aggression towards that minority.  We hope that the LA Unified School District Board will not be the instrument of institutionalized hatred and bullying by one ethnic minority over another but instead embrace all of its diverse communities—large and small—and teach peace.

Regards,

First Name Last Name

City, State Zip Code

Member of the Turkish American Community in Los Angeles