Ordinary citizens report Muslims for mundane acts like mailing a package

Evidence

So someone went out of their way to not only watch me at the post office, but basically got our license plate number, turned it in to the police as someone suspicious mailing something, and then the police [were] able to track license and registration and find us. And after, [the agent], he just said, “That’s fine, sir. Thank you so much. We’re very sorry to disturb you.” And he said, “I must explain. This is our job. We have to follow up.” And he’s saying to my husband, “You can imagine how many of these calls we get daily these days.” — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 468

Categorization

• SEED: A citizen watching someone mail a package and reporting it is a strong narrative hook for an essay on how state surveillance programs recruit civilian participation.
• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: State rhetoric authorizes ordinary people to persecute Muslims — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 342; Mailings from Muslims can trigger FBI home visits based on civilian reports. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 466; A private citizen’s report of a hijabi woman mailing clothes triggered a police follow-up (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• A citizen can trigger state surveillance of a Muslim simply by reporting them #expands (0.85) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 341
• Vague state anti-terror cues make citizens rely on stereotypes to profile Muslims #expands (0.70)