March 2, 2006

SHORT TAKES

Getting a Grip on the Slip

Duwamish River community members are gathering force to voice their opinions about a cleanup plan that may affect the waterway’s “Slip 4.”

A community workshop, held on Feb. 27 and sponsored by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC,) provided an opportunity for 55 residents concerned about the future viability of the river’s slip to get a better sense of what an EPA cleanup would entail. According to B.J. Cummings, DRCC coordinator, of particular concern for those in attendance was the need to ask the EPA for more information on how toxic materials would be addressed. “We don’t want to just go with the ‘Trust me’ approach,” says Cummings.

Toxic materials would not be removed from the Duwamish, says Cummings, but instead would be “capped,” a process that entails covering up hazardous materials with a composition of impenetrable materials.

Also of concern was the eradication of ongoing sources of pollution, including PCBs, says Cummings.

On hand at the workshop to assist attendees through the maze of EPA jargon was Peter deFur, an independent technical advisor whose presence was made possible by a grant received by the DRCC.

The EPA plans to hold a March 7 public meeting on its proposed cleanup plan. Public comments will be solicited at that time. The EPA is legally required to respond in writing to all comments, says Cummings.

Cummings says a fact sheet, one borne of the workshop, will be on hand for residents at next week’s public meeting. While the concerns at the workshop touched on longstanding issues for protection of the river and people, Cummings says more issues remain: “There’s still a lot of community concern.”

The Duwamish River Cleanup Plan Public Meeting takes place March 7 at Georgetown Gospel Chapel, 6606 Carleton Ave. S. A 5:30 p.m. open house precedes the 6:30 p.m. meeting.

Ruling expected on imam

Members of Seattle’s Somali community are still awaiting word of a ruling in the immigration case of a local imam, Abrahim Sheikh Mohamed.

Sheikh Abrahim, as he is known within the community, has been held at the Northwest Detention Center in Sea-Tac since his Nov. 14 arrest for alleged immigration violations. An imam at Abu-Makr mosque on MLK Way in Rainier Valley, he was arrested by federal authorities when he departed a flight at Sea-Tac Airport. Sheikh Abrahim has been detained and held without bond since his arrest.

Community members have staged numerous vigils outside of the Detention Center asking for the imam’s release. A Feb. 9 rally outside of Abu-Makr mosque drew close to 200 supporters.

Federal authorities allege the imam filed a 2001 asylum application containing false information. Those allegations stem from the contention that Sheikh Abrahim claimed to be a member of the minority Tumal tribe in Somalia, while he is instead a member of the majority Ogaden tribe. The FBI also claims the imam has ties to a Somali terrorist organization called the Ogaden National Liberation Front.

Hilary Han, attorney for the imam, says the charges being leveled against Sheikh Abrahim are hearsay, based upon information provided by sources not made available for cross-examination. In Han’s view, having a hearing in early February, when the imam was arrested in November, amounted to a “really, really long time” for a trial of this nature. “We think it raises due process concerns,” says Han.

According to Han, the trial is a two-part process: a bond hearing and then a deportation hearing. In the bond hearing, authorities claimed the imam was a flight risk and a danger to the community. In court, Han says he argued for a re-determination hearing that would allow for a bond to be set. Legal briefs in the bond hearing were filed on Feb. 24. Han says the judge could rule on the bond hearing at any time. The deportation hearing is scheduled, he says, for the latter part of March.

Han says the charges against the imam highlight a trend in deportation cases. “There certainly is a different focus,” says Han, “in that Muslims and Arabs are targeted a lot more [than in the past].”

— Rosette Royale