City Staff released its version of the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian and Allies (MAPA) recommendations this past Friday. (provided below)
Discrimination against Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian bodies, families, and cultures has been an unfortunate project that has accelerated since the First World War. This bias is also evident in the colloquial, systemic, unequal, and dehumanizing treatment of our Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian residents and students in Davis.
City email boxes are filling with canned opposition emails leading up to the April 28 special City meeting to hear Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Allies (MAPA) antidiscrimination recommendations, recommendations made by our own City Human Relations Commission (HRC). The HRC recommendations were made after months of surveys, hearing testimony, and careful consideration.
Most of the opposition emails are filled with recriminations and claims of harm inflicted by the MAPA recommendations. However, these recommendations would likely be completely non-controversial if they applied to any other marginalized group. Replace Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Allies with “Asian,” “Black,” “Latino,” etc., and think about how anti-discrimination recommendations would then likely be received.
A number (not all) of Bet Haverim Congregants and many more out-of-town far-right Jewish organizations have been called up by our Davis-based Zionist Sixth Night Coalition to complain about the recommendations and threaten our City. Organizations such as the Jewish Community Relations Council (a division of the Jewish Federation aligned with AIPAC) intend to overwhelm our city’s deliberations, and the Deborah Project (a legal organization also allied with AIPAC) has made implied threats against our city should the MAPA recommendations be passed
This opposition represents the far-right Zionist community and some additional sympathizers who have yet to detach themselves from their communities’ bias, even if it is flawed. The Zionists with whom I am most familiar, including Christian evangelicals, despise Jewish critics of Zionism, such as myself. For many Jews, declaring independence from Zionism has not been a light decision.
Come Tuesday, we will hear more about how City Staff arrived at a rewrite of the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian and Allies recommendations, in which the words Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian are removed entirely.
You can read what the City Staff had to say in their published report here:
The words offered by the City Staff do not address Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian anti-discrimination; they are instead an example of what discriminatory complicity looks like. Hopefully, our City Council is better prepared to address the persistence of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian discrimination in our town and on our campuses.
City Staff, in their presentation of generic recommendations, are, through their omissions, providing additional evidence for our City Council to use in restoring the original language of the MAPA recommendations provided by the HRC.
If Council does not work “a commitment to free speech, including speech advocating for justice for Palestine and the Palestinian people”, along with other essential language, back into the MAPA recommendations, then Davis actively joins a historic low point in human relations.
The original HRC recommendations are followed by the City Staff version below.
For Background: https://davisvanguard.org/2025/06/davis-human-relations-commission-report/
Human Relations Commission Muslim/Arab/Palestinian/Allies (MAPA) Recommendations (submitted to the City Council April 2025 (original):
1. Acknowledgment of anti-MAPA discrimination in Davis.
2. Commitment to free speech, including speech advocating for justice for Palestine and the Palestinian people.
3. The City Manager or appropriate city staff will reach out to set up meeting(s) to review the report and discuss appropriate next steps with DJUSD and UCD administrators
4. City commitment to Anti-Palestinian Racism and Anti-Muslim Bias Training for staff and council.
5. A request from the city for the DJUSD Superintendent to acknowledge and release a statement on MAPA discrimination in Davis.
6. A request from the city for the UCD Administration to acknowledge and release a statement on MAPA discrimination in Davis.
The City Staff version of the recommendations was published this past Friday:
1 Acknowledge that discrimination of all forms exists in Davis and affirm the City’s commitment to ongoing education and action to prevent discrimination.
2 Continue to provide awareness and education about the right to freedom of speech, emphasizing that political expression is constitutionally protected, regardless of viewpoint. This applies to all members of our community.
3 Ask the Hate-Free Together Initiative to partner with the city to develop/share broad-based, cross-cultural, anti-bias information, resources, or training that would be made available to the community.
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“This opposition represents the far-right Zionist community and some additional sympathizers who have yet to detach themselves from their communities’ bias, even if it is flawed.”
A seriously weird and generalized description of myself and other Jews in the community that fails to reflect the diversity of opinion within the Jewish community of Davis that is concerned about the type of “education” you believe should be mandated by the schools and city.
This piece tries to dress up grievance politics as civil rights advocacy, but the mask slips almost immediately. It frames every disagreement as oppression, every critic as “far-right,” every Jewish communal institution as sinister, and every concern about targeted language as bad faith.
Most revealing is the attempt to recast, and frankly misrepresent, who will be showing up in opposition. It won’t be some caricatured outside force. There will be local residents, mainstream Jewish community members, civil libertarians, people who reject selective identity politics, and neighbors who understand that city government should protect everyone equally rather than elevate one geopolitical faction’s preferred slogans into municipal doctrine. It will also include Jews who know from lived experience what happens when hostility to Zionism becomes hostility to Jewish identity, Jewish safety, and Jewish belonging.
The author wants readers to believe this is about anti-discrimination. When “anti-discrimination” demands singling out one conflict, one narrative, and one approved set of political phrases, it becomes compelled ideology. That is exactly why staff moved toward universal language, because equal standards are how pluralistic societies function.
And let’s be blunt and clear: antizionism is not the opposite of Zionism. Antizionism is a hate movement, even when, and often especially when, some of its loudest advocates identify as Jewish and antizionist. Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination in parts of their ancestral homeland. Antizionism uniquely denies that right to Jews while excusing or romanticizing movements that seek to eliminate the world’s only Jewish state. It routinely traffics in litmus tests for Jews, ostracism of Jewish institutions, and collective blame.
Antizionists present themselves as if they speak for Jews broadly. They do not. Recent surveys place explicitly anti-Zionist Jews in the single digits nationally. They represent a tiny, highly organized, highly amplified minority that weaponizes Jewish identity for political ends while insisting everyone else ignore the overwhelming mainstream consensus of Jewish communities.
Those many Palestinians who are simply living their lives, uninvolved in war and uninvolved in murdering Jews, deserve sympathy, aid, and a solution. Hamas will never be that solution. So why do antizionists chant “Free Palestine” instead of “Free Palestine from Hamas”? I am not trying to paint Israel as anything resembling perfect. But antizionists rarely condemn Hamas or even acknowledge it is part of the problem. Antizionists rarely show sympathy toward those kidnapped or killed on 10/7/2023, many of them not Jewish, and some not Israeli. Families facing death, displacement, trauma, and fear deserve compassion and serious efforts toward safety and dignity. Human empathy does not require embracing movements that target Jewish self-determination, Jewish lives, or glorify the destruction of a country.
SS’s portrayal of who Jews in Davis are, who supports Israel, or who Israelis are, is deeply flawed. My relatives in Israel are hardly right wing. Many were in the mass protests to oust Netanyahu before 10/7/2023, and some lived and worked in kibbutzim alongside Gazans who worked in Israel pre-10/7. Most do not support the settlers movement, and many have worked for Palestinian rights.
The portrayal of who will show up Tuesday evening is fiction as well. I know many people who will show up, and few to none fit the “far-right Zionist” description. Most are progressives, many who have been pushed out of progressive spaces in Davis simply for being Jews who will not publicly denounce the state of Israel. The insistence by the author on who is coming reveals something deeper about the author: in their mind anyone who supports Israel is labeled a far-right “Zio” by default, no matter their actual beliefs. Such thinking is not peaceful. It is prejudice.
Nothing upsets activists identifying as Jewish and antizionist more than exposing their tiny numbers or stating plainly that they do not speak for Jews. Many Jews criticize Israeli politicians and policies, as happens in every democracy. That is entirely different from demanding that Israel itself cease to exist while raising no equivalent demand that dozens of Muslim-majority states cease to exist, some of which have committed great atrocities, such as the Iranian regime and its many proxies. Antizionist activists have been silent on the Iranian regime and the recent mass slaughter of its own people who dared to protest against it. Antizionists do not blame US Iranians for what Iran does, because that wouldn’t make any sense. But diaspora Jews are for some reason responsible, in antizionist eyes, for every action that Israel takes. That inconsistency speaks for itself.
A city council’s job is not to ratify activist manifestos or import Middle East factionalism into local governance. Its job is to uphold equal protection, public order, and civic trust. The staff recommendations moved in that direction because they recognized a simple truth: discrimination against all people matters, and public institutions should not become a megaphone for movements that divide neighbors into approved and disfavored camps. Equal standards based on equal principles protect all the peoples of Davis.
Beautiful, Alan. This is a superb, balanced and comprehensive response to Stewart’s one-sided rant. The truth is that he and his compadres are furious about the fact that their attempt to hijack the Davis City Council via the MAPA report is failing. So what has he got left? The usual: ad-hominem attacks against anyone and everyone who disagrees with his tunnel vision. Do they have convincing arguments to validate that vision? No. All they have are demands, demands and more demands, all based on an unsubstantiated historical narrative that has become so doctrinal that none of it or its parts can be questioned lest one is immediately accused of being, you guessed it, a Zionist and a racist. And it’s getting really tiresome, even to the staff of the City of Davis.
Finding a path forward in Davis requires looking past political labels to address the underlying human experiences being reported. Alan makes a valid point: characterizing those who attend City Council meetings as a monolithic “far-right” force is an oversimplification. Residents—mainstream Jewish community members, progressives, and civil libertarians—who act out of a sincere desire for equal protection and representation are likely to show.
The main point is that Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian and Allies (MAPA) discrimination exists, has been reported, and must be named as part of making progress in Davis human relations. When a city moves toward “universal” or “neutral” language in response to specific reports of bias, it can inadvertently result in erasure. Naming a group’s specific struggle is not an act of favoritism or “compelled ideology,” but an act of visibility; you cannot effectively dismantle a specific form of discrimination if the policy itself is too timid to identify it by name.
Recognizing the unique vulnerabilities of the MAPA community is vital to the city’s role in upholding civic trust. The city’s challenge remains how to protect all residents without silencing those who feel their specific experiences are being stripped from the record. We hope the city can do better by explicitly recognizing the MAPA community and not use the recommendations as a tool to render reported discrimination invisible.
Insane people (all-around), looking for problems based on their identity or how they view the identity of others. Best to ignore the whole lot of them, and tell them all to go home (within Davis).
In other words, get a life.
Sometimes, I wish I was a council member (in any given town) just to say something like that. But that’s probably reason #XX that I’ll never be a council member.
That’s hardly going to solve the community divide on this issue
There is no issue to be “solved” here.
Discrimination is illegal, hate crimes are illegal. “Hate speech” is not illegal (and anyone is free to ignore it, and/or put forth their own).
Arrest/prosecute anyone who violates the law.
End of story.
Yeah, ok, the denial approach never works
True – some people will never like what some other people have to say. Passing a resolution won’t prevent that, either.
Personally, I laugh whenever some official (or “group” of officials) “condemns” something that someone says. (Then again, that’s pretty much the entire Democratic party right now, regarding what one other “official” says.)
Or as Peter from Family Guy said, “I’d like to thank the devil as well, since God would have nothing else to do without that guy” (paraphrasing).
The “denial approach”?
What are you talking about? Ron said “Discrimination is illegal, hate crimes are illegal” and “Arrest/prosecute anyone who violates the law”.
How is that denial?
He literally said, “there’s no problem to be solved”
There isn’t any problem to be solved. Or more accurately, there’s already solutions to those problems, depending on which one we’re talking about.
One of which is to go home and ignore what other people say. An even better one is to stop pretending that you’re actually a member of some “group” to the degree that you think you have to respond to hate-filled lunatics (who certainly aren’t going to be convinced by a resolution that they ALREADY PERCEIVE as being biased against
“their” group).
So now what Keith?
“He literally said, “there’s no problem to be solved”
Because there’s already solutions contained in current laws!
So now what David?
Laws are not going to solve this
“Laws are not going to solve this”
Do you feel that this essay helps? What do you think the council should do on Tuesday?
We can do better and as David writes “denial approach never works.”
The vision of a society where individuals can simply “go home” and ignore the noise of hate and fear is a hopeful ideal we strive for, but it is a stage we have not yet reached. Some of us overlook the documented reality that for many Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Ally (MAPA) residents in Davis, the choice to simply “ignore” hostility is a luxury they do not currently have. The MAPA recommendations were not created to “play favorites,” but to address documented, qualitative reports of exclusion and fear specific to this moment in Davis. By intentionally recognizing these unique challenges and working to reduce them, the city is doing the necessary work to clear the path so that everyone, regardless of their background, can eventually enjoy the quiet dignity that Ron and I prize.
I flat-out don’t believe that there’s widespread hatred manifesting itself against the groups you mentioned. Pretty sure that someone would have at actively seek it out, to find it.
And truth be told, I’d say the same thing regarding hatred toward Jews manifesting itself. Not going to find it, unless you seek it out (e.g., at lunatic protests, etc.).
Most people going about their lives are friendly toward their neighbors (regardless of whatever “group” they’re part of), and aren’t thinking about such things when they’re going about their business/daily lives.
Now, if you want to see a REAL problem, try living in some of the worst parts of Oakland or Richmond – especially if you’re not black. That’s where you’re more likely to experience something more than “hateful words”. You won’t even need to go to a protest to find that.
Conversely, someone FROM Oakland or Richmond is not going to find hatred/violence directed at them in Davis.
“I’d say the same thing regarding hatred toward Jews manifesting itself. Not going to find it, unless you seek it out”
The reality:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/13/us/stephen-pittman-mississippi-synagogue-fire-wwk
https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-synagogue-attack-police-respond-to-shots-fired-truck-crash/
So David, you point synagogue attacks in Mississippi and Michigan.
Also the reality:
“Christian churches in the U.S. are experiencing a high volume of attacks, with 1,384 acts of hostility—including arson, vandalism, and gun-related incidents—reported between January 2018 and December 2024.”
Should Davis adopt a MAPA type of program for Christians in Davis due to these acts of hostility across the nation?
Why are you assuming I support anything? Anyway, it doesn’t appear that you and Ron are making the same agument.
O.K. – it sounds like someone hates a flag, and vandalized it. By hanging a flag like that, you are making a political statement – knowing full well that it’s going to cause a negative reaction for some people at this particular time.
A lot of people steal political signs them from the “other” side. It’s probably happening right now in regard to Measure V. (Though stealing political signs hurts the side with less money, more than it does the other side.)
Can’t help but think of Dr. Smith’s over-the-top reaction whenever something insignificant happened that he himself had a major part in – “Oh, the pain!”
A lot of people hate Beth and forcefully take signs right out of her hands.
Those are all already crimes, however. (With the exception of whatever Dr. Smith was complaining about in regard to any given incident.)
“That’s hardly going to solve the community divide on this issue”.
OK, what will then? Do you have suggestions? No? All right, I’ll give you mine then: to not allow henceforth minority groups’ attempts to hijack (why does that word sound familiar?…) Davis institutions to push their agenda, virtually ignoring in the process the fundamental fact that this community is made of all sorts of people with all sorts of opinions, all of whom deserve the same right to be heard and express their views equally. Any attempt by one group to impose their views and demonize those who have different views must be recognized (and fought) for what it is, pure fascism. The City of Davis staff recognized what the Human Relations Commissions failed to see (minus one voice that it shamefully silenced): the MAPA Report has been a gross manipulation attempt to enroll an unwitting City Council as instrument to impose one single point of view. And it is mercifully failing. Let it be a lesson for the City Council, which hopefully will not allow from now on such attempts in the future. THAT will restore peace in the community and will be an important step towards solving its divide.
Well said Jean-Jacques.
Yes – that’s my impression of what’s occurring, as well. (Just based on the comments/articles regarding this.)
But honestly, the FOCUS on this type of thing is what probably “enhances” division. Just as the focus does regarding skin color, sex/gender, etc.).
Normal people don’t center their lives around such things. (Then again, they aren’t “anti or pro- sprawl activists”, either. So, I guess I shouldn’t be on a soapbox, so to speak.)
Sure, Davis and almost every community are made of “all sorts of people” with different opinions, but calling the MAPA report a “single point of view” misses the human stories behind it. This isn’t about one group trying to pull a fast one; it’s about neighbors finally speaking up because they’ve experienced a specific kind of aggression and exclusion that has gone unnamed for too long.
We can’t fix a problem if we’re too afraid to call it what it is. Identifying Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian discrimination isn’t “fascism”—it’s just the first step in making sure “everyone” means everyone. If we want peace and fairness, we can be brave enough to listen to reports of bias rather than pretending they don’t exist under the guise of neutrality.
Let’s see… “…the human stories behind it.”… “…it’s about neighbors finally speaking up because they’ve experienced a specific kind of aggression and exclusion that has gone unnamed for too long.”… “…listen to reports of bias”, all of these clips are based on the false premise that the “testimonials” that make the MAPA Report are authentic. Since not a single one of them has been identified by name, not to mention the exact circumstances that led respectively to each complaint, it is impossible to know if they’re real or invented. As such, the HRC first, and failing that the City Council, should have rejected the whole Report on that basis alone and demand it be re-written with verifiable data in it. If that had been done, it would never have resurfaced again, proving that the testimonials were created ex nihilo for the single purpose of providing the HRC with a weapon to tar without proof the pro-Israel community. Shame on the City Council for approving this charade.