From: South County Democratic Club
To: Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner and City Councilmembers Yvonne Martinez Beltran, Miriam Vega, Soraida Iwanaga, Marilyn Librers
The Holy month of Ramadan is a very important time for Muslims all over the world. It is a time for fasting, service, devotion and spiritual development. The same is true for Muslims living in Morgan Hill.
That is why it is so distressing to hear that an individual was aggressively attacking families that were attending a prayer gathering at the Morgan Hill Community Center on the evening of March 7, 2025. The assailant verbally assaulted several people shouting Islamophobic insults and physically assaulted an elderly gentleman that was there with his daughter.
This is not “freedom of speech.” It is HATE speech and it is a crime! It should be treated as such. There must be immediate action to support the victims and to strengthen local policies aimed at preventing hate crimes. We ask that a town hall be planned within the next 30 days to hear from the community and to allow the city’s police chief and elected leaders to answer their questions.
We hope that you, as leaders of the Morgan Hill community, will use this opportunity to bring our Muslim brothers and sisters closer throughout the process and make them feel even more connected to and cared for by the City of Morgan Hill.
The South County Democratic Club stands solidly with the Muslim community.
Joanne Fierro
President, South County Democratic Club
Editor’s note: The Times has previously reported that the Morgan Hill Police Department and Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the March 7 incident. As of press time, no update to the investigation has been provided by either office.
