Davis MAPA Report: Facts vs. Misinformation

Addressing claims about the Davis Human Relations Commission report on Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Allied community experiences

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Voices from the Davis community expressing their gratitude for the MAPA report at the April 2nd HRC meeting.

Frequently Asked Questions

The report was commissioned to understand:

  • The climate and experiences of Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians and their allies in Davis
  • Levels of discrimination, fear, and community impact
  • How community members are feeling and what challenges they face
  • Patterns of reported incidents and community responses

The report identified 6 main themes (see below, or page 9 of the report)

  • It's long, but less time than you think to go through!
  • Most pages have just a few short quotes and you can skim quickly if you are rushed.
  • The core recommendations start on page 58, and are listed below in this FAQ
  • Since a few people have been spreading fear by taking a few quotes out of context, you may find it worthwhile to spend 20 minutes reading it directly, which is easily enough time to form your own opinion.

In brief summary, the report documents concerns and fears from the local MAPA community it surveyed. Some are part of the larger national story that includes deportations for non-citizens who speak up for Palestinians, and many are specific to incidents here in Davis. 6 Major themes were identified (see page 9)

  • Climate of Fear and Discrimination
  • Fear of Retaliation
  • Climate of Silencing and Erasure
  • Weaponization of Antisemitism
  • Frustration with Acceptance of Intimidation
  • UCD & City of Davis Disregard for Issues Facing MAPA Communities

The report makes a few specific suggestions (see below) and contains supplementary material for the national context.

The report surveyed a diverse group including:

  • A mix of Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, and their allies, mainly made up of
  • Davis residents
  • DJUSD (Davis Joint Unified School District) parents and staff
  • UCD (UC Davis) faculty, staff, and students
  • Jewish allies, some of whom expressed concerns about weaponization of antisemitism accusations

The qualitative approach was chosen specifically because of fear in MAPA communities to report experiences and the relatively small population size in Davis.

At recent HRC and City Council meetings, some people suggested the MAPA report painted Zionist Jews as harrassers, making them feel like as a group they were being targeted by the report. Others took this further, suggesting the report was anti-semitic, or implying it meant Zionist Jews should not express their core beliefs.
  • The report documents experiences shared by community members, sometimes noting specific issues they've had with specific individuals. The context is not an attack on any larger group in particular.
  • When survey respondents mentioned being harassed by people they described as "Zionists," this was their documented interpretation of their lived experiences.
  • The report explicitly states that personally identifiable information was redacted to protect all individuals
  • The mention of Zionists was a tiny fraction of the total number of submissions
  • Jewish allies were included among those surveyed, and some expressed that they have experienced false accusation of anti semitism against them for speaking up in support of Palestinian human rights.
  • These were descriptions of personal experiences of harassment, not ideological statements

Summary: The report serves as documentation of community experiences rather than making judgments about any group. The vast majority of responses focus on institutional climate and personal experiences rather than political terminology.

The council may vote on six recommendations that the Human Relations Commission approved.

The 89 page MAPA report provides some context for why these recommendations were made, but the City Council is not being asked to approve the report itself.

Context: These are standard anti-discrimination recommendations that could apply to protecting any minority community from harassment and discrimination.

The Actual Recommendations for City Council:
  1. Acknowledgement of anti-MAPA discrimination in Davis
    While the City of Davis has worked to recognize Arab American Heritage month on April 1, 2025, many feel an acknowledgement of the anti-MAPA discrimination in Davis since 2023 is needed.
  2. Commitment to free speech, including speech advocating for justice for Palestine and the Palestinian people
    In recognizing anti-MAPA discrimination, many feel a commitment to demonstrate solidarity and care for the MAPA communities going forward requires a commitment to explaining that political non-hate speech is protected, including speech on 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
    Report on planned next steps within 6 months and implementation progress provided to HRC within 1 year.
  4. City commitment to Anti-Palestinian Racism and Anti-Muslim Bias Training for staff and council
    As part of creating a comprehensive anti-bias and anti-racism training set, we recommend the inclusion of anti-Palestinian racism and anti-Muslim bias training in the city's professional development requirements.
  5. A request from the city for the DJUSD Superintendent to acknowledge and release a statement on MAPA discrimination in Davis.
    While the school district has taken steps to remedying a lack of focus on MAPA communities, an acknowledgement of the lack of communication to show solidarity and care for the MAPA communities would be helpful.
  6. A request from the city for the UCD Administration to acknowledge and release a statement on MAPA discrimination in Davis
    Given the deep concerns regarding the treatment and handling of complaints by UCD MAPA communities, which were brought up by faculty, staff and administrators, many believe a statement of solidarity with MAPA communities and a public commitment to protect them on campus is needed.

UPDATE: At recent HRC and City Council meetings, there have been concerns from the Zionist community about City Council approving these recommendations, arguing that they may be antisemitic.

We have created the option for you to see how they read if you were to replace MAPA with different minority groups, so you can judge for yourself if anyone other than Palestinians, Muslims, and their allies would be attacked in this manner for putting forward these recommendations:

The report identified 6 main themes:

  1. Climate of Fear and Discrimination: High levels of discrimination and fear impacting mental and physical health
  2. Fear of Retaliation: Significant fear of consequences for reporting discrimination or expressing care for MAPA communites.
  3. Climate of Silencing and Erasure: Being silenced, self-silenced, and/or censored
  4. Weaponization of Antisemitism: Accusations of antisemitism deterring people from speaking about Palestine
  5. Frustration with Acceptance of Intimidation: High levels of frustration regarding acceptance of aggressive behavior
  6. UCD & City of Davis Disregard: Deep hurt and loss of trust with both institutions

The findings show community members feeling that institutions have not done enough to protect MAPA communities from harassment and discrimination.

The report follows established research methodology for documenting community experiences, and is biased only to the extent it reflects the diversity of opinion within the surveyed community. The survey was of the MAPA community, and not for example the larger Asian, Jewish, or LGBTQ communities, all of whom may reasonably have different responses to the same questions.

  • Qualitative Research: Designed to capture lived experiences and community climate
  • Privacy Protection: All identifying information was redacted
  • Diverse Voices: Included allies and community members from various backgrounds
  • Supporting Data: Referenced national and regional quantitative studies
  • Transparent Methodology: Methods and approach clearly documented

The report's goal was to document experiences, not to make political statements or target any group.

The MAPA subcommittee was tasked specifically with surveying only the Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and Allied communities in Davis.

  • Numerous responses from self-identified Jewish MAPA allies were included in the report.
  • A separate subcommittee on antisemitism already exists. It was unanimously approved by the HRC, and this subcommittee may elect to survey the Jewish community in Davis at their discretion. However this would be out of scope for the MAPA subcommittee.

About the Davis MAPA Report

What is MAPA?

MAPA stands for Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians and their Allies. This report documents the climate and experiences of these community members in Davis, California.

Official Source

This report was produced by the City of Davis Human Relations Commission, Subcommittee on MAPA.
This FAQ was produced by a group of Davis citizens who wish to avoid continued misinformation being spread about the report, and is not the work of the HRC.

Methodology

The report used qualitative research methods including climate surveys, hundreds of conversations, and review of social media content over 3 months.

Privacy Protection

Personally identifiable information in the report was redacted to protect the privacy of individuals who shared their experiences, as well as those who may have been referenced.