Death Threats Darken Hoover City Council Race, Tanveer Patel Responds

A series of death threats and other harassing comments on social media have marred the Hoover City Council race, brought about an ongoing FBI investigation and raised the specter of voter suppression by intimidation.

Tanveer Patel, candidate for City Council Place 1, began receiving death threats on her campaign Facebook page last Friday, August 15. These threats included statements such as “she should be shot in the face” and “Muslims should be taken out and shot.” 

While Patel’s page had received a number of negative comments related to her Muslim faith previously, these new threats were of sufficient severity that a report was filed with the Hoover Police Department. Shortly thereafter, the FBI was contacted and a suspect was identified and located in Georgia.

At press time, no arrests have been announced, but both the Hoover PD and the FBI are reportedly treating this as an ongoing investigation and are monitoring for additional online threats.

Since the initial threats were made, a number of Muslims in and around Hoover have expressed apprehension about their safety on Election Day. Both Hoover PD and the FBI have reassured the public that the polling places will be secure and safe.

Tuesday morning, Patel and a representative of her legal team held a press conference in downtown Birmingham to discuss the incident and its effect on the Place 1 City Council race.

“For the past 24 years, my family and I have proudly called Hoover home,” Patel said. “I have raised my children here. I have built businesses here in Birmingham and Hoover. I have served the community through organizations…like the local Rotary Club and Innovation Depot. I also founded the Red Crescent Clinic to provide free healthcare for those in need.”

“My husband and I are Muslim, but we also serve in the Interfaith Council, working alongside our many Christian and Jewish friends to strengthen relationships across our community,” Patel continued. “We came to this country from India and were blessed to live the American Dream. I am a fiscal conservative who believes in the Constitution of the United States and the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

"That is why these past few days have been so painful. My family and I have received hateful messages, insults and even death threats. It is heartbreaking. These threats are designed to silence me, to intimidate our community, and to suppress our right to vote,” she went on.

“But, I want to be clear: I still believe in America. I believe in the red, white and blue. And, I still believe in the American Dream—that no matter your faith or background, every citizen has the right to live freely and to participate fully in this democracy. Hate will not win!” Patel concluded.

Attorney William White of Parkman White LLP, representing Patel, then spoke. “What we have witnessed in recent days is deeply troubling—not just for my client, but for the City of Hoover and our democracy.”

White thanked both the Hoover PD and FBI for their swift and professional response, and stated they are continuing to monitor the situation. He also said that both agencies have assured the public that it is indeed safe to vote next Tuesday in the municipal election.

He went on to say that “Tanveer has received repeated death threats—including that she should be ‘shot in the face’—and members of the local Muslim community have been threatened with being ‘taken out and shot.’ These are not idle words. They are direct threats of violence, intended to instill fear, silence forces, and suppress the right to vote. That is both hate speech and an attack on the very foundations of our democratic process.”

“In addition to these threats, Ms. Patel has endured a flood of online harassment,” White continued. He stated that they have preserved the messages, and “we have chosen not to redact the names of those who wrote these messages, because this is how they choose to exercise their freedom publically. But, let me be clear: while free speech is protected, targeted threats of violence and coordinated attempts to intimidate voters are not protected. They are unlawful, and they are unacceptable.“

White continued, saying “as a Christian myself, my understanding of Christianity is this: Jesus would never condone such hatred. threatening families, harassing neighbors, and trying to frighten people away from the ballot boxes is wrong—morally and legally.“

White concluded by repeating that the community should not be afraid, and that it will be safe to vote next week. “We urge every citizen to exercise their constitutional right to cast a ballot,” he said. “And above all, we call on everyone to be better human beings to treat one another with respect and love your neighbor.“

Also speaking at the press conference in support of Patel were long-time Hoover residents Dr. Akhlaque Haque and Ahmad Hammoud, as well as Rashmee Sharif, who serves as Patel’s campaign projects director.

“I’m just stunned that we’ve been receiving this level of vitriol,” Sharif said. “I just pray that, moving forward in the last days of this election, there are no more negative incidents.”

The press conference ended without any questions being taken, because of the open and ongoing investigation.

To view the full press conference on the ALPolitics.com Facebook page, go to this link. For more information on Tanveer Patel and her platform, go to her campaign website, Tanveer4Hoover.com.

Ed. Note: during the press conference, Mr. White stated that an arrest has been made in this case. As best as ALPolitics.com has been able to determine, this is incorrect—no arrests have been made and no charges filed as of press time.

Reproductions of the comments that prompted the investigation were displayed at the press conference, but due to their disturbing and profane content are not reproduced here.