Resident objects to Wayne County signs honoring Osama Sablani; mayor says county made the decision
Loading...
Summary
A resident criticized signs placed on Warren Avenue honoring Osama Sablani and accused him of promoting violence; the mayor told the council the signs were installed by Wayne County and are not under city control. Remarks at the meeting produced an emotional exchange about community values and hate speech.
At the Sept. 9 Dearborn City Council meeting, resident Ted Barham criticized Wayne County for placing intersection signs honoring Osama Sablani on Warren Avenue and read excerpts from statements he said were from 2022 that he described as supportive of violence. Barham said the signs were "provocative" and inappropriate for placements in Dearborn.
Mayor Abdullah (first name not stated in the transcript) responded that Warren Avenue is a county road and that the county commission placed the signs, not the city. "The county did it," the mayor said. "We can get you the list of their meeting, and you could go there and speak to the county commissioners, but we did not have the authority to overrule that or to suspend it."
The exchange drew a heated rebuttal from another speaker who identified themselves as speaking for Dearborn's Muslim community and accused Barham of bigotry, calling his comments "Islamophobic" and saying Sablani had served the community. The mayor and council cut off an extended back-and-forth and reminded speakers about the rules for public comment.
No city action was taken; council members repeated that the signage decision rests with Wayne County and advised the resident to address the county commission. The transcript shows the city will not remove county signs unilaterally.
