June 18, 2013 -- Last Thursday, just hours after a flyer denouncing Huntley Hotel owner Sohrab Sassounian of being a greedy, Beverly Hills millionaire appeared on Santa Monica doorsteps, The Lookout began receiving emails denouncing the hit piece as “racist.” (Santa Monica Hotel War Heats Up, June 2013)

“I can’t believe... Mikel (sic) Dell's Company, have stooped to racist attacks in order get people on their side,” wrote Silke Kohler.

“I hope that every councilmember will join me in condemning this racist attack,” wrote Jim Gerstley.

“Michael Dell’s smear campaign against Sohrab Sassounian is mostly racist but also WRONG,” said Stephen McMahon.

After receiving the emails, The Lookout asked the writers to explain why they thought the flyer was racist. “Really? The grainy, terrorist colored-guy photo with the creepy eyes? Gee, who would Michael Dell be reaching out to with a dark, grainy photo like that?” McMahon responded. “It's racist all right.” He was referring to a low-resolution image of Sassounian in sepia tones that appeared on the front of and inside the flyer. “Considering how they show a photo of Mr Sassounian who is clearly middle eastern, I think it does have to do with race,” said Gerstley.

McMahon agreed. “Okay. A dark Arab-guy who lives in Beverly Hills? Gee, who would Michael Dell be reaching out to with that line?

“I think you'll see what Michael Dell is trying to do - the same thing the media does when it displays dark, Arab guys with creepy eyes,” said McMahon. “Islamophobia.”

However, The Lookout has learned that Sassounian isn't Muslim. In fact, Sassounian, who hosted a Passover seder at the Huntley, is Jewish. He's also not Arab. Hailing from Iran, he is, in fact, Persian.

After receiving emails that repeated the same accusation, The Lookout wondered: Is this a concerted effort?

No one answered.

However, an email sent by one of the local residents included a previous email exchange. The exchange was initiated by Rohnda Ammouri, who is the coordinator of the group Save Santa Monica, formed in opposition to the Miramar's redevelopment plans.

“There was a negative flyer that was dropped all over residences in Santa Monica today. It attacks the Huntley Hotel and the owner, Sohrab Sassounian with false information and accusations. Attached, please find a PDF of the flyer for your review. The press is already writing their stories on the piece,” Ammouri wrote Thursday.

“We need to respond to this piece and let the media know that we are outraged. Please call me or email me ASAP to set up submitting a short statement tonight in response to the negative flyer. We need to do this ASAP!

“Once these stories are submitted, we will also need to respond in the commentary on the websites with our opinions and feedback on the flyer in mass,” she concluded.

Local resident Suzy Rabuchin responded to Ammouri's request.

“absolutely, i will sign a statement for positive feedback on sassounian,” wrote Rabuchin, who lives near the Miramar.

When asked for her statement, Rabuchin told The Lookout that she had written one but lost it. Instead she forwarded a statement prepared by Ammouri.

“I’ve been following the conversation over development in Santa Monica, and I never expected the debate to come to this,” the statement reads.

“I don’t know who at the Miramar thought it would be a good idea to distribute a mailing piece that’s openly racist and makes unjust attacks in order to get the green light on their renovation project, but they don’t deserve to keep their job.

“This is a shameless scare tactic and completely unacceptable in our civil society,” the statement continues. “I hope they feel ashamed for this and issue an apology to the Huntley Hotel and its owner. If they don’t feel compelled to do so, our city officials should take the moral high ground and demand that they do so.”

The email includes instructions from Ammouri for Rabuchin to send the statement on to the press and to post it on various social media sites.

When asked who wrote the statement, Ammouri responded, “Suzy was upset about the flyer, and -- at her request -- (we) helped her to draft what she told us she wanted to say and helped her get in touch with reporters and get her views out there.”

Ammouri is a former field consultant for Burnside and Associates, the prominent Los Angeles political consulting firm, hired by the Huntley to run its campaign against the Miramar.

The 19-story Huntley Hotel has been actively campaigning against the proposed $225 million renovation of its neighbor's campus that would place a 21-story tower directly across the street.

Alan Epstein, the lead negotiator for MSD Capital, the property management firm handling the Miramar redevelopment for Dell, believes calling the flyer racist obfuscates the larger issues.

“These charges of racism are ridiculous and a clear attempt to avoid answering the questions raised by the Miramar,” Epstein said.

“We are no longer willing to let the Huntley's lies go unchallenged, its rabble-rousing in the community to remain a secret, and its mean-spirited personal attacks on Michael Dell to go unanswered,” he said.