Sacramento city councilman feels powerless as Afghans call him begging for help
Sacramento City Councilman Sean Loloee didn’t sleep all last week.
The Iranian immigrant, whose phone number is circulating in Afghanistan, received 28 calls on a single night.
The calls are quick, with spotty service, but the Afghans all have terror in their shaking voices as they make the same desperate plea.
“Almost every call that comes in, the one statement they all share is: the Taliban will kill us, please help us,” Loloee said.
In August, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, two weeks before the United States was set to complete its troop withdrawal following the 20-year war. The last American troops withdrew from the country Monday.
The calls that come in from mothers with children impact Loloee the most, especially daughters.
The Taliban put flyers on all the homes in the Afghanistan saying that if there were any daughters 15 and older, the family had to announce that to the Taliban, Loloee said. Many parents are worried their daughters will be taken, he said.
“I have kids myself, I have a daughter myself, and I know what these animals are going to do to these people,” Loloee said through tears. “I hear the screaming in my head every night.”
Some mothers who have called him have as many as five children.
One mother begged Loloee to get her 8-year-old daughter out of the country, he said.
“She didn’t even care where, just (wanted me to) get her out,” Loloee said.
Loloee has been tirelessly trying to find a way to help the people calling him escape Afghanistan. He’s reached out to members of the U.S. military and to the office of U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento. So far he has not been successful.
“It kills me to be so powerless,” Loloee said.
But he keeps taking the calls. Ignoring them is not an option in his mind. When he’s not on a call, he’s frequently watching horrifying videos on Facebook and YouTube.
The situation has been taking a toll on his family life. He is married with 9-year-old son Pasha and 5-year-old daughter Ayla.
“When I hang up the phone, emotionally I’m drained so I cannot have a conversation or say ‘Okay kids let’s go to park now,’” Loloee said. “It has a huge effect on my family right now.”
On top of his family responsibilities, Loloee owns a chain of grocery stores, and is the new councilman of a district containing some of the city’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, which demands a lot of his time. Currently, he’s working on opening three new sites with tiny homes for the homeless.
The tragic situation is also taking a toll locally. About 9,700 Afghan people live in Sacramento County — more than any other county in the U.S., according to census data. Another 2,000 live in Yolo, Sutter, Placer or El Dorado counties.
“When I talk to our Afghan community here, they’re numb,” Loloee said. “Absolutely numb. They’re worried about their families, they’re worried about their country. I’m hearing this every day now.”
