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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Saudi Marathon Man
A twenty-year-old man who had been watching the Boston Marathon had his body torn into by the force of a bomb. He wasnt alone; a hundred and seventy-six people were injured and three were killed. But he was the only one who, while in the hospital being treated for his wounds, had his apartment searched in a startling show of force, as his fellow-tenants described it to the Boston Herald, with a phalanx of officers and agents and two K9 units. He was the one whose belongings were carried out in paper bags as his neighbors watched; whose roommate, also a student, was questioned for five hours (I was scared) before coming out to say that he didnt think his friend was someone whod plant a bombthat he was a nice guy who liked sports. Let me go to school, dude, the roommate said later in the day, covering his face with his hands and almost crying, as a Fox News producer followed him and asked him, again and again, if he was sure he hadnt been living with a killer.
Why the search, the interrogation, the dogs, the bomb squad, and the injured mans name tweeted out, attached to the word suspect? After the bombs went off, people were running in every directionso was the young man. Many, like him, were hurt badly; many of them were saved by the unflinching kindness of strangers, who carried them or stopped the bleeding with their own hands and improvised tourniquets. Exhausted runners who kept running to the nearest hospital to give blood, President Obama said. They helped one another, consoled one another, Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, said. In the midst of that, according to a CBS News report, a bystander saw the young man running, badly hurt, rushed to him, and then tackled him, bringing him down. People thought he looked suspicious.
More: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/04/the-saudi-marathon-man.html
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I know some people who could take a lesson...
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)malaise
(268,724 posts)Several men of different ethnicity were told to run on a particular road and bystanders were then interviewed. Bystanders said they saw men exercising, running for fun, etc but when asked about the African American man, more than a few said they saw a thief running away from the scene of a crime.
Racism has been ingrained into several brains.
SwissTony
(2,560 posts)It contained two photos. One was of a white couple carrying some food they "found", according to the caption. The other was of an African-American couple also carrying food. The caption described them as looters.
Hmmm.
malaise
(268,724 posts)Racism is promoted on a daily basis - divide and rule.
Solly Mack
(90,758 posts)Danascot
(4,690 posts)of the crime of not being white in America.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)OneMoreDemocrat
(913 posts)I realize that there's the whole 'bad apple' argument, but at the same time it was 19 Saudis who committed the single most horrific act of terrorism this country has ever seen.
I feel bad about this guy, but unfortunately I'm a lot less hesitant to be too upset that he was looked at closely...had the folks in Boston stopped the last group of his countrymen who wished to do harm in America, things would have turned out differently.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)and were training with Taliban, were all American nationals....so what is your argument again?
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)not be scared every time you are in a crowd and see a young, white male? I don't feel scared generally unless there a reason to, and in my experience I've never been threatened or harmed by our 'usual suspects'. The terrorizing events in my life, and there have been a few, were caused by white males. Still, I don't fear white males in general. That seems paranoid to me, irrational fear caused by propaganda frankly.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)but just want to point out that 15 out of the 19 were Saudis. The others were from Egypt, Lebanon and the UAE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijackers_in_the_September_11_attacks
closeupready
(29,503 posts)But the underlying hatred of people of Semitic origins is still alive and well. Same shit, different day.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)You'll have to forgive me, because this sounds like an odd theory.
Bernardo de La Paz
(48,966 posts)Tackling the Saudi probably worsened his injuries. Richard Jewell (hero of the Atlanta bombing and also falsely accused) died an early death.
uponit7771
(90,304 posts)one_voice
(20,043 posts)we *should* be better than this. I know we don't always react well under strenuous circumstances, but...
Cleita
(75,480 posts)We just can't run around accusing everyone from the Middle East for every act of violence that happens.