BBC: NY mayor apologises for bus raid (on Sikh tourists)

[rainbow4321]

Great.. UK cops apologizes for shooting an innocent man in the head 5+ times, NYC mayor apologizes for raiding a bus of innocent tourists...what's next? Now if can get chimp to apologize for the 100,000+ dead civilans and troops we have killed over his need to own ALL the oil in the world??

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4718793.stm

The mayor of New York has apologised to five British tourists who were removed from a bus by police and forced to kneel on the pavement.

Michael Bloomberg said the men represented no threat whatsoever.

The men, who are all members of the Sikh religion, were on a tourist bus on Sunday when a worker became suspicious. The double decker bus was evacuated in Sunday's incident.

Armed police handcuffed the men with their arms behind their backs and ordered them to kneel on the pavement by Times Square. However, the police later decided they represented no threat and released them.

[jmm]

1. I wonder what they did to arouse suspicion

besides being having a swarthy brown complexion :grr:?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. That was most likely the only thing.

Although i'm sure some other bullshit reason will be used.

[MsTryska]

4. sikhs also wear turbans,

don't shave their beards, and supposed to carry ritual knives.


since they were tourists they may actually have been carrying backpacks as well.

[reBel_gyrl]

2. So what did the worker say?

That gave the police "no option" but to stop the bus and cuff and speak to these men? What did they do that aroused suspicion in the Tour Bus operator? What is now suspicious?

[MadHound]

5. But oh no, we don't do racial profiling

It is just pure coincidence that these were dark skinned foreigners, really, we don't do racial profiling.:eyes:

Well folks, it is official, add "touring while brown skinned" right next to those other fine crimes like "driving while black"

[immoderate]

11. Most American Sikhs are quite pale skinned.

I have known a few. Lovely people. A couple had red or blonde hair.

It's the turbans that make them dangerous.

--IMM

[htuttle]

6. For crying out loud! They need to provide a turban class

Here, from a Seattle publication. Everything you need to know about turbans:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/lifestyles/links/turbans_27.html

And if you see someone in the US wearing one, the odds are about 90% that they are Sikh.

[endarkenment]

7. shouldn't we have blown their brains out?

I mean, just to be safe. After all they could have been suicide bombers and if we hadn't blown their brains out then all of us sickos on DU would be criticising the cops for not blowing their brains out.

From now on, anytime anyone suspects anyone else of remotely resembling a suicide bomber I say blow their brains out. We have to be safe. We have to stay the course. We cannot give in to the terrsts.

[notadmblnd]

8. I was thinking the same thing

shouldn't they have killed them first and asked questions later? I mean they could have been wired for explosives?

I couldn't believe how many DU-er's were apologizing for the Brit police in a thread here yesterday and was terrible disappointed as to their reasons for justifying the murder of an innocent person.

[billyskank]

10. Apologising? Really?

Well, I'm a British DUer, and I'm fucking appalled that the police are shooting innocent people dead on the streets. Actually, they used to do that in Northern Ireland too, so I guess it's just come home at last. :scared:

[notadmblnd]

12. Yes, there were a couple of them

I won't mention their names, I don't think they were British citizens though.

[endarkenment]

13. more than a couple

I've been embroiled in the flame war over this for it seems about forever. It is getting quite tiresome. Rather discouraging too.

[KurtNYC]

9. and their reaction to the incident....

"These things happen, don't they?" said the man, who gave his name as Jas, 39. "We have no hard feelings. It certainly made our trip different, but didn't ruin it at all."

The tourists were all members of the Sikh religion who grew up together in Birmingham, England. Jas said he planned to return to New York in December to celebrate his 40th birthday. "I'm definitely coming back," he said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/331589p-283349c.html

[Stephanie]

14. Here's the story from yesterday, with pictures

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4189224