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herding cats

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66. A bright child who did nothing wrong learned an ugly lesson in racism

Wed Sep 16, 2015, 02:13 PM

Sep 2015

This isn't how it should be in this country, but what should be and what is are worlds apart.

Ahmed's grandmother said, "I thank God there's nothing people can say but (that) we are good people." Just let that sink in for a minute. Consider how no one in this family did anything wrong. Think about living a life where you're always walking on eggshells because you know you could be falsely accused of something at anytime for who you are, and are held to a higher bar than people who aren't a minority.

This is what being a minority in America is like. The prejudices may vary depending on what minority group a person comes from, but the premise is the same.

This is what we need to change, not just for Ahmed, but for every person in this country who are forced live a life where racism and/or bigotry like this is a daily reality.

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Highlight:

ACTUAL STATEMENT from the Irving Police on why they arrested Ahmed Mohamed. Worse than fiction. [View all] kpete Sep 2015 OP

"He would simply only tell us that it was a clock" damnedifIknow Sep 2015 #1

If..... kpete Sep 2015 #2

Perfect! G_j Sep 2015 #9

A Strong Tea Party Movement in Irving dem in texas Sep 2015 #41

The Irving city council passed a controversial resolution 7wo7rees Sep 2015 #67

Call the police department as well dbackjon Sep 2015 #85

I'm pretty sure Grand Prairie has a higher Hispanic percentage than Irving. LanternWaste Sep 2015 #98

the Muslims are out to get them AlbertCat Sep 2015 #159

+2. Like that. closeupready Sep 2015 #74

Well, almost pefect. staggerleem Sep 2015 #75

yeah I would say "shows time like a clock" n/t Statistical Sep 2015 #153

Awesome! Paka Sep 2015 #161

Read this one on another site tapermaker Sep 2015 #70

Nice! Hahaha Fantastic Anarchist Sep 2015 #96

Funny you should mention that... RoccoRyg Sep 2015 #147

<SNORT!> Now I need a new keyboard n/t catrose Sep 2015 #156

"I need a drink." KansDem Sep 2015 #111

There's a clock somewhere in the world that says 5PM. n/t christx30 Sep 2015 #186

That kid had to have been terrified, considering the stupid things happening today in our PDs. Frustratedlady Sep 2015 #3

One word: Kafkaesque. Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2015 #4

indeed Fast Walker 52 Sep 2015 #6

They should just hold him under water to see if he was a witch too! nt TheBlackAdder Sep 2015 #30

Just waterboard him until he confesses! Fantastic Anarchist Sep 2015 #97

+1 TubbersUK Sep 2015 #127

"Making love to you is very kafkaesque." AlbertCat Sep 2015 #160

Do the police feel stupid? Or do they actually believe they're doing their job? - n/t Jim__ Sep 2015 #5

I'm sure many of them think they were just doing their job Fast Walker 52 Sep 2015 #7

The Irving police are too stupid to know that they are stupid csziggy Sep 2015 #10

Dunning-Kruger handmade34 Sep 2015 #23

Yeahup..... daleanime Sep 2015 #26

That's what I've been trying to say! mountain grammy Sep 2015 #65

Don't be ashamed of your country. pangaia Sep 2015 #130

Dunning-Kruger Effect. HooptieWagon Sep 2015 #19

That's why we only hire those! Don't want no intelligent ones... erronis Sep 2015 #36

By design. Read this. AtheistCrusader Sep 2015 #134

It's times like these when the question of who is allowed to reproduce should be raised! nt TheBlackAdder Sep 2015 #31

Interrogation is a skill the police department has lost. Baitball Blogger Sep 2015 #8

A big FBI office is a few miles east, in Dallas. Bomb experts are there. Instead of police DhhD Sep 2015 #178

A Clockwork Brown Octafish Sep 2015 #11

slam dunk civil rights violation lawsuit for that family Takket Sep 2015 #12

Geek Dad: We Stand With Ahmed � An Open Letter to Ahmed Mohamed HuckleB Sep 2015 #13

Stupid. It could have been easily settled simply by jwirr Sep 2015 #14

An expert? trumad Sep 2015 #73

I was thinking of a science teacher. I suspect not jwirr Sep 2015 #86

Well damn, I can't get the picture to display. JoeyT Sep 2015 #105

Here is a picture: Fred Sanders Sep 2015 #138

Thanks! JoeyT Sep 2015 #144

I thought it was his (science?) teacher bullsnarfle Sep 2015 #177

He brought it to show his Science teacher. But it was his English teacher who called the cops. nt ieoeja Sep 2015 #179

Ah-ha, thanks... bullsnarfle Sep 2015 #189

Thank you. That was what I was getting at in my first jwirr Sep 2015 #183

Also, there's Steinbaugh's Bomb/Clock Test: Dr. Strange Sep 2015 #99

What if it only flashes "12:00" constantly? kentauros Sep 2015 #135

If it flashes "12:00"... Bongo Prophet Sep 2015 #148

Brilliant! Dr. Strange Sep 2015 #150

Then it's a VCR SwankyXomb Sep 2015 #149

wtf? Where was the expert supposed to materialize from? Warren Stupidity Sep 2015 #173

All I said is the this whole arrest was stupid. Why all the jwirr Sep 2015 #184

"A broader explanation"? jberryhill Sep 2015 #15

"broader explanation" = "tell us what our fear and hate want to hear." nt hvn_nbr_2 Sep 2015 #29

He didn't explain why the clock used ARABIC numerals on it! jberryhill Sep 2015 #43

HA! Roland99 Sep 2015 #80

I doubt they even know that. nm rhett o rick Sep 2015 #125

That's what got me, BarbaRosa Sep 2015 #101

Now be nice, cops are hired stupid and stay stupid. The school officials on the other hand... A Simple Game Sep 2015 #117

A broader explanation was needed because the cops and avebury Sep 2015 #175

twitter account Takket Sep 2015 #16

Their stupidity is so effing embarrassing... joeybee12 Sep 2015 #17

Yes, he needs a good attorney. hamsterjill Sep 2015 #20

Thankfully, his story went viral, so he'll get some damned good attorneys. backscatter712 Sep 2015 #50

Idiots. School admins and the cops Lee-Lee Sep 2015 #18

Absolutely. You are right. hamsterjill Sep 2015 #21

Teachers educated leaders - NOT, because that's not how the repugs want them. erronis Sep 2015 #40

Please remember....this is Texas Hulk Sep 2015 #62

Have you forgotten Florida Man? He gives Texas folks a run for their money. nt tblue37 Sep 2015 #171

Agree 100% mark67 Sep 2015 #182

Opening scene from 'Touch of Evil' 1958 edgineered Sep 2015 #22

Sue them into the fucking ground. nt msanthrope Sep 2015 #24

That's about the only thing these idiots understand is $$$ 47of74 Sep 2015 #123

"What clocks do?" "How do you clock?" DirkGently Sep 2015 #25

Cops have to be the dumbest people on the planet. blackspade Sep 2015 #27

if the kid was white, a clock would have been a clock. it is that simple randys1 Sep 2015 #28

If the kid was white Takket Sep 2015 #48

Probably...although, nowadays cops shoot first and ask questions later even with randys1 Sep 2015 #60

Steve Wozniak built a fake bomb in high school, got caught and spent a night in Juvie. OnlinePoker Sep 2015 #145

I brought a paper mache ball onto the school bus. It was painted black, had a fuse, and "BOMB" on it NBachers Sep 2015 #168

I hate saying it, but he's lucky they didn't beat the shit out of him. arcane1 Sep 2015 #32

Are all Texas Law Enforcement Officers and Teachers morons? It sure seem like it. Can we pay them to OregonBlue Sep 2015 #33

Just goes to show some entire PDs are full of stupid cops with nothing to do. Rex Sep 2015 #34

It's called : El Shaman Sep 2015 #172

Back in the bad old days, if you wouldn't confess you were a heretic... malthaussen Sep 2015 #35

i think it may be time barbtries Sep 2015 #37

Past time actually damnedifIknow Sep 2015 #83

When my husband applied to the police academy many years ago, MANative Sep 2015 #106

that's what we need. barbtries Sep 2015 #118

If he'd said it was a gun, they would have had to let him go. tclambert Sep 2015 #38

Nope, not for brown people they wouldn�t nt dorkzilla Sep 2015 #42

These cops have their clock stuck in 1950. Orrex Sep 2015 #39

I love the fact that President Obama and Sec. Clinton both reached out to this young man Gothmog Sep 2015 #44

I have posted it twice already and will again, it is so lovely: Fred Sanders Sep 2015 #139

Did they think it was an exploding CIRCUIT BOARD??? navarth Sep 2015 #45

Have you never watched Star Trek? Those computers blow up and shit, dude! n/t ieoeja Sep 2015 #180

to be honest, navarth Sep 2015 #181

I love the President�s tweet dorkzilla Sep 2015 #46

Ahmed's inspiration elljay Sep 2015 #47

I saw in the DMN about this. herding cats Sep 2015 #49

This is what we do to OUR children: kpete Sep 2015 #52

A bright child who did nothing wrong learned an ugly lesson in racism herding cats Sep 2015 #66

Wow! 14-years-old carted off in handcuffs. Sweet Freedom Sep 2015 #120

Juvenile POC are regularly handcuffed and carted off BumRushDaShow Sep 2015 #137

"It looks like a movie bomb to me" Statistical Sep 2015 #162

Jeebus Effin' Christ! Daemonaquila Sep 2015 #51

Most of the time a clock is just a clock, and quite often, a fuckwit with a badge is just a fuckwit Ed Suspicious Sep 2015 #53

God I love our president Egnever Sep 2015 #54

It's time to screen ALL Texans before they leave their beloved state... Hulk Sep 2015 #55

Yes ShrimpPoboy Sep 2015 #87

Screen them all RoccoR5955 Sep 2015 #188

The asshat kid didn't realize he had to explain to adults what a clock is/does. Put him in Gitmo! merrily Sep 2015 #56

If cops don't want people to think theyre stupid and incompetent, they should try to stop being KG Sep 2015 #57

Dear Officers Stupid. I hope our kids don't have reason to regret your ignorance. jtuck004 Sep 2015 #58

This country continues to find new ways to scare me. McCamy Taylor Sep 2015 #59

In a civilized country this boy would have gotten a high-five and support to continue innovating. Daniel537 Sep 2015 #61

I can picture some idiot saying, "If he wanted to avoid trouble he would have bought a clock." Spitfire of ATJ Sep 2015 #63

Ignorant, provinicial shitheads always double down Warpy Sep 2015 #64

What makes this whole story triply absurd is that the family is SUFI. MADem Sep 2015 #68

Does the other side of the circuit board wingzeroday Sep 2015 #69

kick Angry Dragon Sep 2015 #71

Nice in retrospect, but if he'd tried to bring that thing in the White House... cigsandcoffee Sep 2015 #72

Anyone would have been tackled... that being the relevant difference. LanternWaste Sep 2015 #115

Wow. PatrickforO Sep 2015 #76

He should have said NewJeffCT Sep 2015 #77

Ahmed's mistake HassleCat Sep 2015 #78

Stupid flipp'n Militia Police... SoapBox Sep 2015 #79

She's a Trumpster ... GeorgeGist Sep 2015 #81

Gee, I wonder what would have happened if he came to school with a clock? nt Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2015 #95

Right Wing America - Killing Ingenuity And Creativity - Daily - What A Message For Children cantbeserious Sep 2015 #82

They're probably go apeshit d_legendary1 Sep 2015 #84

This reminds me of the model who had no idea what the word "profile" means ("America's Next WinkyDink Sep 2015 #88

Attention anyone who thinks white privelege is a myth, Dyedinthewoolliberal Sep 2015 #89

thanks Dyedinthewoolliberal kpete Sep 2015 #92

This young man's mastery of (American) English far exceeds the Police. gordianot Sep 2015 #90

We speak a combination of under-educated red-neck and sub-literate half-wit. LanternWaste Sep 2015 #100

This reminds me of an old insult I heard about the age of the young man 50 years ago that fits. gordianot Sep 2015 #109

In today's crazy climate of ineptitude, my blond brother would have been behind LuckyLib Sep 2015 #91

my mother-in-law tells stories kpete Sep 2015 #94

#IStandWithAhmed L. Coyote Sep 2015 #93

I couldn't tell this from the OP, but passiveporcupine Sep 2015 #102

And the former Gov. of Texas (Perry) said a broken clock was right ONCE a day underpants Sep 2015 #103

What is it? It's a clock. WHAT IS it! It's a clock. WHAT IS IT!!! It's a clock underpants Sep 2015 #104

Fuck it, dude. Time for Plan B. Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2015 #124

The school turned him in! procon Sep 2015 #107

Horrible purpledarts Sep 2015 #108

Why wouldn't they believe the science teacher the kid brought it in to? valerief Sep 2015 #110

Much worse than that, the teacher turned him in. Rex Sep 2015 #119

Just to clarify, it was his English teacher that turned him in tammywammy Sep 2015 #142

Right! valerief Sep 2015 #151

That was a different teacher. herding cats Sep 2015 #143

Would cops have accepted ... left-of-center2012 Sep 2015 #112

i think we have to finally accept the fact that a large fraction of American police . . . DrBulldog Sep 2015 #113

If he were a white evangelical Christian ... left-of-center2012 Sep 2015 #114

If I were that mayor, my first concern would be obvious brain damage in teachers and police Demeter Sep 2015 #116

This is so fucked up on so many levels. Initech Sep 2015 #121

There is only one level.....institutionalized bigotry and racism...all fuelled by a negligent media. Fred Sanders Sep 2015 #126

And don't forget the American Police State. Initech Sep 2015 #136

No, there's another level: scientific ignorance. Dr. Strange Sep 2015 #155

So basically ut oh Sep 2015 #122

Kicked and recommended to the Max! Enthusiast Sep 2015 #128

it's highly apparent onethatcares Sep 2015 #129

Danger; the british appear to have developed some sort of bomb AtheistCrusader Sep 2015 #131

You know what N.W.A. says? 4lbs Sep 2015 #132

I tried making sense of what the report said, have concluded that there is not enough alcohol to niyad Sep 2015 #133

If this cop thinks this kid is a "terrorist"... cascadiance Sep 2015 #140

Honesty and innocence The Wizard Sep 2015 #141

He actually doesn't owe them any explanation at all bluestateguy Sep 2015 #146

Now I understand RecoveringJournalist Sep 2015 #152

Fucking cops. n/t Hotler Sep 2015 #154

Racism and. Ethnic and religious prejudice plus stupidity. JDPriestly Sep 2015 #157

to the kid who was arrested for building a clock or his family AlbertCat Sep 2015 #158

He should auction it off after getting Obama to autograph it! Dustlawyer Sep 2015 #163

So a jealous teacher brought this to the mackerel Sep 2015 #164

A good many teachers do not like it when they are outsmarted by their students bluestateguy Sep 2015 #167

Irving Police = Clock Blockers. eom. berni_mccoy Sep 2015 #165

This kid is lucky to be alive mikehiggins Sep 2015 #166

Police are liars, they are told everyone lies. joshcryer Sep 2015 #169

Isn't it nice to know that these people "serve and protect"................... raven mad Sep 2015 #170

I'm surprised they didn't waterboard him demwing Sep 2015 #174

Here is information and photos of what he built CBGLuthier Sep 2015 #176

Sure, it looks like a bomb..... Tommy_Carcetti Sep 2015 #185

If these folks ever poked their head inside a PC case IDemo Sep 2015 #193

I couldn't imagine what they would do RoccoR5955 Sep 2015 #187

Another sad thing about it is the probability Dr Rise Sep 2015 #190

why can't anyone produce a picture of this "clock" ? I'm dying to see what this thing looks like. frankieallen Sep 2015 #191

Found a picture! how do i insert into my post? frankieallen Sep 2015 #192