Terrorist Paranoia

[Donut]

Briton 'beaten up and abused' by US police

By Huria Choudhari, Evening Standard
7 July 2003

British tourist Mehmet Mahmut told today how he became the victim of "terrorist paranoia" sweeping America when he was beaten and racially abused by New York police officers.

During his ordeal the 41-year-old London computer engineer said he was held for 28 hours, forced to the ground and scraped against the floor - suffering scratches and bruises and chest injuries.

The London-born Turkish Muslim said: "They kept asking me if I was Iranian and whether I had fundamental Islamic beliefs.

"They did not believe I was a British citizen. They were convinced I was a terrorist. When I wouldn't give them the answers they were looking for, they pushed me to the ground and beat me.

"These police officers treated me like a dog. They simply judged me by the colour of my skin and by my name," he said.

Mr Mahmut, who was on a five-day trip to the US with his partner, Rubina Latif, was seized after the couple returned from a shopping trip. Problems started with a mix-up over a bus ticket. They could not find their ticket for the coach journey back to the city but were allowed on when they produced a receipt.

But once back at the bus depot, Mr Mahmut says the driver became aggressive and refused to allow them off the bus. Police were called and Mr Mahmut was handcuffed.

"They kept saying that I was scum. One asked me if I was Muslim, then he told me to shut up and that I was going to jail for a long time," he said.

Mr Mahmut, who has a kidney problem, said he had to drink water from a fountain also being used as a urinal.

Ms Latif, 37, was questioned for two hours before police let her go. Mr Mahmut is receiving medication for his injuries and trauma.

The couple, from South Norwood, have contacted the Police Complaints Bureau in New York over their treatment.

A NYPD spokesman refused to comment on the case.

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I sense a court case coming!

[the new JR Jansen]

Didn't you know, the US is fighting a war on tourism .

OK, OK, pretty dumb. Anyway, on topic, it seems that the US has become a little paranoid since 9/11. I still see the lines of people, who where in the US with a visa from several 'arabic' countries, standing before the imigrations services just because they came from a certain country. The land of the free, sin't so free anymore, at least not to those who want to visit it.

A couple of weeks ago i heard a story from a Belgian women who was going over there on a buisness trip. She didn't have her new passport as of yet (to clarify, it wasn't expired. Nowadays you need a passport that can be read by computer, the only thing she didn't do was to ask for that to be aded to her passport because she didn't know). She got arrested and taken to a room and was subject to, what she called, 'very abusive and inhuman comments and actions'. No matter that she had been in the US numerous times before.

[ 07-08-2003, 07:29 AM: Message edited by: the new JR Jansen ]

Sounds like he had a perfectly awful time. Of course, we only hear one side of that story. As for being accused of being Iranian, wouldn't displaying his passport have solved everything? I wonder how polite he was about not having his ticket when trying to board the bus?

If the story were exactly how he told it, with no omissions and no gaps I would say that the officers should be reprimanded. However, In my life time, I have never heard one side of a storylike that, that didn't include a significant "other side". Of course, this story makes for better sales....whatever happened to investigative journalism to get at the truth of the issues?


[ 07-08-2003, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: MagiK ]

[Donut]

Originally posted by MagiK: Sounds like he had a perfectly awful time. Of course, we only hear one side of that story. As for being accused of being Iranian, wouldn't displaying his passport have solved everything? I wonder how polite he was about not having his ticket when trying to board the bus? If the story were exactly how he told it, with no omissions and no gaps I would say that the officers should be reprimanded. However, In my life time, I have never heard one side of a storylike that, that didn't include a significant "other side". Of course, this story makes for better sales....whatever happened to investigative journalism to get at the truth of the issues?

I agree -that's why it would be nice to hear from the NYPD.

[Sir Taliesin]

Which, Donut, you probably won't unless it's a slow newsday and the press has nothing better to report on. (RANT ON) You know the type of stuff like whether John Kennedy's Jr. wife was a cokehead or was having an affair with her old boyfriend before John and her got hitch (is that really an affair?) or the Kobe Bryant scandal or the Cuomo divorce. No, I wouldn't count on hearing much out of the NYPD. Seems like all the press has to report on now-a-days in trash stuff!(RANT OFF)

Back on topic: I tend to think we went a leeetle bit overboard with our paranoia sometimes.

[Barry the Sprout]

Originally posted by Donut: quote: Originally posted by MagiK: Sounds like he had a perfectly awful time. Of course, we only hear one side of that story. As for being accused of being Iranian, wouldn't displaying his passport have solved everything? I wonder how polite he was about not having his ticket when trying to board the bus? If the story were exactly how he told it, with no omissions and no gaps I would say that the officers should be reprimanded. However, In my life time, I have never heard one side of a storylike that, that didn't include a significant "other side". Of course, this story makes for better sales....whatever happened to investigative journalism to get at the truth of the issues?

I agree -that's why it would be nice to hear from the NYPD. [/QUOTE]I have to agree here. If there is a side to this story that can in some way make it ok to detain people for pretty much no reason for two days then I am slightly suprised they aren't telling people it. One might almost assume that they think their reasons for treating the man as they did might not be up to scratch...

"No comment" doesn't necessarily make them guilty - but it does raise questions about why they don't want to tell their side of the story, if it would exonerate them or at least mitigate the circumstances as you suggest MagiK.

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Donut: I agree -that's why it would be nice to hear from the NYPD.

Exactly. But you won't -- I'll bet you dollars to, um... donuts that their lawyers have put the clamp-down on any blabbing.

At least he didn't get sodomized with a toilet plunger -- which he probably would have were he black (at least that's what history tells us).

NYPD has a deplorable record of prejudicial, narrow-minded mistreatment of suspects. The one that really got me going was the off-duty hispanic cop who got the crap beat out of him by his fellow officers for being, well, hispanic. I used to get NYC local news, and if I had a dollar for every black kid who got shot because he was running with a metal-colored walkman....

Of course, Mayor Gulliani certainly cleaned up the city -- by making it unsafe for anyone to be in public.

I hope those cops lose their jobs, I hope the City pays through the nose, and I hope Bush shares some blame. Oh well, here's to wishful thinking. [img]graemlins/cheers.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/drunkass.gif[/img]

[wellard]

SAD

I hope tourists stay away from America till the paranoia cools down. *come to Australia instead [img]tongue.gif[/img] *

Maybe money will talk, cause common sense is not being listened to!

[ 07-10-2003, 11:12 AM: Message edited by: wellard ]

*AHEM* It isn't really Paranoia if the terrorists are out to get you...and since they have said that they are.........


I am glad TL brought up the lawyer angle [img]smile.gif[/img] Didn't want to e the one picking on lawyers here. Maybe someone will crack or leak the story out to the press. I agree that the NYPD has had some ugly incidents in the past.

[Zero Alpha]

Originally posted by MagiK: *AHEM* It isn't really Paranoia if the terrorists are out to get you...and since they have said that they are.........

sure, but to take a the approach of 'anyone of this ethnic group is a evil terroris' is strange to say the least. remenicent of naziism? by the tone of the posts the issue sounds localised to New York, but this kind of institutionalised racism isnt acceptable even on a small scale.

i admit the the story sounds one sided but 'The NYPD spokesman refused to comment on the case'. a denial or single sentance explanation would have sufficed.