Racial profiling has become somewhat of a common theme in USA and perhaps that’s why news of a man of color being discriminated against by authorities raises many concerns. Adding to what already seems to be a long list of racial cases, is the story of Ahmed Mohammed who was not only suspended but also arrested and interrogated for making a digital clock.
It all began when Ahmed, who aspires to be an MIT Engineer, decided to make a digital clock and take it to school to show it to his teacher. He was rewarded for his efforts when the principle called police on him after suspending him for bringing a hoax BOMB to school. The police went as far as to question a minor without the presence of his lawyer or his parents for as long as three hours.
In an official comment, Irving Police Spokesman stated, “We attempted to question the juvenile about what it was and he would simply only tell us that it was a clock.” To make matters even more asinine, the Principle of the school went ahead and issued an official newsletter stating his accomplishment.
Thankfully the Police decided to be benevolent and drop any charges against Ahmed. To further show their generosity, the Police department even allowed Ahmed to be thankful to them for dropping the charges in all further interviews he gave to the press. They are standing by their stance of being righteous even after comments like, “Yup, that’s who I thought it was” were the first ones Ahmed heard after he was taken to the interrogation room after his arrest. The school is following the Police department’s lead and has decided to keep the three day suspension.
The only silver lining in this ridiculous story is the support Ahmed got once this story broke out. With encouraging tweets including the ones from Mark Zuckerberg and President Obama, #IStandWithAhmed soon became a trending topic.
