 |
| A screengrab from the video showing the alleged ex-Marine |
COLDWATER — A white man who claimed to be an ex-Marine told Arab American teenagers in Coldwater, Mich, “I’ve been in Fallujah; I’ve killed your motherf***ing kind.”
A video of the incident, which took place on March 27, went viral on social media.
According to Ahmed Mohsen, who recorded the video, the altercation started when he and his friend placed cash on top of the man’s beer case at a gas station’s counter.
They were paying for gas.
Mohsen, 15, said there was no place for the teenagers to put their money, and they thought it wouldn’t be a problem.
The supposed ex-Marine continued to taunt the young Muslims as he drove away, telling them that they’re going to die.
“What kind of society do we live in, hopefully one day this kind of stuff won’t exist,” Mohsen wrote on Facebook.
The video shows that the teenagers remained calm throughout the ordeal, responding with chuckles to the man’s vulgarity.
Mohsen, a 10th grader told The Arab American News that he was surprised by the man’s bigotry but heartened by the online support after posting the video.
He said he received many messages of solidarity, including from Marine veterans.
“I was very sad,” Mohsen said. “I was very shocked. That’s why I giggled.”
Coldwater, a town of 11,000 about 125 miles southwest of Detroit, has a relatively large Arab American population.
Mohsen said Coldwater is usually diverse and peaceful.
He stressed that the video is not edited, and that he only started recording after the racist man became hostile.
“Arab Americans and immigrants are being used as a scapegoat for a lot of this country’s problems, but hopefully I don’t get discriminated against in terms of job or colleges,” Mohsen said, sounding beyond his years.
The 15-year-old wants to become an engineer.
Coldwater’s Director of Public Safety Mark Bartell pledged to investigate the altercation.
He said he was made aware of the incident several days after it had occurred and added that as far as he knows, the interaction was not reported to the police department.
The director said he does not have enough information to determine if there had been a legal offense by the supposed ex-Marine.
However, he added that the man’s conduct could fall under assault, disorderly conduct or ethnic bias.
Bartell said the police have a great relationship with Arab Americans in the city, adding that he routinely meets with community leaders.
“Our Arab American population is integrated into our school,” he said. “To my knowledge, everything is successful and going quiet well.”
Bartell said he will engage the community while looking into the gas station incident.
Leave a Reply