Palestinian Students attacked at Guilford College

Beatings reportedly accompanied by ethnic slurs at Guilford
http://rawstory.com/showarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yesweekly.com%2Fmain.asp%3FSectionID%3D1%26SubSectionID%3D1%26ArticleID%3D2078%26TM%3D82117.45

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A hostile encounter at a Guilford College residence hall between students reputed to be members of the football team and three Palestinian students preparing for a night on the town escalated into a flurry of ethnic slurs that ended in the three being hospitalized with concussions.

The assaults took place in the courtyard of Bryan Hall early in the morning hours of Jan. 20 at Guilford, a Quaker college in Greensboro that holds a national reputation for its emphasis on social justice and nonviolence. Witnesses said the site was under construction, and the assailants commandeered loose bricks to carry out the attack. Faris Khader and Osama Sabbah, both students at Guilford, and Omar Awartani, a friend visiting from NC State University in Raleigh, were attacked after hearing taunts from members of the Guilford College football team, Awartani said on Monday.

The three friends had attended a Quaker school together in the West Bank city of Ramallah before coming to North Carolina to attend their respective universities.

"It was the ugliest thing I have ever seen," said Awartani, a freshman pursuing a double major in aerospace and mechanical engineering at NC State. "I've seen Israeli soldiers doing this to me in Palestine, but I've never seen this with citizens. It just came with punches, kicks and brass knuckles. There were witnesses that told me they were picking up rocks and bricks and hitting me."
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And we should support their right to self-defense.

:sarcasm:

I am saddened to realize how much hate they must have been indoctrinated with.

regardless of the ethnicities of the parties involved.

IOW, boys will be boys.

just Like the boys from jasper, tx.

boys wiLL be boys, and drag peopLe to their deaths.

Someone attacked with fucking bricks and racist slurs, and you say "boys will be boys." Many try to forget or dismiss racist lynchings in the South too.

(Holy shit, I can't believe I am reading this.)

Quite shocking.

After all, they're only nigg...I mean Ay-rabs, right? Not like real human beings at all. :puke:

College kids don't need much excuse to get in fights. We had a two-by-four brawl when I was in school between neighboring frats because, well, they were frats. Ethnic slurs are usually just the ugliest insults people can think of once the dominance display ramps up to violence.

That stuff about bricks and brass knuckles is bullshit; nobody went to the hospital. If a football player hits you with a brick or something metal, you don't walk away. Unless maybe he's the field goal kicker. And a girl.

report before you blow it off. They did go to the hospital, had concussions as well as contusions.

If you get hit in the head with a brick by a big guy, you're not going to refuse medical treatment and go the next day, is all I'm saying. They're going to carry you there, and you'll probably be eating through a tube.

Awartani was taken to Wesley Long Hospital Jan. 20th. Same day, is it not? He sustained a concussion, dislocated jaw and bodily bruises. Apparently he did not refuse medical treatment and go 'the next day'. Be assured with a dislocated jaw he has found eating a difficult task withor without a 'tube'.

However, football players are recruited from all around. This is of course why what politicians say has consequences as well as the media networks.

  I think good examples of how our culture has trained us to view Arabs can be gleaned from movies and television because we get so much of our impression of the other from them. It's far too early for me to pull up links but I think anecdotal relation will suffice as you have all been exposed to the same material. Up until the 60's, Arab culture and Arabs were usually portrayed in a generally positive if not overtly romantacized light.

  In the 70's, during the time of the oil embargo and rise of conflict with Iran and the hostages from our embassy, specifically, the tone changed and it was "acceptable" to view Arabs in a less-positive light. For the last almost 20 years now (after the Russian stereotypes from the 80's were no longer applicable after the fall of the Soviet Union), villains in popular action movies which many Americans are exposed to, are typically Arab or have Arab features, when the villains represent "realistic" foes. This did not start all at once but we culturally eased into it. Reference the late-revealed subplot in the otherwise-excellent movie Network as an example of when these anger began to manifest itself.

  While stereotypes of the Japanese and Germans have, for the most part, been retired due to the distance between most Americans and the second world war, stereotypes and ignorance of Arabs have yet to be seriously addressed and their promotion at various levels still takes its toll on our culture.

  These stereotypes are driven primarily as a harmonic with our own geopolitical posturing and alliances with Arab-hostile countries. As long as these postures and alliances continue it is likely that socially "acceptable" anti-Arab racism will continue unabated, and likely grow, in America.

PB

...know one thing, hitting people, it's their defense against any percieved threat. One college, I'm thinking Princeton, has a taunting cheer for members of the opposing team (Princeton, being a thinking person's school, has a notoriously bad football squad): "You scored a touchdown, what's the fuss? Five years later you're working for us."

we're gonna be your boss someday."

I hear this is Northwestern's chant when they play against Ohio State.

I really hate the mentality that goes along with sports. I can't understand the attraction.

I live here in Jamestown (next to Greensboro). My mother taught at this school for over 15 years.

This is horrible; just horrible.

I will say it seems that a lot of very privelged children go here. This is my impression having gone to the Quaker elementary and middle school next to the college and hanging around the campus most of the years of my early teens since my mother worked there. That's all I'm going to say about this at the moment.

I've always thought Quakers were very supportive of the Palestinians- the George School (a local elite Friends high school) sponsored a tour of the Middle East recently, and some friends of mine came back fairly radicalized for the Palestinian cause. My Jewish boss and I were discussing religion, and I told her I was a Quaker and she said "I like the Quakers - my kids went to Friends schools, but I don't understand how they can support the Palestinians."

Perhaps the kids on the football team haven't absorbed much of the school's atmosphere (or maybe they have - what's it like ?) Or maybe they're just being jackass kids. Really appalled to hear it happening at Guilford though.

First and foremost, as you know; Quakers are about peace. This fundamental lesson seems to have passed these guys by.
Honestly; don't think it even goes as deep as the Palestinians on this particular incident...but I could be wrong.
I dunno...I'd like to be honest here. It sounds like a couple of privileged (read:insulated from the real world) kids. This is what I encountered a lot of here when I actually started college. In my years running around campus; the administration and etc. were always wonderful to me. Don't know where the message got lost.......

Earlham College, a place that was very supportive of Palestinian causes (through the professors and the U.S. students and the presences of a good many Middle Eastern students) and awareness of Middle East peace issues in general. Generally the student body was very receptive to those viewpoints and quite active in discussing them, so if anything like his had happened there I would've been amazed ... but not too amazed. At any campus, there's bound to be some more conservative folks and perhaps some others who are just simply unaware of the issues of the day. I don't know about the political make-up of Guilford, though; Earlham is very much committed and actively progressive (at least when I was there back in the day).

The one who graduated already is active with a local Welfare Rights activist group, and talking to their mom, it sounds like the kids there are still committed and actively progressive - "walkin the walk" so to speak

are in NYC, and they are pretty prestigious. And expensive. And good.

I'm sorry that it happened to anyone, anywhere. I'm especially sorry this took place at Guilford.

The Quaker faith is very peaceful and loving.

Guilford is such a nice, granola Quaker college.

And, I mean that in a very nice way -- I almost went there, and wish I had.

sensible and noble they are by pilling on the football team for being racists. It isn't proved that ethnic slurs were actually used. These are the accusations of Omar Awartani.

I suppose you could call the beating alleged as well, if you speak from a strictly legal perspective.

a assault/brawl/fight did occur. But no one else in the story corrobarates that ethnic slurs were used. And so to be 100% sure the "football players" are the instigators of the fight and condemn them for using racist slurs seems premature.

Their accounts will be very relevent in court, and if ethnic slurs were involved the courts will take that into consideration.

if the football players started the fight they should be punished accordingly and if slurs were used it should also be taken into account into their punishment.

But, they haven't been convicted yet, but since an accusation of racist slurs was made, many have piled on and concluded what ignorant brutes these guys are and by extenstion they are guilty of starting the assault.

But already there is a confliction between an eyewitnesses account of 30-40 minutes for school security to respond and the schools contention that within 5 minutes of being notified security was on scene.

I'm sure those football players had a very good reason for beating up that arab kid.

:eyes:

Are they automatically guilty because Mr. Omar Awartani states they used ethnic slurs? There are several conflictions with the statements of the eyewitnesses already. So much for due process...

Get the prosecutor's email address and let's let her/him know.

<snip>

"Three Guilford College students were arrested Monday in connection with a group assault on campus, according to court documents.

The documents, which were reviewed late Monday, said those arrested are accused of beating three Palestinian students with fists, feet and brass knuckles while calling them "terrorists" and using racial slurs. The documents also indicated that the attack involved "at least 15 members of the football team."

The court documents said two of the Palestinian students were severely injuried during the assault at Bryan Hall, a dormitory on the Guilford campus.

Court documents said the attack occurred late Friday, while a statement on the Guilford College Web site indicated it happened early Saturday morning.

Those arrested were Michael Bates, of Reidsville ; Michael Robert Six, of Greensboro ; and Christopher Barnette, of Semora. No ages were available late Monday."

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/NEWSREC0101/70123005

on the reported delay in response time of law enforcement? That's almost as troubling as the attack itself.

" is right across the road. It doesn't take more than five minutes to drive from one end of campus to the other. It took them thirty to forty-five minutes to get there, and I feel that the fight was allowed to get very violent because of that."

- Guilford College student Laura Herman

• Adrienne Craig, the on-duty Campus Life staff member, responded to a call from on-duty resident assistants (RAs) in Bryan Hall at 12:35 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22. Craig arrived in Bryan within five minutes of receiving the call and was present as the fight was concluding. Once public safety was contacted, an officer responded within less than five minutes. Reports of a 30-40 minute delay in response to the incident after the call was made are contradicted by the logs of both departments.

http://www.guilford.edu/about_guilford/news_and_publications/releases/collegeresponse.html

schools PR dept to be perfectly objective. No need for an inquiry. Thanks for clearing that up.

The difference? The logs are able to be checked and verified. In a court of law, they would hold more weight than an eyewitness. It is not to say they couldn't be forged, but then again, there is nothing to say that an eyewitness is not lying or only seeing what they wanted to see.

so I doubt the school officials would want to lie about it. Getting caught with the data being falsified would look SO bad.

time seems to slow interminably. I wonder if that is what happened here? Perceived time vs. real time?

I had an ex who was forced to live in that area temporarily... scary place. I don't know about the city itself, but some of the surrounding area is just... well, there's really no description unless you've been there. Where my ex lived, just a little ways outside of Greensboro was the kind of place where you can drive around and suddenly see a group of people draped in white sheets having a meeting, right out in public.
And how much do you want to bet that little or no punishment will come to any of the members of the football team because of this... oh no, can't lose our football players just because they did something that would get anyone else kicked out of school. :\

I didn't notice that right away, just saw 'Greensboro' there. :)

it's deplorable. just cause it's a quaker school means nothing... there's catholic schools with plenty of young MEN who go to it who could care LESS what they preach to them, ya know? great sticker btw!



www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- antibush prodem stickers/shirts

because I've known a few quakers... can't imagine a single one of them committing violence or even saying something hateful towards someone else.
Thanks, I thought of the sticker when I saw one just like it that said, "Welcome to America: Now learn to speak english." :) I thought it was an appropriate response to that kind of attitude.

The administration of Guilford College has been proactively responding to an altercation in the Bryan Hall courtyard on campus since it occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007. The College’s response is founded on the commitment to the welfare of students, the maintenance of a welcoming and safe environment and accountability to core values that include community, diversity, equality, integrity and justice.

According to available evidence, including reports from staff and students on the scene, the altercation in the Bryan Hall courtyard on Jan. 20 lasted less than five minutes and involved physical violence and alleged verbal abuse during and after the incident. The students were acquaintances and residence hall neighbors with no history of conflict. At least some of the students were under the influence of alcohol. International students and student-athletes enrolled at Guilford were involved as well as non-students. About a dozen students participated either in the fight or attempts to break it up. Individuals refused medical treatment immediately after the incident, but at the urging of college staff, received medical attention the following afternoon.

On Sunday, Jan. 21, some of the students who were involved in the incident filed criminal charges that led to arrests on Monday, Jan. 22, by the Greensboro Police Department of other students who were involved. The students who were arrested and taken into custody were released on bond, and their status as students at the College is unchanged pending a College judicial process. The criminal charges are completely separate from the College judicial process.

In the wake of this unnecessary and unfortunate incident, the College has chosen to take the opportunity to reaffirm its core values as well as its commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflict. This is an educational moment for the entire community, and Guilford is well positioned to respond with its emphasis on critical thinking, analysis, inquiry, communication, consensus-building, problem-solving and transformative leadership.

more...

Why are you so certain that 1) Racist slurs were used, 2) by ignorant white american sociopaths, 3) the college was lax in responding to the incident (possibly due to some racist tendencies) and, 4) the college is attempting to cover it's ass with falsified reports?

Are you so certain the sterotype of big, dumb jock, racist-hick, beer swilling neanderthal football player must be true, that you are willing to convict from the comments in the original rawstory?

point to one post where I expressed certainty.

knock yourself out.

Post #2 I am saddened to realize how much hate they must have been indoctrinated with.

As in the accusation must be true, as in the brutish football players must have started it, as in the white guys are ignorant racists?

Post #33 Yes of course. The schools web site, I would expect the schools PR dept to be perfectly objective. No need for an inquiry. Thanks for clearing that up.

Perhaps I am misjudging what you are stating? After all there is no sarcasm tag, therefore you may be saying that you agree with the school’s contention that there was no “30-40” minute delay in getting to the scene of the brawl?

To be fair others have piled on to the football players and are quick to show how enlightened they are by immediately condemning them, despite not knowing all the circumstances or evidence. Who started the fight? Who participated? Eyewitnesses in these kind of incidents have many reasons to lie.

I found the information after reading the link you provided in the feedback section. I posted it as additional information.

I'll take oxymoron for $1000, Alex. ;-)

I guess it didn't really register for me when I read it because I worked in higher education administration for so long. "Proactive" is one of those words that have taken on a life of its own in higher education administration. It is but many of the many buzzwords we would hear in meeting after meeting. In this case, though "actively responding" would have been correct, the university deems actions after an event like this to be "proactive" in preventing reoccurring events of the same nature. in some sense that is true, but it could also be labeled "reactive." Higher education administration is its own little microcosm, as is higher education faculty. Sometimes, the two don't interact, but that is another thread.

This reminds me of an incident that happened in my community a few years ago, albeit a non-violent incident. As I understand, two Indian kids, who were mistaken for Muslims, were swimming in a public pool. At least one adult nearby saw this and started screaming, telling her kids to get out of the water (might have said something about terrorists, too). The strange thing is, a few years before this probably wouldn’t have happened. Years of Faux News’s “Muslims are evil” media coverage have done wonders.

I wasn’t there when it happened, but just hearing about it was embarrassing enough. I knew one (both, actually, but not one very well) of them; they moved to Ohio shortly afterwards.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around that. They don't sound like very good Quakers.

As if I need another.

Who prescribes Dilaudid for pain to someone who's concussed?

Seems an unlikely drug to give someone with head injuries.

I also don't understand the bond amount for assault and battery but having been on the receiving end of assault from someone on a college sports team I hope the students get a really good lawyer to keep on the prosecutor/police to make sure they get justice.

I didn't.