There is more video on the immediate aftermath of the panic (that I wrote about yesterday) that ensued in a Cleveland suburb after police got 911 calls from the sister and father of a hotel desk clerk who had told them that a man in the hotel lobby in traditional Arab dress was using multiple disposable cell phones and pledging allegiance to ISIS.
Police descended on the hotel and tackled Ahmed Almenhali to the ground. You can see police bodycam video of the police interviewing the clerk and soon realizing that the man was just an ordinary person who had limited knowledge of English trying to get a hotel room. Almenhali, who had come to Cleveland for medical treatment following a stroke, can be seen passing out at the 7:45 mark.
The hotel clerk Alexis Silva said that Almenhali had said nothing about ISIS and recounted her version of what she had told her family.
“I said he is dressed in a weird outfit, he’s talking on multiple phones, and I don’t know what to do because of everything that’s going on with ISIS,” Silva said. “I said call the police because he kept asking questions.”
The man was trying to check into the hotel, but there were no rooms available, Silva said.
It is illustrative to compare that with what her sister and father said on the 911 calls where her father even said that his daughter was hiding in the back and was terrified.
This is what happens when people are scared out of their wits because of the fear mongering that is going on where people who are different become ‘weird’ and frightening.
Well golly, of course a man wearing Arab robes and headdress must be an ISIS attacker because all the other ISIS attackers in western countries were dressed like that! Oh, wait …
How do they know he was “pledging allegiance to ISIS”?
Why would someone travel from the Middle East to Cleveland to “pledge allegiance to ISIS” in a hotel lobby?
AFAICT, these Trumpoids are guilty of a crime, filing a false police report.
I was happy to see that the officer quickly made an effort to find out the real story and told the others to stand down and let him go. You can see the one officer roll his eyes when he finds out what happened. I’d hate to think of the possible outcome with a less professional group of officers. It’s horrible enough Mr. Almenhali collapsed and I hope he is ok.
I thought it was common knowledge that people come from all over the world for Cleveland Clinic cardiovascular care. Perhaps Mr. Almenhali usually stays at the Intercontinental CCF hotel but everything is booked this month for the RNC. He may not have had the luxury of time to get to the Clinic for treatment. I guess the combo of hateful rhetoric, people not used to a diverse population and hotels being booked for July in our area was a recipe for something like this. Hopefully this will be the worst of it.
raven, sometimes, you’re akin to the Trumpists yourself.
The very OP specifically addresses your (rhetorical) question!
The clerk:
“I said he is dressed in a weird outfit, he’s talking on multiple phones, and I don’t know what to do because of everything that’s going on with ISIS,” Silva said.
The caller, on the basis of the clerk’s report:
“There’s a male in a headdress with multiple disposable phones pledging his allegiance to ISIS, which is very panicky,” the woman said.
The OP:
“This is what happens when people are scared out of their wits because of the fear mongering that is going on”
Even assuming the odd idea that there was ISIS in Cleveland:
“Hearts and minds”
people.
The way to win against a violent ideology that says “oi! they are an ‘ateful h’deology!” is not to step right into that role and start swinging.
See something, say something? My ass….
“.. people are scared out of their wits…”
Mr. Singham, you’re wrongfully assuming that these people were “in their wits” in the first place…
Forget ISIS, armed Republican delegates will soon be descending on Cleveland. Good luck!