Another Boston Tragedy to Look At?

Yesterday in Boston was a sad day.  I don't need to go into all the thoughts and feelings, because I'm sure we all feel sad and most likely, outraged.

But I was thinking about another tragedy that happened yesterday that not many people were talking about.  And that was when it was reported that a person or group of people tackled a "Saudi" man who was seen running away from the scene, and ultimately held him there for the police.  It was also reporting that he was "cooperating."  What choice do you think he really had?

That, to me, was sad.  That to me, was an outrage.  Gee, I thought, there were more white people running from the scene than Saudi men.  Why weren't more white people tackled and held for police?

The answer is pretty obvious, but yet invisible and manifests the existential reluctance that exists in our country around telling the truth, to ourselves and each other.  And that is this: racial profiling is alive and well and rears its ugly head exactly in situations like this.  Also, Boston is far from the standard of racial harmony and co-existence, so in that sense, profiling is par for the course.

I can only imagine what went through that man's mind.  Here he was running from a horrible scene, for his own safety, running from terror, and then another form of terror in the form of a white mob is coming toward him at high speed.  Hmm, do I stop? Do I keep running?  Who knows what happened.  I wasn't there.  But nevertheless, he gets tackled and held for police.  What a sad irony.

You can run, but you can't hide.  Racial profiling is so alive and well, just like the memories of 9/11 and yesterday in Boston.

"When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?"