Statement from the Bates family, released via the N&R:
None of these accused young men have yet to be interviewed by any college official. The Greensboro Police Department has refused to take their statements and declined to review physical evidence including pictures of a vicious stabbing and belt whipping that was inflicted by Khader (an alleged victim) upon Michael Six during the altercation.
We also believe that a letter emailed on Sunday, by a college official, to all students of color greatly inflamed emotions needlessly. Here is the first paragraph from that letter from the Guilford College Director of Multicultural Education:
“By now, most of you have heard about the situation that occurred on Friday night between some football players and Faris Khader, Osama Sabbah, and Omar Awartini (a student from N.C. State). Faris, Osama, and Omar were defending themselves against students (and possibly perspective students) that were attacking them physically and simultaneously verbally with phrases like “sandnigga,” “terrorist,” etc. The incident was a hate crime.”
On the subject of newsworthiness, the N&R did a solid job on today’s follow-up story, which not only brought the news that two more football players had been arrested but an explanation of what internal charges those involved may face.
But the reaction of the campus at large borders on self-parody. Seriously, how is one supposed to react to the last paragraph in today’s story:
Students — encouraged to write how they felt with sidewalk chalk or on fliers — left many colorful messages when the event wrapped up about noon. One read: “No one deserves to be hated. Everyone deserves to be loved and accepted.”
I know a couple of four-year-olds who love to write on the sidewalk with chalk. If coached propperly, I’m sure they could come up with almost as profound.
