Indian newspaper asks questions after the Alabama incident.
Link to the article.
Prejudice towards minorities
The episode begs two questions. First, how often are Indians thus victimised by local law enforcement agencies in the U.S.? Second, “Excessive compared to what?”
The short answer to the first question is: not as frequently as other minorities such as African-Americans but often enough to suggest a similar prejudice.
More:
This brings us to the second question of “Excessive compared to what?”
If the bloodied nose that the frail Indian grandfather ended up with thanks to the judo-style throw-down by Parker is compared to the killing of unarmed and innocent African-American Akai Gurley by a New York police officer, then it was not excessive.
If the spinal column injury received by Mr. Patel is compared to the six bullet wounds of unarmed Michael Brown in a lethal encounter with white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, then it was not excessive.
If the trauma inflicted upon Mr. Patel by the police is compared to the shooting dead of Miriam Carey, Trayvon Martin or Eric Garner , all African-Americans who were unarmed when they died, then it was not excessive.
Yet excessive it was, and in some ways Mr. Patel may have been more fortunate than many African-Americans who have found themselves in a similar situation.