Ahmed Mohamed is a 14-year-old ninth grader in Dallas, Texas. He enjoys a unique hobby that not many kids his age partake in: inventing. On Monday, Sept. 14, Ahmed brought in a clock that he built himself, intending to show it to his engineering teacher. Unfortunately, there were some serious consequences to Ahmed's innocent actions.
Another teacher saw the clock and reported Ahmed to the principal, who in turn reported him to the police. Instead of being praised for his interest in engineering, Ahmed was handcuffed and interrogated by police. After being taken to the officers, one said "Yup. That’s who I thought it was." The officer was undoubtedly referring to Ahmed's clearly Muslim name. Unable to speak to his parents, the ninth grader was accused of building a bomb.
Just to start with, the fact that police interrogated a minor without his parent's presence is incredibly illegal. Had the police bothered to speak to Ahmed's engineering teacher, they would know that the clock was brought to him as a sign of Ahmed's interest in the class. Also, what kind of bomb counts upwards instead of downwards? Had the clock even been opened up, it would be clear that there were no explosives inside. There were an innumerable amounts of missteps by police and school officials in this case.
Ahmed is now being charged with creating a 'hoax bomb.' That's right -- despite knowing that the invention was, in fact, a clock, the police are still refusing to admit wrongdoing. Ahmed has reportedly said that he won't bring an invention to school ever again. Congratulations, Dallas police. You've destroyed a child's interest in education and engineering, as well as his faith in cops!
America needs to take a hard look at its police force. Cops have become little more than overpowered bullies that harass the innocent based on the color of their skin. We should all be disappointed in the way that this was handled.