NOVANEWS
By Adam Herbets
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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A racist tweet sent out Thursday night from a kid in Bakersfield is getting major national attention.
It was so alarming that it caused people on the internet to explode.
“Gonna go kill some towel heads tomorrow in honor of 9/11, who’s with me?” the tweet reads.
Now the kid’s account is deleted, but of course stuff like this never truly goes away.
“This is very sad. This is very sad,” said Mohamad Wehbe, a Muslim who read the message for the first time today. “You know why? God created us. We are all the same. We have two eyes, two hands, two legs.”
For now, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Sgt. Joe Grubbs, a spokesman for the Bakersfield Police Department, thinks the boy will probably be fine.
“Nothing about that is illegal,” he said. “He’s well within his first amendment rights to say something like that.”
Even though Grubbs agreed that it was insensitive, he explained that there has to be a specific individual victim for the message to be treated as a threat or a hate crime.
“From this tweet, I don’t think there’s really anything to be scared about,” said Grubbs.
The boy behind the keyboard is a recent high-school graduate.
When we spoke to his mother on the phone, she told us that her son had no intention of apologizing for the tweet or responding in any way.
“He needs to go back to Twitter and apologize to say that he did not mean it, to say that it was a mistake,” said Wehbe. “I will forgive him anyway… I’m a very peaceful guy. I’ve never hurt anybody in my life. I left my country to come over here to live the American dream.”
Religious leaders say that even if he isn’t willing to apologize, they think the way to solve the problem is to start a dialogue.
Emad Meerza, the elected community leader of Bakersfield Muslims, said he invites the boy and his family to have an open conversation with him to hopefully make things right.
He’s also curious to see how the KCSO handles the case because he wants messages like this to be taken seriously.
“I really think that it’s important that we have a better defined line,” he said, “because some of us are confused.”
The kid’s mother eventually decided to release the following statement: “I would like to state that I never said my child wouldn’t apologize. I just stated that he would not be interviewed, as he is a minor. He knows he made a huge mistake, and he is very sorry. He has been taught right from wrong and would never do something like that. My child is not racist. We are not racists. The story has been twisted. As a mother, I am protecting my child. That is my job.”
The mother also came forward and said several fake social media accounts have been impersonating her son.
The kid did release the following statement on Sunday: “I want to sincerely apologize to those that I offended with the insensitive statement I made on twitter on 9/10/15. I realize that it was wrong for me to say those things and wish I could take them back. I was thinking about the terrible attacks that took place on 9/11 against our country and wrote some things that I should not have written. I would never cause harm to anyone regardless of the situation. I love my country, community and everyone that lives here, regardless of their race or beliefs. I have many friends of different ethnicities and value them all the same. Please except (sic) my apology, as I am truly sorry to those that I offended and regret the whole thing. I am sorry for the grief it has caused to our community, friends, and family.”
This story has been updated after publication to include the statements from the mother and teenager.
It was so alarming that it caused people on the internet to explode.
“Gonna go kill some towel heads tomorrow in honor of 9/11, who’s with me?” the tweet reads.
Now the kid’s account is deleted, but of course stuff like this never truly goes away.
“This is very sad. This is very sad,” said Mohamad Wehbe, a Muslim who read the message for the first time today. “You know why? God created us. We are all the same. We have two eyes, two hands, two legs.”
For now, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Sgt. Joe Grubbs, a spokesman for the Bakersfield Police Department, thinks the boy will probably be fine.
“Nothing about that is illegal,” he said. “He’s well within his first amendment rights to say something like that.”
Even though Grubbs agreed that it was insensitive, he explained that there has to be a specific individual victim for the message to be treated as a threat or a hate crime.
“From this tweet, I don’t think there’s really anything to be scared about,” said Grubbs.
The boy behind the keyboard is a recent high-school graduate.
When we spoke to his mother on the phone, she told us that her son had no intention of apologizing for the tweet or responding in any way.
“He needs to go back to Twitter and apologize to say that he did not mean it, to say that it was a mistake,” said Wehbe. “I will forgive him anyway… I’m a very peaceful guy. I’ve never hurt anybody in my life. I left my country to come over here to live the American dream.”
Religious leaders say that even if he isn’t willing to apologize, they think the way to solve the problem is to start a dialogue.
Emad Meerza, the elected community leader of Bakersfield Muslims, said he invites the boy and his family to have an open conversation with him to hopefully make things right.
He’s also curious to see how the KCSO handles the case because he wants messages like this to be taken seriously.
“I really think that it’s important that we have a better defined line,” he said, “because some of us are confused.”
The kid’s mother eventually decided to release the following statement: “I would like to state that I never said my child wouldn’t apologize. I just stated that he would not be interviewed, as he is a minor. He knows he made a huge mistake, and he is very sorry. He has been taught right from wrong and would never do something like that. My child is not racist. We are not racists. The story has been twisted. As a mother, I am protecting my child. That is my job.”
The mother also came forward and said several fake social media accounts have been impersonating her son.
The kid did release the following statement on Sunday: “I want to sincerely apologize to those that I offended with the insensitive statement I made on twitter on 9/10/15. I realize that it was wrong for me to say those things and wish I could take them back. I was thinking about the terrible attacks that took place on 9/11 against our country and wrote some things that I should not have written. I would never cause harm to anyone regardless of the situation. I love my country, community and everyone that lives here, regardless of their race or beliefs. I have many friends of different ethnicities and value them all the same. Please except (sic) my apology, as I am truly sorry to those that I offended and regret the whole thing. I am sorry for the grief it has caused to our community, friends, and family.”
This story has been updated after publication to include the statements from the mother and teenager.
