A photo of the Bahamas Youth Leadership Development Programme with talk show host Zhivargo Laing, centre, posted to the Bahamas Consulate Atlanta’s Facebook page on Wednesday.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
A GROUP of Bahamian youth in Atlanta and former Cabinet minister Zhivargo Laing were verbally attacked at an Atlanta hotel Wednesday night by a white man who called them “n”, “sluts” and told them “go back to Africa,” Mr Laing said on his Guardian Radio talk show yesterday.
Before he was arrested by police, the man was punched in the face by another white man who came to their defence, Mr Laing told listeners.
“What the fella did amounted to a violation of our human rights, our civil rights,” Mr Laing, former state minister of finance, said.
The group travelled to Atlanta through the Bahamas Youth Leadership Development Programme. They were at a hotel when the incident took place.
“I was here and was able to bear witness to a racial attack, a verbal attack on ourselves and young people that was simply horrific,” Mr Laing said. “To have a grown man just nakedly hurling racial insults, calling our young women sluts; that they were assembling in the rooms to get the food that we were serving to them, to his mind they could be doing nothing but the outrageous so to him they were sluts and we were niggers and we needed to go back to Africa and (US President) Donald Trump was trying to do that, get us out of there and back to Africa – those were the words he hurled at us.”
He continued: “A white man saw this gentleman hurling these racial slurs at these young kids and walked up to him and asked him, ‘Why are you doing that to these young people? I have daughters. Why are you calling them these names?’ And this guy then proceeds to say to him, ‘You are nothing but white trash to be taking up for these people’… I have to tell you that gentlemen said, ‘I’m afraid you messed with the wrong white trash today’ and proceeded to drop kick this gentleman. Not very long after, maybe about 12 police officers with their vehicle came and they came under the impression that this guy hurling the slurs was being attacked by a mob of black people.
“We explained to the police officers what had happened. They asked him, ‘Were you hurling racial slurs at these people?’ He admitted to doing so. I watched as these police officers’ demeanor changed. You could see them get deflated by what was for them now a different scenario.
“As an adult,” Mr Laing said, “I could take your hurling stuff at me. But children? Children? How additionally more offensive.”
Mr Laing said his team encouraged the young people to share their feelings about the incident.
“There was anger, there was disappointment, there was shock for some of them that this could actually happen,” he said. “But so many of them said what immediately came to their mind was we had just come from the international human and civil rights centre, saw this thing on television, saw this thing on recording and pictures and here we were living this.”
The National Centre for Civil and Human Rights is a museum in Georgia dedicated to the achievements of the civil rights movement in the United States and the broader worldwide human rights movement. Among other things, the youth leadership group visited the gravesite of the late Martin Luther King at the National Historical Park in Atlanta yesterday.
One girl on Mr Laing’s show said she was upset and felt horrible by what happened the day before, having never been called such names. A boy said he felt discriminated against. They said they were enraged. One boy said he was encouraged two other white men came to their rescue and defended him.
Mr Laing said he didn’t feel the incident was something that should be used to cast aspersions on the US as a whole, though he noted that in recent times many observers have noticed more overt racial friction in the country. He said the incident was reported to the Bahamas Consulate General’s office in Atlanta.
In recent months, incidents of racially motivated altercations have been publicised in American media, with many of the events being filmed on cell phones.
Comments
DDK 5 years, 9 months ago
Way to go Land Of The Free!
paul_vincent_zecchino 5 years, 9 months ago
And in the land of the free, a white man came to the aid of the Bahamian delegation and put a stop to the pig-ignoramus agitator's boorish conduct, didn't he?
We've had many of these staged 'racist' attacks since President Trump's election. They're all hoaxes of one sort or another, instigated by George Soros' leftist idiots.
EasternGate 5 years, 9 months ago
Donald Trump is a demagogue, an inspiration to the virulent racist base in America. He is also a vile , accomplished liar and a gangster! This celebrated idiot will do more damage to racial relations than George Wallace.
I find it so disturbing that many black Bahamians support this maniac, simply because they mistakenly believe that he is anti-gay. These silly Christians are just as misguided as militant Muslims!
paul_vincent_zecchino 5 years, 9 months ago
This has nothing to do with President Trump, who by the bye employs and counts among his friends, many Black people.
A more educated guess would be that the instigator is from the Left, an agent provocateur looking to stir up trouble which he could blame on conservatives and President Trump.
Try to remember that another white man, who represents the vast majority of what we three hundred thirty million Americans believe, came to the aid of the Bahamian delegation.
When was the last time anyone white from America started trouble in Nassau? Likely never.
This was a set-up, and you can bet the Left was behind it.
Sickened 5 years, 9 months ago
Sickened! I hope that white fella gets a good beat down on the way to the station.
joeblow 5 years, 9 months ago
If they are not niggas and sluts then you simply see this as the rantings of an ignorant dolt! They exist in this world, that's why you have to know who you are!
milesair 5 years, 9 months ago
The racist GOP and Trump have with all their fear mongering rhetoric given all the bigots the OK to come out and spew their hatred in the U.S. Just another way to show how Trump "is making America great again"-NOT! The flag wavers can be so proud! It's time for all of the bigots and racists to go back in the closet again.
joeblow 5 years, 9 months ago
One group of people thinking they are better than another group is as old as time itself. Some do it based on color, culture or socioeconomic status! It is simply a manifestation of ignorance and an attempt to feel superior. Blaming Trump or the GOP for foolish people stating their opinions is foolhardy and short sighted?
Who do we blame for transgender folks advertising their brand of mental illness?
John 5 years, 9 months ago
Racism existed long before Trump was elected and in the United States it is not an economic tool and a mechanism used for social control. It is unfortunate that young, racially balanced, people had to be exposed to that dirty, nasty part of America. But some of them will eventually live in the US, either for college or moving there so it is good to recognize real. Especially after twelve carloads of policemen arrived on the scene and were reluctant to act when they realized it was black people being assaulted and not the other way around. And don’t even dream racism does not exist here. It does. And some tourists also get carried away with it. One tourist really got carried away recently from a popular resort. He was told he could not engage in a certain activity at the resort unless he had a wristband band indicating that he had been cleared. So he proceeds to call the attendant the ‘n’ word, spit on him and go unauthorized on the ride. Well the ambulance came and it wasn’t for the attendant. He lost his job and said he rather sit at Home broke and unemployed before he let anyone spit on him and get away with it.
hrysippus 5 years, 9 months ago
This is not true, the poser poster john just makes things up. That is why he will not give a name of anyone involved or even a date.
John 5 years, 9 months ago
So why do you want me to call names or give dates? So you can victimize the person even more? You trying to discredit what I post does not negate that fact that racism does exist and yes here too in The Bahamas. Talk to any Black Bahamian that lives in Treasure Cay or anyone that has worked in the tourism industry for at least a year.
bogart 5 years, 9 months ago
Terrible..at least some white people came up to go against the white person hurling the racist slurs...and the police soon come to deal wid da law and dere are laws to help da victims..punish da culprits....to do da right ting Regretable this is not uncommon anywhere in da world now...evens in da Bahamas....where no matter wheres you comes from ...racial insults people are told to go back wheres dey comes from.....pick any country......sad given many persons goes to church...or has a religeous faith....end of days soon come
Damifiknow 5 years, 9 months ago
So how is this Donald Trump’s fault? A new tool by the liberal left is to make these racial divide videos and the sheep think anything they see on social media is real ! Now other people got involved and shut the SOB up .enough said .Now it’s national news ,Trump ‘s fault and your gout won’t let you walk to the bathroom! A joyful trip for some young people to. Go to the states and oh so body cus and call names Like nobody in their drunken state ever does that! All and all I guess you survived Sticks and stones!
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 9 months ago
You're right, It's actually not Trump's fault. Racism exists everywhere. What Trump's done is made them feel comfortable bringing it into the daylight.
Damifiknow 5 years, 9 months ago
John 5 years, 9 months ago
@hrysippus why do you want names and dates? To victimize the person ay? Talk to any person working in the tourist industry and they can tell you a book of their own experiences. Of it is expected that someone like you would deny racism exists. And your vain attempt to discredit me does not make racism no less real.
ohdrap4 5 years, 9 months ago
none of this group had a camera? it would make good social meadia posting when they returned home.
Islangal1 5 years, 9 months ago
Well sad to say, but now they see how it feels when Tourists are harassed on Bay by Ms Lundy. And when The Bahamians shouting, "Foreigners Go" home or Chinese being beaten in their own stores. Shoe doesn't feel good when the other foot is it? Funny there's never an arrest in any of those cases in The Bahamas
SP 5 years, 9 months ago
Exactly why I absolutely refuse to vacation in the U.S. with my family. The responding cops could have just as easily begun shooting the "niggers" first before asking questions!
Had something like this happened here, the U.S. embassy would have immediately issued a travel warning for U.S. citizens to avoid the Bahamas and Bahamians. When will we begin issuing travel warnings to protect Bahamians traveling to the U.S.?
There is far too much racial tension in the U.S. at the moment and too many other countries in the region where I don't need to worry about this type of stupidity or my kids being shot by some trigger happy red neck cop!
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