My heart just breaks for Mr. Sharif and his family. I know how great the C&L family can be -- how about some small donations to help this hate-crime victim back on his feet?
(CNN) -- New York cab driver Ahmed Sharif cannot bring himself to talk about the young man who allegedly cut his throat and nearly killed him last week, a taxi union representative said Sunday.
"Ahmed is a strong man, but mentally he has limits," said Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. "The trauma he's experienced will last for a long time."
Desai spent time this weekend with Sharif. She said his most pressing worry is how he'll provide for his wife and four children -- including a 10-month-old --without a job. Sharif is receiving 2/3 of his salary, about $30,000 a year, in workers' compensation. Union members do not get health insurance or disability payments, Desai said.
"My guess is that he'll be unable to work for at least four months," Desai said. "He can't even pick up his baby because of the wounds to his arms. He can't turn his neck."
There's been so little money raised over the past few days for Sharif that it would "barely cover baby formula," said Desai who, along with Sharif, held a widely publicized press conference Friday announcing the union was creating a fund for the family. The union's website indicates how to mail a donation or give online.
"We're pretty shocked that it's been such a low amount," Desai said.
At the press conference, stitches running along the deep gash in his neck, Sharif implored taxi drivers to look out for each other. A Bangladeshi who emigrated to the United States 25 years ago, Sharif told reporters, "I feel like I belong here, [like] I was born here."
His household's sole breadwinner, Sharif, his wife and children, ages 10 months, 5, 9 and 11, live in a small apartment, Desai said.
I'm surprised that NYC residents haven't stepped up. I'd love to see the blogosphere help.
There's no doubt about it. This country would not be talking about that damned NY Mosque - millions of morons would be angry about the old standard fair - if not for Fox Terror Channel's fear-mongering.
Maybe Glenn Beck can donate some of the money he made this weekend to the poor cab driver. Of course he won't since he's rolling around on it like Eric Cartman right now.
the past are doomed to repeat it. Seems to be the only fact that has legitimacy anymore.
for Dr. Tiller's family to slap O'Reilly with a civil suit.
.
NOBODY 2012
instead of to the Republican Governors. After all, they are the ones who ginned up the type of hatred and anit Park 51 fervor that lead to his attack. But don't hold your breath. The network of "personal responsibly conservatives" would never admit to being partially responsible.
in a country where Fox News entertainer, former drug addict, and professional weeper Glenn Beck took center stage at the Lincoln Memorial exactly forty-seven years to the day after Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech for a rally dedicated to "restoring honor" to eighty-seven thousand disoriented citizens and made the top of the news headlines?
Union members do not get health insurance or disability payments, Desai said.
And what, exactly, does one get with union membership then?
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
Wages above the poverty level, I'm guessing.
I am willing to wager that they would be able to get far, far more donations if they had a PayPal option on the website. Most people these days don't want to bother with entering their credit card information—if they don't see the PayPal donation button they just don't bother.
Like me, for example. I'm at work, don't have a card on me, or a checkbook. I'd happily donate via PayPal right this instant, but I can't. By the time I get home and have access to my plastic, I'll probably have forgotten about this, unfortunately.
Dead on. It slows down a lot of people. I don't necessarily have credit cards with me when I'm at a computer... Log into Paypal, give some of my balance, done.
No need to pull out the plastic (esp. in a public place) helps.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
Would have been my first choice.
...........mine just started blocking sites, but our work computers are such old junk, I don't surf on them much anyway.
as the emmy awards, tiger woods, and paula abdul have dominated the "trending" robot engines.
They only want us interested in Important news...like jersey shore
NOBODY 2012
Perhaps a good lawyer could file a civil law suit against Fox for inciting the loon who did this.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
like Facebook is launching against teachbook is where the big dough though.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Formula For a Baby:
Some white sticky stuff
And this soft mound with a hole innit...
...Oops...sorry...
That's my formula for a donut...
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I'm a father. My worst nightmare is not being able to provide for my family. I'm a Christian, and I'm often ashamed to admit it due to the actions of those who confess Christianity but act as anything but.
We can all rant and rave about injustice in this nation. We can shake our fists at our tvs, scream at our blogs, and talk to our neighbors about racists in Arizona and how lame it is to blame Islam for the actions of 19 nutjobs. But most of that really changes nothing.
Here's a chance to effect a change. A real change, a positive change, a palpable change for a man wronged and his family.
I gave 50 bucks. Someone out there... make me look cheap. And remember, with every donation, a little bit of a wingnut dies...
on $30,000 a year?
Yes -- $30,000 a year with four kids. What's your point? A taxi driver should be among the middle class but is forced into poverty due to the cost of living. Are you suggesting that he and his family should live outside NYC? I,m wondering if that would be possible for him. Do you have any suggestions on where this man should be living in order to better support his family?
Hope it helps. F' the bigoted nut-bags.
There's no question that the reason why there have been so little donations is because the hateful rhetoric being pushed by the right is working. Never mind that even radical Muslims don't consider the "turrists" to be true Muslims, but ANY Muslim-looking person in this country is a "turrist" to the morons that we call our fellow countrymen.
Let's start with the fact that, whatever the motive, this was an ugly act against a man who in no way deserved it. I hope Ahmed Sharif makes a full recovery and, until then, that he and his family are generously helped out.
But, as I read some (not all) of the comments here, with their seemingly requisite attacks on the usual bogeymen (Fox, Republicans, etc) I frankly wonder why it is assumed that this was nothing more than a hate crime.
Yes, the attacker asked if Mr. Sharif was Muslim, and then insulted Islam before pulling the knife. If that were the beginning, middle and end of it I'd be in full agreement.
But it turns out that the attacker, michael enright, is an alcoholic who apparently was very drunk at the time, and therefore might not been in control of himself. Additionally, he is an unpaid volunteer for an organization - Intersections International - which aggressively supports the so-called "ground zero mosque".
My experience is that an organization's unpaid volunteers tend to be very strongly committed to its goals. (They're certainly not in it for the money.)
So before making the assumption that this is nothing other than a hate crime, and calling out "the usual suspects", I suggest that these facts should be taken into account.
Maybe the reason media so quickly dropped the story is that, because enright's primary motive was not clearly a hate crime, they decided it wasn't important enough to pursue. If so, that's a pretty sad commentary on media.
Tell that to the victim or the victims of any DUI violator.
A family member of mine committed a crime while blackout drunk. Not only did he get a sentence for B&E, he had to go into treatment, which he had to pay for. The neighbour took out a permanent restraining order, which was granted. When the neighbour saw this relative at a local mall meeting up with his family, he went back to court and the judge increased it to a 5 mile no-go area, excepting times he was on the freeway.
The upshot was, not only did this family member have to do jail time for what he did, he and the wife had to sell their home and move. And he was sued by the neighbour for the B&E as well.
"Being drunk" was never an acceptable excuse. He had a problem, he chose not to seek out help for his illness.
me-oww!
Miss Kitty
I don't disagree at all.
My point - which seems to be yours as well - is that their are reasons for enright's crime other than hate.
which could make a guy actually express his real feelings, and have him acting out a hate he would not otherwise acknowledge.
me-oww!
The question is, What lit the fuse?
Was it the alcohol? Releasing some pent up frustrations or animosity towards Muslims?
Was it the rhetoric coming from Fox nooz? Was it both?
Or, is the guy simply nuts?
I tend to think the guy had some deep issues that he failed to deal with.
Combined with booze and rhetoric, he flipped out.
That's my take anyway.
I will say this though, He singled out a Muslim at a time when alot of rhetoric aimed at Muslims was coming from Fox nooz.
Coincidence? Maybe. But I doubt it.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
Thanks C&L for giving people the heads up on how they can help! This is heartbreaking.
I am a bit puzzled by this. Now, it would probably take time to get money so the trouble is to make ends meet in the meantime. It looks like a proof that some insurance is needed. After all, when you live barely above water, anything can drown you. The question is where this insurance should come from. What policy is supposed to cover things like that?
I'll bet he has extremely deep pockets. And even if he did, do you know how long civil suits take to work their way through the courts? That baby could be out of college by the time a civil suit is seen to its end.
me-oww!
This is sad. I hope that New Yorkers do step up and donate to help this man and his family. I will never understand why things like this happen but then I don't think anyone can.
Oscar
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