What kept running through my mind while reading this was that you’re one of the nicest guys I’ve encountered and you certainly didn’t deserve any of that. I haven’t known you for long - or even very well - but you’ve consistently shown yourself to be friendly, open-minded, thoughtful, and optimistic. Hardly the type of person one would expect to be beaten down by police.

I guess that’s the story behind the story. Certain people in positions of power will abuse that power and we will all suffer under their shadow in one way or another.

I’m sorry that happened to you Sahar, but you’ve obviously taken something positive from it which is admirable.

Aside from the story I have to say that the reason I enjoy your blog is that what I find here is usually new and unexpected. Often a visit here will lead my mind off on some sort of worthwhile journey which is always enjoyable.

I have a very strong dislike for the police.

They’ve tried to ruin my life on two occasions now.

Next week is the start of a court case against all those officers involved and our lawyers say there is an excellent chance we’ll win. It’ll be great to see some more corrupt cops taken down.

There are good cops and there are bad cops. Too bad you ran into a bunch of losers that night. Stay strong and continue to succeed.

“Why?” is perhaps the most perplexing question mankind has to face in every aspect of our existence, individually and collectively… and, sadly, the answers are often elusive, inadequate, or just plain unacceptable.

It is often difficult to glean lessons from happenings that don’t seem to make sense to reasonable and rational people… Perhaps the lesson is to share the stories of injustice to help increase others’ awareness and to help prevent future tragedies? In that way, your sharing your personal anguish may help bestow a blessing to others.

I hope that your sharing of your experience will bring you some sense of relief as well as the satisfaction of knowing that the injustices you experienced are not buried, forgotten, insignificant, or unimportant. You needed to speak, and others need to hear.

Sahar, your resiliency and spirit are very admirable. Rather than retreating and becoming timid or afraid of asking questions, you have chosen — and are actively moving forward — to develop Assista, as your life project, into a valuable resource that *uses* questioning as a basis to help people to learn and to solve real world problems. What a truly wonderful, and generous, gesture!

Thanks for your candor, your sincerity, and your sharing. It means a lot. You have positively touched the lives of many people through your blog, your web sites, and other activities. When you need friends, know that there are many people who care about and root for you. Call on us if we can help!

I’m a frequent reader of your blog but this is my first post (and interestingly enough it is not domain related). When I read this entry I expected you to say at the end this was about someone else or a fictional story. I can’t believe you went through that and I’m very sorry to hear that happened to you. You have certainly risen above it and done great things, just another great example of your perseverance. A person that went through that could have very easily packed their bags and headed back to the comfort/familiar surroundings of their home country. It’s not surprising to see your domain success after you were able to overcome an obstacle (this is certainly something to learn from the story, along with questioning authority and speaking out for what is right/just) of this magnitude in your life. Thank you for sharing this very personal experience, it has certainly helped me to think about things I might not usually consider.

Also, I will have to add, there are certainly bad cops but there are also good cops. You cannot paint the entire US police force with such a broad brush as being all bad or all criminals. The few times I’ve been pulled over my interactions with police officers have been completely civil and by the book. I know I’m not the only one with experiences like this. I’ve got to imagine being a police officer is a very stressful job (especially the mental aspect) in terms of putting your life on the line and not knowing who to trust. There was an incident a few years ago close to where I live that two state troopers pulled over someone on a routine stop and the person fatally shot both troopers. Cops potentially put there life on the line everyday. That being said, that should not condone in the least police abuses and police brutality. Cops that break or abuse the law should be punished accordingly and should not receive special treatment.

Thanks again for sharing this part of your life and I’m very sorry you had to go through such a terrible experience.

~Jason

Racism is *not* that big of an issue in the U.S. Anyone from any background can make something wonderful of their life here. That fact is proven over and over by ten’s of thousands of people from the highest levels of government to wild success in the private world.

Minority politicians *must* find racism and preach it otherwise there would be no need for them.

Several of my friends are immigrants and drive taxi’s here in Chicago. They do have a difficult time getting ahead, but that is do to their immigration status and lack of language skills - not the color of their skin.

Obviously, there are going to be people who are themselves racist. But you can find those people in every country and from every race and culture. Not much you can do about ignorance.