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| Sureshbhai Patel |
A man from India who was slammed to the ground by a police officer had been singled out by police after a caller said a "skinny black guy" with a toboggan hat was walking in the neighborhood and peering into garages, recordings show.
The man, Sureshbhai Patel, 57, doesn't speak English and was slammed to the ground face-first by an officer when he didn't respond to commands. But he had committed no crime, the Madison police chief said.
Officer Eric Parker was arrested and is being fired. He has not commented publicly, and court records were not available Friday to show whether he has a lawyer.
Patel filed a lawsuit Thursday over the February 6 incident in Madison, where he was visiting his son's family. His injuries include partial paralysis but he hopes for a full recovery, according to the lawsuit and Patel's lawyer. The lawsuit says Patel's civil rights were violated. It seeks an unspecified amount of money. (excerpts from the Hindustantimes report)
Comments by Hindustan Times readers:
(1) Lessons to be learnt:1. Never leave for alien land without travel insurance of at least $50,000 with premium corresponding to age, 2. even street just outside your dependent's residence is not safe not because of potential mugging by unsocial elements or house invaders for money gain but also law enforcing agency who always attribute it to communication gap/ understanding, 3. ethnic divide despite legal provisions on paper has ruthless effect on death or disability by such behavior (slamming down helpless) when out alone,4. better carry photocopy of passport and tele # & stay address noted, 5. When confronted, answer to only queries and ask for consent to give other relevant details,6. every single person strolling on a public place is subject to Police (suspect to neighbors, who are possessive of privacy) due to easy complaint over phone without verification,
The story also highlights how many 'desis' take care of their elderly parents.
Often, parents/ in-laws are brought for 6 months to either take care of the pregnant wife, care for the kids, cook, clean, do dishes... nothing short of an unpaid maid's job.
In most neighborhoods, the elders have no one to talk to. With most residential areas not having good public transport connections, the visiting parents often rely on their son/ daughter to take them around. With total dependency, all they can do on their own is take a stroll in the neighborhood. Being the inquisitive people that we Indians are, the parents often trespass into others' properties, without realizing so.
In this case, the techie son, with a well-paid salary and a house, got his dad a green card. Still, he did not buy any health insurance for his dad. Why? Typical kanjoosi attitude of quite a few of the Desi communities in the US.