Irving is crazy!

VideoEagle · September 16, 2015

Have you read about this yet? A HS kid in Irving wanted to get a robotics program started at McArthur HS like existed in his middle school. Instead, he's reported because one of his teachers thought anyone name Mohamed making a clock must be a terrorist. Then the Irving police decide it looks like it MIGHT be a bomb therefore it's a fake bomb and thus a fake bomb threat!

I would say the internet world is going crazy over this, but it's more than just the internet world. I saw an article in Der Spiegel from Germany about it! Wil Wheaton from Star Trek is tweeting about what idiot would think a smart kid must be a terrorist since his name is Mohamed. Wired magazine is having fun and even posted an article on how to make your own digital clock that isn't a bomb. The CTO of Rackspace is commenting on the foolishness of Irving. By the way, the "terrorist" was arrested wearing a NASA t-shirt as he would like to work for them someday.

Irving Police get world-wide publicity as the Keystone Cops!

Here's the DMA article.

Here's Der Spiegel.

Here's one of the several from Wired.

meangreendork · September 16, 2015

It's a pretty serious foul-up, though not quite as you've got it worded.

It boils down to a kid bringing in a clock showing to teachers, someone thinking it might be a bomb. The kid gets arrested and interrogated without notification/presence of his parents, badgered about his last name, and pushed because "he couldn't offer further explanation." He even got threatened with expulsion. Then even after the clock being deemed as just a clock (and according to the kid), the local PD considering charging him with building a hoax bomb, despite him showing it off as a clock, and not claiming it was anything else but a clock.

But basically, the school staff and PD involved dun goof'd.

Edited September 16, 2015 by meangreendork

oldguystudent · September 16, 2015

I think the kid's got some nice punitive tort damages coming his way.

MeanGreenTexan · September 16, 2015

Dude needs to be in TAMS if he's building clocks and such. Doesn't need to be stuck in any school in Irving.

VideoEagle · September 16, 2015

Dude needs to be in TAMS if he's building clocks and such. Doesn't need to be stuck in any school in Irving.

Yes he does. I saw a Facebook post that suggested exactly that!

Coffee and TV · September 16, 2015

I'm sure we'll have people in this thread defending the school & police's actions....

ColoradoEagle · September 16, 2015

I'm sure we'll have ~~people~~ UNT90 in this thread defending the school & police's actions....

FIFY.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · September 16, 2015

President Obama tweeted the young man and Mark Zuckerberg posted about him on Facebook. MacArthur is my Alma Mater and for those who don't know, it is about 85% minority and a fair amount low income students. My entire time there I never witnessed any racism from the facility to any students and even with the diversity of the school the student body got along great most of the time. We will never know the motives of those involved, but it sure is a sad day for my high school. The reputation of the entire school has been tarnished in the eyes of the entire nation. I also share my sympathy with the young man involved in this incident. He should have never been A) arrested and B) interrogated as a minor without his parents or an attorney. Major mistakes made by both the school and the Irving Police Department. I hope those responsible will face repercussions.

UNTFan23 · September 16, 2015

Teenager won't be charged by police

Edited September 16, 2015 by UNTFan23

Censored by Laurie · September 16, 2015

clocks don't kill people. time does.

Army of Dad · September 16, 2015

clocks don't kill people. time does.

It has a 100% mortality rate.

MeanGreenTexan · September 16, 2015

It has a 100% mortality rate.

Shouldn't our government be trying to regulate Time and who has access to it?

meangreendork · September 16, 2015

Teenager won't be charged by police

After they realized that they'd made mistakes from the second they got involved and realizing that charging Mohamed with making a hoax bomb (that he didn't even intend to make) would be doubling or tripling down on the stupid.

On the real, I'd love to see heads roll if the PD decided to actually bring charges on Mohamed. That would be some hilarity right there.

UNT90 · September 16, 2015

FIFY.

go smoke another joint.

Aint stereotyping fun?

I find it funny that the usual high horse hindsight crowd are judging decisions made with partial information (because that was all that was available at the time) like they should have been made if full information was available.

interntz is smurt.

Edited September 16, 2015 by UNT90

VideoEagle · September 17, 2015

The thing is, there was a teacher in the school who knew it wasn't a bomb, who knew it wasn't intended to be a fake bomb and who knew Ahmed was a good kid with very, very good intentions. The Irving Police couldn't be bothered to ask someone who actually knew.

If you don't know what a homemade digital clock looks like, it could be scary. That is called ignorance. The purpose of a school is to cure ignorance. That didn't happen here.

And the City of Irving IS going to suffer because of this. Not from any lawsuit, although that might happen. Rather from lose of corporate development. Before you move or expand a tech facility, you do basic research on the area. The first thing that is going to show up in any research is the gross, uninformed, overreaction by the school and the police. I've seen tweets, Facebook posts and online comments from executives at RackSpace, Google, Facebook, Intel and others supporting Ahmed and questioning the reaction to his science project. Irving lost the Cowboys and the Byron Nelson. Now, they are doing everything they can to chase away corporate development.

By the way, the Dallas MakerSpace is giving Ahmed a scholarship membership. He'll get access to a bigger electronics lab, 3D printers and more. Unlike MacArthur High School, they encourage learning.

And Maker magazine is publishing a series of articles on how to make a homemade digital clock and encouraging every kid in the country to learn how to build their own! The Irving Police Chief will be pulling out his hair!

Army of Dad · September 17, 2015

The thing is, there was a teacher in the school who knew it wasn't a bomb, who knew it wasn't intended to be a fake bomb and who knew Ahmed was a good kid with very, very good intentions. The Irving Police couldn't be bothered to ask someone who actually knew.
If you don't know what a homemade digital clock looks like, it could be scary. That is called ignorance. The purpose of a school is to cure ignorance. That didn't happen here.
And the City of Irving IS going to suffer because of this. Not from any lawsuit, although that might happen. Rather from lose of corporate development. Before you move or expand a tech facility, you do basic research on the area. The first thing that is going to show up in any research is the gross, uninformed, overreaction by the school and the police. I've seen tweets, Facebook posts and online comments from executives at RackSpace, Google, Facebook, Intel and others supporting Ahmed and questioning the reaction to his science project. Irving lost the Cowboys and the Byron Nelson. Now, they are doing everything they can to chase away corporate development.
By the way, the Dallas MakerSpace is giving Ahmed a scholarship membership. He'll get access to a bigger electronics lab, 3D printers and more. Unlike MacArthur High School, they encourage learning.
And Maker magazine is publishing a series of articles on how to make a homemade digital clock and encouraging every kid in the country to learn how to build their own! The Irving Police Chief will be pulling out his hair!

Do you think he would have had some trouble getting through airport security with that device?

VideoEagle · September 17, 2015

Do you think he would have had some trouble getting through airport security with that device?

He'd have to plan on extra time, but it had no explosives. It's just a clock. Yes, clocks CAN be part of a bomb but no more so than any other clock. Or a DSLR camera. Or a cellphone.

I brought back burned out bulb from a lighthouse from St Augustine Florida as carry on luggage. It's two feet long, glass with all kinds of strange looking wires and filaments plus wires hanging out the bottom. I explained what it was to the first guard I met who directed me to a special search area. It did result in a slow down for other people as once the guards found it what it was, every single security guard wanted to see it and several look picture holding it. They put it in a box with special TSA tape sealing the box and it breezed through the other checkpoints on my trip.

I've had similar experiences taking broadcast video gear on planes. Plan for longer at security and be prepared to check it if necessary.

KRAM1 · September 17, 2015

Any one here have any kids or grandkids attending that school? Or perhaps a spouse or parent working at the school?

Didn't think so.

Cerebus · September 17, 2015

http://i.imgur.com/5tg98ch.gif

Cerebus · September 17, 2015

I'm actually going in the exact opposite direction. Medium format film is best format film.

Coffee and TV · September 17, 2015

Any one here have any kids or grandkids attending that school? Or perhaps a spouse or parent working at the school?
Didn't think so.

Ah, right....we outsiders aren't allowed to form an opinion because our judgement isn't clouded from our offspring attending said school.

UNT90 · September 17, 2015

The thing is, there was a teacher in the school who knew it wasn't a bomb, who knew it wasn't intended to be a fake bomb and who knew Ahmed was a good kid with very, very good intentions. The Irving Police couldn't be bothered to ask someone who actually knew.

Did anyone tell the police this information? Was that information magically bestowed on them from the great clockmaker in the sky? Are they just supposed to know it as soon as they arrive on the scene? Did anyone at the school bother to tell them this info BEFORE they questioned the kid!

OR

Did they rightfully end this investigation when they became aware of this information?

Using this same logic, Internet idiots should demand the Milwaukee PD be investigated for letting Jeffrey Dahmer kill all those people. I mean, how could they NOT know. After all, he had all those bodies in his apartment!!

Social media hysteria strikes again. Idiocracy.

PS: how about we focus on any issue more important than this media generated crap.

Edited September 17, 2015 by UNT90

UNTLifer · September 17, 2015

Question, if he showed up at the White House with that contraption, how would have security reacted? Something to think about.

KRAM1 · September 18, 2015

Ah, right....we outsiders aren't allowed to form an opinion because our judgement isn't clouded from our offspring attending said school.

Just asking the question, pal. You obviously have no answer, nor any kids attending school ever involved in such a situation. So, you pretty much are just following the crowd. No one said you can't have an opinion, but just because you do does not mean anyone has to agree with it. Get over yourself. Once you have kids or a spouse in such a situation as this, come back with your smart ass answer. I'll bet the answer is not so flip.

Thankfully, neither did I ever have kids or a spouse in such a situation, but I have a friend who has....you have absolutely zero clue what that entails. So, carry on with your "oops, my bad crap", but get back with me should your kids...if you have any...be involved in such. Crazy mistake, stupid kid, over reaction or whatever....this is a serious situation for a bunch of parents and spouses and friends who all are breathing a sigh of relief and probably thankful that quick action was taken. Sure, it sucks, but it is a sign of the times. Some fool kids walks into my grandkids schools with something that looks like a bomb, and if I am anywhere near, you can bet your rear end I am going to act and fast. Feel free to sit it out should your kids ever be involved. But, be sure and come up with another cute meme or quip. That will help.