Disgraceful! Where's NAACP and ACLU when you need them?

And will there ever be a point in my lifetime when someone doesn’t tell a South Asian American to go back to where they “fucking came from”?

Unlikely, thanks to the rise in "nationalism" courtesy 911. In fact, our future generations have to put up with the same crap (albeit and hopefully on a lesser scale) simply because of the fact that their forefathers did not arrive in the Mayflower.

wew!

The photograph -- is that mr. Nag?

What a horrible event!! My heart goes out to Mr. Nag and his family.

The photograph -- is that mr. Nag?

It was part of the SALDEF press release, so I assume so until told otherwise.

This makes me want to beat somebody's a$$. I wish someone had surreptitiously filmed this on their celly....

Wow.

*stunned*

Fucking motherfucking pig.
These shitheads give the whole force a bad name.

The poor kid witnessed something that he will bear for the rest of his life. I am just so sorry for the Nags.

Whoa!!! Simul blog by Anna and Ennis

Has this made it into any news reports yet? I searched on Google and Kuldip Singh Nag doesn;t turn up anything

six year old son was a witness to this violent assault.

i think that's more sick than the violence and the racial slur. the kid just grew up 10 years in those few minutes. realizing how it really is in the real world. and how it is going to be.

This is just horrible... a crime of pure, evil bigotry. The uniformed perpetrator must be severely punished. How could such a psycho become a police officer? (Or was it an impostor??)

It's a cop:

Kuldip Nag , 49, of 3574 Buck Ave. was arrested by Joliet police and booked into the county jail Tuesday on a charge of aggravated battery. [Link]

SALDEF connected him to local counsel, and will be helping him fight the case.

Some officers don't want to hear any argument, especially from a non-white. I hope Mr. Nag sues their pants off.

And will there ever be a point in my lifetime when someone doesn’t tell a South Asian American to go back to where they “fucking came from”?

Only if you live to be 204.

Some officers don't want to hear any argument, especially from a non-white. I hope Mr. Nag sues their pants off.

First he has to defend himself in court - he was arrested on charges of aggravated battery.

Why did the cop take out pepper spray? Did the press release say anything about it Anna?

Voice your opinion directly to the Joliet Police department here

he was arrested on charges of aggravated battery.

I don't get it. Some details are missing. How can they charge him from aggravated battery, when the cop hit him?

Also, I believe cops are supposed to give warnings before they resort to physical violence. Did the cop give any such warnings? Are they claiming that Kuldip Singh Nag assaulted the cop?

Kuldip Nag , 49, of 3574 Buck Ave. was arrested by Joliet police and booked into the county jail Tuesday on a charge of aggravated battery

I'm confused. How did Nag get arrested for aggravated battery? (The link did not have details).

this is the very predictable symptom of the illness plaguing the American polity: thinking that racial profiling is an acceptable and necessary security instrument of the state.

i'll not speak for the caliber of beat cops in Joliet but most cops operate under the probable cause doctrine--apparently this guy thought being a swarthy male constituted PC.

When a cop hits and arrests somebody, they will claim that the other person attacked first, and then press charges. It's not uncommon to see a report from somebody saying that they were hit by the police while doing nothing, and at the same time for that person to be charged with some violent felony.

Why did the cop take out pepper spray? Did the press release say anything about it Anna?

The majority of the press release is quoted in my post, I wish I had more information. I'm frustrated by this too, which is why I wrote:

I can't find anything beyond a useless mention of Nag's arrest on a "police blotter" type of article, so if any of you know of further developments, please let us know.

Anytime you commit battery against a cop its automatically "aggravated battery," a more serious charge.

That it's battery and not assault means that Mr. Nag must have allegedly not merely threatened the cop or made him believe he was in physical danger, but have actually (allegedly) struck him.

We really need more details.

We really need more details.

Hopefully they'll come out soon. But I imagine the newspapers saw no reason not to believe the cop until now.

Just remember the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.

To answer all your questions about aggravated battery

It varies by state, but the acts most often defined to entail aggravated battery include:

use of a deadly weapon

battery in which serious bodily injury occurs, and

battery against a child, woman or police officer.

So if Mr. Nag approached the officer / said something in a manner that was perceived as a threat, I assume it counts as aggravated battery.

I am have no legal knowledge, but the law experts here should be able to tell us if his wife and kid could act as witnesses in court.

When a cop hits and arrests somebody, they will claim that the other person attacked first, and then press charges.

Yes, that's fairly typical treatment for assault by police officers. I was just wondering if there were additional details that were not in the original post.

So if Mr. Nag approached the officer / said something in a manner that was perceived as a threat, I assume it counts as aggravated battery.

No, that's only assault. Battery means the cop (allegedly) got physically attacked.

Could be what Ennis is saying; there are bad cops out there, maybe the cop escalated.

That is absolutely disgusting. I found the "F***** Arab" bit to be especially dispicable; it would be horrific enough if Mr. Nag *were* an Arab, but the fact that this Nazi can't even get his ethnicity right makes it even worse in my eyes. Hate crimes are apalling enough, but when you commit them against somebody in the wrong group....how *ignorant* can you get? What the hell is this country coming to? This SS shit is absolutely sickening. The Nag family and desis all over the country have my sympathy. This is absolutely terrible.

I'm very near Joliet -- what is the best course of action to show support? Send a letter to the police force, or an email via the link provided in #15? Send a card or letter of support to Nag and his family? Get a group of people together and stand outside the police station with signs?

Let me know, because I've got an organizational brain and can get things done. Thanks.

Here is the press release from the saldef site. Incident occurred on March 30th (!)

http://www.saldef.org/content.aspx?a=1682

who took the picture? Did Mrs. Nag have the foresight?

...i linked from my ScienceBlogs blog. i encourage anyone with a blog to link, as this might be able to break out of the brown blogosphere....

He's a vet, so if you want it to break out of the brown blogs perhaps contacting the vet sites would be a good idea, too....they can mobilize like no-one's business.

Not just a vet, a decorated one at that. MD, any ideas as to what might be a good blog to forward this on to? I don't know the vet blogs ...

This is just horrible... a crime of pure, evil bigotry. The uniformed perpetrator must be severely punished. How could such a psycho become a police officer?

I agree. before this, there's never been a single incident of police brutality against anyone. The evil ooga booga demon must have taken over this upstanding member of society, who so valiently threw away his chance of true financial success to serve and protect.

Let me check around and send some exploratory e-mails first. Also, and please forgive me for this, but what else to we know about this incident? It sounds really horrible, but I'm always loathe to jump on band-wagons before I know more specifics.

MD - I don't know anything more about it than that, but I can put you in touch with somebody at SALDEF if you like (email me). I can also direct you to his legal counsel.

My attitude is that asking for a fair and thorough investigation is never a bad thing, so giving an incident some publicity is a safe thing to ask for, even if the event later turns out to be different.

Hey, I'll look for that e-mail. He should contact the local veterans organizations in Illinois.

Tried to search blogs dedicated to track police brutalities but couldn't find one. Anybody aware of such blogs? We could get them highlight the incident.

In a way, the 6 year old was given a gift, A taste of what the lies beneath the superficial, doily mounted, sugar coated version of America we see on a daily basis.

I wonder if some of the skills of targeted aggression that earned Mr Nag his Bronze Star played any role in what happened. I haven't the faintest doubt that the cop is a first-class asshole, but it's additionally possible that our Sikh brother wasn't in the mood for any bullshit.

If someone came up to my driveway and started spewing xenophobic venom, I know for sure I'd be aggravated. Did Mr Nag open have an opportunity to open up the proverbial can of whoop-ass?

A sickening incident, by any standards. At the very least, it should get the cop fired and fined. Looking forward to more details.

Not sure about one devoted only to police brutalities, but there's a large number of human rights blogs listed here.

In a way, the 6 year old was given a gift, A taste of what the lies beneath the superficial, doily mounted, sugar coated version of America we see on a daily basis.

:(

Did Mr Nag open have an opportunity to open up the proverbial can of whoop-ass?

We don't know the whole story yet, but it would be foolhardy for a 49 year old to attack an armed officer who, from the photo, looks at least 20 years younger. Furthermore, Nag was a navy vet, not in the marines or the infantry. Unless he was in the SEALS, he's unlikely to have had extensive experience in hand to hand combat. Simply because he's a decorated veteran doesn't mean that he was any more likely to get aggro with a cop than you or I.

f*cking disgusting. makes me sick.

Simply because he's a decorated veteran doesn't mean that he was any more likely to get aggro with a cop than you or I.

True. No libel intended.

Then again, you have no idea how likely I am to get aggro with a cop.

:)

If Mr Nag assaulted the cop like he claims, there would have been some sort of marks left. Not necessarily a bruise, but SOMETHING?

ugh.. why is always suburban backwater cops who seem jump at chances to live out their macho fantasies? Seriously, it's like they kneel by their beds at night at chanting crap about thin blue lines, predetors, three strikes, pedophiles, gangs, drugs, keys of coke, and of course, terrorism, terrorism, terrorism....just to be able to face another morning of expired registrations and treed cats.

(oh, wait...whassup NYPD?! holla!!)

society needs to demand for public servants to be given racial sensitivity training prior to taking positions with power. ignorant assholes like this should never be given the opportunity to act as such.

society needs to demand for public servants to be given racial sensitivity training prior to taking positions with power

My understanding is that police forces all over the country provide extensive training in racial/religious sensitivity. I won't castigate all of society, or even the Joliet police force, for the actions of one cop.

why is always suburban backwater cops who seem jump at chances to live out their macho fantasies?

I don't think this sort of thing is limited to "suburban backwater cops." Happens in bigger (allegedly more diverse) places fairly frequently too.

Quid custodit ipsos custodes? -Juventus
In other words, who will guard the guardians?

Yes, Hema. Hence the NYPD shoutout.

I think this incident should be thoroughly investigated, but I think the tone with which you bring things up makes a difference as to how people initially will view your demands for an investigation. What I mean is: this is serious, this is a decorated war vet we are talking about (has this been confirmed?), we (as a community) have great respect for the police-force and the difficult work they do, but feel this incident deserves a thorough investigation. One, because the truth matters and justice matters. Two, we can't let one bad apple taint the good efforts of the whole police force. Three, it makes it more difficut to recruit Asians to the military and or police force, which is healthy for society as a whole.*

*I realize the last two points are not important to everyone on this board and people may not agree with the last two points, I just think you are more likely to get people to listen to you and take you seriously if you do it this way and don't go all CAIR-like, if you see what I mean.

I'm a desi from Illinois and I AM SHOCKED that this happened. There are so many desis all over the Chicagoland area...but with all the police brutality going on, I'm sure this will get a lot of attention and be addressed. This absolutely disappoints and disgusts me.

Yes, Hema. Hence the NYPD shoutout.

Er, yes. Sorry, I didn't notice that until after my knee-jerk post. Mea culpa.

I lived in Chicago a long time ago, but remember some racial issues popping up in Joliet back then. Didn't the KKK parade throught the town once?

Anyway, don't mean to distract from the main point of the post. It would be great to get more information and definitely figure out what we can to do bring attention to this.

why is always suburban backwater cops who seem jump at chances to live out their macho fantasies?

this is a decorated war vet we are talking about (has this been confirmed?),

That's hard to do, innit? I mean every year you hear a story about some public figure who either lied about their service or about their decorations.

Two, we can't let one bad apple taint the good efforts of the whole police force. *

How many bad apples have to fall before we realize the tree itself may be rotten?

This is fucking sick. I think it would be good to take this up with the American Gulf War Veterans Association as well. Hopefully, with the help of ASATA and SALDEF, this can at least receive enough national attention to stop (or at least...substantially alleviate....) this for ALL immigrants who have been treated this unjustly for FAR too long. I can't believe this...I have family around there...this is so disturbing...I pray that family gets through this....

http://www.gulfwarvets.com/contact.htm

I lived in Chicago a long time ago, but remember some racial issues popping up in Joliet back then. Didn't the KKK parade throught the town once?

this is so horrible and wrong on so many levels.

But, sadly, I know one thing for sure, this event WILL NOT make any mainstream media news. It would have made the national news if Mr. Nag was Latino, African, or even an East Asian immigrant, but because he is south asian (brown = terrorist = worthless)this horrible event won't get any mainstream news coverage.

Do you guys think its wrong that I'm not surprised this happended?

I'm not, but not I feel bad for not being surprised or outraged. Of course, it is a horrible event no doubt and my heart goes out to the Nag Family, but hate crimes and disrepect against browns does not surprise me. Should I be angrier?

Should I be angrier?

Honey, you're the only one who can answer that...

What next? His tires were not inflated right???

There is something surreal about the picture. The green is ominous.Reminds me of some famous photographer who took strangely lit pictures of suburbia. Anyone know who i am talking about?

This is sad. It would be nice if we could believe this was an isolated incident. But the reality is that in an environment where politics is driven by fear, stories like this will continue.

As inflammatory as this may appear, this comment is not a troll: I continue to be disturbed by minorities who vote Republican. In the past few years, sections of the Republican party have brandished their racial hatred on their sleeves. Yet the party continues to attract minorities. What am I missing?

I care deeply about economic freedoms, free markets, private enterprise, low taxes and small government. But all are irrelevant in the face of racism. If we are to believe the report, Mr. Nag's patriotic service was worth exactly nothing in this incident. Racist attitudes did not die in the US in the sixties. They just went underground. It isn't a big stretch to guess which party attracted the largest share.

Some minority Republicans argue that policies that support growth and wealth are the solution to all problems - including those of race. Others argue that it is better to change attitudes from within. Although both of these points have some truth to them, they fail to capture the core attitude of racists: race trumps all.

I pose the following sincere questions to Republicans on this board: how do you reconcile your political goals with your minority status?

Brownie - not right now, please. It will degenerate pretty rapidly if we go off topic that much. I hear what you're asking, but it's not clear that this has anything to do with partisan matters. That is, there are racist cops in Democratic administrations too, and those mayors support them as well.

Somebody has to bring this up, but there seems to be a rush to judgement in this case. There is not enough info to make such quick judgement[just look at the Duke rape case].

-Would the camera in the police car have footage of the incident
-Also does this cop have a record of police misconduct complaints filed against him.
-Has Mr.Nag even been in trouble with the law before
-Would the cop and Mr.Nag both take a lie detector test to see who is telling the truth, and if the cop really said what both Mr.Nag and Mrs Nag said, he said.
-Also if you look in the background of the picture is that another police car coming to scene[would that mean the cop already called for backup]

The stereotyping of all cops, for the action of this one, by some of the posters here is weird. Since many here don't like it when all desi or brown's get stereotyped for the actions of few. We can't have it both ways.

If we are to believe the report, Mr. Nag's patriotic service was worth exactly nothing in this incident.

This infuriates me.

No doubt there are many ways to demonstrate one's dedication or loyalty to one's country. We could debate that. In my humble opinion, military service is one of the hardest ones - and one of the truest tests of one's character. It just kills me that someone who defended this country abroad would be subject to physical violence and racist humiliation at home by an officer of the state. It disgusts me. It makes me sad and depressed about the possibility of ever getting past race and skin color and preconceived notions of ethnicity or nationalism. I know 9/11 changed everything. But when will its lingering effects of xenophobia end?

This is so tragic. I am stunned. I am forever harping about how friendly midwesterners are and then some asshat does this. I've lived in Chicago for 8 years. There are thousands of desis in the city and plenty more in the suburbs. We hear about bigotry in some of these parts (most notably that Naperville is homebase for the modern-day KKK) but nothing like this. I kept quiet for a long time because I didn't know what to say. I'm not much of an organizer but I take direction really well! Point me in the right direction and I'll call/write/protest.

It would have made the national news if Mr. Nag was Latino, African, or even an East Asian immigrant, but because he is south asian (brown = terrorist = worthless)this horrible event won't get any mainstream news coverage.

Really? I'm sorry to tangent off the original point here but I don't think hate crimes make national news unless they're extremely sensational -- even more than this. It's such old hat in this country.

-Would the cop and Mr.Nag both take a lie detector test to see who is telling the truth, and if the cop really said what both Mr.Nag and Mrs Nag said, he said.

Clueless - many of those will be useful bits of information to have, and they'll come out sooner if somebody in the press looks into it, which only happens when noise is made. However, I disagree with you about polygraph machines:

In 2003, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued a report entitled “The Polygraph and Lie Detection”. The NAS found that the majority of polygraph research was of low quality. It is interesting to note that, so far, no scientific study has been published that offers convincing evidence of the validity of the polygraph test. [Link]

National security professionals I've heard speak on this topic generally think it's unreliable, they trust it even less than the NAS does.

N.W.A. said it best..

Concur with #66.
It would not surprise me if the allegations turn out to be true, but we don't know yet if they are.
And, yes, police officers carry their own burden of assumption and stereotypes...

It just kills me that someone who defended this country abroad would be subject to physical violence and racist humiliation at home by an officer of the state. It disgusts me. It makes me sad and depressed about the possibility of ever getting past race and skin color and preconceived notions of ethnicity or nationalism. I know 9/11 changed everything. But when will its lingering effects of xenophobia end?

Well said. When I hear things like this it mostly fills me with sorrow instead of anger, which I thought was the "weaker" response but the older I get the more I understand that anger might fuel some fire but it won't generate change. I do not believe in "wait and see" but Clueless you are right -- it would be prudent to hear the information first. I hear this and in my heart of hearts think it's a hate crime perpetrated by an individual who's paid to protect society but none of us actually know what happened.

I do not believe in "wait and see" but Clueless you are right -- it would be prudent to hear the information first.

I guess my attitude is that information doesn't come out on its own. Cops are given a great deal of trust and leeway, especially if they haven't fired their weapons and there are no third party witnesses around. If Nag was seriously hurt as the press release said, and if there's any chance that there was racism involved, it's worth making some noise about the need for investigation. That doesn't mean condemning and sentencing the officer before all the facts are out, it's just a practical statement about the balance of power between the state and the individual.

Look. I grok the whole, "let's be cautious and doubt shit"-bit...I am a St. Thomas xtian, after all. Having said that, I really don't think an org as wonderful as SALDEF would publicly get behind this unless it were true. This is now a lawsuit and sometimes that limits what can and can't be disclosed.

I'm all for critical thinking and weighing everything, but fuck...where is your outrage? And why is Razib the only one who has linked to this? All of you have blogs-- plenty of you ache for memes and stupid personality quizzes in order to generate content because, like, posting is hard. HERE IS YOUR CONTENT. Update your sites, please. If we don't make noise, who will?

amitabh (#47) is not ME, the Amitabh that's been commenting here for quite a while now. Dude, get a different handle!

Mr. Nag obviously did nothing to provoke the idiot who disgraces the police force. If the "police officer" called him racial slurs, it is obvious that he just wanted some flimsy excuse to beat up a non white.

Too bad that so called policeman doesn't patrol the streets of Chicago near the projects/higher crime areas. He needs to do some real work and not beat innocents to a pulp.

omebody has to bring this up, but there seems to be a rush to judgement in this case. There is not enough info to make such quick judgemen

You forgot one. the guy on the ground has the police officers hand trapped between his left forearm, and body, causing him excruciating pain, in fact, he's using a traditional ayurvedic pressure point, if you crush a hand that way, it could be fatal.

That's why he's on the radio, getting help.

Seriously why rag on the cops? They're white, they deserve at least one racial incident as a gimme.

amitabh (#47) is not ME, the Amitabh that's been commenting here for quite a while now. Dude, get a different handle!

Verified and so amended.

Verified and so amended.

Mr. Bachchan is going to be pissed...

There is something surreal about the picture. The green is ominous. Reminds me of some famous photographer who took strangely lit pictures of suburbia. Anyone know who i am talking about?

HMF you are right all white cops are racist.

Oh now c'mon, don't sound so optimistic.

Shodan,
Bingo!

The suburbs I've been to (outside Phoenix, Lansing, and Indianapolis) are pretty diverse; a big change in less than 10 yrs from what long-time residents said. Some people just CAN'T deal with reality!!!

This reminds me of a case that was big when I was living in Chicago. A black guy was walking through neighbourhood. He got hassled by white cops. The black guy happened to be an off-duty cop. He sued the city etc. etc.
If a police can get this treatment from his "brothers", I guess everyone else is fair game.

Where's Al M when we need him?

What happened to Mr. Nag was despicable and I hope that the cop will be punished to the full extent of the law.

How many other South Asians and Arabs are out there who have been profiled by the police who have no way of retaliation against the injustice that has been done to them? Mr. Nag was relatively lucky (if I can use that term) to have been a suburban, middle-class family-man (not to mention a distinguished veteran). All of that helps in his case. However, what if he was an immigrant cab driver living in a poor urban area with no connections, and was too intimdated to get legal help? I'm willing to bet that we never hear about many of these cases.

I think racial profiling of minorities is not just a black problem, or a latino problem, or a South Asian problem. Its partly caused by the same things; people become more susceptible to it as a result of poverty, and a lack of community resources. We should all be working together to erase minority profiling in the states once and for all. I mean, no matter how different we percieve ourselves to be, a racist cop will only see someone with dark skin.

In 1990 I went through a similar experience in North Carolina while driving a car with Panamanian tags (several days after the deadline to change them) with military stickers. In this case was ordered out of the vehicle, grabbed and forcibly positioned up against the car, and roughly searched by a police officer obviously on some secret mission to indimidate me. When I complained that the administrative nature of this offence hardly merited the "dangerous criminal" handling, he just got more authoritarian and aggressive. Makes you wonder about the recruiting and training of local police. And I'm a white American. Wasn't it Thomas Jefferson that said that petty tyrany was the worst sort? I later went through a rough, testicle twisting search by Bolivian police agents, but you expect that kind of behaviour from third world police forces. I hope your post mobilizes action against Mr. Singh's abuser.

Ronak, thank you so much for blogging about this story. More people need to hear about what happened. Where the rest of you at?

This is horrible.

Poor kid, he must be devastated. How can somebody come up and do at AT YOUR HOME!

And just for some stupid tag?

There is enough crime in the City to keep that cop busy if he really likes to use tag spray and assault people.

what a asshole!

thanks ANNA for posting this-- i'm so tired of this ridiculous behavior on the part of law enforcement everywhere. this harassment by police officers that targets people of color HAS TO STOP!!!

I don't blog anywhere, but I cross-posted the story to a number of (slightly random) places, and e-mailed it along to organizations that can make some noise.

I live in a city where the police force is frequently called out by the local media for racial insensitivity (particularly with respect to Native Americans). Sadly, this isn't a one-off thing for racial minorities. Happens altogether too often, if you ask me.

Clueless seems bent on ignoring the power differentials between an armed man with racial privilege and an unarmed man who does not. Oh yeah, and the entire history of police brutality in this country.

I don't blog anywhere, but I cross-posted the story to a number of (slightly random) places, and e-mailed it along to organizations that can make some noise.

Hema, go you! I appreciate all you've done. :)

Some minor points on Mr. Nag's veteran status. A bronze star for service is highly respectable, but does not render him a "decorated" veteran in the general meaning of that term. To consider him one, his bronze star would have to been "with V Device" for valour. Within combat veterans circles, the term "decorated" normally refers to receipt of the Bronze Star with "V" Device, the Silver Star, or equivalent or higher awards for valour, not awards for exemplary service. The important matter here is that Mr. Nag is a loyal American citizen who willingly went to war for his country. The supreme irony is that he is from a segment of the Indian community likely to enter military or police service, and is thus generally favorable to persons in such occupations.

Thanks for the correction.

Gm - yeah, like low income communities need to be targeted even more by the police! This country has one of the highest numbers of incarcerated people and an extensive prison-industrial complex. How's that working for us?

BG in post #94 give me a break. Yes this country has history of police brutality. But I don't like the stereotyping that is going on this post about all cops. Maybe I didn't get the memo that its ok to judge the action of few cops and say that all cops are like this.

I'm sorry but I can't make a judgement in this case, because I don't have enough info. Just look at the Duke lacross rape case. I bet there was a black website like this, that said those 3 players were guilty and the media coverage made it seem like those guys were guilty. Yet after all the info came out, it turned those 3 men were not guilty.

It is never wrong to be cautious: in fact, going ahead without getting all the information may ultimately hurt your cause. I'll do my searching, get my information, and go from there. The first point of posts like this is to inform people and now you SM'ers have. Good for you. The second point is this: Do you want to really want something real to happen? My idea about contacting veterans organizations and veterans blogs will do more than simply linking this post on my inactive, 20 hits a da, chump-change blog. If you really want change, than you think carefully about how you are going to do it. And of course you can verify his veterans status: a vets group will do it for you.

That's just sickening.

MD, I guess if it's that easy, I don't understand cases like this:

Joseph A. Cafasso, former Fox News military analyst who claimed to have been a highly-decorated Special Forces soldier and Vietnam War veteran. Wes Cooley, a US Congressman who claimed to have fought in the Korean War. Brian Dennehy, a famous American actor who claimed to have fought in the Vietnam War. Joseph Ellis, American professor and historian who claimed a tour of duty in the Vietnam War. [Link]

I mean, wouldn't Fox have checked the background of its "Military Analyst" ?

One would think Ennis, and you're just underscoring my point. That is exactly why I'm suggesting going forward but getting all the information you can beforehand. Sheesh. Isn't that just common sense? I have no trouble believing this happened the way the guy said it did: I'm just saying, you want to go forward, get it right from the beginning. Why is that so hard to understand?

Shorter MD: Outrage is fine. Winning is better.

MD, let me redirect. How does one go about verifying the status of somebody who is claiming to be a veteran? Is there a national database? What information does one need to identify the person in question?

I have to go off-line soon, but I think there are data bases you can check. I e-mailed you some websites that post a lot of veterans stuff and I think milblogs.com (I think that's the url) has, like, hundreds of them linked.

Ennis (#105). Yeah: http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/topics/indigent/index.htm. We should be dignified and thorough about this if we really want to see it through.

Focus, please my beloved, wise elders. :) MD makes a valid point-- but I don't think it hurts to drum up awareness, either.

Say that this guy did hit the officer, by all mean's go ahead and arrest him and spray him with pepper spray, but if your screaming, “You f****** Arab! You f***** immigrant, go back to you f****** country before I kill you!”, while you are doing it then you need to be fired and the guy being assulted should be compensated with money for what his son had to listen to. This kid will never trust a cop in his life and it's thank's to this douche.

I didnt hear about this at all, until now and I read the paper's everyday and I live about 20 min from Joliet,AKA the asshole of the Chicago land area. I could go to this guy's house tomorrow and do some reporting, but I will need to be compensated for the pain and agony of having to enter Joliet.

I bet my parent's somehow know this guy since the Punjabi community is tiny in Chicago. I'll snoop around and see if I can come up with anything.

the story is on boing boing. they got the link via someone rumored to be a registered republican ;-)

From the Joliet police blotter, April 5, 2007:

Kuldip Nag , 49, of 3574 Buck Ave. was arrested by Joliet police and booked into the county jail Tuesday on a charge of aggravated battery.

...i need to change my handle....

If indeed events have happened in the manner described....This is just pathetic !

It makes me wonder what kind of feelings will be going on in Mr. Nag's (and Mrs Nag's) mind after the incident. Being a citizen (born and/or raised in the US) and then having to go through such blatant racial discrimination in your own country after serving for your country this long is hard to digest/fathom. As a first generation desi and an immigrant I am curious to know how a 2nd generation ( or a gen X )desi would feel if they were subject to this .. ??

Would you feel disillusioned ?
Would you feel like an outcast ?
Would you cry and slowly get over it/move on with life thinking it was just a bad experience ?
Would you feel revengeful and/ or fight for justice ?

More importantly will such a personal incident dent your patriotic feelings even slightly ?

I am curious to know.

Whoops, here's the link to the Joliet police blotter regarding Mr. Nag's arrest.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/police/328306,4_1_JO05_COPS_S1.article

We don't know the whole story yet, but it would be foolhardy for a 49 year old to attack an armed officer who, from the photo, looks at least 20 years younger. Furthermore, Nag was a navy vet, not in the marines or the infantry. Unless he was in the SEALS, he's unlikely to have had extensive experience in hand to hand combat. Simply because he's a decorated veteran doesn't mean that he was any more likely to get aggro with a cop than you or I.

Bronze Stars are given for non-combat related actions, too. For example a Navy doc was a recipient for his actions in saving wounded in Fallujah. I know of another officer who got one for doing a job very, very well done (logistics). When the "V" along with a Bronze star is given, you know it's for combat (V for Valor).

This isn't a case of profiling - if the report is accurate it's a boor headed local policeman going on a powertrip. For a something extremely benign. In most cases, the police leave a ticket on your windshield and move on.

It's hard to verify Veteran status, though the Dept of Navy if sent a request will provide very basic information. I wound up working with a big time poser, for whom it took a year to get busted. He was outed by other veterans when their spidey sense of a poser went off.... Larry Gugle was the poser's name. Generally, most veterans are low key and don't advertise. They just go around doing their business.

Also, be wary of most publicly claiming SEAL, SF, or any other 'high speed' status. Those guys are generally quite professionals and don't advertise their professions, either.

Sad to see a Veteran be treated as such. Though based upon the report, this is clearly some cop on a sadistic powertrip, not some grand conspiracy. Tact is a policeman's best ally. Very poor professional conduct and judgement here. He should be fired and the department needs to take care of the victim here.

GET THE LOCAL CONGRESSMAN AND POLITICIANS INVOLVED. Obama and Durbin are Senators, too.

Slutty or not, you done good Razib. Thanks, man.

And THIS is why I think desis are crazy, stupid, or both to fight in this country's military.

Ennis,

Ennis is right. I do not think you can easily verify anyone's veteran status, unless you have the authority/ permission to do so by the Government. It is strictly protected by privacy laws. Therefore, you see a lot of murkiness in people's claims about service, valor, etc. in public space.

Comment #. 107 just takes you to US Govt. Veterans Affairs website, but will not let you let access any of their databases.

Veteran or no-Veteran.......any person (1st gen, 2nd gen, visitor) should not be assaulted/ abused by government servants, like cops.

So Imus makes international news (the BBC even picked it up) for using some racist language, gets fired from MSNBC, and this has not hit the pages of CNN or MSNBC?

A waterfall starts with a single drop of water, hopefully this story will pick up speed and this man can get the justice and respect he deserves. Nice job Anna Sinclair.

And THIS is why I think desis are crazy, stupid, or both to fight in this country's military.

Really? THIS is why? My little sister is a veteran and she is neither crazy nor stupid. Your comment is disrespectful, hurtful and it accomplishes nothing. Desis shouldn't serve because ONE asshole rogue cop might go on a power trip later? What the fuck.

Where's the solidarity? Or is it only there for those whose actions aren't "crazy or stupid"? Shame on you.

Couldn't keep away.

Seriously, it's that hard to verify Gujudude? Sheesh. That's the government for you.....

Your suggestion re: local politicians is excellent.

Razib: good going on the Boing Boing link, you internet star, you. I'd say the story is out now.

Does anyone happen to have the name of the policeman involved? It's a little weird to be going to the press without a name or badge number of the arresting officer.

Kush: Oh, I see why for privacy issues you can't verify veteran status. That makes sense.

What about awards given out? *Unrelated to this post, just curious how you would know.

I think getting on top of things like this is very important for the very reason that you don't want minorities afraid to enter the military or police force, you know? Plus, as stated, no one should be treated this way, for any reason, by the cops.

Also, didn't Radley Balko (CATO) do a whole series on no-knock raids and the like? Wouldn't someone like that be interested in this story? Part of the whole drumming up more publicity, er, if that's the correct word.

i wonder if conservative blogs will jump to his defense like they did with matt sanchez a darling of that 'spitfire' michelle malkin, among others.

oh wait...he never led a double life as a gay escort and porn star. aw shucks--no conservative revving of the perpetually patriotic outrage engine means no exposure for Nag.

And THIS is why I think desis are crazy, stupid, or both to fight in this country's military.

You know, if this was the weak attitude Tuskegee airmen had, African American's would have never earned the ability to participate in the military as full fledged members (not just cooks or truck drivers) before rest of America was integrated. They fought for it, within the system, and by being absolutely EXCELLENT. Nothing shuts people up better than being at the top of your game.

AMERICANS, should do what they want. Which means if they want to be a hippie smoking weed legally, they should be allowed to. If they want to join the military and participate in a function of government, that in modern day is despised for it's 'image', yet when reality seeps in is absolutely a necesssity, they should be allowed to.

Seriously - other veterans have got the shorter end of the stick, too. There is no goddamned stamp that one walks around on their forehead with, that says "ARMED FORCES VETERAN". Veterans screw up, do well, are normal, and everything in between. The military is a microcosm of society. Policeman have shit on veterans - black, brown, and actually more often white for reasons that can only be described as "My daddy has a bigger car than you" or some stupid dick contest Mr. LEO (law enforcement officer) has to prove his 'worth' in.

Seriously, it's that hard to verify Gujudude? Sheesh. That's the government for you.....

Quickest way to verify is to ask for a veteran's DD-214 from the vet or somehow request records. I just googled this website.

Now posted here too...

The blogger there makes a good point, video is what makes the evening news.

I have to say it but welcome to my world,police are hell on minorities even if you did serve in the military. I support this man as a fellow vet.

Sigh...why does this have to turn into a right versus left thing, always? I'm so tired of filtering everything through the R vs D light. Although, as a conservative-minded type myself, I have to admit I sort of think it might be a story on some of the vet blogs, but I can't see it being a big story on Instapundit or anything like that. And I like Instapundit.

Dheerjai you comments were very stupid to say the least. Racism is a problem in the United States. But it also problem in every other country on the planet.

I may be a clueless canadian, but my mom's whole family other then her, lives in the United States. Most of them came in the mid 80's from Punjab to live in the United States. They are all sikh's and in the last 20+ years they have enjoyed there life in the United States.

A desi's being a minority in the United St