Vancouver Police searching for 3 Middle Eastern men videotaping Pacific Centre Mall

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by scottsman

Not saying this to agree or disagree with you but there have been quite a few high profile, so called "honor killings" in Canada and US. This obviously does not mean that there is an organized group calling for this however it would definitely point to certain people coming to Canada and bringing certain cultures here.

White people kill there kids too. It's just not classified as a honor killing when it's done.

[scottsman]

You are literally the worst person to have a discussion with.

[parm104]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

Lol..so you can give an excuse like that and just instantly be deemed clear?

Remember your time in Cananda by taking pictures of these mall exits in back coridoors

When did you get a chance to see their photos? Are they posted on Flickr?

Originally Posted by scottsman

You are literally the worst person to have a discussion with.

Ya, it sucks when someone doesn't submit to all your thoughts and ideas and actually has something politely and respectfully to say in opposition. WORST!

[StylinRed]

There are honour killings within Orthodox Christian groups, and Jewish groups, Hindu, and Sikh groups too, basically you'll find crazy acts stemming from any hardline groups. We've had plenty of examples locally, yet it seems they've been conveniently forgotten about

As for the photos the patients took, i believe CTV news showed at least one of them, it was of the chinese new years decorations adorning the doorways

[GS8]

I don't know...

At the end of the day, with all the weird shit I see on Whurrstar, Vines and X-tube, taking photos of exits with your phone is considered suspicious?



Maybe, just MAYBE if they were using a telephoto lens from some obscure location, then yes.

[rslater]

Originally Posted by Gh0stRider

?I want an investigation?: tourists identified by VPD speak out | Globalnews.ca

"They’ve published this story without blurring the faces. He’s a child, he’s going to look over his shoulder the rest of his life now. They’ve released it without blurring the photos, so the whole world’s seen us.”

I feel bad for them, but please shut the fuck up with this shit. Everyone has already stopped remembering you guys.

[parm104]

Originally Posted by rslater

"They’ve published this story without blurring the faces. He’s a child, he’s going to look over his shoulder the rest of his life now. They’ve released it without blurring the photos, so the whole world’s seen us.”

I feel bad for them, but please shut the fuck up with this shit. Everyone has already stopped remembering you guys.

Yet here we are...continuing on with this thread...

[Nightwalker]

What a clusterfuck.

[Timpo]

Pacific Centre mall photographers find sympathy on social media
As news of their innocence broke, users online were outraged by what they saw as racial profiling

Pacific Centre mall photographers find sympathy on social media - British Columbia - CBC News
By Lien Yeung, CBC News Posted: Jan 17, 2016 9:00 AM PT


Mohammed Sharaz (left) says he has 'no complaints' with the public's reaction following the intense interest in what he, his friend Mohammed Kareem (centre) and his son (right) were doing photographing Pacific Centre. (Kamil Karamali/CBC)


The two men and one youth who gained unwanted attention after taking photographs and video of a downtown Vancouver mall have plenty of sympathizers online.

On Saturday, the topic trended both on Facebook and Twitter in Vancouver as users expressed outrage about what they described as the racial profiling of Mohammed Sharaz, Salahuddin Sharaz and Mohammed Kareem.

Mohammed Sharaz, one of the three men who were identified as British tourists, reacted positively to the public's concern but less so to how media outlets handled the incident.

"I've got no complaints because I've been reading comments online. Most of the people, 90 per cent, have actually understood what's happened," said Sharaz.

"The problem is when [media] published our photos naively or whatever, as soon as we saw the pictures, our faces are not blurred out. I've got a child that's 14 years-old ... it's going to cause him some trauma."

Images of the three men were released Thursday evening by an online publication following the leak of a internal police bulletin which described three "Middle-Eastern looking" men but was never meant to be made public.

'Sad moment' for Canada

Later when the three British tourists were cleared of any wrongdoing, users pointed to a double standard the men were subjected to because of their skin tone.

"I work near Pacific Centre, and walk through there quite often," said Tee Bex, who is listed as being from Abbotsford, B.C.

"Taking photos inside of it is common, but most people wouldn't bat an eye about a story of four Brazilian or Chinese tourists taking photos."

Another user, Jenna Marion, reflected on what she found to be a "sad moment" for Canada.

"I wish I could apologize to those men for the way they were profiled and spoken about," she said.

On Friday, VPD Chief Adam Palmer defended the description of the men as standard practise for anyone police are looking for.

"We release that all the time," he said at the time. "It's as simple as that."

Some were upset that media outlets across the city, including CBC, initially posted non-blurred images of the men.

Others specifically faulted the online publication that broke the news late Thursday.

"I'm pointing directly at Vancity Buzz for stirring up controversy. How their headline went from 'three Middle Eastern men' to 'three men' once the tourists came forward," said Vancouver's Ian Bryce on his Facebook page.

"It's disgusting that these people were profiled and had to 'out' themselves to stay safe."

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Vancity Buzz editor in chief Farhan Mohamed said his team published the story because it was in the public interest and when contacted to confirm details of the leaked memo, police did not ask them not to run the story.

Jan O'Hara admitted on her Facebook page that she initially shared a link about the police search because it was "worth passing on".

After learning of their innocence, like many others, she clarified the concern may have been overstated.

Other online chatter also called for police to look into the source of the leak.

Palmer says that would be challenging as the internal bulletin was sent out to thousands of police officers and civilian staff.

[Timpo]

video on Global News
?I want an investigation?: tourists identified by VPD speak out | Globalnews.ca

[mikemhg]

I'm definitely not a Social Justice Warrior, nor do I necessarily agree with allowing the immigration of mass amounts of these refugees.

But I have to say, these guys got fucked over for sure. I feel that we're allowing our fear to legitimize this story. The police and new media should have had their ducks in a row before this coming out to the masses.

I definitely understand these three individuals complaints in terms of how they may be treated going forward during their remaining time in Vancouver.

Think of it this way for a second. What is a rape happened in a park, and you happened to be in the area riding your bike on CCTV? What if you had nothing to do with the rape, but the news media put your mug out there stating that police are looking for you to answer questions on a rape that occurred in the area, and that you are a possible suspect.

What happens if a day later the cops find the actual rapist, and that you had nothing to do with it? No matter what media story or news report that comes out to indicate you were innocent, the damage is already done, you will still have individuals who will think you are a rapist. Plain and simple.

I have sympathy for those guys, they got a shit deal, let's be honest here. If the tides were turned on any of us in the scenario I said above, any one of us would be choked at the media and police.

[Harvey Specter]

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The mayor of Vancouver has apologized to two men and a teenager singled out in an internal police bulletin for “suspicious behaviour” at a downtown shopping mall.

Gregor Robertson says it was a mistake that a document containing unblurred photos of three men described as “Middle Eastern” was leaked and that an online media outlet published the pictures on Thursday.

Surveillance photos of Mohammed Sharaz, his friend and his son taking pictures at Pacific Centre mall raised suspicions with shopping centre authorities, who relayed the information to the Vancouver Police Department.

Police quickly cleared the men, but Sharaz says he remained fearful they might be identified and attacked on the street.

Sharaz doesn’t blame the police for the ordeal but says he is considering legal action against Vancity Buzz, the news and culture website that published the unblurred photos.

The trio are from the United Kingdom and are in Canada to receive specialized treatment for visual disabilities.

[radioman]

So upset that very blurry images of them are on the internet and as soon as they are cleared of any wrong doings over media outlets they decide to get interviewed so now I can really see their faces. Cool.

[$_$]

Originally Posted by Noir

Your personal opinion, what would you rather they do?

Haven't been around computer all weekend, so didn't have a chance to reply to you guys yet. But I would have preferred if the police/media have put out a notice/bulletin that said they were interested in talking to these people and to have anyone that knew them come forward instead of saying that they were acting suspicious because they were taking photos of entrances. That takes things to a whole nother level.

[Galactic_Phantom]

Originally Posted by $_$

Haven't been around computer all weekend, so didn't have a chance to reply to you guys yet. But I would have preferred if the police/media have put out a notice/bulletin that said they were interested in talking to these people and to have anyone that knew them come forward instead of saying that they were acting suspicious because they were taking photos of entrances. That takes things to a whole nother level.

Taking photos of entrances at a mall where rich Chinese fucks shop and next to the two biggest luxury designer department stores in town is suspicious. It could've easily been interpret as scoping out info for a robbery.

Originally Posted by Timpo

Pacific Centre mall photographers find sympathy on social media
As news of their innocence broke, users online were outraged by what they saw as racial profiling

Pacific Centre mall photographers find sympathy on social media - British Columbia - CBC News
By Lien Yeung, CBC News Posted: Jan 17, 2016 9:00 AM PT


Mohammed Sharaz (left) says he has 'no complaints' with the public's reaction following the intense interest in what he, his friend Mohammed Kareem (centre) and his son (right) were doing photographing Pacific Centre. (Kamil Karamali/CBC)


The two men and one youth who gained unwanted attention after taking photographs and video of a downtown Vancouver mall have plenty of sympathizers online.

On Saturday, the topic trended both on Facebook and Twitter in Vancouver as users expressed outrage about what they described as the racial profiling of Mohammed Sharaz, Salahuddin Sharaz and Mohammed Kareem.

Mohammed Sharaz, one of the three men who were identified as British tourists, reacted positively to the public's concern but less so to how media outlets handled the incident.

"I've got no complaints because I've been reading comments online. Most of the people, 90 per cent, have actually understood what's happened," said Sharaz.

"The problem is when [media] published our photos naively or whatever, as soon as we saw the pictures, our faces are not blurred out. I've got a child that's 14 years-old ... it's going to cause him some trauma."

Images of the three men were released Thursday evening by an online publication following the leak of a internal police bulletin which described three "Middle-Eastern looking" men but was never meant to be made public.

'Sad moment' for Canada

Later when the three British tourists were cleared of any wrongdoing, users pointed to a double standard the men were subjected to because of their skin tone.

"I work near Pacific Centre, and walk through there quite often," said Tee Bex, who is listed as being from Abbotsford, B.C.

"Taking photos inside of it is common, but most people wouldn't bat an eye about a story of four Brazilian or Chinese tourists taking photos."

Another user, Jenna Marion, reflected on what she found to be a "sad moment" for Canada.

"I wish I could apologize to those men for the way they were profiled and spoken about," she said.

On Friday, VPD Chief Adam Palmer defended the description of the men as standard practise for anyone police are looking for.

"We release that all the time," he said at the time. "It's as simple as that."

Some were upset that media outlets across the city, including CBC, initially posted non-blurred images of the men.

Others specifically faulted the online publication that broke the news late Thursday.

"I'm pointing directly at Vancity Buzz for stirring up controversy. How their headline went from 'three Middle Eastern men' to 'three men' once the tourists came forward," said Vancouver's Ian Bryce on his Facebook page.

"It's disgusting that these people were profiled and had to 'out' themselves to stay safe."

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Vancity Buzz editor in chief Farhan Mohamed said his team published the story because it was in the public interest and when contacted to confirm details of the leaked memo, police did not ask them not to run the story.

Jan O'Hara admitted on her Facebook page that she initially shared a link about the police search because it was "worth passing on".

After learning of their innocence, like many others, she clarified the concern may have been overstated.

Other online chatter also called for police to look into the source of the leak.

Palmer says that would be challenging as the internal bulletin was sent out to thousands of police officers and civilian staff.

LOL people jumping on the, "this is racial profiling" card. I love social justice facebook warriors. The sympathizing only began when people pulled out the race card and cried injustice. They were doing something suspicious, simple as that. Those same people were probably shitty their pants of a terrorist plot themselves. Yeah apologies for misunderstanding, but you can't put the blame on people for misinterpreting your intentions. As someone here said in the first couple pages, would you rather have reactive policing and often do not arrest the perpetrators or have proactive police and stop crime before it happens?

"People wouldn't bat an eye if it was Chinese tourists taking pictures"

Yes I would. I would think its 3 Asian wannabe gangbangers plotting a heist or robbery. Obviously they're not gonna wear their North Face 700s to do something like spotting locations for a robbery getaway so they might not look local but it'll still be shady regardless of race.

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by Galactic_Phantom

Taking photos of entrances at a mall where rich Chinese fucks shop and next to the two biggest luxury designer department stores in town is suspicious. It could've easily been interpret as scoping out info for a robbery.



LOL people jumping on the, "this is racial profiling" card. I love social justice facebook warriors. The sympathizing only began when people pulled out the race card and cried injustice. They were doing something suspicious, simple as that. Those same people were probably shitty their pants of a terrorist plot themselves. Yeah apologies for misunderstanding, but you can't put the blame on people for misinterpreting your intentions. As someone here said in the first couple pages, would you rather have reactive policing and often do not arrest the perpetrators or have proactive police and stop crime before it happens?

"People wouldn't bat an eye if it was Chinese tourists taking pictures"

Yes I would. I would think its 3 Asian wannabe gangbangers plotting a heist or robbery. Obviously they're not gonna wear their North Face 700s to do something like spotting locations for a robbery getaway so they might not look local but it'll still be shady regardless of race.

The problem is Vancity buzz released a internal report that was not meant to be shown to the public. Vancity buzz just made a mountain out of a mole hill.

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by mikemhg

I'm definitely not a Social Justice Warrior, nor do I necessarily agree with allowing the immigration of mass amounts of these refugees.

That's one of the stupidest parts of all this: people right away jumped to the assumption these were recently-arrived refugees, when in reality they were British tourists, which essentially means they didn't have to do much more than walk off the plane and flash their UK passports. Yet even in light of their being exonerated, the anti-refugee lot are USING this incident to "warn against immigration".

Originally Posted by radioman

So upset that very blurry images of them are on the internet and as soon as they are cleared of any wrong doings over media outlets they decide to get interviewed so now I can really see their faces. Cool.

Posting the blurred versions after the police cleared them is stupid anyway, since VCB's unblurred versions had already gone viral.

Originally Posted by $_$

Haven't been around computer all weekend, so didn't have a chance to reply to you guys yet. But I would have preferred if the police/media have put out a notice/bulletin that said they were interested in talking to these people and to have anyone that knew them come forward instead of saying that they were acting suspicious because they were taking photos of entrances. That takes things to a whole nother level.

Originally Posted by Manic!

The problem is Vancity buzz released a internal report that was not meant to be shown to the public. Vancity buzz just made a mountain out of a mole hill.

This is the thing - this info wasn't meant to be released. Police receive "suspicious activity" reports daily, investigate them, and dismiss them without going public. This incident would have come and gone, nobody would have known the difference, and life would have carried on normally for these gentlemen if it hadn't been for this "leak" (whatever that means), and Vancity Buzz jumping on it, because after all, SCOOP!

Really silly thing is, VCB claims they contacted the VPD about the info when they received it, and since they WEREN'T told NOT to publish it, they went ahead and did so. That's right: their excuse isn't that they were TOLD to print it... but that they weren't told NOT to. "It all started when he hit me back first."

[Verdasco]

Good, I hope VCB shuts down. God damn website is racist.


I feel so bad for that 14 year old as well :/

[GS8]

I'm glad they don't have any malice towards the Police

Originally Posted by Harvey Specter

Sharaz doesn’t blame the police for the ordeal but says he is considering legal action against Vancity Buzz, the news and culture website that published the unblurred photos.

This is all I care about. If that hokey shitstain of a website gets shutdown, I will do this all fucking week

[westopher]

Originally Posted by Verdasco

Good, I hope VCB shuts down. God damn website is racist.


I feel so bad for that 14 year old as well :/

I don't think its necessarily that they are racist. Its just that they are a bunch of fucking idiots.
This story certainly brought out a lot of racism though.
I sympathize with the police, as its their job to keep the public safe, and if they think something is off, its their job to protect citizens.
I sympathize with the tourists, because all they were guilty of is BWB. (beards while brown)
I don't sympathize with vancitybuzz jacking off and jizzing in their own proverbial belly button at the thought of stirring up the clickbait shitfuck that they did.

[jonwon]

They should have thought about the way they looked and what they were doing and the ramifications of their actions; it's not racism. They were doing something out of the ordinary and people noticed. Now imagine if I was coming back from a snowboarding trip and walked into a bank wearing my ski mask and carrying a large duffle bag filled with all my gear; it's the same shit.

[westopher]

Are you fucking kidding me?
Walking into a bank with a balaclava on and a duffel bag = being brown in a mall with a camera phone. Ok.

[van_city23]

As much as everyone including myself thinks vancity buzz is a joke, it won't get shut down over this.

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by jonwon

She should have thought about the way she looked and what she was doing and the ramifications of her reactions

Is that what you would say to a rape victim?

Tomorrow I am taking my brown ass to the mall and I am going to take a bunch of pictures of the entrances and I don't care what anyone thinks because I am not breaking any laws. My skin color is not going to affect what I can and cannot do.

[Timpo]

Pacific Centre photographers get apology from Vancouver mayor
'Vancouver must continue to be a welcoming city,' says Gregor Robertson

By Geordon Omand, The Canadian Press Posted: Jan 17, 2016 6:29 PM PT Last Updated: Jan 17, 2016 8:15 PM PT
Pacific Centre photographers get apology from Vancouver mayor - British Columbia - CBC News


Vancouver's mayor, Gregor Robertson, took time to meeting with three British tourists who were the subject of unwanted attention after taking photos of Pacific Centre. (Van Mayor's Office/Twitter)

The mayor of Vancouver has apologized to two men and a teenager singled out in an internal police bulletin for taking pictures at a downtown shopping mall.

Gregor Robertson says it was a mistake that a document containing non-blurred photos of two men and one youth, described as "Middle-Eastern looking," was leaked and that media published the pictures on Thursday.

The mayor of Vancouver has apologized to two men and a teenage boy singled out in an internal police bulletin leaked to the press for their "suspicious behaviour" at a downtown shopping mall.

Gregor Robertson said it was a mistake that a document containing unblurred photos of three men described as "Middle Eastern" was made public and that an online media outlet published the pictures on Thursday.

"I wanted to make sure on behalf of the city they understand how much respect we have for them and that we understand mistakes were made," Robertson said after meeting the trio for lunch on Sunday.

Surveillance photos of Mohammed Sharaz, his son and his friend taking pictures and video with their cell phones of the entrances and exits of Pacific Centre mall on Tuesday raised suspicions with shopping-centre authorities, who relayed the information to the Vancouver Police Department.


The three men are visiting Vancouver from the United Kingdom so Sharaz's friend and 14-year-old son can receive specialized treatment for their visual disabilities. The two men take photos and video throughout the day so they can zoom in later to see the sights more clearly.

Police quickly cleared the men after Sharaz explained the situation, but the three were afraid they might be identified on the street and attacked by vigilantes.

The Vancouver Police Department is conducting an internal review to better understand how the bulletin was leaked when it was intended only for internal circulation among British Columbia police officers.

In the meantime, the police have offered to drive the men around during the remainder of their stay.

Robertson said what's important at this point is that visitors to Vancouver feel valued and respected.

"We're a city that takes care of people," he said. "We respect people no matter what their background, where they come from and what they believe in. That's what this city is all about."

Considering legal action

The mayor laid some of the blame on the media for publishing the identifying photographs.

"That's not appropriate. That should not have happened" he said. "There's also journalistic integrity that comes into play here."

Sharaz said he doesn't blame the police for the ordeal, describing their behaviour as "brilliant."

"What the police did, I'm perfectly fine with that. Even if they'd come and arrested us I would have been fine with that," he said.

"When it comes to national security there are some crazy people in the world."

Sharaz was also critical of the media and said he is considering legal action against Vancity Buzz, the news and culture website that published the unblurred photos.

He commended the mayor, the police and the people of Vancouver for their response to the incident.

"On Friday, we thought we were going to have a horrible weekend. But the weekend's turned out pretty good," he said, smiling.


Mayor Gregor (left) at a breakfast meeting on Sunday morning with (left to right) Mohammed Kareem, Mohammed Sharaz and Salahuddin Sharaz. (City of Vancouver)

Vancity Buzz editor in chief Farhan Mohamed said last week that the story was published because it was in the public interest.

He later said in a statement that he welcomed the news that the men had been located and their actions deemed innocent.

Mohamed tweeted at Sharaz on Saturday saying that he would love to sit down with him.

The three fly back to the U.K. on Friday but will return to Vancouver in about three months.

Sharaz's son Salahuddin Sharaz suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disease that causes severe vision impairment. He and Sharaz's friend Mohammed Kareem, 34, have been receiving treatment from Dr. Weidong Yu at the Wellspring Clinic for Holistic Medicine.