New York - “Dirty Arab!” “Filthy Lebanese!” “MOOZLIM!” Tulsa resident Khalid Jabara and his family were terrorized by these epithets and actual attacks for many years by their angry neighbor, Stanley Vernon Majors. But not any more.
New York – “Dirty Arab!” “Filthy Lebanese!” “MOOZLIM!” Tulsa resident Khalid Jabara and his family were terrorized by these epithets and actual attacks for many years by their angry neighbor, Stanley Vernon Majors. But not any more.
Jabara, 37, was shot and killed on his front porch while speaking on a cellphone with his mother last week. Majors was taken into custody and charged with the murder.
“This suspect had a history of bigotry against our family,” wrote the victim’s sister Victoria Jabara Williams, in a family statement on Facebook. “He repeatedly attacked our ethnicity and perceived religion, making racist comments.”
The Jabara family is Christian.
At a time in the United States when Islamophobia is rampant and hate speech is openly expressed, the murder of Khalid Jabara brings to question whether the police and criminal justice system can protect Muslims, Arabs and othe rminorities from hate crimes in America.
Law enforcement was very familiar with the long history of conflict between Majors and the Jabara family. According to police records, Jabara had called the police to report that he feared his hate-filled neighbor Majors had a gun. The police told Jabara there was nothing that could be done.
Jabara was gunned down eight minutes after the Tulsa police had left his house. Majors was reported to use racial epithets against the Jabarasin front of the police. Nothing was done.
Haifa Jabara, the victim’s mother was also the victim of Major’s rage. Haifa had filed a restraining order against Majors as far back as 2013. Majors had frequently “harassed and stalked” her by knocking her window or making unwanted phone calls late at night.
Majors was arrested and held for hitting Haifa Jabara with his car on September 12, 2015. Haifa was found with “a severely broken left arm, a broken nose, and road rash all over her body,” according to a police report. Ms. Jabara was hospitalized and underwent therapy for several weeks.
While in jail pending a trial, Majors sought to be released. Two judges refused to release him. But a third let him free to continue his verbal assaults on the Jabara family.
“After initially being denied bail for assault and battery with a deadly weapon among other crimes and spending eight months in jail, District Judge William LaFortune reversed that decision and allowed Majors to be released on bond in May,” writes Jeremy Stahl, in Slate.
The Jabar family said the criminal justice system failed them by letting Majors out of jail.
“Our brother’s death could have been prevented, stated the family statement.
“This man was a known danger. He intentionally tried to kill our mother less than one year ago when he ran her over with his car.”
“Khalid was a kind spirit, loving brother, uncle and son… All of that has been taken away from us by this hateful man and a system that failed to protect our community.”
