Support For Irving "Clock Teen" Continues To Pour In
IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - Support is still pouring in for Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old MacArthur High School student arrested for bringing a clock to school.
Now that his suspension is over, Mohamed could have returned to school today… but, didn't.
In fact, his parents are taking steps to withdraw him from Macarthur and transfer him to another school.
"That picture of him in cuffs, that arrest will haunt him for the rest of his life… no matter whether he goes to MIT or Harvard. We all know that. That's how the internet works, that's how life works… it's a traumatizing thing for a 14-year-old and it happened to him unnecessarily and needlessly because of a decision that could have been made otherwise," said attorney Shayan Elahi.
Meanwhile, support for the teen continues to pour in. Earlier today, a group of concerned citizens presented a petition to Irving ISD officials demanding that they remove the teen's suspension from his record.
They also asked that the district issue him an apology.
Mohamed was taken into custody earlier this week and then suspended for bringing what was later determined to be a homemade clock to class.
Many in the local Muslim community have said they believe that ethnicity was a factor in how the situation was handled.
But Irving school officials have continued to insist that the teacher reacted to the device, not the student and responded appropriately when faced with an unknown device with exposed wires and a timer.
Mohamed's story continues to trigger outrage across the country.
It has struck a nerve with some high-powered movers and shakers, too.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed concern and support for Mohamed. Additionally, President Obama tweeted an invitation to the White House to the teen. Obama's invitation sparked harsh criticism from a 13-year-old teenager in Georgia.
But a video by a self-proclaimed YouTube personality, CJ Pearson has since gone viral. In that video posted on YouTube he said:
Pearson also claimed the president's invitation only fits his agenda.
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