Of course this is a major atrocity and he should be brought to justice. It is absolutely horrible what he did, and as I sit here under lockdown, thinking of the people who've been maimed or killed, how lucky some of the people I knew were to okay, nothing could be more horrendous.
But what you have to understand is that it is a community. I have been in that community. I have, just a couple months ago, I played soccer three times in a gym with muslim immigrants in Cambridge where I was the only white American in there. Otherwise it was all muslims. Yes, in the very same area where that kid lives.
And you know what? Some of those guys did have issues playing with an American, it was not always easy. But other guys in there STOOD UP FOR ME. Arab culture is a little crazy, they will spend half the time yelling at each other instead of playing. But after playing with them a few times it became clear that I was allowed to get upset and yell, too. It is just how things are with them.
Yes, I know that you all want to get the bad guys like it is a James Bond film. And it kind of is a movie playing out right now. Certainly, they should be gotten. But if you were from Cambridge/Somerville and understood its values, you'd see why it is so tragic for everyone involved. Because there are a lot of kids like that who are trying to make it in this country. And Cambridge/Somerville is a place that accepts them and values diversity. It is a real community.
I don't know those guys, what they did is absolutely horrendous, and the remaining kid should be put to justice. But these are still human beings, and that they could throw away all the opportunity they've been given here and commit such a heinous crime is just a tragedy for everyone, including themselves. Something clearly went very, VERY wrong.
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