As we crossed the bridge over the river and got to the train station, I noticed something strange. A big area by the merry-go-round had yellow tape around it and was being guarded by police. I wondered why? When we got closer, I noticed the writing on the tape says "crime scene, do not enter." Curiosity was killing me. I asked a young girl working there what had happened. She didn't seem to want to talk about it and just said some incident had happened early in the morning.

My sons were now curious. I didn't feel comfortable. Our favorite place has been invaded, and I didn't want my sons to hear anything about this. I wanted them to always remember it as the beautiful place which has given them tons of fun. The yellow tape seemed like a torn in the eye. I just wanted to get the icy for them and leave. And I evaded my son's questions the best I could. It didn't seem like a nice Saturday morning any more!

The next day I checked the local newspaper and found out that two groups of men had fought in the park around 2am on Saturday, and that some of these men had been injured and were in critical condition. No explanation why. I didn't follow this after that.

Last night (June 26) I was watching the evening news and suddenly what the newsperson is saying catches my attention. She is talking about a fight between two groups of people in the park, and they show two young men with stab wounds. Then pictures of three young men flashes on the screen. They are wanted by the police for involvement in the attack. From their names, I can immediately tell they are all Iranians. I look at my wife in disbelief and say why did they do this stupid thing? I then get up and check the local newspaper's web site looking for more details and perhaps an explanation. The report reads:

Three men are in Santa Clara County Jail charged with assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the near-fatal stabbing attack of two San Jose men. Three other suspects in the June 9 attack, including the man who allegedly used a 13-inch Persian ceremonial sword to stab the men, remain at large. The six allegedly took part in an attack on a group of youths they had met at a graduation party late on June 8.

I look at the names and the ages: six young Iranian-Americans, all between the ages of 20 to 23, three sitting in jail and three at large; and another group of young men, two of them critically injured. I feel relived that no one has died. But I also feel very sad and confused. Why did this have to happen? Why did these young men do this awful thing to themselves and their families. What would happen to them now? What are their families going through? Questions abound, and answers are scarce.

Unfortunately it only takes one such slip for one to fall from grace. These young men lost an innocence that no court of law can ever give back to them. Yet they are probably no less innocent than the rest of us. And what happened to them in that dreadful night is like a nightmare that is continuously being replayed in their minds, something they wish to erase from their memories forever. Will they be given that chance?

I hope our community won't judge these young men and their families and will instead offer them support and compassion and help them pull through this tragic and painful ordeal. I also hope we will never again see the sons and daughters of the Iranian-American community, or the larger communities we live in, to take those wrong turns that destroys their hopes and those of their families and communities.

Editor,
Payvand.com