RantCrush Top 5: May 11, 2017

A Connecticut man was caught on video shouting racial slurs and a long anti-Muslim tirade at a family with young children on a beach in Texas. The 14 family members had gathered on the beach to have a family reunion, when the man, Alexander Downing, appeared and shouted, “You’re a f*cking Muslim, motherf*cker,” in front of the kids. He pointed out that he’s a Christian and that “sharia law would never stop him.” In the video, Downing seems pretty intoxicated, shoves his finger in family members’ faces, and grabs his crotch, telling them to “suck my d*ck.” “Donald Trump will stop you. Donald Trump will stop you! Donald Trump got you motherf*ckers. Watch… watch,” he said.

Alexander Jennes Downing, racist, on #SouthPadreIsland. He’s been arrested but is already on probation for assault on 65+ person pic.twitter.com/hQEDTszruA

— ure_too_close (@ure_too_close) May 11, 2017

The family kept amazingly cool during the incident, and Downing was eventually arrested. But the family’s father, Ahmed, said that he was back in the hotel lobby the next day. “I want people to also know that the hotel did not do anything to protect us,” Ahmed said. However, he thanked a man who got in between the family and Downing on the beach and tried to stop him, as well as other beachgoers who showed their support.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.