Racially charged confrontation at Reno airport captured on video

[TexasTowelie]

A video of a man who used racial slurs to yell at another man for speaking Spanish on the phone while both were at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport has been spreading Sunday throughout social media.

The video, recorded Thursday, was reposted to Facebook and spread via New York Daily News writer Shaun King.

In the video, a man started yelling at another man for speaking Spanish on the phone to his mother. BuzzFeed News identified the alleged receiver of the insults as Hector Torres.

Warning: Video contains obscenities and offensive language

Read more: http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2017/05/22/racially-charged-confrontation-reno-airport-captured-video/335437001/

[murielm99]

1. Where does that idiot live

that he is not used to hearing people speak in other languages? He must live under a rock. He needs to go back there.

One of the things I love about going to New York City is hearing the many languages spoken all over the streets.

[shenmue]

2. Yes

[Rhiannon12866]

6. In many countries, people speak more than one language

Inexplicably, languages aren't a priority in our education system. Americans expect everyone everywhere to speak English, and chances are good that they do. I'm in the rural Northeast, not a notable melting pot, and I hear other languages in my travels locally, my grandmother spoke a different language, it's not at all unusual.

[angstlessk]

19. When I was a kid we told this 'joke'

What do you call a person who speaks 3 languages? Tri-lingual

What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bi-lingual

What do you call a person who speaks one language? American!

[Doreen]

31. That is about it. Most Westernized counties expect

their students to learn at least 1 other language sometimes 2. It is not an elective like it is here.

[gopiscrap]

36. by the time I was six I spoke

German, French and Urdu and also had a good grasp on Spanish and church Latin and a smattering of English when it comes to language Europeans look at the US as being a bunch of fucking morons. Being of one language hurts our outlook on the rest of the world. Knowing more than one language is not just a matter of linguistic it also has cultural implications. That's one of the reasons why, when it comes to language, geography, history and culture the rest of the world just thinks were fat, lazy and fucking stupid...electing trump proved it to them

[Doreen]

38. first, I would damn well hope you could speak your own language ( well ).

Second, when it comes to expanded education there are a lot of people in this country who do not try to expose themselves to it. We are all taught the basics and those basics makes it possible to teach ourselves expanded learning and that is where the laziness comes in.

[ATL Ebony]

64. Umm, not really. Someone how I doubt he'd be offended if someone was speaking, let's see . . .

French, Greek, Danish, Russian, etc -- you get my drift.

[ATL Ebony]

63. In Trump's Amerika

[Botany]

3. I feel pity for the man and I hope he finds peace.

Last edited Mon May 22, 2017, 06:28 AM - Edit history (1)

Disabled vet in a wheelchair as his world around him changes and he can't do anything
to stop it. BTW if the man is living in the American S.W. then hearing Spanish shouldn't come
as a shock.

[cyndensco]

33. I am not so charitable.

No pity from me for him. I do hope he finds peace so others who do not look like him do not have to be subjected to such vile, racist attacks.

Thank goodness (1) most disabled vets do not behave this way, and (2) he was not carrying a gun.

[Cane4Dems]

55. I feel no pity

as a minority I have experienced these types of attacks firsthand. I don't care what this guy has gone through- his words cannot be excused.

[IronLionZion]

4. People simply existing is a capital offense to many racists

And many racists don't fit whatever caricature some folks are imagining. White supremacists live next door to liberals in the bluest cities, and look like anyone else.

People have called the air marshals on innocent brown people for speaking Indian (India the country in Asia) languages on planes.

There was a story of a man yelling like this at a brown woman in the Southwest and it turned out she was speaking Navajo and he was too stupid to know that he was the immigrant.

I've never heard of anyone telling European Americans to go back to Europe or tell the Amish in PA to stop speaking German, or Italians, Polish, French, or similar people. I know people who speak European languages with their immigrant grandparents.

Diversity makes America great

[gopiscrap]

37. I am native German and when I first came to the US

I didn't really speak any English. My first memories of the US (Tacoma) were having rocks thrown at me and being called a Nazi because I responded in German and couldn't speak English

[joshdawg]

5. It's a real shame that there is so much hatred of this kind

in the U.S. today.

[BamaRefugee]

7. If Wheelchair Mike had been black or brown

And screaming like that in an airport, there would have been 5 cops holding him in a headlock and tasing him within 30 seconds....but nope, just a good ole boy in a flannel shirt, one cop ambles up what, 6 minutes later? You know his wife had his iPod and headphones in that bag, fully loaded with LOTS of Ted Nugent and Toby Keith.

[Honeycombe8]

18. Hector was brown & the one who wouldn't leave another patron alone.

There weren't 5 cops there ready to wrestle them both down to the ground.

Hector was actually the instigator, according to the video. Hector was careful not to put the start of the incident in the video. But I sure saw Hector refusing to leave another patron alone, laughing at him, preaching to him, etc. That's immature and has been the cause of many a shooting, no doubt.

When faced with an insulting person, maybe say one thing, then shut the heck up and walk away. That's what adults do to avoid violence.

[Tanuki]

24. My take on this is that Hector was minding his own business,

talking to his Mom on the phone in Spanish. Again, we don't know own for certain, but it seems that Michael started verbally abusing Hector for speaking Spanish, and at some point Hector started recording. He would have to have been a psychic to "put the start of the incident in the video". Michael doesn't dispute this when Hector keeps explaining that he is an American and was only talking to his Mom, and asking why Michael is so upset with that. What do you think he should have done...apologized for speaking Spanish? He also couldn't exactly walk away from the confrontation, since he was in the boarding area waiting to catch a flight.

[heaven05]

30. sure he should have apologized to mikkeeeeee

just as an AA should apologize or a Native-american should apolozie or a middle easterner should apologize to mikkkkeeee for not being white and superior to all those brown and foreign speaking 'inferiors'.

[yardwork]

8. Please post in GD as well.

I'm shocked that it took that long for security to arrive.

[Maggiemayhem]

9. It took security an awful long time to respond

[7962]

10. Good to see the others back the guy up as the cop arrived.

this guy needs serious help. "learn how to speak english" & the guy is speaking PERFECT English

[Lucky Luciano]

11. I wouldn't have been opposed if wheelchair guy got his head smashed in. nt

[cannabis_flower]

12. Reminds me of a story I heard..

Man hears woman seeking in another language on the phone.

After she hangs up, he says to her, "you're in America, you should speak English. If you want to speak Mexican you shouting go back to Mexico."

To which she responds, "For your information, I was speaking Navajo, if you want to speak English, you should go back to England."

[DFW]

13. What sickens me most

The "Trump is president, so it's OK for me to behave this way now" mentality.

[Ligyron]

15. Exactly

Gives them all the encouragement they need.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. And Drumpf wants to cut things like mental health provisions

which is what this guy needs. You can see the frustration because he wanted to leap out of the wheelchair and pound on the guy. At one point, he hauls off and calls him a "spic".

Drumpf (and his RW ilk) has given people like him someone to attack as the cause of their problems.

[Tanuki]

17. I shudder to think what would have happened if Michael had a gun.

[Honeycombe8]

16. Okay...Mike may have some mental problems, ya'll. Hector should recognize that and leave him alone.

Hector egged him on, laughing at him, trying to preach to him, taking a holier-than-thou attitude, knowing it would just get him angrier.

This is how road rage happens. Two testosterone-filled men who don't know how to walk away and avoid an incident.

I blame Hector for the anger and rage, although it may have been Mike that started it. We don't know, since Hector didn't include that in the video.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. We never saw the part when Michael decided to go after Hector when he was on the phone

which might have gone on for an extended time for all we know before the recording started. But we'll never know.

What you posit is what continues to happen over and over with respect to handling bullies - i.e., blaming a victim defending himself against a bully, as being just as guilty as the bully. And thus the bully continues to bully because of the continued promotion of that type of false equivalency.

The fact that Hector recorded the guy until the time the cops came may have been to establish that Michael was the initial aggressor and here was the proof (and to keep him on the scene).

Sometimes POC get sick and fucking tired of white people telling them how to talk, how to dress, how to love and worship, and where they can live, eat, and walk.

[Honeycombe8]

41. We don't know what started it because Hector chose not to produce that or tape it.

This is exactly how road rage incidents happen. It often involves the testosterone of two alpha males insisting on "winning."

When someone acts infantile, say something (or not), and walk away like an adult. Don't feed the animals, and you won't get attacked.

If only more men would do this, there would be fewer road rage incidents. It is not required to taunt someone like you're in junior high school because someone said something rude to you. "Sticks and stones can break your bones, etc."

How quickly people are to jump on Hector's bandwagon but not say, "wait a minute...we're not seeing what started this. And Hector is taunting the other guy, so maybe he's not totally a victim here."

If Mike really started it by saying something rude, Hector's not going to change his mind or accomplish anything by ribbin' on him. Just say something back, and walk away like an adult. If you taunt someone and they turn on you, you are not the victim, any more. You are part of the problem. And there are innocent people standing around.

You never know with people what they are dealing with, what problems they may have.

[BamaRefugee]

47. that doesn't make any sense at all

The beginning of the incident was obviously when Hector was speaking to his mother. Minding his own business.

How would he have known some random stranger was gonna freak out on him??

Should Hector have already formed the habit of turning on his camera every time he talks to Mom, "Just in case"

[Honeycombe8]

58. You don't know that. Look at the tape.

You only think that because Hector says that. Just because Mike doesn't respond, "Well, if you hadn't been talking so loud and didn't lower he volume when I asked...." Mike is ALREADY angry at whatever happened. Then Hector exacerbates the situation by hounding him repeatedly...that's harassment and serves no purpose, besides possibly being illegal.

Coming back with a smart answer, then walking away settles the situation. Maybe saying, "Americans can speak any language we wan because it's a free country, right? You believe in freedom, don't you?"

I reminds me of 2 kids in the back seat verbally fighting. Mom says "Stop it right now, kids!" First kid says, "But HE started it! He called me fat!" Other kid says, "HE started it! He didn't turn down his music so I could read!"

We all know what Mom would say. "I don't care WHO started it! Be quiet right now and don't behave like hooligans! Bernie, turn down your music. Josh, don't ever call your brother names again! Now am I gonna have to stop this car?"

The whole thing was childish. Grown men acting like that. Both of them.

[lunamagica]

53. The innocent people around backed Hector

[BumRushDaShow]

60. There was a woman there in a wheel chair

who appeared to perhaps be Michael's wife and she briefly tried to intervene but pretty much gave up because it's apparent that he has a problem and he's lashing out at everyone around him.

Again - we're sick and tired of ignorant and self-righteous people insulting POC and also tired of people telling the victims to just "walk away". Hector could have escalated with a stream of invectives matching what was coming out of Michael's mouth but he didn't. Sometimes people have to stand their ground. Otherwise we get people like Drumpf elected to office and the bully continues his behavior.

"Human" (animal) nature primordially established that type of alpha male behavior and in most cases, a new alpha emerges from the confrontation and they move on. Few men seem to hold "grudges" after the confrontation. This behavior is something that is outside of the scope of speculating on who should implement "conflict resolution" procedures - despite the fact that the airport security folks eventually did such.

[Honeycombe8]

65. It's never a mistake not to make a situation worse. Saying something & walking away...

is the wisest course for someone with a little class and a life to live. Who cares about a comment someone makes?

Besides, as I pointed out...we are not sure what started it. It's not in the video. For all you know, he was talking loudly & the disabled man asked him to lower his voice, & Hector ignored him or dissed him. We don't know.

The wife looked appalled at the harassment that Hector was giving her husband.

Men behaving badly. It's a common theme in today's society. Both of 'em. I'm sure Hector's made a few rude comments in his day. We all have.

[BumRushDaShow]

66. Here is another article about the incident

[***"Learn how to fucking speak English," he shouts. "We live in America."

"But I'm speaking to my mother in Spanish because that's her language," replies the other man, Hector Torres, who recorded the video.

"I don't give a shit, shut up!" the man responds. "SHUT UP!"

Torres, a 44-year-old father of four from Orlando, Florida, told BuzzFeed News that the unnerving encounter began Thursday evening, as he was speaking on the phone to his mother while waiting to board a flight to Los Angeles. While on the call, Torres said, he heard someone behind him say, "Can you believe this shit?" "I'm chatting away with my mom, quietly, not trying to have all kinds of volume at the airport," Torres said. "And I'm like, I hope it wasn't directed at me."

Torres said he tried to ignore the comments, which were loud enough for most people at the terminal to hear. But when he heard the man say, over his shoulder, "Trump is going to fix this. He doesn't understand this is Trump's America now," he decided to get off the phone. "At that point, I hadn't turned around and I just told her, 'Mami, I have to handle this. I'll call you back,'" Torres said. "I can't let something like this just fly by."

https://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/a-man-went-off-on-a-racist-tirade-because-a-guy-talked-to?utm_term=.mdaQ5y7dZ#.by5zqB0XP***]

No more backing away from racism and white privileged behavior out of idiots like this. Other passengers in the area attempted to calm Michael down and he started hurling epithets at them. Hector could have pressed charges because his video showed being assaulted and he chose not to.

[lunasun]

23. Victim blaming so early in the morning

[Lucky Luciano]

25. Oh I would have taunted that POS too. Hector should not back down.

...and wheelchair mike should off himself.

[heaven05]

29. really, you blame Hector?

Okaaaaaaayyyyy

[Honeycombe8]

42. I didn't say that. But watch the video. You don't see the beginning of the incident, do you?

It's Hector's video.

So you don't know what started it, really. We can guess. You are so ready to blame Mike. That may be correct. But there may be something else to it, as well. Impartial people recognize that.

But whatever started it, this is how road rage incidents happen...two alpha males unable to control their emotions, until violence erupts. There are innocent people standing around. You never know what frame of mind the other person is in.

The wisest thing to do is walk away. If Mike "started it," so what? Both men sound as if they have behavioral issues and an inability to control their emotions.

[heaven05]

46. okay

if you say so. The only 'honorable' thing from this situation was/is Mr. Torres didn't press charges against poor mikeeee. Otherwise feel as you will. Mikeee was faulting Mr. Torres for speaking Spanish...pretty self-explanatory. Always the benefit of the doubt for the perp in these cases IF they happen to be of the white race. Mr. Torres was a gentleman in the face of this verbal, racist onslaught. NO PASSES from me. Period. End of my engagement about this racist POS. He deserves no more space in my continuum.

[BamaRefugee]

48. We must have watched different videos

At no time did I see Hector acting like an "Alpha male", in fact he never even raised his voice, never got up out of his chair, even after being physically assaulted by Wheelchair Mike.

As far as "innocent people standing around", yeh, and one of those innocent people just happened to have innocently been speaking Spanish to his innocent Mom!

[IronLionZion]

43. It's good they don't have guns in airports

or this could have been a very different ending to the story.

It's true Hector egged Mike on, and could have just moved to a different seat and hope the conflict would end. That's not the point. A lot of white people won't understand why it needed to be done. Staying calm while the other person is provoked into a violent rage is what causes security to intervene, and make this video newsworthy.

I have moved away in such situations as my parents have taught me. But I'm partly glad that Hector called him out on the racism. It isn't any of Mike's business what language someone is speaking on a private conversation on a phone. Some people walk away from bullies (me) and others stand up to bullies and let them know it's not OK.

Being provoked to anger doesn't excuse racism. Mike was racist before he ever met Hector. Being in a wheelchair doesn't excuse racism either.

[Honeycombe8]

44. He could have said something and moved away.

What was getting the situation worse was that Hector wouldn't shut up, and cont'd to taunt and rag on the guy, creating an increasingly emotional situation. It's a juvenile thing to do, and unnecessary. Saying something once and walking away suffices.

Women deal with this all the time. ALL the time. If we stopped our lives to create turmoil every time a man made a rude or misogynistic remark to us, we'd never accomplish anything.

This is a testosterone alpha male thing such as road rage incidents are made of. And, remember, we do NOT know what started it. Maybe Mike did. But maybe Mike said something rude after Hector did something. We just don't know.

If I'm going to get irritated with conservatives for believing a story based on partial information, then it would be foolish of me to do the same. I think Mike may likely have started it, but I can't be sure, since that is not on tape. I DO, however, see Hector getting in Mike's face, so to speak, and hounding him...which is illegal, I believe. Nuisance, or invasion of privacy, or some misdemeanor.

Hector hounding someone in a wheelchair makes it even worse, IMO. Mike did say something rude about Hector speaking Spanish....but why? Had Hector said something to Mike before? Or done something to irritate him? Cut in line,maybe? WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION.

Walk away like an adult. You are not going to "win" this kind of argument. There are bad people around every day. You can't go thru life fighting them all. It's also unpleasant for those in the area. They have a right to a peaceful environment w/o two bullies yelling at each other. I include Mike in that.

[oberliner]

20. From this video, it looks like the Spanish speaker is the one harassing a guy in a wheelchair

He obviously has problems, why not just leave him alone?

[heaven05]

28. from the video

it looks like poor mikeee in the wheelchair OPENED this dialog by saying something derogatory about the gentleman speaking to his mother in Spanish, so why leave the crazy wheelchair bound trumper alone? Problems or not, he got what he was looking for.

Always the excuses for the poor white guy....fuck accepting excuses for trash like this anymore. Problems or not that POS in the wheelchair got what he was looking for....trump voter personifies hate, bigotry, racism. I have not one ounce of sympathy or respect for him or his 'service' to his race. Cause it damn sure wasn't service to our country which includes everyone not of his race.

[oberliner]

34. That part is not in the video

So that would be speculation.

The video starts with the guy in the wheelchair eating a sandwich and other other person talking to him and recording him, even though he is being asked to leave him alone.

[heaven05]

35. you can give the poor victim

in the wheelchair all the passes you feel are necessary to make yourself feel better. I understand, really. I will not give a racist POS like this a pass for any reason. Period. You are entitled...to embrace any and all people like this and to quote a famous, and loved by me, line from a first class person..." please proceed"...

[BamaRefugee]

49. He called the guy a "spic" several times

what part of the USA do you live in where that's not considered racist?

[oberliner]

51. OK - I missed that

That would definitely be racist.

[heaven05]

50. right

your idea of racist and mine? Diametrically opposed. Period. I'm done with this conversation. Have a better one.

[oberliner]

52. Sorry - I missed the racist epithets

I stand corrected.

[lunamagica]

54. Oh, so you didn't see the part where Mike tells Hector to not speak Spanish?

[oberliner]

56. I just don't see the point in continuing the situation

Whatever happened appears to be over by the time the filming starts. Some person said mean things. That's life. Best to walk away, especially considering Mike was no longer engaging the person. I don't see the point.

[BamaRefugee]

59. the point in continuing to record it is

Hector has NO IDEA what Mike is gonna do next, does he have a gun? Mike has already assaulted Hector several times, beginning with throwing his sandwich at him right at the top of the video, then with crutches, then ramming his wheelchair into Hector...He has every right to keep recording for potential evidence of criminal behavior.

[oberliner]

62. OK, fair enough

If it was me, I would've just walked away, but I understand your points.

[democrank]

22. This video is heartbreaking.

I hope that veteran Mike gets whatever help he needs. Hector should have left him alone once he saw how agitated Mike was getting.

[Siwsan]

27. It is too bad that security didn't step in, much sooner.

The article said that Hector flew out, that day, but Mike and his wife did not. I feel very sorry for his wife

[heaven05]

26. he's an embarassment to his race

and whatever armed service he was in, vet or not, I'm glad I didn't have to serve with him. He sacrificed for his race only, I can see. Truly sad, the racist hate this man carries. I wonder how he lost the use of his legs while in the service of his race. I'm just glad he is NOT a policeman under cover of a badge and state authority.....some brown people probably would have met their personal armageddon at the hands of this trumper.....what a worthless POS.

[Doreen]

32. I wonder if he is so stupid that if you started to speak German or French

that he would assume that it is Spanish.

[gopiscrap]

39. possibly

there are a lot of folks in the US who wouldn't be able to identify a language spoken other than Englsih

[Doreen]

40. Well, they must be fucking stupid.

I can tell that some other language is not Spanish. I might not be able to identify the language itself but I can tell the difference. People do not actually listen.

[Phoenix61]

57. You know that thing about arguing with an idiot?

Ok, sure let's say Mike started but then the other guy kept it going. He already knows why Mike started it, he's racist. What the hell is the point of egging him on? Did he think he was going to have a kumbuya moment with him?

[Lucky Luciano]

61. It was good to get a video and permanently humiliate the guy with a viral video. nt