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Miami Herald – August 24, 2005
Worker upset by threats in notes
BY JANETTE NEUWAHL
Ziad Ismail, a Palestinian man who sells cars in Deerfield Beach, said he tried for months to ignore the ethnic slurs directed toward him by colleagues at work before contacting police. But on Friday, Ismail left the dealership where he works and found a note wedged under his car's windshield wiper that read ''to Gaza or death.'' The 50-year-old Coral Springs resident decided to call police.
Then, on Sunday, Ismail found another note that stated, ''You must quit or go to Jerusalem,'' and he called the police again. Each of the paper messages included letters cut out from magazines, so no handwriting could be traced, police reports indicate.
''The cops are taking care of it -- thank God -- and we'll see what happens,'' Ismail said, hoping that deputies will be able to catch the notes' author.
BSO is investigating the incidents as possible hate crimes, said spokesman Hugh Graf. ''We obviously are concerned. We value his safety, his well-being, his thoughts and opinions, and we're going to investigate this thoroughly . . . and see if it falls into parameters of a hate crime,'' Graf said.
In a police report, Ismail states that a sales manager had been ''making racial statements and jokes to other employees'' and also called him a ``little terrorist.''
Ismail told deputies that ''other employees get involved with the statements made like it's a running joke,'' and that such derogatory comments also were made in front of customers.
Edie Perez, a friend of Ismail, said Ismail started working at the dealership in January. She said he has lived in the United States since he was 12.
''It started off jokingly, but now it's just a constant harassment on this poor guy and he doesn't deserve this,'' said Perez, who said she has known Ismail for about two years. ``He's one of the top salesmen, so he's bringing in productivity to the company and . . . when he has complained to his immediate supervisors, they say don't worry about it -- just go out and sell cars.''….
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