DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Syrian Refugees: Success Tales from the Glass City of Toledo, Ohio

My brain is fried from fixing Swish, perhaps I will go count the money I have made during the Trump Rally.

Don't fall off your profit statements, you might break your leg.

j/c

I'm a bit disappointed that the original article has been given so little real discussion. It's been a real success story that way too few Americans know about.

An example of how it's designed (supposed) to be done:
2+ years of vetting
deep background checks
infrastructure in-place to aid assimilation (language, school enrollment, job search aid, etc)
local support



In my opinion, this is how immigration works to a country's advantage. The support agency- US Together that works with these folks is a classic example of the best that America has to offer. It is funded by an organization called HIAS — which used to stand for "Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society," because it was founded to resettle Jews fleeing persecution more than a century ago.

So, here in my town, we have an historically Jewish group taking mostly donations from Christian churches to help mostly Muslim immigrants... in peace and cooperation.

This is the America I'm proud to live in.
Others' mileage may vary, but I'll thank them in advance to stay the hell away from my community. Things are going well here, and we're doing it pretty much on our own. The noise from outside isn't moving us one inch... and it's pretty cool to see.

.02

Quoting for emphasis.

Don't bother making the effort.
You're wasting you time with this lot.

Real $hi!te is actually going down in Real America, but Our Dawgs prefer to argue about 'theoretical crap' that they've never actually seen from Life Experience.

They spout crap they've absorbed from the national 'echo chambers' that they've chosen to listen to- instead of actually listening to one of their very own, who can actually tell them what life has been like right here at home- from a first-hand point-of-view.

__________

A Real-Life, play-by-play story... told in Real Time... as it's happening. In a town where 'one of their very own' actually lives.

And still... they choose to hang tight with some fkkd-up narrative that's force-fed down their throats by a cable news network/misinfosite with an axe to grind... and an agenda to promote.

Screw'em. Screw all of them.
I'm done with this crap.

They are too stupid, too indoctrinated, too 'mind-blown' to deserve any more of my time. I've tried to enter into deep conversation about important issues... and all I ever get for my efforts is the same playground-level 'smack-talk' rhetoric.

What a colossal waste of time and effort.

_________________

I've tried to tell them This Immigrant Story for 2+ years now.

I tried to tell them about the 'Flint Water Crisis' 12 months before it became National News.

I've tried to tell them about the difference between the genesis of Black Lives Matter, and the perception they've adopted/appropriated from the past 3 years of "newsformation."

I've banged my head against this wall for as long as I can. I can't take the headache any more.

I'm done with this shi!te.

______________

My 6+ years of enthusiastic participation in Dawgtalkers EE threads has taught me one thing, and one thing only:

Approximately 10 percent of you people are actually worth my time and effort, as it pertains to matters of import. (And you 10% know who you are. PM me, if you want to continue conversation with me.)

The rest of you- well... go on, with your bad selves.

Fight the 'daily fight.
Personally... I've had a belly-full... and can't suck in any more of this.

Toledo is killing it on the 'immigration front.'

We're doing it on our own, we aren't asking Donald Trump (or any of the rest of you) for permission... and we personally couldn't care less what any of you think. We've been doing it for more than 100 years... and we won't stop just because you've chosen to get pissy about it, all of a sudden.

We got this on lock-down.
We Are America, even if you aren't.

Screw you.

[middle finger straight up- and proudly in the air]
Clem.

Finally Clem.

Took you long enough.

Welcome.

We been done with this 'shi!te' since oh I don't know, either the Boston bombing or San Bernadino.

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Northern District of Ohio
(216) 622-3600


March 10, 2015
Twenty-Six People Indicted for Roles in Conspiracy That Shipped Electronics Stolen in Toledo to Michigan and the Middle East

Twenty-six people, most of them from the Toledo area, were indicted in federal court for their roles in a wide-ranging conspiracy in which stolen computers, smart phones and other electronics were fenced at stores in Toledo and resold in Michigan and the Middle East, law enforcement officials said.

Some members of the conspiracy used firearms, threats and violence as part of their operation. Others illegally cashed millions of dollars’ worth of checks at their stores. Others sold counterfeit clothing from their stores. And members of the conspiracy worked together at various Toledo stores to launder money, according to the indictment.

The indictment was announced by Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland Office, Toledo Police Chief George Kral, Lucas County Sheriff John Tharp and Troy Stemen, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.

Indicted are Mamoun Awwad, 43, of Maumee; Adnan Awad, 33, of Toledo; Ihab Awad, 31, of Toledo; Ayman Awwad, 42, of Maumee; Anwar Awad, 39, of Toledo; Kamal Awwad, 40, of Toledo; Fady Awwad, 34, of Toledo; Aref Kahala, 23, of Maumee; Saif Alkhatib, 23, of Perrysburg; Haney Sarsour, 36, of Dearborn, Mich.; Ameen Sarsour, 31, of Dearborn, Mich.; Michael Safadi, 37, of Westland, Mich.; Freddy Delatorre, 32, of Toledo; Jeffrey Houttekier, 24, of Toledo; Ahmed Abdulateeef, 47, of Toledo; Ehab Adbdelsalam, 22, of Toledo; Timothy Fields, 32, of Toledo; Ali Abdallah, 34, of Dearborn, Mich.; Mustafa Deebajah, 27, of Dearborn, Mich.; Essa Allawneh, age unknown, of Amman, Jordan; Adli Alawneh, age unknown, of Amman, Jordan; Omar Dari, 54, of Ann Arbor, Mich.; Mutaz Almumani, 29, hometown unknown; Fadi Qasis, 30, hometown unknown; Mayssam Kaddoura, 36, of Toledo and Jamal Abdel Aziz, 44, of Toledo.

Mamoun Awwad, Adnan Awad, Ihab Awad, Ayman Awwad, Anwar Awad, Kamal Awwad, Fady Awwad and Aref Kahala are family members who own and operate various businesses in Toledo, including clothing stores, electronics stores and grocery/convenience stores. They use these businesses to facilitate various criminal schemes, including the sale of counterfeit goods, trafficking stolen goods and unlawfully cashing checks, according to the indictment.

The Awwad family enterprise bought stolen electronics, such as iPhones, iPads and Samsung cellular phones, from drug addicts and low-income people, then altered the electronics’ hardware and software so they could be registered on cellular networks. The Awwad family enterprise then sold the stolen electronics locally, in Michigan and overseas. Mamoun Awwad did this, in part, by meeting with crew members of Royal Jordanian Airlines in Detroit to have them transport electronics and cash, according to the indictment.

The goal of the conspiracy was to generate cash and send it overseas to establish a series of residences in Rammoun, Palestine, for members of the Awwad family enterprise and their families to own and occupy, according to the indictment.

The family unlawfully cashed checks at the Reynolds Quick Stop and other grocery/convenience stores as a way to generate revenue and launder proceeds from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods. The family cashed more than $11 million in checks at various store locations between 2011 and 2014, according to the indictment.

The family also knowingly sold shoes, sweat suits, t-shirts and other clothing bearing counterfeit logos and trademarks of brands including Nike, Timberland, Coogi, Ralph Lauren, RoccaWear, Ecko, Lacoste, Dolce Gabbana and others, according to the indictment.

The Awwad family enterprise used violence and threats of violence to maintain control of the stolen goods market in Toledo. For example, Mamoun Awwad threatened someone with a 9 mm pistol while an employee held a knife of their throat. In another incident, Mamoun Awwad assaulted someone outside a cellular phone store because that person tried to sell seven stolen iPhones without Mamoun Awwad’s permission, according to the indictment.

The conspiracy took place from 2006 through 2015, according to the indictment.

Count 1 charges a RICO conspiracy. Count 2 charges conspiracy—interstate and foreign transportation of stolen property. Count 3 charges conspiracy to smuggle goods from the U.S. Count 4 charges conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Count 5 charges conspiracy to traffic counterfeit goods. Count 6 charges conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“This is a sophisticated crime and money-laundering racket whose reach stretched from Ann Arbor to Amman,” Dettelbach said. “They bought stolen electronics, often from drug addicts in Toledo, and shipped them out of the state and country for millions of dollars.”

“The Awwad criminal enterprise used force and intimidation to control their complex network of illegal schemes all in an effort to line their bank accounts with millions,” Anthony said. “We are pleased the strength of our long standing local, state, and federal law enforcement partnerships has successfully dismantled a pervasive criminal enterprise that has plagued the citizens of Toledo and Lucas County for more than a decade. “

“I think an operation such as this shows how well local law enforcement works with the federal government,” Kral said. “Multiple arrests, simultaneous search warrants, and complex investigations require synergy and cooperation. One agency alone simply can’t get it done. The working relationship between TPD and our federal partners has never been better. The citizens of the City of Toledo are much safer thanks to this multidisciplinary approach to policing

“The 26 individuals indicted went to great lengths to create the illusion of a successful family enterprise. In reality, what they created was nothing more than a false front, hiding a tangled web of financial lies,” Stemen said. “This massive federal indictment has exposed these individuals for who they really are, thugs and thieves. It would not have been possible without the highly successful collaboration of IRS-Criminal Investigation and our federal and local law enforcement partners; including the Toledo Police Department and the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, both of which played critical roles in the success of this investigation.”


https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-off...the-middle-east

It's higher than that Clem. I think the same couple people just dominate 90% of the conversation, and then everyone else gets sucked into their straw-men arguments. Maybe we should run this like Dawgtalker Island, and vote off posters every couple of months?

As for your statement about Toledo, I completely agree that it's the way it should be done. Proper vetting, years of assimilation, etc. Not open the door and come on in. Not slam the door in your face and stay out.

Yes, a site with all like minded thinkers would certainly be a comforting and unchallenged place to be.

I sincerely hope that never happens here.

Jordanian... not Syrian refugees.
Thanks for playing. Try again.


Or not.

Yes, I didn't notice that.
I had done a search on Muslim crime in Toledo Ohio and up came that FBI site.

You played your hand too early, 40. Thanks for openly exposing, once again, your Islamophobia!

Hey, haven't been called that in a while!

I realize this is all a game to you but people have been dying at the hands of Muslims, some say this has become a Holy War in their eyes. Some say it is only their fringe.
Me, I don't know, but I will keep watching and asking.

Until the day comes where I can tell the difference between the Muslim who wants me dead, the Muslim who looks the other way, and the Muslim who is my friend, I will be watching and questioning.
When I am sure this is not an anti Christian, anti West Holy War, my guard will come down.

Until then, you and others can continue to dance in the flowers.

Why?
What was your motivation for that, when we could have had a nice talk about how well the Syrians are doing here?

Don't bother answering.
I already know what your motivation was.

This is exactly what I was talking about.

--It all started with a fellow poster saying this...

You're wasting you time with this lot.

Real $hi!te is actually going down in Real America, but Our Dawgs prefer to argue about 'theoretical crap' that they've never actually seen from Life Experience.

They spout crap they've absorbed from the national 'echo chambers' that they've chosen to listen to- instead of actually listening to one of their very own, who can actually tell them what life has been like right here at home- from a first-hand point-of-view.

And still... they choose to hang tight with some fkkd-up narrative that's force-fed down their throats by a cable news network/misinfosite with an axe to grind... and an agenda to promote.

Screw'em. Screw all of them.


They are too stupid, too indoctrinated, too 'mind-blown' to deserve any more of my time.

What a colossal waste of time and effort.


Approximately 10 percent of you people are actually worth my time and effort

The rest of you- well... go on, with your bad selves.


we won't stop just because you've chosen to get pissy about it, all of a sudden.


We Are America, even if you aren't.

Screw you.

[middle finger straight up- and proudly in the air]
Clem.

--Now I realize you have already settled into your knowledge that we have no real life knowledge of these matters, like the Mosque 3 blocks over from me where their leader was busted for drumming up support for violence and support for ISIS. Yes, they are on the FBI watch list now.

And of course being spoon fed the horrors I have seen on the News as we are butchered by people with automatic weapons and bombs, who believe dying while killing us is a great honor.

You may show me the roses but I am more concerned with the manure those roses live with.

Perhaps I misunderstood the intent of this thread which appeared to me as "Muslims are good and people who question that are stupid."

If you guys were just looking to discuss your wonderful lives with immigrants, well then I overstepped. I will butt out now that I have ruined it for you.

There's a mosque that close to you...? Where exactly do you live in Virginia...?

There are 20 Mosques within 15 minutes of me. Probably over 100 within 30 minutes. I live with Muslim and Indian neighbors.

interesting.

I'm surprised you didn't make a thread about something like that. with all your rhetoric, that would've been the first thing you would've done.

When I walked into this tread, the fight was already in progress. I misunderstood its intent.

I would never start a thread about my experiences with Muslims and Indians, it is not in my best interest.

I just let everyone assume what they want about me.

A question for you tho, is a Islamophobe the same as a Muslimophobe?

Well no wonder you bought an Abrams Tank! lol

I am America's representative to them in their eyes.

Still can't figure why so many want to kill us.

40, here's another spoiler warning: not all Syrians follow Islam.

The point of this thread was to show how a wonderful community in NW Ohio accepts refugees. You, my friend, are the one who brought Islam into the equation.

Anymore questions, sir?

Sure there's a slight difference.

But you and others tend to blur the lines far too often. Which is funny because you won't blur the lines when talking about Christianity. You'll make sure to point out the difference in talking about the system vs the people following it.

Because we're ugly and we smell funny.

I am well educated in Christianity, Islam not so much.

Yes I know there are many Christian Syrians and I have plenty to say on why we favor the Muslims for immigration over the Christians but I won't.

So start a new thread and I along with others will butt out while you with experience talk it up.

Maybe you should.

You should now quite a bit of every religion to understand social and cultural dynamics.

Still reading up on Hinduism. Next is judaisim.

This is why you guys need to call 40 out on trolling. He goes hardcore if he's not checked.

He's not trolling. He's playing the foil. Everyone else wants to think of themselves as the protagonist in our little weird world here. 40 just plays to it.

You guys give me far too much credit in playing anything, I just speak my mind on every subject I have any knowledge or experience with. That's why I am never in the music/instruments threads.

Trolling is BS. You with your constant one liners are the Troll.
Try getting involved from time to time instead of just typing snarky one liners.

I'm game. I barely come here anymore. The Browns are beyond miserable and I just can't stomach most of the off topic stuff anymore.

You literally went from a guy I genuinely thought could've been the next Dr. King (and I mean that with all my heart) to just another liberal who thinks much more of himself than he ought.

It sure as hell isn't like we aren't coming from a place of concern here! People are DEAD, does that register with you? DEAD!

Yeah great, refugees are doing wonderfully in Toledo. I'm happy for ya! How are the SAME PEOPLE GROUP DOING WHERE THEY END UP IN EUROPE?

Not all that good over there is it? No.

These people are great at playing by the rules, giving you a false sense of security and then BOOM! 3,000 people are dead.

Or they game the system, come over on a fiance visa and BAM! 14 more people are dead.

Or they grew up here, got radicalized by someone and then you get 50 people at a night club dead or 3 people in Boston dead.

Well that's not that many people so what are you worried about? THEY MEANT THE WORLD TO SOMEONE!

WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE TO ASK OTHERS TO PLAY THE ODDS JUST SO YOU CAN FEEL WARM AND FUZZY?

Like Rick Santorum said, 'Not all Muslims are jihadists, but all jihadists are Muslim'.

I know you know what the loss of family members feels like, we're just trying (and probably over reacting a bit more than we'd like to admit) to prevent as much unnecessary loss as we can.

or a american will shoot up a movie theater:

bam!! 50 dead.

or a military vet will shoot up a airport: bam!! 9 dead.

gun control might not matter to you, but the people who lost their lives matter to someone!!!

i just wanted to take my time to point out how hypocritical you and others sound when you start to pick and choose to when the actions of a few matter to the majority.

you're never for gun control, even when it came to these innocent kids who lost their lives at sandy hook

even when it came to the innocent lives lost in colorado

even when it comes to innocents lost in the abortion clinic

even when it comes to a racist who shot up a church

even when a military vet shoots up an airport

and the list goes on and on.

and one of your arguments, as well as others, is that the majority of people are law abiding citizens. that the actions of the few shouldn't trample on the rights and protections of the majority.

and yet, here you are, judging the actions of a few and placing blame on the majority?

i can't even say the majority. MOST refugees who come here all around the country don't do anything wrong. you don't hear a word about them.

but there you go, judging all of them based off the few.

something that you and others try to talk trash about me doing on a daily basis.

that not only makes you a hypocrite, by the way, that makes you cold.

so Clem might be just another liberal. but i'll take that love and unity and fairness over your cold, heartless hatred any day of the freaking week.

all day, everyday. don't ever complain about the divide in america when you consistently contribute to it.

Gun 'control', no. Harder to get them? I have advocated for that. What I'm not for is importing more problems than the ones we already have.

we have taken that risk on immigration everyday since 1776.

this is nothing new. nor will it ever be.

What more do you need to know bout them than Medium, Medium Well or Well done?

It ain't ever been like this.

the italian mob throughout the decades says hi.

I see what you're saying, but it's not quite the same. The mob intimidated for money and shot up rival families.

What we're worried about-you know what we're worried about.