The Indian grandfather visiting his son and grandson in the United States who was partially paralyzed by a Alabama cop who slammed him on the ground, Sureshbhai Patel, has had a recovery fund setup for him on a popular crowdfunding website with the goal of raising $100,000 and within just a matter of a couple of days, the goal has already been exceeded by tens of thousands of dollars.
The GoFundMe campaign has raised over $122,000 through donations from over 2,800 people in just two days. A donator from New York who contributed $200, posted a message directed towards Sureshbhai’s son, Chirag Patel, in which the donator said, “Chirag, my prayers for your father’s recovery.” Another donator, who contributed $10, left a message along with their donation which read:
Mr Patel. I am so sorry those men were not in their right minds and harmed you. Come to Texas anytime and we will show you Texas hospitality! I have good friends from India and we are praying for your speedy revovery! God bless you sir! I was so angry! Those cops showed their ignorance! Get well soon!
The crowdfunding page indicated that the 57-year-old had recently arrived in the U.S. to help his son and his son’s wife care for their 17-month-old child and less than a week later, he was approached by the Madison Police Department in response to a call regarding a suspicious person in the neighborhood.In an attempt to search him, he was forced to the ground by Madison Police Officer Eric Parker. As a result, he was left severely injured and partially paralyzed.
The following day, Mr. Patel underwent surgery at Huntsville Hospital where doctors performed a cervical fusion. He now faces a long recovery and has only begun to regain feeling in his arms and one leg; the other leg remains without feeling at this time.India is “extremely disturbed” by the incident in which an Alabama police officer threw the grandfather to the ground, severely injuring him.The incident was capture by the dashboard cameras of multiple police cruisers.
Officer Parker has been charged with third-degree assault after video emerged in which he can be seen throwing the foreign visitor to the floor.Patel’s family has hired a local attorney to sue the Madison Police Department.Do you think the Alabama cop used excessive force against Sureshbhai Patel?
