Justice for Khalid Jabara

Reminiscent of ‪#‎ChapelHill‬ shooting, Khaled Jabara was shot dead by his neighbor Vernon Majors in Tulsa on Friday after a long history of of harassment and using anti-Arab and racist epithets. We will not be silent. Let's stand against hate and show our support for Khalid and his family. Funds will be used  to help the family with expenses related to this tragedy.  All additional funds will be donated to advocacy groups focusing on victim's rights, Arab-American relations and interfaith collaboration.  

A Wonderful Son

Khalid lived at home with his parents where he cared for his ailing father and helped his mother maintain her successful catering business. He was devoted to his parents. Everything he did was to make their lives easier.

"At the end of the day, my beautiful brother had a heart like no other. Sensitive to the core, he loved others so much and wanted to be loved back. I'll miss his jokes (I stole all my jokes from him!), his love for all things electronic, his love for my mom and dad, Rami and his tenderness towards his nieces. This angel will be missed. Love you, Khalid." 

- Victoria Jabara Williams 

Official Jabara Family Statement on the Murder of Khalid Jabara

#‎Justice4Khalid‬August 15, 2016On Friday night, our world was shattered when our brother, Khalid Jabara, was murdered on the front porch of our family home. The perpetrator was not unknown to us—he is our neighbor—someone whom we continuously brought to law enforcement’s attention. He killed our brother while awaiting trial for running over our mother, resulting in a broken shoulder, collapsed lung, broken ankle, broken nose, head trauma, and fractured ribs amongst other injuries. Only 30 minutes prior to my brother’s shooting, Khalid called the police stating this man had a gun and that he was scared for what might happen. The police came and told him there was nothing to be done. Minutes later, the suspect murdered our brother with four shots.

My family lived in fear of this man and his hatred for years. Yet in May, not even one year after he ran over our mother and despite our repeated protests, he was released from jail with no conditions on his bond—no ankle monitor, no drug/alcohol testing, nothing.This suspect had a history of bigotry against our family. He repeatedly attacked our ethnicity and perceived religion, making racist comments. He often called us “dirty Arabs,” “filthy Lebanese,” “Aye-rabs,” and “Mooslems”—a fact highlighted by the Tulsa Police Department who also heard these comments from the suspect. The suspect’s bigotry was not isolated to us alone. He made xenophobic comments about many in our community -- “filthy Mexican” and the “n” word were all part of his hateful approach to anyone from a different background.

Today, in our pain, we are also keenly aware that this is not just another murder to be added to crime statistics. Our brother’s death could have been prevented. This man was a known danger. He intentionally tried to kill our mother less than one year ago when he ran her over with his car. Based on his racist comments towards us, he should have been charged with a hate crime then. He should not have been released without monitoring. Yet he was released and put back next door to us, the family he assaulted just months before. This is troubling at any time, but profoundly disturbing given the current climate of our country and the increase nationally in cases of hate crimes.

Our brother Khalid was just 37 years old and had his whole life ahead of him. He was a kind spirit, loving brother, uncle and son. Khalid’s heart was big. He cared for our entire family, our friends and people he didn’t even know. He created every Jabara family joke and filled our lives with love and laughter. All of that has been taken away from us by this hateful man and a system that failed to protect our community.

Press inquiries for the Jabara family may be sent to

Rebecca Abou-Chedid

202-256-4096 

abouchedid.rebecca@gmail.com