Bosnia ambassador offers Salt Lake condolences
Mayor, police chief join in seeking to build understanding
"We lost 200,000 in Bosnia," said Bisera Turkovic. "If anyone can understand, then Bosnians can and should understand the pain."
Turkovic arrived from Washington, D.C., Thursday to offer her condolences and show support for Utah's Bosnian community. She had tentative plans to meet the family of the gunman, 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic.
At a meeting with Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson, Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank and a handful of members of the Bosnian community Thursday, Turkovic said that in Bosnia, "People are shocked, people are saddened. They cannot believe someone of Bosnian origin would do something like that, especially not in this country, because we owe this country much."
The gathering at the Bosna restaurant in South Salt Lake was aimed at building understanding in the aftermath of the shooting that left six people dead, including Talovic.
"Everybody is in shock," said Sulejman Omerovic of West Valley City. "Even back home in Bosnia, everybody is in shock."
Omerovic and others originally from Bosnia used the gathering as a community forum.
"I say, 'No, I am not,"' Pasic said. "That's the message ... (I) believe 99 percent of us feel the same.... We left to make a new home, and we did," she said. "Thank you, thank you, Utah and Salt Lake, for giving us the opportunity."
When it was discovered that Talovic was a Bosnian Muslim, the shooting sparked talk of terrorism on blogs and the Internet. Police have yet to establish any motive.
Slavoljub Josipovic, a member of the Bosnian Association, said he hoped the meeting would help people understand that "we are all different. You cannot put all people in one basket."
Turkovic said there's no evidence to suggest there would be any retribution against the Bosnian community and said no enhanced security measures had been taken at the embassy or consulates.
"People in the United States are reasonable — they understand this is the act of a single person," she said.
Anderson and Burbank had harsh words for those who jumped to conclusions about motivation. Burbank said the city has received "a lot of very hateful e-mail," but he hasn't heard of any concrete threats or violence. There has also not been any departmental reaction, Burbank added.
"I will not allow my officers to profile individuals because of race," he said. "We are not profiling a community because of their race."
Burbank added that there's no place for "fear and hatred and mistrust of others based solely on their race, their nationality, what language they may speak, or what religious preference they may have. That's very dangerous for police to wander into. I think it's dangerous for society."
While acknowledging Monday's tragedy, Anderson was among those who stressed the act was committed by one man and not a community. Anderson emphasized the value of Utah's Bosnian community and said more needs to be done to reach out, especially when it comes to youth.
"I urge everyone: Reach out a helping hand, get to know our neighbors. Do everything we can to show compassion toward those who are living in this area, who should be always welcome at the community table," Anderson said. "We not only build stronger community, it enriches each of our individual lives ... to get to know the life stories of people who have been through so much."
E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com
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