The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News

Media Credit: JAKE DANIELS Jim Diffly (left) and John Hayes, Diffly's history professor, stand outside the Athens Pilgrim's Pride plant Sunday. [Click to enlarge]

It sounds like the start of a joke, but one University student found nothing to laugh about.

A University student, a history professor, a reporter and an FBI agent met at Gumby's Pizza on Thursday morning. It was there that FBI agent William J.H. Filson came to confirm that junior Jim Diffly was, in fact, a student working on a class project - and not a terrorist seeking to destroy North Georgia's chicken plants.

"It was the same as the phone conversation we had," Diffly said in an interview after the meeting. The agent said he needed to "meet me face-to-face to make sure I wasn't Middle Eastern."

In the meeting on Thursday, Filson explained he had to meet with Diffly to make sure he is a "Caucasian student" because of a call he received from the Hall County Sheriff's Office complaining that Diffly was taking pictures of chicken plants.

Filson said the individual who called Hall County said Diffly, who has a dark beard and long hair, may be Middle Eastern. But Diffly is white.

Diffly said his friends tease him because they say he looks Middle Eastern. He said they call him "Jim Laden." But after the meeting, Diffly said he doesn't find humor in it anymore.

"It's not as funny when it's coming from the FBI or a police officer," he said.

The situation "feels like profiling and almost harassment," Diffly said.

This investigation began during spring break, when Diffly went to Gainesville to take pictures of poultry plants as a part of a project for a Georgia history course.

He called one plant before arriving but was unable to make arrangements to tour the plant.

His history professor, John Hayes, who was at the meeting with the agent, told Diffly it wouldn't be a problem. He said he thought Diffly would be able to get into the plants without a reservation.

But Diffly faced strong opposition and was denied access to four plants.

Continued...

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