Members of U.S. Congress Join SALDEF and Allies in Making Update to FBI Training Manual On March 25, the FBI, members of Congress, and community leaders, including SALDEF, announced an updated version of Hate Crime Data Collection Guidelines and Training Manual. It lays the foundation to track hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus and Arabs. Learn more about the changes to the manual here. Read comments made by Congressman Bera (D-CA), Congressman Crowley (D-NY), Congressman Garamendi (D-CA), Congressman Honda (D-CA), and Congresswoman Meng (D-NY), during the press conference below. Congressman Pascrell (D-NJ) also attended and spoke, alongside representatives of the Sikh Coalition, SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together), and the Hindu American Foundation. Congressman Ami Bera’s (D-CA) remarks: “Since the September 11th attacks, too many Americans, especially Sikh, Hindu and Arab-Americans, have been wrongfully subjected to hate crimes and discrimination, including the shooting of two Sikh Americans in my own city. Religious tolerance is a fundamental value of our nation and we must do everything we can to prevent these crimes motivated by bias against a victim’s religious beliefs. That’s why I applaud the Department of Justice and FBI for their formal inclusion of Sikhs, Hindus and Arab-Americans in the FBI training manual and their new efforts to track crimes against these groups. I’ve been calling for these steps since I got to Congress because they’re important to confronting hatred and increasing public awareness about the crimes committed against often-targeted people. This is a big win for these communities, and a huge win for justice,” said Rep. Bera. Read the full press release issued by Congressman Bera’s office here Representative Joseph Crowley’s (D-NY) remarks: Thank you for being here today. I have been so proud to stand with my colleagues who have worked so hard to bring attention to this issue. And I’m proud to stand alongside these incredible civil rights groups who refuse to let injustice slip by. For years, collectively, we’ve pushed the Department of Justice and FBI to include attacks against Sikh, Hindu, and Arab American communities as part of their hate crimes tracking efforts. Today, we are proud to say that those efforts have paid off. The Department of Justice and the FBI have officially updated their hate crimes tracking system and training manual to include Sikh, Hindu, and Arab Americans – just as it does for other at-risk communities. Tragically, these communities are no stranger to unspeakable acts of hate. Whether it be in New York or Sacramento, or the horrific massacre we saw unfold at the Sikh Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, the sad fact remains that many in these communities have – and will continue to be – targets of hate. That has to change. But we can’t fully grasp or solve a problem until we know exactly what it is we are dealing with. That’s why collecting data on hate crimes is so critical. But tracking hate crimes is more than the questions of who, or when, or how. It’s about why? What could have prevented this? What could be done to better protect this community? These are the questions we could never get answers to. Until now. Now, we can help ensure that police officers are trained and educated to effectively identify members these communities and the specific threats they face. Now, we can ensure that resources are being funneled to the right communities, the right locations to help prevent crime in the first place. Now, these communities know that their government is behind them. This has been a long time in the making. But make no mistake: this is no small change. This isn’t an edit that needed to be corrected. This is a monumental moment that has a very real impact on the communities affected. Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) Remarks: “Our nation values freedom from fear. However, far too many people in communities across America, including Sikhs, are the targets of violence, bullying, and bigotry. By expanding the tracking of hate crimes, the Department of Justice, FBI, and civil rights groups can better understand and more effectively combat this hate. We must reaffirm our shared belief that every American deserves the opportunity to live out the American Dream,” said Congressman John Garamendi, a Co-Chair of the American Sikh Congressional Caucus. Read the press release Congressman Garamendi’s office issued on the announcement here Find video of the Congressman’s speech here Further, Congressman Garamendi’s team is in the process of presenting the FBI hate crime tracking training manual to police departments in their district. Congressman Honda (D-CA) Remarks: Thank you, Congressman Crowley for holding this press conference. Thanks to the media for coming. After 9/11, this country saw a dramatic, and tragic, increase in hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus, and Arab Americans. Yet, for 14 years, the FBI did not keep data on those crimes. We did not know how many Sikhs, Arab Americans, or Hindus were targeted just because of their ethnicity or religion. All of us have been left ignorant of the prevalence of such horrific attacks. More importantly, these communities were left unable to counter the misinformation and fight the hatred on which this violence was based. My colleagues who are here today, and I, stood firm in our belief that the FBI must include these minority communities when tracking hate crimes. I was proud to pen a letter, signed by nearly 100 members of Congress, to the FBI Policy Advisory Board, asking them to track the number of violent crimes against minority groups. I asked the Attorney General himself if he would support such an inclusion…and if he would commit to making these recommendations to the Advisory Board. With no trace of hesitation, he agreed. I applaud him for that. In 2013, Attorney General Holder supported the proposal. Now, two years later, the FBI training manual will include guidanace to assist law enforcement in identifying and reporting hate crimes directed at Sikhs, Arabs, and Hindus. The best tool for preventing these crimes is to find out how, when, and where they are occurring. Better data means better policies and better policing. I applaud the FBI for taking steps to protect our minority communities by adding in anti-Sikh, anti-Hindu, and anti-Arab categories to its Hate Crime Incident reports. It may not be possible for us ever to be free of crimes against minority groups. But steps like the one the FBI is taking move us closer to that day. Thank you. Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) I applaud Congressman Joe Crowley and the advocates standing with us today for their hard work on this issue. In 2013, I was among those in Congress who called for separate tracking of hate crimes against Sikh, Hindu and Arab Americans, and I’m pleased that the FBI has made it fully operational. This is an unfortunate, ongoing issue for these communities – where in just the last few months – an Islamic Center, a Hindu temple, two multiple Muslim families, and an Indian grandfather were all targets of hate – and these are just the stories that made major news. Just last month in our home of Queens, NY, a community center frequently used by a local Hindu temple to host senior citizens’ activities, community board meetings, and more, was vandalized with hateful anti-Hindu graffiti. I hope that these communities will feel more comfortable coming forward and reporting incidents so that we can track the true extent of this problem.