Sikh American Owned Restaurant Vandalized with White Supremacist Messages

Washington D.C. –  Yesterday, June 22, 2020, Baljit Singh, a Sikh American owner of India Palace walked into his restaurant to find it broken in, ransacked, and vandalized with white supremacist obscenities and hate speech with an estimated $100,000 in damages. Mr. Singh, who has owned the restaurant since 2013 and has never experienced this type of racism or harassment, immediately notified the police and the FBI, with the police arriving 2.5 hours later. 

READ: Downtown Restaurant Vandalized with White Supremacist Messages

“SALDEF condemns this heinous act of cowardice and hatred. We will work with Baljit Singh, the Santa Fe Police, and the FBI to ensure they thoroughly investigate this crime, and that the perpetrators of this hate crime are found and prosecuted under the appropriate hate/bias motivated statutes,” said Kiran Kaur Gill SALDEF Executive Director. “This kind of hate and violence is unacceptable and swift action must be taken to ensure the safety and security of all Americans.” 

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the white nationalist movement has been emboldened since 2017 and grew for a second straight year in 2019, as the number of hate groups in the movement rose to 155 – a 55 percent increase since 2017.  With hate groups on the rise endangering peaceful communities, SALDEF calls upon the Department of Justice to pursue this as a federal hate crime. 

“Santa Fe is a peaceful town, and the Sikh community has lived here, beautifully integrated, since the 60s,” said SALDEF Board Member Simran Singh, who lives minutes away from the restaurant. “Tensions have flared recently with the reinvigoration of the Black Lives Matter movement and the removal of statues associated with Spanish colonizers of this area, who committed a number of atrocities. Nevertheless, we are seeing an outpouring of love and support around the city and in my experience, our neighbors love and appreciate us, as we love and appreciate them.”

SALDEF has seen an unprecedented rise in hate crimes including an attack on April 29, 2020,  Sikh American, Mr Lakhwant Singh was brutally attacked by a customer Eric Breeman in Lakewood, CO.  Mr. Lakhwant Singh was told to “go back to your country,” while being attacked, no formal hate crime charges have been brought against the attacker. 

How to help

SALDEF will continue to update the community on any new information regarding this incident. In the meantime, this is an active investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact Santa Fe Police at (505) 428-3710.

Report any bias or hate incidents to SALDEF immediately. Every incident not reported, investigated or prosecuted emboldens the perpetrators.

June 15th 2020 (Washington, DC) – Second Lieutenant Anmol Narang, a Georgia native and a member of the Sikh community, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point. While she is not the first Sikh female to graduate from West Point, Sikhs all over the world have applauded the U.S. Army’s efforts towards improving diversity and inclusion. 

Approximately 1,100 cadets received their diplomas this past Saturday. There are 230 women in the graduating class this year. While West Point and the military overall have placed strategic importance in improving their diversity in recent years, the academy is still predominantly white and male. The 2020 graduating class is 12 percent black, 9 percent Latino, 9 percent Asian and less than 1 percent Native American.

SAVA and SALDEF have worked closely with the ACLU to secure historic accommodations in the US Army and Air Force. Airmen Harpreet Singh Bajwa, Jaspreet Singh and Sunjit Rathore paved the way for the policy change in the USAF earlier this year. 

“It’s important that we establish a forward-thinking philosophy for all employers in the United States. The military represents one of the largest employers in our nation and is no exception,” stated Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director, SALDEF. 

The U.S. Army and Air Force implemented diversity initiatives during both the Obama and Trump administrations which led to the current policy changes that allow Sikhs and other minorities to serve freely with their articles of faith. However, the Department of Defense does not have a consistent or department wide policy on religious accommodations. Sikhs turbans and beards are still not allowed in the U.S. Navy, Marines, Coast Guard or the U.S. Public Health Service. 

“We need to remove barriers to service for patriotic young men and women from all minority communities. Sikh turbans, Muslim hijabs and traditional African hairstyles were deemed unprofessional or unsafe by our military during the Reagan administration. We must recognize that many of these uniform restrictions are part of a pattern of institutionalized discrimination practiced by some of our oldest institutions. Sikhs have served honorably in the U.S. military with our turbans and beards since the early 1900’s” remarked LTC Kamal S. Kalsi, D.O., President of SAVA.

“If we want our battle formation to look more homogenous, well, that will just take us the way of the redcoats, and we can’t afford to do that.” The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past two decades, and recruiting interest is soaring in places such as California and New Jersey. “Our recruiting efforts have to account for this demographic change, and prevent us from locking out eligible candidates who want to serve their country.” says Lieutenant Colonel Ravi Chaudhary (ret.) who has commanded the Washington DC recruiting squadron. 

“While we applaud the military’s efforts to create a stronger, more diverse and inclusive fighting force, there is a great deal of work that needs to be done in the days ahead to ensure individuals from all backgrounds are able to serve,” States Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director of SALDEF. 

“People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster.” ― James Baldwin.

Washington DC – Tuesday, June 9th, 2020 in Houston, Texas crowds arrived for the funeral of George Floyd.  In support of Mr. Floyd and Black Lives Matter (BLM), many members of the Sikh American community including Gurujodha Singh Khalsa, Ek Ong Kaar Kaur, SALDEF Regional Director Bobby Singh, and SALDEF Board Member Simran Singh attended Mr. Floyd’s viewing and funeral. The group completed an Ardas (Sikh prayer) in front of the Fountain of Praise Church where the event took place, and prayed for the protection of all people.

“The event was humbling and felt like a turning point of the African American struggle in the US,” said SALDEF Board member Simran Singh. “We took a knee at Mr. Floyd’s coffin to honor his ultimate sacrifice, and to acknowledge the countless horrifying abuses against our African American sisters and brothers over the last 400 years.” Mr. Singh noted that, “this month also marks the anniversary of Operation Bluestar and the Sikh genocide that followed. It is an auspicious time to stand up as Sikhs for every and all kinds of discrimination. I am thus humbled and proud to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.”

Mr. Floyd’s death highlights systemic racism in America and his funeral marks the need for unity in the fight for fundamental change.  We believe that it is time the Sikh American community step up and support all our brothers and sisters fighting for equality and justice. Thirty-six years ago this week, the Sikh community in India was attacked by the Indian government, which launched a military strike on the holiest of Sikh shrines, the Harmandir Sahib, in Amritsar, as well as 39 other Sikh historical religious sites. Following that attack, members of the Sikh community were systematically persecuted by the Indian government, and many Sikhs died at the hands of Indian law enforcement. We as a community cannot turn a blind eye to what is currently happening in America and we cannot stand idly by as our Black brothers and sisters continue to be singled out and oppressed by systemic issues in policing policy. 

“This is a pivotal time in American history”, said SALDEF Executive Director Kiran Kaur Gill. “We cannot stand on the sidelines and watch, we must as a community rise up and stand in support of the Black Lives Matters Movement. We encourage community members to join us and take a stand to support the Black Lives Matter movement by combating racism in our own community.” 

In support of the BLM movement, SALDEF commits to increasing our efforts to educate community members on recognizing and combating implicit bias and understanding systemic racism. We also commit to transforming policing through our Law Enforcement Partnership Program (LEPP) by reviewing and updating LEPP training with an eye towards addressing implicit bias, racial profiling and systemic racism in more depth. 

SALDEF has signed on to a recent letter to congress that asks for immediate changes to a range of policing issues, including use of force, police accountability, racial profiling, militarization, data collection, and training. This letter was recently incorporated into the  The Justice in Policing Act, introduced by Congressional Democrats.  If passed, this bill will improve police training and practices, reform policing practices, improve transparency through better data on police misconduct and use-of-force, and hold the police accountable in the courts for  violations. 

On June 3, 2020, Facebook acknowledged that they have been silencing the international Sikh community by blocking the use of hashtag #Sikh on Instagram and Facebook platforms.  SALDEF immediately reached out to Facebook to demand a reversal of this block, and to solicit answers on why this happened.  This week, Sikhs across the world remember the shaeedi (martyrdom) of their 5th Guru, Guru Arjun Sahib, and also remember the anniversary of the Indian government’s 1984 invasion of the Harmandir Sahib Complex, and dozens of other Sikh historical sites in India.  Facebook initially corrected the issue on Instagram, and after SALDEF’s continued pressure and engagement, they allowed the use of #Sikh on its flagship Facebook platform.

Click Here to read the entire statement 

SALDEF has continued to ask Facebook to respond to four main questions:

1. Clarify what post triggered the blocking of #Sikh and timeline leading up to yesterday’s complete block. 
2. Why did they block #Sikh in its entirety and not just the post that was brought to their attention?
3. What steps are you taking to ensure the Sikh community or any other community that this does not happen again?
4. How do you ensure that Facebook’s policies are applied fairly?

Please sign this petition to pressure Facebook to respond?

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

COVID-19: Today, Tomorrow and Beyond: A Conversation with Dr. Ranu Dhillon

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Dr. Ranu Dhillon on COVID-19. Dr. Ranu Dhillon is an infectious disease expert and served as an advisor to the president of Guinea during the Ebola epidemic. He works on building health systems to address public health crises globally. He is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Dhillon is working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted by Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund on Thursday, June 4, 2020

Dr. Ranu Dhillon is an infectious disease expert and served as an advisor to the president of Guinea during the Ebola epidemic. He works on building health systems to address public health crises globally. He is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Dhillon is working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

June 4, 2020

Washington DC – Yesterday, Facebook acknowledged that they have been silencing the international Sikh community by blocking the use of hashtag #Sikh on Instagram and Facebook platforms.  SALDEF immediately reached out to Facebook to demand a reversal of this block, and to solicit answers on why this happened.  This week, Sikhs across the world remember the shaeedi (martyrdom) of their 5th Guru, Guru Arjun Sahib, and also remember the anniversary of the Indian government’s 1984 invasion of the Harmandir Sahib Complex, and dozens of other Sikh historical sites in India.  Facebook initially corrected the issue on Instagram, and after SALDEF’s continued pressure and engagement, they allowed the use of #Sikh on its flagship Facebook platform.  

“We appreciate Facebook’s statement on the incident, and agree that this is ‘an incredibly important, painful time for the Sikh community.’  We also appreciate their stated commitment to not silencing our community,” said Director of Communication Gujari Singh. “It is nevertheless disturbing that this incident occurred and may not have been corrected without our intervention.  We understand Facebook’s commitment to open discussion and free speech, even though that provides a forum for hateful views that were not blocked. During the time #Sikh became unavailable, #whitepower continued to be openly used.  That this silencing of Sikhs came at a historically significant moment for our community raises serious questions and we look forward to a more thorough explanation and plan for future protections from these types of incidents from Facebook in the coming days.”  

“The blocking of the hashtag #Sikh by Facebook went directly against their mission and in fact effectively silenced members of the 5th largest religion in the world. We are continuing to put pressure on Facebook to find out why this happened.  It is unacceptable for a platform like Facebook to silence an entire population and religion with no real explanation,” said Kiran Kaur Gill SALDEF Executive Director. “The gravity of the situation was compounded by the fact that this happened during a very sensitive anniversary of the attack on the Sikh Community in 1984, as many in the Sikh community are mourning and commemorating their loved ones.”

Facebook has over 2.5 billion users internationally and has become an important platform for communicating and organizing. Users internationally rely on Facebook to be an unbiased platform that allows for free thought and expression. There is no reason that #Sikh should have been blocked. It is unsettling that so quickly a single platform can silence a population of over 27 million people internationally. 

This is not the first incident SALDEF has worked on regarding censorship with Facebook/Instagram. In December 2018, former SALDEF Media Fellow Vishavjit Singh had political cartoons removed from Instagram that highlighted the sentencing of Sajjan Kumar, for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh Pogroms in India.To date, Instagram has refused to unblock the posts and would not respond or give any explanation as to their actions.

SALDEF hopes that Facebook will again work in a constructive manner as they did in 2010 when our organizations partnered together to remove over 45 Anti-Sikh pages from Facebook’s platform. 

At this time, there continues to be unresolved issues that require Facebook to provide answers. SALDEF will continue to work with  Facebook on these unresolved issues and find out why this happened and what steps they are taking to ensure the Sikh community and other communities looking to exercise their free speech, that this will never happen again.

SALDEF has continued to put pressure on Facebook to respond to our questions. Help us by signing this petition to draw attention to this issue and get answers from Facebook.  

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About SALDEF: Founded in 1996, SALDEF is a national civil rights, advocacy, and educational organization. Its mission is to empower Sikh Americans by building dialogue, deepening understanding, promoting civic and political participation, and upholding social justice and religious freedom for all Americans. 

The first-ever Sikh American public service announcement will be airing again this year, for the seventh consecutive year! Throughout June, the message conveying Sikh values, and Sikh American lives will be played on national airwaves.  As a part of a collaboration between SALDEF and Comcast, the PSA, which first debuted on cable air in 2014, has aired over 750,000 times, with donated airtime of over 8.2 million dollars.

The message features Sikh American actor and designer, Waris Singh Ahluwalia, and incorporates pictures and videos from other Sikh Americans across the country, to increase awareness of, and illustrate how Sikh Americans are a vibrant part of this nation.

Get involved amplifying this Sikh American message by sharing it with your family, friends, and neighbors! Here is how you can share:

• Post it on Facebook and Twitter and tag @SALDEF
• Post a screenshot on Instagram and tag @SikhAmericans
• Share the YouTube link on your social media accounts.

The SALDEF team is incredibly thankful to Comcast for their ongoing support to create awareness about diverse communities by continuing to broadcast the Sikh American PSA. Comcast, a global media and technology company, aired this PSA as part of the company’s commitment to educating audiences on a variety of issues. Of note, this PSA was produced, developed, and aired with absolutely zero money from the Sikh American community.

These efforts would not be possible without support from our community.

Please make a 100% tax-deductible donation to support SALDEF so we can continue to educate our nation about our values and make a real and meaningful impact on the perception of Sikhs in America.

An investment in us is an investment in our efforts to create meaningful partnerships with organizations that contribute to our community without cost.

**Please Share this Announcement on Email, Social Media, and Please Post at your Local Gurdwara**

Want to learn about our most up to date understanding of the coronavirus? What are the next steps to recovery? What can we do to minimize a second wave? Join us for an in-depth conversation with Dr. Ranu Dhillon on COVID-19. Dr. Ranu Dhillon is an infectious disease expert and served as an advisor to the president of Guinea during the Ebola epidemic. He works on building health systems to address public health crises globally. He is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Dhillon is working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.