Panelist Discusses Recent Incidents, Community Outreach and Prevention Washington, DC – Earlier this week, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh civil rights organization, conducted a congressional briefing about hate crime and effective strategies for outreach and prevention. The briefing, entitled “Violence Against South Asians since 9/11”, took place on Capitol Hill August 23 and was sponsored by the offices of Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Joe Wilson (R-SC). Preetmohan Singh, SMART’s National Director, stated that since 9/11 the Sikh American community has experienced over 400 hate crimes, including verbal and physical threats, aggravated assaults, and shootings. Amnesty International recently reported that only one of nine hate crimes is reported in the United States. Experts state that reporting in the South Asian community is even lower primarily due to the lack of access, language barriers and immigration status issues. As recently as July 5, Gurpreet Singh, a Sikh cab driver in Richmond, CA, was shot and killed when attempting to pick his fare. Although local law enforcement officials have yet to determine if race bias was a motive, Mr. Singh stated that in the absence of such a declaration, many in the Sikh community assume a hate crime, as on May 19, when Avtar Singh Chiera was shot in Phoenix, AZ, by assailants who shouted “Go back to were you belong.” Mr. Singh stressed that in addition to affecting the family and the individual, these incidents generate fear and anxiety in the Sikh community because these incidents are based on real or perceived religion or national origin. Mr. Singh shared SMART’s community education and outreach efforts to stress the importance of reporting bias and hate motivated incidents, and to take active measures in prevention. Some of the steps SMART and the Sikh American community have taken in the post-9/11 period include encouraging the community to increase its civic participation, increasing awareness about themselves among their neighbors, co-workers and collaborating with law enforcement to disseminate information about Sikh Americans. SMART also discussed the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (S. 966), legislation that further empowers law enforcement to investigate and prosecute hate crimes. A representative of the South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT) also made comments and engaged in discussion with House Staff.
