Recently, SALDEF participated at the Applied Research Center’s (ARC) Race and Public Policy Conference entitled: A Proactive Agenda for 2005 and Beyond. SALDEF’s Western Regional Director Kavneet Singh addressed conference attendees at the University of California, Berkeley about the effects that Hate Crimes and racial profiling have had on the Sikh community as well as the struggle within the Sikh community in ensuring one’s right to practice their faith in a post 9/11 world. Joining Mr. Singh on the panel were Camilo Perez-Bustillo, American Friends Service Committee/Project Voice; Ban Al-Wardi, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter; Esmeralda Simmons, Applied Research Center Board member and Director of the Medgar Evers Center for Law & Social Justice.
SALDEF Presents at National Race Conference at University of California
CONCORD – A network of legal advocacy groups launched a public-pressure campaign this week urging prosecutors to charge a man with the September arson of a Sikh family’s home. “We believe race was a motivating factor. To what degree, it’s hard to say,” said attorney Edwin Prather, who represents the Anand family. “I think it’s safe to say his anger toward the Anands was a primary motivating factor.” Mark Peterson, a deputy Contra Costa district attorney and also a Concord City Council member, said Tuesday that investigators could not prove that 39-year-old Gregg Ogan set the fire on Babel Lane on Sept. 5 or that he committed a hate crime. “There was not sufficient evidence to file criminal charges. That was the conclusion after we reviewed the case initially,” Peterson said. “Now we’re investigating some evidence that (the Anand family’s attorney) has submitted.” Prather agreed that the case does not meet the legal definition of a hate crime, but a coalition including the South Asian Bar Association, Asian Law Caucus, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund wants prosecutors to file arson and burglary charges. The advocacy groups have organized a candlelight vigil in front of the Anands’ house, at 1356 Babel Lane, at 7:30 p.m. today, as well as a letter-writing campaign that so far has generated about 100 letters urging the District Attorney’s Office to file charges against Ogan, Prather said. Ogan appeared in court in an unrelated criminal case Tuesday. He could not be reached at County Jail in Richmond to answer an interview request. The Anands say Ogan appeared on their doorstep Sept. 3. He said he was helping a neighbor move but that utilities to the neighbor’s home were cut off, they say. The Anands cooked for him and offered him use of their phone for the next two days, but they soon became wary of his loitering around and some of his comments that they felt were racially offensive, Prather said. When he showed up Sept. 5, Gurcharanjeet Singh Anand told Ogan that the family had no time to help that morning because they were going to temple. Ogan appeared angry, Prather said. Half an hour later, someone called Anand to tell him his house was on fire. Police and fire investigators found that the house had been burglarized and a fire deliberately set in more than one place. An enclosed shrine in the back yard was also burglarized and vandalized, Prather said. “We lost everything. Everything we’ve had since we came to this country 22 years ago burned. It shattered our life,” Anand said Tuesday. “I am not still young any more. I have a heart condition. … It’s not so easy to start over.” Concord police arrested Ogan on Sept. 6 a few blocks from the arson scene. Officers responding to a report of a suspicious person hanging around the neighborhood stopped him, according to police reports. Police found methamphetamine on Ogan and, on the side of a nearby house, spotted a plastic trash bag containing items reported missing from the Anand house, according to the reports. The Anands and their five children now live in temporary housing while they wait for repairs to their home of 14 years. Peterson said his office would probably make a decision about whether to file related charges against Ogan in the next two weeks.
A Sikh American woman, “Ms. Kaur,” and her 70-year-old mother were recently harassed by a security officer at an immigration office in California. The incident occurred when her mother removed her kirpan (Sikh religious sword) to hand over to the security officer before passing through security. The security officer refused to let them put the kirpan in their car and accused them of bringing a weapon to an INS office. The officer stated, “You should be thankful that I am letting your mom go home and not putting her in jail for five years. I am denying your entry to INS office today. You can come some other day but not today.” Ms. Kaur and her mother felt threatened when the officer stated, “Do not say a word otherwise I will put your mom in jail for five years.” Ms. Kaur contacted Kavneet Singh, Western Regional Director of the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) about her experience. SMART raised concerns about this incident and the behavior of the security officer at the most recent Inter-Agency meeting facilitated by R. Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. SMART has been an active participant in this group which brings together officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, Department of State and other federal agencies. At the meeting, representatives from the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggested that Ms. Kaur file a formal complaint against the security officer. SMART worked with the DHS’s Office of Civil Rights and assisted Ms. Kaur in filing a complaint. The complaint is currently being investigated. Please contact SMART if you or anyone you know have encountered a similar incident or experienced any other violations of your civil rights.
On June 6th, SMART’s Western Regional Director delivered its Sikhism 101: An Introduction to Sikh Beliefs and Culture presentation to members of the Our Brother Congregational Church in Fremont, CA. Members of the congregation attended the presentation which was followed by over one hour of questions and discussion. Tentative plans were also made to take the congregants to a local Gurdwara to show a standard Sikh divaan (congregation). If you, or someone you now would like to conduct a similar presentation in your neighborhood, please contact SMART.
Before the end of the school year, SMART’s National Director Preetmohan Singh addressed the Sikh Studies class at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Organizers of the class, which consists of Sikh and non-Sikh students and as well as community members, invited Mr. Singh to provide an overview of the Sikh faith and discuss current issues within the Sikh Diaspora. SMART also held workshops with college students at the East Coast Asian American Students Union (ECAASU) annual conference at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. The workshops included information on critical issues facing the Asian American community, including hate crimes legislation, racial profiling, and immigration. If you would like to host a similar event on your college campus, please email SMART at info@sikhmediwatch.org.
SMART’s Western Regional Director Kavneet Singh recently testified before the California State Assembly Select Committee on Hate Crimes. The session was organized by the Applied Research Center and entitled, “California Civil Rights in an Era of National Security.” Attendees included representatives of the Asian Pacific, Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses. The event was organized to create a public record of the impact of national security policies on communities of color in California, assess the impact of some national security policies on civil rights, and explore policies to ensure protection for all California residents. SMART conducted the briefings at the State Capitol with representatives of the ACLU, California Human Relations Commissions, public policy advocates, and other civil rights organizations. If you would like to become more active with SMART’s legislative efforts, please email us at legislation@sikhmediwatch.org.
Following racist graffiti at a Fresno, CA Gurdwara earlier this year, SMART National Director Preetmohan Singh recently accompanied local representatives from the Sikh American community at a meeting with the city’s police chief. Participants discussed building better relationships between law enforcement and the Sikh American community through increased awareness, protocol, and strategies for successful engagement between both groups. Following the meeting, which also included four of the five district commanders for the city, Fresno officials requested and received 1,000 of SMART’s Law Enforcement Reference Cards. This pocket-sized card provides police officers recommendations about protocol for effectively working with the Sikh American community. SMART and the Fresno Sikh American community are also working on implementing plans to reduce bullying and harassment faced by Sikh American students in public schools.
SMART Representative Tejinder Singh recently conducted the Sikhism 101: An Introduction to Sikh Culture, Practices and Beliefs for a dozen members of the Tri City Ministerial Association at its monthly meeting in Fremont, CA. The TCMA is a group of ministers casino online real money and religious leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area that work together to carry out interfaith events and support each other”s religious centers. SMART also talked with the TCMA members about possible in-house workshops at their respective houses of worship.
The Applied Research Center recently released the report of their third “The Public’s Truth” event held in Santa Clara, CA. SMART co-sponsored and presented at the event, which was a forum for community members of different races, colors and religions to communicate with legislators and civic officials about the ill-effects they have endured since 9/11. Speakers at the event shared their personal experiences of direct harassment and discrimination they faced from law enforcement, airport security, workplace supervisors and immigration officials. SMART’s representative, who is featured in the report, discussed the Sikh community’s response to hate crimes. The Applied Research Center is a public policy, educational and research institute whose work emphasizes issues of race and social change. The report is titled “Stories of Racial Profiling & The Attack on Civil Liberties.”
SMART Encourages California Sikh Community to Attend California State Assembly Member Judy Chu will convene the Assembly Select Committee on Hate Crimes for a hearing entitled, “Hate Crimes in the Sikh American Community,” in both Northern and Southern California. The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) will deliver testimony at both hearings about hate crimes reporting, law enforcement, and bullying and harassment in public schools, as well as policy recommendations to effectively deal with these situations. SMART encourages members of the Sikh American community in Northern and Southern California to attend these hearings to make sure their voices are heard (details below). SMART has been working with Assembly Member Chu’s office for several months to arrange these hearings. At the hearing, law enforcement officials, government representatives, policy experts, and community leaders will discuss strategies and policies to address hate crimes and diversity in public schools. Northern California WHEN: Wednesday, September 22 TIME: 11:00 AM- 1:30 PM WHERE: Biblioteca Latinoamericano San Jose Public Library Community Room 921 South First Street San Jose, CA 95110 Southern California WHEN: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 TIME: 10:00 AM- 12:30 PM WHERE: Museum of Tolerance Simon Wiesenthal Plaza 9786 W. Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90035