Sheriff-elect to listen about alleged abuse by deputies By LINDSAY WISE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Dec. 12, 2008, 11:23PM Sheriff-elect Adrian Garcia will meet with members of the local Sikh community on Sunday to listen to their concerns about allegations that Harris County deputies harassed a Sikh family last month. “I will be offering just a good ear,” said Garcia, who will take office in January. “I think that this is one of those roles that an elected official serves. We’ve got to always be ready to listen to any segment of the community when there’s concern and understand it.” Sheriff Tommy Thomas has yet to comment publicly or respond to a letter sent last week by the Sikh Coalition, based in New York, that called for his office to fire the four deputies involved and issue a formal apology to the family. “He feels it would be inappropriate, even for media purposes, to presumptively make comments regarding an ongoing investigation of sheriff’s office personnel,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Legg. Members of the Sikh family have said they called 911 when their home in the 10800 block of Oak Bayou Lane was burglarized the night of Nov. 26. But instead of investigating the break-in, they said, the responding deputy became alarmed when he noticed one of the women wore a ceremonial knife sheathed on her hip. Symbol of faith Kawaljeet Kaur, 35, said she explained to the deputy that she wears the small, blunt Kirpan as a symbol of her faith and offered to leave the room. The deputy aimed his Taser at her and called for backup, she said. Matters got worse when other deputies arrived and began cursing and handcuffing family members, including Kaur and her 60-year-old mother, relatives said. One deputy reportedly asked if the family had “heard about the bombings in Bombay.” Another allegedly said he had been to Kuwait and “knew about Muslims.” Legg said the investigation into the deputies’ actions remains “a top priority” for the sheriff’s office. “We’re very disturbed by the allegations and if proven to be true there would be consequences,” he said. He declined to release the names of the deputies or any official records of the incident pending the probe’s outcome. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, misperceptions about Sikhs’ religiously mandated turbans and beards have led to an increase in discrimination and hate crimes. But the cultural diversity training required for sheriff’s deputies every few years does not include information about the Sikh religion, a monotheistic faith with more than 25 million followers worldwide. That could now change, said Legg, the sheriff’s spokesman. “That’s certainly a point of interest for us now in expanding our training to include other religions perhaps that we may have overlooked and that may have grown in population in our area,” he said. ‘Working together’ Earlier this week, the head of the Sheriff’s Internal Affairs Division, Lt. Dennis Field, met with the family members “and had an open dialogue,” Legg said. “It went very well and there was excellent progress made,” he said. “They were working together.” Kaur confirmed that her family had met with IAD officials and made arrangements to give formal statements to investigators. She and her relatives plan to attend the meeting with Garcia at the Sikh Center in west Houston on Sunday. The invitation for Garcia to visit the center came from longtime friend Bobby Singh, regional director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Singh said the family’s story shocked the Sikh community, locally and nationally. “I think people are outraged,” he said. “I think everyone in the community feels that we are law-abiding citizens.” Sikhs aren’t asking for preferential treatment, Singh said, “but I think that if this is what equates to serving and protecting, not only the Sikh community but the Harris County community at large should be very concerned. This is not what we deserve.” Garcia felt it was important to take a proactive step. “We need to make sure that our folks have the right training to understand the diverse community that Harris County is, and I think it starts with leadership and that’s why I’m making myself available,” he said. “But overall this is an opportunity to learn and obviously to do better than we have done in the past.” lindsay.wise@chron.com [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6162789.html]
Garcia, Sikhs to meet
Houston, Texas : December 12, 2008 – Earlier this week, SALDEF Southern Regional Director Bobby Singh spoke with long-time friend and Harris County, Texas Sheriff-elect Adrian Garcia and invited him to attend a meeting at the Sikh Center of Houston on Sunday December 14, 2008. Harris County Organized in response to the bias-based harassment of a Sikh American family by Harris County police earlier this month, the meeting will be a critical opportunity for Sheriff-elect Garcia to address the concerns of the local Sikh American community and reassure them that he will enforce a policy of zero-tolerance for ethnic profiling and police brutality. What: Harris County Sheriff-Elect Elect Adrian Garcia to meet with the Sikh American Community Where: Sikh Center of Houston (8819 Praire Drive, Houston, Texas 77064) When: Sunday December 14, 2008 at 12:30pm Earlier this month, in the course of investigating the burglary of a Sikh American family’s home, Harris County police officials made suggestive remarks to the family about Muslims, terrorism and the Mumbai terrorist attacks. When the police officials noticed a family member wearing a kirpan, they pointed a taser gun at her head. Ultimately, police officials handcuffed multiple family members, including a sixty-year-old woman. SALDEF asks members of the community to sign the Sikh Coalition Petition to ensure that your voice is heard. SALDEF encourages all Houston- and Texas-based members of the Sikh American community to visit the Sikh Center of Houston this Sunday, December 14, 2008 to express their outrage about this incident and encourage greater partnership between police officials and the local Sikh American community. Please forward to your Sangat Members
Events in Indianapolis and Miami garner support from hundreds of community members December 10, 2008, Washington, DC – In November, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, organized Know Your Rights workshops for Sikh American communities in Indianapolis, Indiana and Miami, Florida. Miami KYR These groundbreaking educational forums featured presentations by representatives from several government agencies and nonprofit organizations, including the Equal Employment Employment Opportunity Commission; Department of Justice; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Immigrant Welcome Center of Indianapolis; Broward County Public Schools; and Miami-Dade County Equal Opportunity Board. Since 2005, SALDEF has organized Know Your Rights workshops for Sikh American communities in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Texas. These educational forums not only allow Sikh Americans to learn about their rights and interact with government officials but also enable government agencies to learn about the Sikh religion and ongoing challenges faced by Sikh Americans, including hate crimes, employment discrimination, and school bullying. Indiana KYR Please ask your local Gurdwara to host a SALDEF Know Your Rights workshop, and please support the work of SALDEF. Your donation of 10 or 20 dollars a month will help SALDEF empower the Sikh community in 2009 and beyond. If you would like to organize a SALDEF Know Your Rights workshop for your community, or if you or children have experienced violence, discrimination, or bullying, please contact SALDEF immediately by email at info@saldef.org or via phone at 202-393-2700.
ROANOKE RAPIDS — Gary Khera found a place to welcome his donation. Khera, a Sikh whose attempt to help the Union Mission was turned down because he refused to take off his turban, will be cooking for a Dec. 18 foster child party, along with his wife, Gwendolyn. They have also agreed to adopt two elderly couples and take them shopping and donate food baskets to them. The donation plan came after discussions with Halifax County Social Services Director Mike Felt. “It was a positive meeting,” Felt said Tuesday. “It was very favorable. What we found was we hadn’t got many donations for food for foster children. It was entirely positive. We talked about a number of subjects. They were two very nice people. We seem to have a lot in common and that is to help people.” Khera also said the meeting was positive and he and his wife learned there will be 34 foster children at the annual party. “We asked what we could d for the foster kids,” Khera said Tuesday. “My wife will cook and we will be responsible for the food.” The discussion also led Khera to learn there were elderly people who needed help. “Some of them are lonely,” he said. “My wife and me are going to take two couples and put a food basket together. We’re going to take them shopping for Christmas.” Khera was impressed with Felt. “He was so very humble, he was so respectful.” The Union Mission Board of Directors has apparently not addressed the matter and its chairman, Jeff Holm, had no comment when reached yesterday. In a Nov. 20 e-mail — which was two days after Khera offered the donation — to the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Rev. Ron Weeks, executive director of the Mission, said, “We are a Christ-centered ministry that has been serving our communities ‘in Jesus name’ from our own private facilities since 1951. We have a long-standing policy that is clearly displayed on our lobby door that all males are required to remove head gear. We feed meals every day and welcome the idea of others doing the same as our communities are certainly in need of more than we are able to do.” In the e-mail, Weeks continues, “Being supported totally by donations we don’t turn them away. Couldn’t his donation be used by the local Langar (a free kitchen) you speak of? I can think of several options; send it by another person, mail or Internet … donate to another charity.” Khera said the Union Mission has not offered an apology. He believes the faith-based Mission should change its head cover policy to reflect those worn for religious reasons. He would also like to see a workshop in the area so people can understand different religions. “We need to know to bring peace together so we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings and create more love,” Khera said. Lance Martin, Herald Senior Staff Writer http://www.rrdailyherald.com/articles/2008/11/28/news/doc493031e390245451129102.txt
Sikh American Expelled from North Carolina Food Bank for Practicing his Faith; SALDEF Urges Interfaith Groups to Support Religious Freedom Washington, DC, November 20, 2008 – Yesterday, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) learned that Mr. Gurnam Singh Khera—a Sikh American—was expelled from a community center in North Carolina because he wore a Dastaar (Sikh turban) in accordance with his faith. The incident reportedly occurred at the Union Mission facility in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Mr. Khera and his wife went to the facility to make a donation for a Thanksgiving Food Drive and expressed interest in sending their children to the facility during the Thanksgiving holidays to serve food to the needy. Upon entering the facility, Mr. Khera was told by a receptionist that “this is the United States” and that he needed to remove his Dastaar. When Mr. Khera attempted to explain the religious significance of the Dastaar, the receptionist refused to speak with him. When the Reverend in charge of the facility was summoned, Mr. Khera offered a handshake, but the Reverend reportedly refused to reciprocate and asked Mr. Khera and his wife to leave the facility, saying: “Go donate to some other place; we do not need your donations unless you remove your turban.” Every Sikh Gurdwara—place of worship—throughout the world has operated the Guru Ka Langar—free community kitchen—for more than five centuries. At each Guru Ka Langar, volunteers of all faiths serve free meals to all visitors, regardless of race, religion, gender, caste, or social standing. In keeping with this tradition, Sikh Americans throughout the United States have routinely partnered with churches and other places of worship to feed the homeless and provide relief to victims of natural disasters. “We are profoundly offended that a community center would repudiate a Sikh American because of his religion and refuse his Thanksgiving donation,” said Rajbir Singh Datta, National Director of SALDEF. “Religious discrimination has no place in the United States, and we call upon Union Mission to issue a written apology to Mr. Khera and the entire Sikh American community and work with SALDEF on efforts to celebrate religious diversity in the cause of helping the less fortunate.” SALDEF urges you to contact the Union Mission of Roanoke Rapids to express your disappointment. We commend Mr. Gurnam Singh Khera for bringing this matter to our attention. If you or your children experience discrimination, harassment, or violence because of your Sikh faith, please notify SALDEF at legal@saldef.org or via phone at (202) 393-2700.
Forum designed to create proactive dialogue between government officials and Sikh American community Washington, DC, November 19, 2008 – The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) and the Sikh Society of Florida together have organized a Know Your Rights Forum for the Sikh American community of South Florida on Sunday, November 23, 2008. The following agencies will provide community members with critical information about combating employment discrimination, hate crimes, and school bullying: Nitza Wright – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Mildred Duprey de Robles – U.S. Department of Justice; Marcos Regalado – Miami-Dade County Equal Opportunity Board; and, Randall Mullings – Broward County Public Schools. An invitation was extended to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to discuss the recruitment of Sikh Americans into the local police force. DATE: Sunday, November 23, 2008 TIME: 1:30 p – 2:30 p LOCATION: Sikh Society of Florida (16000 SW 60th Street, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33331) The Sikh American community must continue to build bridges of understanding with government agencies to ensure that we educate ourselves about our rights, educate our public servants about the Sikh religion, and bring Sikh Americans into the mainstream. This forum falls just one week after a highly successful event held in Indiana, where Sikh Americans have felt especially vulnerable to employment discrimination. For the past three years, SALDEF has organized over a dozen KYR Forums throughout the United States, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, California, and Indiana. SALDEF urges all members of the Sikh American community to encourage their local sangat to host a SALDEF Know Rights Forum to make sure they understand their rights and build relationships with government leaders in their area. SALDEF would like to thank the management and community leaders of the Sikh Society of Florida, as well as the participating government agencies, for supporting and sponsoring this event. For additional information about this event, please contact Rajdeep Singh Jolly at legal@saldef.org or via phone at (202) 393-2700 Ext 131. PLEASE distribute this to your family, friends and at the local Gurdwara.
Washington, DC, November 13, 2008 – The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the oldest Sikh American civil rights organization in the United States, in conjunction with the Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis and the Gurdwara Shri Guru Hargobind Singh Sahib, have organized a Sikh American town hall meeting on Saturday November 15, 2008. SALDEF organized this town hall after learning that some Sikh American community members have considered leaving the State of Indiana for neighboring States where employers are perceived to be more welcoming of Sikh articles of faith. Members of the Sikh American community from Indiana are encouraged to attend this event with their children so that they may be informed about their civil rights and engage in ongoing dialogue and partnership with the government leaders who attend. The following agencies will be providing the community with critical information: * Daniel Harter – Regional Director; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) * Thomas Van Worme – Indiana Field Office; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Invitations have also been extended to the Indiana Department of Education, Indianapolis Police Department, Senator Evan Bayh, Senator Richard Lugar, and Congressman Dan Burton. DATE: Saturday, November 15, 2008 TIME: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm LOCATION: Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis 10950 Southeastern Avenue Indianapolis, Indiana 46239 These forums provide a unique opportunity for Sikh community members to learn about their rights and about protecting their families and our community from hate crimes, school bullying, and discrimination. The focus of these forums is to facilitate dialogue and partnership between the Sikh American sangat and our public servants. For the past three years, SALDEF has organized over a dozen Know Your Rights Forums in areas throughout the United States including in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Maryland, Virginia and California. SALDEF encourages all residents of the Indianapolis area to attend this important forum. SALDEF would like to thank the management and community leaders of the Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis and the Gurdwara Shri Guru Hargobind Singh Sahib for supporting and sponsoring this event as well as the participating government agencies. PLEASE distribute this to your family, friends and at the local gurdwara.
Washington, DC – November 11, 2008: For the past 13 years, SALDEF has been representing the interests of and defending the Sikh American community in Washington DC and across the nation. Since our founding as SMART (Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Taskforce), an all-volunteer organization, we have expanded into the oldest and largest Sikh American civil rights organization in the United States. This is only because of your support. DC Fund 08 To show our appreciation, on Sunday December 14, 2008 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm SALDEF has organized our 2008 Washington DC Area Community Fundraising Dinner at the Four Points Sheraton at 1201 K Street NW in DC. Get your tickets today! This event will be a time for friends of SALDEF to come together at a family-friendly event in order to strengthen SALDEF’s work and the community bonds that tie us all together. SALDEF is proud to announce – for the first time in our Nation’s Capital – our special guest, internationally renowned Sikh comedian, Bali Bhan, who has performed at some of the top comedy clubs in the United States At the event, you will hear about SALDEF’s 2008 achievements as well as our plans for 2009 and beyond including our plans for the development of the first National Center for Sikh American Civil Rights, here in the nation’s capital. Before November 30, tickets for Adults are only $50 and for Children/Students are only $20. Prices will increase after November 30, so be sure to get your tickets today! If your company wishes to become a sponsor of the event, please contact SALDEF National Director Rajbir Singh Datta at 202-393-2700 ext 127 or via email at 2008Dinner@saldef.org. Please forward this to your friends and family! REMINDER: Please make sure that you have taken 5 minutes to complete the National Sikh American Exit Poll!
Please join with friends and family to support SALDEF in defending the rights of Sikh Americans Featuring Special Guests Internationally Renowned Sikh Comedian Bali Bhan Musician and Baltimore-native Amrita Kaur Dang Four Points Sheraton 1201 K Street NW Washington DC 20005 Sunday, December 14, 2008 5:00p – 8:00p CLICK HERE FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES INDIVIDUAL TICKETS: Adults: $50 ($65 after November 30 ♦ $75 at the Door) Children 4 – 12 yrs: $20 ($25 after November 30 ♦ $30 at the Door)
Washington, DC: November 7, 2008 – As 2009 nears, now is the time to place your order for the New and improved Sikh Awareness Pocket Calendars. The calendars are a popular and easy-to-use tool to increase awareness about Sikhs and Sikhi in your local community. In their sixth year of production, the 2009 calendars have been fully redesigned to include updated full-color images of Sikh Americans, along with more examples of core Sikh values and facts about Sikhs in the United States. On the back, the calendars have a 2009 calendar in a small, handy, easy-to-use design. The calendars are available in packages of 100 for $10 plus shipping and handling fees. Order Your 2009 Pocket Calendars Today! The Pocket Calendars are a great way to introduce myself to my customers. They are a must have for all Sikh businesses.” -An Oregon Small Business Owner Get Your Calendars before the New Year Begins! To help you reach out more effectively to your community, friends, and neighbors, Spanish language versions of the 2009 pocket calendars are also available. The calendars are perfect for distribution at your workplace, schools, convenience stores, gas stations, senior citizens centers, or public libraries. Sikhs across the nation have shared them with their friends, neighbors, customers, and local officials. SALDEF commends the Sikh American community for taking the initiative to inform their friends, co-workers, customers, and acquaintances about their culture and faith. To order the calendars and other SALDEF publications, please click here or email SALDEF at pubs@saldef.org.