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.
SMART Testifies at California State Legislature
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 representatives recently attended meetings to discuss legislative priorities with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). SMART met with Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), the newly-elected chair of CAPAC, and Rob Leonard, Legislative Aide for Congressman Robert Matsui (D-CA). Attendees at both meetings referred to the 2004 National Council of Asian Pacific Americans’ (NCAPA) Call to Action platform. SMART discussed issues such as hate crimes, racial profiling, and workplace religious freedom issues. Others attending the meeting included representatives of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, and representatives from Japanese American Citizens League, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO and Hmong National Development. SMART has participated in multiple Congressional hearings and town hall meetings sponsored by CAPAC members last year and looks forward to continuing that relationship in the future.
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
California Assembly member Judy Chu, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Hate Crimes, recently convened two hearings to hear testimony and policy recommendations on hate crimes in the Sikh American Community. The hearings took place in both Northern and Southern California and community members testified regarding specific hate incidents including bullying and harassment in school, their places of work, and Sikh Gurdwaras. SMART’s Western Regional Director Kavneet Singh delivered testimony and organized other members of the Sikh American community to speak about their experiences in Northern California on September 22. On September 28, in Southern California, SMART local representative Nitasha Kaur Sawhney testified about the impact on the community, especially drawing attention to the severe effect on Sikh children, as well as the physical, economic, mental, and spiritual impact hate violence is having on the community at large. The hearings also included policy recommendations regarding reporting practices and resources provided by local and national governmental agencies. The testimony highlighted the unresolved problem of recording hate crimes against Sikhs due to state and federal agencies not collecting data specifically on anti-Sikh incidents as they do for incidents against the Islamic and Jewish communities. Unfortunately, most hate crimes against Sikh Americans are recorded as “other.” Another focus of this hearing included policy recommendations related to education, including the use of current resources and development of additional diversity curriculum. In addition to SMART, panelists at the hearing included representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, FBI, LA County Sheriff’s Department, Asian Law Caucus, California Sikh Council, Sikh Coalition, San Jose and San Francisco Police Departments, UCLA API Caucus, South Asian Network, Sikh Dharma, and the California Department of Education.
Washington, DC – SMART today applauded the Senate for approving the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA) as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill on Tuesday. If enacted, the amendment would strengthen existing hate crimes laws to ensure coverage for all communities affected by hate violence. The amendment also provides grants for state and local hate crime prevention programs, and gives the federal government greater power to assist state and local authorities to properly investigate and prosecute hate crimes. The amendment, offered by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR.), passed by an overwhelming 65-33 vote. “By supporting this amendment, the Senate has sent a clear message that hate crimes will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said SMART National Director Preetmohan Singh. “Even before the flurry of post-9/11 hate crimes affecting the Sikh American and other communities, we were working in coalition to pass this legislation. We will continue to support this bill on behalf of all Americans as it moves through the legislative process.” The bill will next be considered in conference with the House of Representatives. The LLEEA strengthens the federal hate crimes statute by removing obstacles to federal prosecution. Current hate crimes law leaves federal prosecutors powerless to intervene in bias-motivated crimes when they cannot also establish that the crime was committed because of the victim’s involvement in a “federally-protected activity” such as serving on a jury, attending a public school, or voting. If the LLEEA is enacted, federal assistance will also be offered to state and local law enforcement officials for the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes in the federal categories, and grants will be given for training in local law enforcement.
Organization Expresses Condolences, Encourages Community to Exercise Caution Washington, DC — Following news reports that Paul M. Johnson, Jr. has been beheaded in the Middle East, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) expresses its condolences to the victim’s family. According to news reports, Johnson, the American engineer kidnapped last weekend by militants in Saudi Arabia, was recently beheaded by his captors. The beheading follows a similar incident in Baghdad when Nicholas Berg was also murdered. SMART, along with Arab, Muslim, and South Asian organizations have noticed a spike in hate crimes when similar events have taken place in the past. Therefore, SMART is encouraging the Sikh American community to exercise caution to safeguard themselves, their property and their local Gurdwara. SMART would like to emphasize that this advisory is issued purely as a precautionary measure. We urge everyone to exercise common sense and rely on their own best judgment. Following the beginning of the war in Iraq, SMART issued a similar warning with detailed recommendations. If you or anyone you know becomes the victim of a hate incident, please report it immediately. SMART has relationships with law enforcement agencies across the nation and will ensure that the appropriate agency is notified of the incident. You can also contact SMART toll free at 877-91-SIKHS (1-877-917-4547). To help the community better respond to an incident, SMART has developed a handy pocket guide that details the steps that should be taken in the event of a hate crime, discrimination in the workplace, police profiling, and states your rights as an airline passenger. Please print and distribute the pocket guide at your Gurdwara, to your local community, family and friends.
Washington, DC – Representatives from the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) again met with FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III today to discuss collaborative efforts to address hate crimes and enhance community outreach. The meeting was held as part of the Arab/Muslim/Sikh American Working Group and attended by SMART President Manjit Singh and National Director Preetmohan Singh. “Director Mueller has done a phenomenal job of bringing us together and recognizes that many in the Sikh American community continue to live in fear,” said Manjit Singh. “We have laid the foundation for consistent outreach from FBI field offices around the country. We look forward to continuing to train new and existing agents to effectively work with the Sikh American community to address hate crimes and build a better working relationship.” During the meeting, Director Mueller stated that it was as important today as September 12, 2001 to protect the Sikh, Arab, and Muslim communities against persons who want to do harm by committing hate crimes. The group also discussed FBI recruitment, no-fly lists, and other civil rights issues with representatives from other government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security. Since September 2001, SMART has also trained over 3,500 local, state, and federal law enforcement officials through awareness and protocol training about the Sikh faith and the Sikh American community. Furthermore, SMART has been working closely with the FBI’s national office and field offices to investigate hate crimes and conduct community outreach.
SMART Notifies FBI, Coordinating Local Response Fairfield, CA – Following the second shooting in the last two weeks at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara (place of worship) in Fairfield, CA, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), is coordinating a response with the local community and law enforcement. While no individual was targeted in the shooting last weekend, several bullets pierced the sign of the Gurdwara, which followed a similar incident that occurred on May 29. Local and federal officials have not labeled this a hate crime and a thorough investigation is currently underway. If the shootings are determined to be hate-motivated, the Solano County Sheriff’s office, which is handling the case, would seek the support of the FBI and Department of Justice. SMART, along with the Sikh Americans across the country, extends support to the Fairfield Sikh community and will continue to work with them as the investigation and community relations efforts progress.
SMART Notifies FBI, Monitoring Fresno Police Investigation Fresno, CA – The Sikh Association of Fresno Gurdwara (place of worship) was vandalized with racist graffiti on Saturday, March 13. Two large scrawls drawn on a board in front of the Gurdwara read “Rags Go Home” and “It’s Not Your Country.” The Fresno police have not identified suspects and are investigating the case as a “racial incident.” The graffiti was reported to the Fresno police on Saturday. Since learning about the incident, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh American civil rights organization, contacted the Fresno Police. SMART also notified the FBI field offices in Sacramento and Washington, DC, along with officials at the Civil Rights Office at the U.S. Department of Justice. Captain Marty West of Fresno police informed SMART that the police have reported the incident to the local Crime Stoppers. The local affiliate of NBC is also publicizing the incident and encouraging tips or information leading to the capture of suspects. The number to call is the Crime Stoppers hot line, (559) 498-7867. Captain West said that all local police squads have been asked to patrol the Gurdwara regularly and are working with the local Sikh community to ensure their safety. SMART, along with the Sikh Americans across the country, extends support to the Fresno Sikh community. We will continue to update the community about the investigation and community relations efforts.