SMART to Monitor Investigation, Facilitate Community Outreach New York, NY–Following the beating of a Sikh family in Queens on Sunday night, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) has learned that the New York Police Department Bias Unit is engaged in an intense investigation to arrest three men who committed the apparent hate crime. The incident occurred outside the family’s home in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens, where the attackers punched and spat at the Sikhs while yelling, “bin Laden family, go back to your country.” (SEE: Drunks beat Sikh family — NY Daily News, 8/5/03) Following conversations with local and federal law enforcement officials, SMART has learned that the investigators are very optimistic about identifying the perpetrators and are working with good leads in the case. The victims declined medical treatment, and the family has been contacted to offer support. SMART condemns this bias-motivated attack on the Sikh family and calls on local law enforcement to give the investigation high priority. Such bigoted acts deserve a strong response from local and national political and religious leaders. SMART will continue to update the community about the investigation and community relations efforts. SMART would also like to thank the Arab and Muslim community for its heartfelt support.
NYPD Investigating Beating of Three Sikhs as Hate Crime
The congressional offices of Representatives Joe Crowley and Joe Wilson, Co-Chairs of the Caucus on India and Indian Americans, will sponsor a briefing on Violence Against South Asians since 9-11. The briefing will discuss the brutality and frequency of hate crimes, along with South Asian community’s response to these incidents since September 11, 2001. A representative of the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), the leading national Sikh American civil rights organization, will address House staff about its public education efforts, coalition-building, and hate crimes legislation. A representative of the South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT) will also make comments and engage in discussion with House Staff. WHAT: A briefing on Violence Against South Asians since 9-11. WHEN: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 10:30 – 11:30 am WHERE: 2255 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20510 CONTACT: Preetmohan Singh info@sikhmediawatch.org 202-393-2700, ext. 27
Washington, DC – Leaders of national Sikh, Arab and Muslim organizations met with FBI Director Robert Mueller II on Wednesday, May 28 to discuss further partnerships with the community and the possible development of an advisory committee that would coordinate efforts at state and national levels. Last week’s meeting, a follow-up to the February 28, 2003 meeting, took place a week after a Sikh American truck driver was shot twice in a hate crime in Phoenix, AZ. “While we appreciate Director Mueller’s initiative to meet with us,“ said Manjit Singh, Chair of the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) Board of Directors, “we want to ensure that preventative measures to reduce hate crimes take place hand-in-hand with investigation and prosecution, especially in light of the Phoenix incident last week.” Singh, who represented SMART, the oldest national Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, voiced the Sikh community’s concerns since the Phoenix incident on May 19, 2003. Following the shooting of Avtar Singh Chiera, the 52-year-old Sikh American who was shot after parking his 18-wheeler, SMART conducted training at the Phoenix Police Department headquarters for law enforcement officials and community leaders. SMART is encouraged that the FBI has responded positively to its suggestion of conducting similar religious awareness and protocol workshops at its training academy and at field offices across the country. Since September 2001, SMART has been reporting hate crimes and working closely with the FBI’s Washington, DC office and their various field offices. Following a meeting last February, the FBI issued a media release saying, “The FBI’s aggressive response to hate crimes has sent a clear message that vigilante attacks will not be tolerated. (Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks), the FBI has initiated 414 hate crime investigations involving Muslim, Sikh and Arab-American victims, with 17 persons being charged federally thus far. Additionally, some 129 persons have been charged with state and local crimes in connection with those investigations.” This meeting was the fourth in a series between the director and the leaders of national Muslim, Sikh and Arab-American organizations, though not all of them have been publicized. Others attending the meeting were representatives of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Arab American Institute, the Islamic Institute, the American Muslim Council, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Phoenix Police Establishes Reward Fund; Sikh Community Urged to Support Reward, Family Funds Phoenix, AZ – Responding to requests from local and federal authorities, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh advocacy group, conducted awareness training for law enforcement officials last week, following the shooting of Avtar Singh Chiera on May 19. Last Friday, May 23, approximately 35 individuals gathered at the Phoenix Police Department headquarters to attend SMART’s awareness training, entitled Sikhism 101: An Introduction to Sikh Beliefs, History, and Culture. Attendees included representatives from the police department, state attorney general’s office, the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS), and members of the local Sikh community. The training was also attended by representatives from local chapters of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the National Conference on Community and Justice (NCCJ). SMART would like to thank the Community Relations bureau of the Phoenix Police Department for arranging the training session on short notice and the Phoenix-area Sikh community for supporting the Chiera family following this unfortunate incident. The individuals responsible for the apparently hate-motivated attack against Mr. Chiera are still at-large. Two funds have been established following the shooting. The Chiera family is facing financial hardship as a result of this crime. Mr. Chiera has no health insurance and will be unable to work for a while. The community can contribute to the Chiera family fund by sending donations directly to the following address: FUND FOR AVTAR SINGH, A SIKH HATE CRIME Bank of America Mail Code AZ3-125-01-01 3246 East Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032 A second fund has also been established by the Phoenix Police Department through the Silent Witness Reward program, aimed at encouraging witnesses to come forth anonymously with information that may lead to an eventual arrest and conviction of the shooting suspects. Contributions to the Silent Witness Reward fund can be made through an online donation to SMART, or by sending donations directly to the following address: SIKH COMMUNITY AID FUND Memo: Avtar Singh Reward Program 2313 N. Richland Street Phoenix, Arizona 85006 Since learning about the shooting from a regional SMART representative early on the morning of May 20, SMART immediately informed local, state and federal authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. SMART representatives spoke individually with the following folks to ensure a coordinated effort: the FBI Squad Leader; Phoenix Police Department Detectives; United States Assistant Attorney General, Arizona; and Director of the United States Department of Justice, Community Relations Service. Recent news reports indicate hate crimes against those perceived to be Muslim or Arab in the United States have been on the rise since the beginning of the war in Iraq. Therefore, SMART encourages Sikh Americans to do outreach, increase civic participation and become active in their communities.
Legislation Would Broaden Federal Assistance in Hate Crime Investigations and Prosecutions Washington, DC – The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), the leading Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, joined civil rights and law enforcement agencies in support of the re-introduction of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA), S.966, in the Senate. “Hate violence is rooted in prejudice and is meant to intimidate entire communities,” said Manjit Singh, Chair, SMART Board of Directors. “Sikh Americans have long suffered from violence based on discrimination, and although legislation cannot expunge hate from our society, this bill sends a clear message that these insidious acts of violence run counter to America’s promise of freedom and tolerance.” The LLEEA would expand federal jurisdiction to reach violent hate crimes committed “because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, or disability” of the victim. The anti-hate crimes legislation brought today enjoys strong bipartisan support in the Senate with 49 original co-sponsors, and is endorsed by more than 175 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations, including: the National Sheriffs’ Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, U.S. Conference of Mayors, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and many others. Sikhs have been victim to over 300 hate crimes and bias incidents since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The latest Federal Bureau of Investigation hate crime statistics from the 2001 calendar year included 2,098 incidents directed at individuals on the basis of ethnicity or national origin. This represents a 130 percent increase from the 911 incidents reported in 2000. Although the FBI statistics do not specify anti-Sikh incidents, SMART is aware that hate crimes are generally underreported by communities based on fear of further discrimination or victimization. SMART, founded in 1996, is the oldest national Sikh American advocacy group. Our mission is to protect the rights of Sikh Americans through legislative advocacy, public education, and legal assistance and ensure accurate portrayal of the Sikh religion.
Teenager in Spokane, WA Faces Possible Hate Crime Charge Washington, DC – Following an incident of vandalism and a break-in this past weekend at a Spokane, WA Gurdwara, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), the oldest national Sikh American civil rights advocacy group, has learned that a teenager has been arrested in connection with the crime. On April 22, SMART learned about the weekend break-in involving racist graffiti spray-painted on the gurdwara’s walls and the theft of an undisclosed amount of money and other materials. SMART contacted law enforcement authorities as soon as it learned about the incident, including local police, the Department of Justice, and the FBI. These officials assured a thorough investigation, and the suspect was booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of second-degree burglary and faces a possible hate crime charge. There has been an outpouring of support from the local community which denounced the crime and has come out in support of the Spokane Sikh community. Students at the Baxter Center School located near the gurdwara helped clean and repair the gurdwara. Neighbors tipped off police detectives leading to the teenager’s arrest who lives not far from the gurdwara. On behalf of the Sikh community, SMART thanks the Spokane community, the students and employees of Baxter Center School for their support and assistance.
Possible backlash against those perceived to be Muslim, Arab or Middle-Eastern Washington, DC, — Following President Bush’s remarks to the nation last night about the developments in Iraq, Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) is cautioning the Sikh American community to take extra safety measures to safeguard themselves, their property and their local Gurdwara from possible backlash if war breaks out in the Middle East. Recent news reports (F.B.I. Warns of Possible Hate Crimes in United States, NYT 3/13/03) indicate hate crimes against those perceived to be Muslim, Arab or Middle-Eastern in the United States have been on the rise. SMART would like to emphasize that this advisory is issued purely as a precautionary measure. A hate crime is targeted criminal activity, motivated by prejudice based on perceived immutable personal characteristics of the victims. Hostile or hateful speech and actions motivated by prejudice are termed hate or bias incidents. These motivations may include race, religion, ethnicity or national origin, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation. Hate incidents become crimes only when they directly incite perpetrators to commit violence against persons or property, or if they place a potential victim in reasonable fear of physical injury. If you or anyone you know, becomes the victim of a hate incident, please report it immediately at http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/incident/incidentreport.htm. 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 KNOW WHAT TO DO, 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. SMART URGES EVERYONE TO EXERCISE COMMON SENSE AND RELY ON THEIR OWN BEST JUDGMENT, BUT OFFERS THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS: (Link no longer available).
Washington, DC – The killing of Sikh San Francisco cab driver, Sukhpal Singh Sodhi, in the early hours of Sunday, may not be a hate crime, San Francisco Police Detective Joseph Toomey told Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) on Tuesday. According to Detective Toomey, the shooting took place in what he calls a known Latino gang neighborhood, four blocks away from where the victim’s car came to a stop. At the site of the shooting were bullet holes in another parked car and in a nearby wall. He said there was also a fresh pool of blood with a trail running along the sidewalk. The blood was not of the victim, he said. Detective Toomey said it is entirely possible that Sodhi may have been dropping off or picking up a fare, or driving by when the shooting took place. At this time he said the police department cannot determine if this is a hate crime and is actively continuing its investigation of the crime as a homicide. Also, robbery has been ruled out as a motive since the victim had a large sum of money on him following the incident. The detective said the chief of police is aware of the interest in this case and has been briefed on it. Sodhi was the brother of Balbir Singh Sodhi, who was murdered in a hate crime in Arizona in the aftermath of 9/11. Earlier SMART had contacted and urged the FBI and the Department of Justice to investigate the killing as a possible hate crime particularly after the city’s police department prematurely concluded that it did not seem to be a hate crime. A joint press conference led by SMART and other Sikh American organizations will be held in San Francisco at noon tomorrow followed by a memorial service at the local El Sobrante gurdwara (Sikh place of worship).
SMART urges the Sikh communities in California to call the office of the San Francisco Mayor and Police Department Washington, DC – Sukhpal Singh Sodhi, a San Francisco cab driver, was murdered in the early hours of Sunday August 4, while driving home. Sukhpal Singh was the brother of Balbir Singh Sodhi, who was murdered in Arizona in the aftermath of 9/11. Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh advocacy group, contacted the FBI and urged it to investigate the killing as a possible hate crime. SMART is very concerned by news reports quoting San Francisco Police Department detectives as saying, “the investigation is in the preliminary stage,” and who also simultaneously concluded that “we don’t believe this is a hate crime at all.” These statements indicate that the police department has unfortunately concluded that Sukhpal Singh’s murder is not a hate crime prior to conducting an aggressive and complete investigation. SMART would like to see those responsible for this crime brought to justice irrespective of their motives. However, SMART urges the Sikh communities in California to write or call the office of the San Francisco Mayor and Police Department and urge them to fully investigate this killing as a possible hate crime. Willie L. Brown, Jr., Mayor City Hall, Room 200 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, CA 94102 Phone: (415) 554-6141 Fax: (415) 252-3107 (TDD) Email: damayor@sfgov.org San Francisco Police Department Public Affairs Office 850 Bryant Street San Francisco, CA 94103-4603 Phone: (415) 533-1651 Fax: (415) 553-1554 Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call the San Francisco Police Department’s homicide division at (415) 431-2127. SMART will keep the community informed about any developments in this case and on the progress of the investigation. About SMART: Founded in 1996 to promote the fair and accurate portrayal of Sikh Americans and the Sikh religion in American media and society, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, member based organization. Its mission is to combat bigotry and prejudice, protect the rights and religious freedoms of Sikh Americans, and provide resources that empower the Sikh American community.
Washington, DC – The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a Sikh American civil rights advocacy group, alongside leaders from the Arab American Institute and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), met with attorneys from the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, the Department of Justice Community Relations Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Ralph Boyd, Assistant Attorney General for Civil rights Tuesday, September 18, 2001. Attorney Amardeep Singh Bhalla, from SMART’s Legal Department, presented the current vulnerable status of Sikh Americans through a discussion about the Sikh identity and its resemblance to the prime suspect, Osama Bin Laden, in September 11 attacks. Bhalla brought to their attention the hate crimes that had taken place since Tuesday’s terrorist attacks including the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi in Arizona, attack against Attar Singh in New York City, and the firebomb attempt on the Cleveland Gurdwara.At the meeting Bhalla conveyed SMART’s efforts, alongside local Sikh organizations across the nation, in documenting and alerting the public to these hate crimes. He stressed the importance of classifying the Sodhi case as a hate crime, the relevance and importance of the ‘kirpan’, and issues surrounding racial profiling. “I told them that Sikh Americans are concerned that there is not enough information out there about who we are,” Bhalla commented this morning. “ I referenced Sher Singh’s arrest as a direct result of this lack of knowledge.” As a result of this meeting the civil rights division will begin investigating and prosecuting these crimes. The community relations service, through SMART, will be sending out information to Sikh Americans about what the federal government is doing about attacks or violence against Sikh Americans and information about identifying and classifying hate crimes. The FBI will be providing information to its 56 field offices to educate their agents about Sikhism and Sikh Americans. SMART also requested some immediate response. Bhalla asked that President Bush, Attorney General Ashcroft or Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Ralph Boyd, with some Sikh Americans along side, make a public statement that the government is aware of this problem and will prosecute such hate crimes to the full extent of the law. Sumeet Kaur, SMART’s Associate Director said, “This meeting shows that Sikh Americans are prepared to work directly with U.S. government agencies at a very high level. With continued support from the Sikh community, our efforts to reach out to the government, the media, and our allies, will put a damper on the scourge of violence against Sikhs.”