SALDEF Contacts Law Enforcement Officials Demanding Swift and Thorough Action Washington, DC – On December 22, 2005, the members of Guru Angad Darbar Gurdwara (place of congregational worship), located in Bakersfield, CA, awoke to find two pig heads thrown in front of the Gurdwara. Additionally, a week and a half prior to this incident, eggs were thrown at the Gurdwara building as well. These unfortunate incidents are not an uncommon experience for Sikhs across the country. Three days later on Christmas morning, a Sikh American cab driver, Gurpartap Singh of El Sobrante, was fatally shot as he dropped off his fare in Richmond, CA. The tragic shooting of this innocent Sikh is unfortunately not the first incident of its kind in the East Bay. On July 2, 2003 a 23 year old gentleman, Gurpreet Singh, was also murdered as he drove his taxicab. Additionally, on July 5, 2003 another Sikh man, Inderjit Singh was shot at point blank range while picking up a fare in a similar location to the shooting of Gupreet Singh just three days earlier. Following those incidents in 2003, The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), worked with local law enforcement and civic officials to address the concerns of the Sikh community and the cab drivers. On December 30, 2005, SALDEF spoke with Bakersfield Police Chief Bill Rector about the case and received a progress update on the investigation. The Bakersfield PD has taken this case very seriously, and besides having some strong leads in the case, they also are ensuring that they investigate thoroughly to determine a motive. Additionally, SALDEF has contacted the Police Chief, Mayor and City Attorney of Richmond to express our outrage at the incident and to insure that a full investigation is conducted to ensure what if motive of the crime was indeed bias related. These incidents, along with many other violent crimes against Sikhs in the Bay Area, have caused significant distress and increased a sense of concern among the Sikh community in regards to the safety of themselves and their families. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Sikh Americans have a tremendous increase in hate crimes. FBI statistics show that the number of post-9/11 hate crimes increased three fold from 2001 to 2004. Sikh American Cab drivers and convenience store clerks are particularly vulnerable due to their heightened exposure and high-risk employment. SALDEF offers our condolences to the family of Gurpartap Singh and ask that the entire Sikh American community keep them in your prayers, especially during the holiday season. Additionally, a trust is being set up for Sukhvinder Kaur – Gurpratap Singhs’ widow. While specifics are not yet available, anyone interested in donating to this fund should contact SALDEF at: info@saldef.org to do so. If you or anyone you know becomes the victim of a hate incident, please report it immediately to SALDEF at: info@saldef.org or by reporting it on our website. SALDEF has strong working relationships with law enforcement agencies across the nation and will ensure that the appropriate agency is notified of the incident. You can also contact SALDEF at 202-393-2700. To help the community better respond to an incident, SALDEF has developed the Know What To Do Guide; a handy pocket guide that details the steps that should be taken in the event of a hate crime, discrimination in the workplace, or racial profiling, and states your rights as an airline passenger. Please print and distribute the pocket guide at your local Gurdwara, as well as to your local community, family and friends. To order the pocket guides from SALDEF, please send an email to: education@saldef.org.
Gurdwara vandalized in Bakersfield; Sikh Cab driver fatally shot in Richmond
On April 26, over 100 law enforcement officials attended SALDEF’s “Sikhism 101 for Law Enforcement” training in Manchester, CT. The U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, Kevin O’Connor, delivered the opening remarks before SALDEF National Director Preetmohan Singh conducted the training at Manchester Community College. In addition to local and state officials, other attendees included representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Transportation Security Administration (airport screeners). The U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service organized the training, which also included presentations from the Anti-Defamation League, a national Jewish civil rights organization, and the Muslim community. The training is part of SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program which has trained over 6,500 local, state, and federal law enforcement officials about effectively partnering with the Sikh American community to build better relationships and prevent hate crimes.
Washington, DC – Attorney General Alberto Gonzales met with SALDEF National Director Preetmohan Singh and other national civil rights leaders on April 13 to discuss further strengthening the relationship with government agencies and leading national organizations. Mr. Gonzales, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last month, recognized SALDEF and others’ educational outreach and government relations efforts and expressed an interest in continued collaboration. “We are glad Attorney General Gonzales took the time to meet with us so shortly after he was confirmed,” said Mr. Singh. “We see this as a continuation of the many collaborative efforts we have engaged in with top government officials to ensure that all Americans are treated respectfully and fairly when they interact with federal agencies.” The meeting’s discussion included updates by and for SALDEF on law enforcement training, travel guidelines, and pending investigations. The meeting was facilitated by R. Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, whose office has coordinated regular federal interagency meetings to address government actions and services. Federal agencies represented at the meeting included component agencies of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), State Department, and others. SALDEF met with former Attorney General John Ashcroft in June 2004 to discuss similar issues.
Washington, DC— A poster explaining Sikh head-coverings was recently produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF). The poster is entitled Common Sikh American Head Coverings and provides a brief introduction to the Sikh religion and protocol to follow security screening by law enforcement officials. “[The posters] represent the Department of Justice’s continued efforts to educate government officials about the practices and beliefs of vulnerable minorities,” wrote Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, R. Alexander Acosta, in a letter to SALDEF. “Not only does this lead to greater understanding, but it also helps our officers do their jobs better. Thank you for your assistance in developing these posters and bringing this project to fruition.” The full-color, glossy posters are 24 inches long and 18 inches wide. They were produced following SALDEF’s regular participation in meetings with Assistant Attorney General Acosta’s working group about post-9/11 issues. The DOJ has produced 10,000 copies of the posters, which will be distributed to local, state and federal law enforcement officials. “We are extremely pleased that the DOJ not only took the initiative to produce these posters but will be distributing them to law enforcement officials across the country,” said SALDEF National Director Preetmohan Singh. “Our Law Enforcement Partnership Program has trained thousands of first-responders and this will reinforce information for some and provide a straight-forward introduction for others.” To view a copy of the poster, please click here.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) recently invited SMART to present its Sikhism 101 for Law Enforcement training program as part of its annual conference in Kansas City, MO. SMART’s National Director Preetmohan Singh presented the curriculum introducing law enforcement officials to the Sikh faith and its articles of faith. The audience included representatives from police departments, community-based organizations, and other faith groups from across the nation involved with the COPS program. This curriculum has already been presented to over 4,000 law enforcement officials, with over 90 percent of them stating that it will help them better perform their duties. SMART is working with COPS to further expand this training to increase effective partnerships between the law enforcement and Sikh communities nationally.
The New York Police Department has dropped it opposition to Sikh Americans from serving with their turbans and uncut beards, mandatory articles of the Sikh faith. Jasjit Singh Jaggi had filed a complaint last year with the Commission on Human Rights accusing the New York Police Department of religious discrimination. He claimed he was forced to resign because he refused to shave his beard and stop wearing a turban. The commission ordered the police department to reinstate Jaggi last month, and the city had until Thursday to appeal the ruling. The city of New York decided to not appeal the decision by the Commission on Human Rights. Jasjit Singh Jaggi will now be reinstated to serve as traffic officer for the New York Police Department (NYPD) after appropriate accomodations have been worked out. Also, NY Newsday reported yesterday that the city of New York would settle a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, by Amric Singh Rathour, over the same issue. Addtionally, Jagjit Singh became the first turbaned Sikh to graduate from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department’s program for reserve officers. SMART congratulates the efforts of Panthic Cause, Sikh Coalition and the California Sikh Council for their support of these Sikhs in their quest to serve in law enforcement. SMART has trained over 5,000 local, state, and federal officers through its Law Enforcement Partnership Program and can now refer future trainees to uniformed Sikh police officers in the United States.
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.
In the last several weeks, SMART has met with senior officials at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies. These meetings have involved discussions about no-fly lists and training federal employees to ensure awareness of the Sikh articles of faith. During these meetings, SMART was assured that the Transportation Security Administration, which now oversees approximately 45,000 airport screeners, is using its resources to train current and new employees. Furthermore, since September 11, 2001, SMART has been part of a small working group headed by FBI Director Robert Muller, that meets regularly to address hate crimes and other law enforcement related issues of concern to the Sikh, Arab, and Muslim American communities. Although recent statistics indicate a reduction in the number of hate crimes, SMART is aware that many of these incidents go unreported with in our own community. Therefore, SMART will continue to work with the law enforcement and Sikh community to report, investigate, and prosecute hate crimes across the U.S.
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.