SMART Coordinating with Student, Law Enforcement Boston, MA – Following the seven-hour detention of a Sikh American student by the Secret Service before the Democratic National Convention this week, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) is working with the student and law enforcement officials to address the incident. Sundeep Singh Sahni, a 21-year-old senior at Boston College, believes he was singled out by Secret Service agents staying on the campus last Saturday because of his turban and beard. “I was humiliated because I knew I was being targeted because of my appearance,” said Sahni. “But now it’s wonderful that my college officials and SMART are standing by me to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone again.” The incident occurred shortly after 6 pm when someone on the campus reported Sahni and his two friends as suspicious persons to the Boston College police. The students showed their identification and explained their status as current and former international students to the campus police. Before they could continue with their evening, however, Secret Service agents staying on campus for the DNC arrived on the scene. Sahni and his property was then searched for weapons and bombs and he was questioned until 1:30 am by Secret Service agents. Sahni said one of the agents told him, “I don’t want you pulling an Uzi from your turban.” “We understand that law enforcement is on a heightened state of alert during high-profile events such as the DNC,” said SMART National Director Preetmohan Singh. “But to single out a student on his college campus, detain him for several hours, and make offensive comments about his faith is extremely disconcerting. We believe Sundeep and his friends deserve an apology and we are seeking assurances that this treatment is not repeated.” SMART has notified the Secret Service offices in Washington, DC and the US Department of Justice. Boston College officials are seeking a meeting with Secret Service officials to obtain an apology. News of this incident came on the heels of an announcement by the New York Police Department yesterday allowing Sikh Americans to serve as traffic enforcement agents with their religiously-mandated beards and turbans. Furthermore, SMART has conducted awareness training for over 5,000 local, state, and federal officers about the Sikh American community through its Law Enforcement Partnership Program.
Sikh American Student Seeks Answers from Secret Service about Detention before DNC
Law Enforcement Partnership Program Moving Forward Washington, DC— Over 5,000 local, state, and federal law enforcement officials have now been trained through SMART’s Sikhism 101 for Law Enforcement training under the organization’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program (LEPP). These trainings build better relationships between law enforcement and local Sikh American communities through awareness of practices and protocol. This summer, the training program has been presented in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Missouri, Washington, and Texas. SMART President Manjit Singh said, “Many Sikh Americans are traveling and others work in highly visible public positions such as cab drivers, convenience store workers and gas station operators. With the financial support of the Sikh American community, we can continue expanding this program and to accurately inform first-responders about our faith and practices.” The interactive program includes a 25-slide PowerPoint presentation, videos, and visual aids of Sikh articles of faith. More than a dozen such seminars have been organized around the country with SMART staff and volunteers since last summer when SMART concluded a nationwide, six-city partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS). Over 95 percent of law enforcement agents who have attending the training, have indicated that the training they receive from SMART will help them better serve and protect their communities. SMART, the oldest national Sikh American civil rights organization, has presented this program to over 100 agencies including: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents; Department of Transportation Security Administration personnel; representatives of U.S. Attorney’s offices; federal counter-terrorism task force officials, and local law enforcement officials, including the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department and the New York Police Department. Following the flurry of post-9/11 hate crimes that affected the Sikh American community, SMART has also created a special publication. This pocket reference card provides law enforcement officials recommended protocols for the appropriate handling of the Sikh turban and kirpan.
Washington, DC – Attorney General John Ashcroft met with SMART and representatives of other Arab and Muslim American civil rights organizations on Wed. June 23 to discuss continued collaboration with law enforcement and the Sikh American community. Mr. Ashcroft praised SMART for its law enforcement training efforts and stated that he would work to highlight these and other collaborative efforts in his public statements. “This meeting was an important opportunity to offer SMART’s assistance at the highest level of our government to ensure that the Sikh American and other communities are treated with respect when they interact with federal agencies,” said Preetmohan Singh, SMART’s National Director. “Through these efforts, government representatives at at all levels are gaining an understanding about the Sikh American community. While there are problems that persist, we always highlight the positive contributions our community has been making to this nation for over a century.” The meeting was facilitated by R. Alexander Acosta, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, whose office has coordinated monthly federal interagency meetings to address Sikh, Arab, and Muslim American issues. At the meeting, SMART presented a summary of recent cases, including instances of employment discrimination, continuing hate crimes, and immigration guidelines regarding photos with turbans. Federal agencies represented at the meeting included Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), the Department of Homeland Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Treasury Department, the Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS), and the FBI. Other organizations taking part in the meeting were the Arab American Institute (AAI), the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and the Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights (Karamah).
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 Training Expected to Attract 800 Participants Washington, DC— Approximately 800 local, state, and federal law enforcement officials will participate in an awareness and protocol training regarding Sikhs and Sikhism in the Washington, DC-area tomorrow. The seminar is designed to build better relationships between law enforcement and the Sikh, Arab, and Muslim community and is the final event in a six-city, nationwide training conducted by the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS). The day-long seminar will take place in the suburbs of Washington, DC at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland. The training, entitled Sikhism 101: Awareness and Protocol for Law Enforcement provides an introduction to Sikh beliefs, history and culture. The interactive program includes a 25-slide PowerPoint presentation, video, and visual aids of Sikh articles of faith. In addition to the morning training, SMART will hold a “Training of Trainers” workshop to allow about 75 members of the local Sikh, Arab, and Muslim community to conduct this program in their local communities. Through this program, SMART has already trained over 1,000 law enforcement officials at regional trainings in California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Attendees at previous trainings have included: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents; Department of Transportation Security Administration personnel; representatives of U.S. Attorney’s offices; federal counter-terrorism task force officials; and local law enforcement officials, including the New York Police Department. SMART President Manjit Singh said, “Through these trainings, SMART is working towards affecting systemic change by demystifying the Sikh faith for law enforcement officials and reducing the chance that Sikhs are racially profiled. With the support of the Sikh community and the CRS, we hope to expand this program in the coming months so we can continue educating law enforcement officials across the country.” Based on the backlash that affected the Sikh American community following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, SMART has also created a Law Enforcement Reference Card. This pocket reference card includes protocols for the turban and kirpan and provides additional resources for law enforcement officials.
SMART to Monitor Investigation, Facilitate Community Outreach Richmond, CA–In response to recent shootings of two Sikh cab drivers in the Bay Area, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh civil rights organization, recently facilitated a meeting between local and federal law enforcement officials, elected representatives, and cab drivers. Following the meeting, SMART was able to confirm good faith and diligent efforts by the Richmond Police Department regarding the cab driver shootings. The police are aggressively pursuing leads in the July 2 murder of Gurpreet Singh and the July 5 shooting of Inderjit Singh. The city of Richmond has announced a reward of $2,500 for tips leading to arrests in the shootings. El Sobrante Gurdwara has matched the city’s reward. Following the meeting, the Richmond police agreed to send officers to the El Sobrante Gurdwara to train cab drivers on how to effectively relay emergency calls to local police. Additionally drivers will be trained on how to deal with confrontational situations. Based on the cab drivers’ requests, city officials promised to consider the cab drivers’ suggestions for installing video cameras and glass partitions in cabs. Local law enforcement officials also agreed to consider new taxicab safety regulations to address safety concerns. Attendees at the multi-jurisdiction meeting included Richmond Police Chief Joseph Samuels, County Supervisor John Gioia, Department of Justice Representative Booker T. Neal, and El Sobrante Gurdwara President Harpreet Singh Sandhu, who was there on behalf of the local cab drivers seeking the Sikh community’s assistance in response to the shootings. SMART also discussed conducting awareness and protocol training it has conducted nationally with the Department of Justice to provide law enforcement officials with the necessary background and strategies to more effectively work with the Sikh community. Over thirty South Asian cab drivers, many of whom were Sikh, met at the El Sobrante Gurdwara in advance of the multi-jurisdiction meeting to express their concerns and develop an agenda for the meeting with city officials and law enforcement. Chief Samuels said he is hiring more dispatchers and officers, and invites Punjabi speaking applicants to apply for these positions. If you or someone you know is interested in working as a dispatcher or in joining the Richmond Police, please contact SMART at 202-393-2700. SMART will continue to update the community about the investigation and community relations efforts.
SMART Collaborating with Local, State, and Federal Authorities to Address Death Threats Received by Maryland Sikh Family Washington, DC—Responding to a pair of death threats received by a Sikh family in the Washington, DC metropolitan area three weeks ago, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national civil rights organization, is organizing a community forum to discuss this and issues related to hate crimes with law enforcement officials. SMART is encouraging the DC-area Sikh community to attend the event this Wednesday, August 27 at 7 pm in Rockville, MD (details below). The pair of death threats stated, in part, that the family is believed to be “closely affiliated with the Taliban…[and] plan to kill you and your family members.” Since receiving the threats, SMART has been coordinating with the family and law enforcement authorities, including the FBI, to ensure investigation of these threats as bias-motivated incidents. The community forum, “Combating Hate Crimes,” is being organized in collaboration with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials and community groups to present information about how to effectively deal with such hate-motivated incidents. The event will serve a mutually educational purpose for community members and law enforcement, and will not be a forum where the affected family’s identity is revealed. Confirmed participants include representatives from the Department of Justice, DC Bias Crimes Task Force, Montgomery County Police Department, and representatives from the Sikh, Arab, Muslim, Jewish and other communities. If you live in the DC metropolitan area, please share information about this event with your family and friends. Additionally, please request your local gurdwara to make an announcement about the event and distribute copies of the event flyer (available online, see URL below) at the gurdwara.
SMART Encourages Sikh Community to Attend Public Forum Washington, DC — On Wednesday, June 4th, a day before the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to conduct an oversight hearing on the USA PATRIOT Act, SMART will join a diverse coalition of organizations at a public forum to examine the growing trend of law enforcement to selectively target certain immigrant communities under the guise of national security. SMART encourages the Sikh community, particularly those targeted unjustly by law enforcement since 9/11, to attend the hearing at the Senate tomorrow. The forum entitled: Justice For All: Selective Enforcement in Post-911 America, will examine the post-9/11 impact on the lives of those in the Arab, Muslim, East African, Sikh and Latino communities. A panel will include representatives from national organizations, individuals from the affected communities, along with members of Congress, including Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Patty Murray (D-WA). The forum is endorsed by over 100 national and local organizations including SMART. The details for the event are as follows: WHAT: A nationwide public forum on selective enforcement post-9/11 WHO: Community Members, Civil Rights Advocates, Senators WHEN: June 4, 2003, 10 AM – 12 PM WHERE: 902 Hart Senate Building, Washington, DC
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.