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Hate Crime Perpetrated Against Sikh Gentleman on
New York City Subway over Memorial Day Weekend:
UNITED SIKHS reaches out to family, local police, and federal
agencies to ensure proper investigation; community asked to be
vigilant, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.
Highlights:
- UNITED SIKHS
has contacted local law enforcement and federal agencies to ensure that
thorough investigations will be conducted to bring the perpetrator to
justice.
- UNITED SIKHS
will be working across the nation to forge relationships with Hate
Crimes Joint Task Forces. If you are interested in joining these
Task Forces in your area, please contact law-usa@unitedsikhs.org.
- Hate Crimes
have seen a significant resurgence against Sikhs; 5 cases that have
been classified or are being investigated as hate crimes within the
last 9 months.
- To reach the
New York City Police Department's Hate Crime Task Force directly, dial
888-440-HATE. In the event of an emergency, call 911.
New York, NY:
On Memorial Day, Jiwan Singh was attacked on the "A" train by a
perpetrator who accused Mr. Singh of being the brother of Osama Bin
Laden, and then proceeded to violently attack him, knocking out several
teeth.
The UNITED SIKHS legal team in New York has contacted the United States
Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, the DOJ Community
Relations Service, the New York Police Department, and will be reaching
out to the U.S. Attorney in New York to ensure that a proper
investigation is being conducted and that swift action is being taken
in response to this atrocious event.
Senior Staff Attorney for UNITED SIKHS, Hansdeep Singh, stated that "we
have seen a disturbing increase in the demonizing of certain minority
communities - from events like the Peter King Hearings to current
Immigration policies. We have seen the continuation of racial and
religious profiling of communities with distinctive religious dress at
airports. Sikhs are continually subject to multiple levels of mandatory
screening where others are not. And we have seen the continued
perpetuation of stereotypes through media and now even Government
Representatives that aim to mislead the general public into equating
the wearing of the turban with extremism/ terrorism. If these trends
continue, the Sikh, Muslim, and South Asian communities will only see
more bigotry and violence perpetrated upon them." Attorney Singh calls
on both the community and the government to act, "Together, we need to
work tirelessly to educate others and to prevent these heinous acts
from occurring in the future. Those committing or encouraging crimes of
hate and bias need to be held accountable for their actions."
UNITED SIKHS offers its sympathies to the victim and his family, who
have now twice faced intolerable violence on the streets. Mr. Singh's
son was the victim of a violent attack back in January 2009, when he
was stabbed in the eye with a broken bottle and suffered the loss of
sight in one eye (For details- click here. UNITED SIKHS worked to advocate for the apprehension and prosecution of the attacker).
What can YOU do?
- Enroll in our Sikh Awareness training session.
Contact us at 1-888-243-1690 or email unitedsikhs-usa@unitedsikhs.org
and we will empower you with the knowledge and material needed to
create awareness about the Sikh community and to be able to share that
knowledge with others!
- Be alert and vigilant!
- Join local Joint Hate Crimes Task Forces by contacting UNITED SIKHS legal team at law-usa@unitedsikhs.org
In recent months, the Sikh community has been victim to at least 5
attacks that are currently being prosecuted or investigated as hate
crimes. In March, 2 elderly Sikh gentlemen were gunned down while
taking their daily walk together in Sacramento, California (For
details, click here).
Other violent attacks against Sikhs have occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada
and Atlanta, Georgia -UNITED SIKHS has requested that these crimes be
investigated as hate/ bias motivated crimes.
The Sikh community across the nation needs to be on the alert and must
report any incidences of hate or bias motivated threats or violence.
UNITED SIKHS urges law enforcement and lawmakers to ensure that
thorough investigations will be conducted to identify the perpetrator
of this crime and emphasizes the need for trainings & ongoing
dialogues in order to raise awareness about who Sikhs are.
To report a hate crime to UNITED SIKHS, please click here.
UNITED SIKHS is continuing to work with lawmakers and like-minded
organizations to form hate crime prevention task-forces throughout the
nation, in order not only to prevent violent acts such as these from
being perpetrated against members of the Sikh community but also to be
able to respond quickly and effectively on the local level when hate
crimes occur.
Support advocacy work to stop bias based crimes against Sikhs and other minority communities.
Engage and Volunteer with UNITED SIKHS, and Donate to our civil rights advocacy projects.
Issued by:
Ilana Ofgang
Legal Fellow
law-usa@unitedsikhs.org
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You
can help those affected by countless crises around the world each year
by making a financial gift to the UNITED SIKHS, which will provide
immediate relief and support to those in need. You may donate online at
www.unitedsikhs.org/donate
or send your donations to a UNITED SIKHS office nearest to
you, whose details can be found at https://unitedsikhs.org/contact-us/
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donation is spent on admin costs.
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OUR
MISSION |
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To transform underprivileged and minority
communities and individuals into informed and vibrant members of
society through civic, educational and personal development programs,
by fostering active participation in social and economic activity.
UNITED SIKHS is also an avenue for networking
between like-minded organisations to establish and nurture meaningful
projects and dialogues - whether social, cultural or political- to
promote harmony, understanding and reciprocity in our villages, towns
and cities.
UNITED SIKHS is a coalition of organisations
and individuals, who share a common vision based on the belief that
there is no greater endeavour than to serve, empower and uplift fellow
beings. The core of our philosophy is an unwavering commitment to civic
service and social progress on behalf of the common good.
Accordingly, UNITED SIKHS has sought to fulfil
its mission not only by informing, educating and uplifting fellow
beings but also by participating in cross-cultural and political
exchanges to ensure that the promises and benefits of democracy are
realized by all.
We at UNITED SIKHS believe that the
development of enlightened and progressive societies can be made
possible by socially conscious groups of people who make a commitment
to develop and direct human potential. Our work, efforts and
achievements stand as a testament to our faith in this vision.
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Winner
of the Sikhs and Charities Award
