Hate Crimes | | Page 5

Candlelight vigil in Thomas Township, Michigan, on August 15, 2012, after the mass murder of six Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, by a white supremacist ten days earlier. (Source: MLive)

US House Representatives call for religious diversity summit

July 18, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The targeting of religious minorities in America is reaching a crisis point and we believe your leadership is crucial to stemming this rising tide of violence. — Citing the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, almost one year ago and hate crimes against Muslims, Hindus and Jewish communities since, 37 US House Representatives signed a letter earlier this week requesting that President Barack Obama hosts a summit on religious diversity to help address these […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: Barack Obama, Oak Creek, Religious Diversity Summit, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, US House Representatives, Wisconsin

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"A scene of the procession of the parade held in downtown Phoenix on April 21st." (Source: Valley India Times)

A country of many colors

July 18, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A man was giving small handbills to passersby. We saw a drawing of an American flag, and read this introduction:”We are loyal Americans. We join all Americans in condemning the violence in Boston.” I remembered the shootings at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., in August 2012. I finished the letter, and realized it was a plea not to blame the Sikhs of Phoenix for the bombs in Boston. — Melissa Musick Nussbaum writes in the National Catholic Reporter […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: Arizona, Balbir Singh Sodhi, Boston, Boston Marathon, Melissa Musick Nussbaum, Mesa, Oak Creek, Phoenix

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Split image of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. (Source: Keene Trial Consulting)

Of racism, the victim and the perpetrator within

July 17, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikh Americans continue to reflect about racial inequity after Saturday’s not-guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial in the murder of Trayvon Martin. Simran Jeet Singh discusses means of racial oppression and the dichotomous way such oppression operates within each of us — as both victim and perpetrator: The reality is that the global society is complicit in structural discrimination, and we have all become actors in that process. Sure in some way we are all Trayvon Martin. Each of […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: George Zimmerman, Racial profiling, Racism, Simran Jeet Singh, Trayvon Martin

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"Demonstrators and members of the media gather outside of the courthouse on July 13. The jurors deliberated for more than 16 hours before delivering their verdict." (Source: CNN)

The black, white, and grey, of racism

July 16, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Activist Sonny Singh writes in The Huffington Post about the racial nuances in the George Zimmerman trial: To really understand racism in the United States, we have to understand power. Racism is not just about attitudes; it is a system of oppression. What this means is that white people receive unearned privileges and advantaged simply because of the color of skin, while people of color are systematically disadvantaged and marginalized. That does not make the experiences of all people of […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: George Zimmerman, Racism, Sonny Singh, Sonny Singh Brooklynwala, Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin. (Source: Straight from the A.)

Not all of us are Trayvon Martin

July 16, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In spite of the media’s obsession about the case, I had not followed closely the trial of George Zimmerman, a Florida man of mixed ethnic heritage charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an African American, in February, 2012. I was repulsed from the sensationalizing of this tragedy by the media for ratings, with the hours of talk by dozens of legal experts for its own sake, and particularly avoiding very salient discussions […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reflections • Tags: George Zimmerman, hate crimes, Trayvon Martin

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Attacker of WA Sikh cab driver pleads guilty to hate crime

June 28, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last October, Jamie W. Larson severely assaulted a Sikh cab driver for whom he was a passenger near Seattle, Washington: Jamie W. Larson attacked the cab driver during an Oct. 17 ride after commenting on the man’s turban. According to charging documents, Larson, 48, tore out chunks of the man’s beard during the assault, which also loosened one of the driver’s teeth. During the attack, Larson issued various epithets and made derogatory comments about the victim’s ethnicity. As a result, was […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Federal Way, hate crime, hate crimes, Jamie W. Larson, Seattle, Shepard-Byrd Law, taxicab, Washington State

Oak Creek, WI, Sikhs to commemorate anniversary of mass shooting in August

June 27, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin last August, the Sikh community in Milwaukee is holding a six kilometer run/walk in memory of the six victims of the massacre: The “Chardhi Kala” run/walk will be six kilometers (3.7 miles), in memory of the six victims. “Chardhi Kala” refers to a sense of resilience and optimism. Participants can now register at http://www.chardhikala6k.org. The event will be held Aug. 3, two […]

Categories: Events, Hate Crimes • Tags: Chardhi Kala 6K, hate crimes, mass shootings, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

"Bias Motivation Information" section of the FBI's Hate Crime Incident Report 1-699. (source: FBI)

Tracking anti-Sikh hate crimes is a needed first step

June 12, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last week, to much jubilation among civil rights groups, an advisory committee to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recommended that the FBI begin specifically recording hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus, and Arabs (starting in 2015, as I understand), as it does for other targeted groups. It was for good reason that this announcement would be so celebrated considering the significant and lengthy effort to bring this incremental change. However, it is important to place this addition to the FBI’s […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies, Resources • Tags: Department of Justice, FBI, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Form 1-699, hate crime, National Victimation Survey, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, United States Bureau of Justice Statistics

Cartoonist Vishavjit Singh poses as Captain America in New York's Central Park. (Photo Credit: Fiona Aboud. Source: Sikhtoons)

Picture of the Day: Captain America Singh

June 12, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Vishavjit Singh, the artist behind Sikhtoons, has often opined about adding diversity to America’s pop culture superheros. In October 2012, he wrote an opinion piece for The Seattle Times in which he envisioned a super hero to fight hate crimes, and in a radio interview with National Public Radio in November, he talked about the backlash he received about this vision and of his rendering of Captain America as a Sikh man. On a recent photo shoot in New York, […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Picture of the Day • Tags: Captain America, Central Park, Fiona Aboud, hate crimes, National Public Radio, New York, NPR, Seattle Times, Sikhtoons, Vishavjit Singh

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Category Archives: Hate Crimes

US House Representatives call for religious diversity summit

A country of many colors

Of racism, the victim and the perpetrator within

The black, white, and grey, of racism

Not all of us are Trayvon Martin

Attacker of WA Sikh cab driver pleads guilty to hate crime

Oak Creek, WI, Sikhs to commemorate anniversary of mass shooting in August

Tracking anti-Sikh hate crimes is a needed first step

Picture of the Day: Captain America Singh