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Gilbert Garcia has been arrested in the assault on 82-year-old Piara Singh on May 5 in Fresno, California. (source: Crime Voice)

Attacker of Fresno, CA, Sikh senior deemed unfit to stand trial

October 23, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Back in May, Gilbert Garcia attacked an elderly Sikh man named Piara Singh with a metal rod outside a Gurdwara in Fresno, California. Piara Singh, 82 years old, was hospitalized due to the injuries he sustained that included severe head injuries and collapsed lung. He was discharged home where he is recovering from his injuries. The attack was quickly deemed a hate crime based on statements made by Garcia after the attack. On Monday, after a third medical evaluation, it […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: California, Fresno, Gilbert Garcia, hate crime, hate crimes, Piara Singh

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Capture from "The Asian & Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America."

Documentary featuring Sikh faith to broadcast in CA in October

October 11, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

If you are in northern or southern California, tune in (or set your digital recorders) to watch a broadcast of the documentary “The Asian & Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America” which profiles the Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths and compares with the Abrahamic faiths: The film will explore the relationship involving Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. The documentary will examine their similarities and differences and with the Abrahamic religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam – and how […]

Categories: Events, TV/Movies • Tags: California, KVCR, KVIE, PBS, The Asian and Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America, Yuba City

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Vandals carve ‘We Want No Hindus At SBLL’ Into Sikh little league coach’s truck in Yuba City, California. (Source: CBS Sacramento)

Adding to a history of defacement

October 3, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Recently, in Yuba City, California, the vehicle of Suk Dulai, a Sikh man and coach of a youth baseball team in the Sutter Buttes Little League, was vandalized with a racist message carved into the paint stating “We want no Hindus at SBLL.” “If this continues, what’s going to be the next step?” said Dulai. “That’s the most scary part of it.” The Yuba City police department is reportedly treating this incident as a hate crime. This crime is not […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: California, hate crimes, Suk Dulai, Sutter Buttes Little League, vandalism, Yuba City

"Santokh Singh Sahi speaks with guest during a meet-greet with members of the Sikh community, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013 at the Glen Avon Library. " (Credit: STAN LIM/Press-Enterprise)

“If you tell me why you shave, I’ll tell you why I keep my hair”

September 16, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After a Gurdwara near Riverside, California, was vandalized in late July with the word “terrorist” spray-painted on its walls, the Sikh community held an open house to engage with its neighbors in the area: Santokh Singh Sahi, 72, a member of the temple, Riverside Gurdwara, said the open house Tuesday night, Sept. 10, and the support the temple has received leading up to it decreased the apprehension temple members felt after the vandalism. “We feel more safe and secure because […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Interfaith • Tags: Antonio Arias, California, Graffiti, hate crimes, Jurupa Valley, open house, Riverside, Santokh Singh Sahi, Sikh Gurdwara of Riverside, vandalism

2nd Annual Sikh Coalition 5K for the 5Ks Run. (Credit: Karaminder Ghuman. Source: Sikh Coalition)

Seeking your support for the Sikh Coalition

September 11, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Named after the Sikh articles of faith, the Sikh Coalition is holding its third annual 5K For The 5Ks fundraiser on October 5 in Sunnyvale, California, in support of their work to ensure that Sikhs are able to enjoy our right to practice our faith freely in this country. I have been a volunteer for the Sikh Coalition for two and a half years, and I realize how crucial support from our community is in enabling us to continue our […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events • Tags: 5K for the 5Ks, California, Sikh Coalition, Sunnyvale

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"Giani Gurbachan Singh, who traveled from India for the groundbreaking of a new Sikh temple in the 10400 block of Larkin Road in Live Oak, reads from the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, on Friday, Aug. 30, 2013. The 25,000 square foot complex will include three structures on nearly 11 acres and will be the largest Sikh temple site in Yuba-Sutter." (Photo: David Bitton/Appeal-Democrat)

Live Oak, CA, Sikh community breaks ground on new Gurdwara

September 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last week, the Sikh community of Live Oak, California, broke ground on a new Gurdwara for their growing congregation: The 25,000-square-foot complex, which will be the area’s largest, will include three structures on nearly 11 acres in the 10400 block of Larkin Road. The main hall will be about 10,000 square feet and the dining and multipurpose areas will each be around 7,500 square feet. It is expected that the estimated $4 million dollar project will be completed within one […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Gurdwara, Live Oak

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Celebrating diversity in the wake of hate

August 16, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After two Sikh grandfathers were shot and killed while on their daily walk in a suspected (and yet, unsolved) hate crime in Elk Grove, California, in March, 2011, the city council sought to promote the diversity of and among its residents: In October 2011, each council member appointed two of the more than 30 applicants to serve on the 10-member Elk Grove Multicultural Committee… “I thought the creation of it was very timely, not just because of the shootings but […]

Categories: Events, Hate Crimes • Tags: California, Elk Grove, Elk Grove Multicultural Festival, Gurmej Atwal, hate crimes, Sacramento, Surinder Singh

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Sikh boys refused entry to a go-karting attraction in Livermore, California, because they were wearing patkas. (Source: Sikh24)

No-karting for Sikh boys in CA

August 13, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In late July, at a theme park in Livermore, California (called Boomer’s Parks), several Sikh boys wearing patkas (a version of a turban for young Sikh boys) were not permitted to ride on go-karts because the owners of the attraction, Palace Entertainment, have a strict policy prohibiting loose hair or any kind of head-covering: “We’ve had a safety policy in place for quite some time at all our parks that prohibits hats, baseball caps, Yarmulkes,” [Palace Entertainment spokesperson Michele Wischmeyer] […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: AMC Theatres, Boomer's Parks, California, Kirpan, Livermore, Palace Entertainment, patka, Turban

Graffiti spray-painted on the walls of the Gurdwara in Jurupa Valley, CA. (Source: Sikh24)

Vandal of Jurupa Valley, CA, Gurdwara, arrested

August 8, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A juvenile has been arrested in last week’s vandalism of a Gurdwara in Jurupa Valley, California, when the word “terrorist” was spray-painted on the walls of the Sikh house of worship: Investigators conducted a lengthy investigation into the vandalism that led to the arrest of a juvenile responsible for the temple vandalism. Subsequent investigation revealed that the same juvenile was also responsible for an ongoing vandalism spree that began in August of 2012, resulting in 33 separate vandalism crimes, totaling […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: California, Graffiti, hate crimes, Jurupa Valley, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, vandalism

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: California

Attacker of Fresno, CA, Sikh senior deemed unfit to stand trial

Documentary featuring Sikh faith to broadcast in CA in October

Adding to a history of defacement

“If you tell me why you shave, I’ll tell you why I keep my hair”

Seeking your support for the Sikh Coalition

Live Oak, CA, Sikh community breaks ground on new Gurdwara

Celebrating diversity in the wake of hate

No-karting for Sikh boys in CA

Vandal of Jurupa Valley, CA, Gurdwara, arrested