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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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Elderly Sikh man brutally assaulted in alleged hate attack – UPDATED

May 7, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last night, news broke that an elderly Sikh man in Fresno, California, was attacked and beaten severely on Sunday in an alleged hate-motivated assault. Piara Singh, 82 years old, was brutally beaten after leaving the Gurdwara Nanaksar in Fresno on Sunday morning: Piara Singh was beaten with a steel rod. He is currently admitted in the hospital undergoing treatment for severe head injuries, and his condition is said to be critical. His rib was also fractured and a lung collapsed during the […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: Anup Singh, California, Florida, Fresno, Gurmej Atwal, hate crimes, Kanwaljit Singh, Oak Creek, Paramjit Kaur, Piara Singh, Port Orange, Prakash Singh and Suveg Singh Khattra, Punjab Singh, Ranjit Singh, Satwant Singh Kaleka, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Sita Singh, Surinder Singh, Wisconsin

The Southern Poverty Law Center counted 1,018 active hate groups in the United States in 2011. (source: Southern Poverty Law Center)

The Southern Poverty Law Center Hate Map

January 22, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a “nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society,” counted 1,018 hate groups in the United States in 2011: This list was compiled using hate group publications and websites, citizen and law enforcement reports, field sources and news reports. Hate group activities can include criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing. Websites appearing to be merely the work of […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies, Resources • Tags: California, Elk Grove, Gurmej Atwal, hate crime, Hate Crime Statistics, hate groups, New Jersey, New York, Oak Creek, Sacramento, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Southern Poverty Law Center, Surinder Singh, Wisconsin

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Children are evacuated from their elementary school in Newtown, CT, after a shooter attacked on December 14, 2012. (source: CNN)

Thoughts and prayers for the innocent lives lost in Newtown, CT

December 14, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

I am sickened with today’s news of another mass shooting in this country, this time at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Preliminary reports indicate around 20 people are dead, half or more of whom are children. It was only a couple of days ago that we were still coming to terms with a shooting at a mall in Portland, Oregon. Gun violence has been a recurring topic on this blog during the last two years, after shootings that took […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, News Bits • Tags: California, Connecticut, Elk Grove, gun violence, Gurmej Atwal, hate crimes, Newtown, Oak Creek, Surinder Singh, Wisconsin

Suspect Vehicle in Elk Grove, CA, murders of Sikh grandfathers (source: Sacramento Bee)

Elk Grove, CA PD provides new details about search of murders of Sikhs

February 8, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Elk Grove, California Police Department provided an update today in their search for the killer(s) of Sikh seniors Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal, who were shot and killed last year while on their daily walk. Based on witness accounts, the police have now have a confirmed description of the suspect’s vehicle: At a press conference this afternoon, police officials said the suspect drove a lifted full-size pick-up truck, tan or gold in color, with a standard-size cab, similar to […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, News Bits • Tags: California, Elk Grove, Elk Grove Police Department, Gurmej Atwal, hate crime, Sacramento, Surinder Singh

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Elk Grove, CA PD to update on investigation of Sikh murders

February 6, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The police department of Elk Grove, California, site of the unsolved murders of Sikh seniors Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal, have scheduled a news conference this Wednesday at 1 PM to update the community on the on-going investigation: “We don’t have a suspect,” said department spokesperson Christopher Trim. “There is some additional information we’re going to be putting out, and we’re going to be asking for the public’s help in solving this crime.” Let’s hope the additional information will help […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, News Bits • Tags: California, Elk Grove, Gurmej Atwal, hate crime, Sacramento, Surinder Singh

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The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2011

January 5, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Happy New Year! As I did last year around this time, I’d like to reflect on what were some of the bigger stories for Sikhs living in America during this past year in terms of their implications on us as a community, or their impact on our collective psyche. It was an up-and-down year for Sikhs. For many, it was a year that reminded our visible minority of the hate crimes and 9/11 backlash that apparently still continue to plague […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Amardeep Singh, Balbir Singh Sodhi, Fauja Singh, Gurmej Atwal, Jan Brewer, Kamal Nath, New York, Rana Singh Sodhi, Ravinder Singh Bhalla, Sikhs for Justice, Surinder Singh, Top 5 Sikh American Stories

Reward Bulletin seeking tips and assistance for the investigation into the murders of Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal

Search for killers of Elk Grove, CA Sikhs continues

October 17, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Yesterday, volunteers from the Sikh and Elk Grove, California (a suburb of Sacramento) communities gathered at the scene of the unsolved murders of Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal, two elderly Sikh friends who were out on their routine afternoon walk in March of this year. Both men were shot in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight and were killed. Their murders – suspected as a hate crime – have not been solved. Yesterday’s gathering was a “Day of Action” as volunteers – […]

Categories: Events, Hate Crimes • Tags: Amar Shergill, Bryan Noblett, California, Darshan Mundy, Day of Action, Elk Grove, Elk Grove Police Department, Gurmej Atwal, hate crime, Jerry Brown, Sacramento, Sophia Scherman, Steve Detrick, Surinder Singh

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“Day of Action” on October 16, 2011 to help solve Elk Grove, CA murders

October 5, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On March 4, 2011, Surinder Singh and Gurmej Atwal, two elderly Sikh friends, were out on their regular afternoon walk in Elk Grove, California, when they were shot in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight on residential street. Both men tragically died and the area’s Sikh and Elk Grove community were left reeling by the attacks. The murders of these innocent men is suspected to be a hate crime. To date, no suspects have been found and the crime is unsolved. […]

Categories: Events, Hate Crimes • Tags: California, Day of Action, Elk Grove, Gurmej Atwal, hate crime, Surinder Singh

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Surinder Singh

Celebrating diversity in the wake of hate

Elderly Sikh man brutally assaulted in alleged hate attack – UPDATED

The Southern Poverty Law Center Hate Map

Thoughts and prayers for the innocent lives lost in Newtown, CT

Elk Grove, CA PD provides new details about search of murders of Sikhs

Elk Grove, CA PD to update on investigation of Sikh murders

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2011

Search for killers of Elk Grove, CA Sikhs continues

“Day of Action” on October 16, 2011 to help solve Elk Grove, CA murders