Mani
01-13-2016, 10:31 PM
http://www.voiceonline.com/la-sikh-bus-driver-assaulted-and-called-terrorist/
Wednesday, January 13th, 2016 | Posted by Rattan Mall
LA Sikh bus driver assaulted and called “terrorist”
Los Angeles (Sikh Coalition): A bus passenger brutally attacked a turbaned Sikh bus driver in Los Angeles on November 6, 2015, calling the driver a “terrorist“ and “suicide bomber,” and accusing him of hijacking the bus.
In the face of this hate crime, Balwinder Jit Singh, a father of five, who has worked as a bus operator for 17 years, kept his foot on the brake of the running bus while he was beaten. Singh’s courage ensured the safety of the pedestrians and passengers. The assault left Singh in the hospital with a black eye, swollen and bruised face and jaw, and infection in his eye. Two months later, he continues to suffer from blurred vision and pain. Singh, who is on the board of the recently vandalized gurdwara in Buena Park, has retained the Sikh Coalition to represent him in this ongoing criminal investigation.
Although Singh immediately reported the incident to the police, he delayed going public because he didn’t know how to do so until he contacted the Sikh Coalition. “I know that sharing my story sheds further light on the bigotry and hatred faced by communities across the nation,” said Singh. “These crimes cannot be tolerated.”
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, the individual responsible is currently in custody with the Los Angeles Police Department on a different criminal case. Police say the suspect potentially faces only misdemeanor assault charges for attacking Singh. These charges fail to capture the violent nature of the attack, and the anti-Sikh bias that precipitated it. The Sikh Coalition’s legal team is working with the local sheriff’s department and the FBI to push for a hate crime investigation and prosecution.
“In the face of hateful rhetoric and the current climate of fear, we must ensure that all bias-based incidents are thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice,” said the Sikh Coalition’s senior staff attorney, Gurjot Kaur. “We cannot fight hate if law enforcement agencies ignore or fail to recognize hate crimes.”
The violence against Singh is another incident in a string of bias-based attacks against Sikhs across the country in recent months.
Since December in California, a gurdwara in Orange County has been vandalized, a Sikh man in Fresno has been hit by a truck and beaten, and a Sikh store clerk in Fresno has been fatally stabbed. Over the last month, the Sikh Coalition has processed over three times the amount of legal intakes related to hate backlash than in previous years.
:(
This is getting almost as bad as the 9/11 backlash.
Wednesday, January 13th, 2016 | Posted by Rattan Mall
LA Sikh bus driver assaulted and called “terrorist”
Los Angeles (Sikh Coalition): A bus passenger brutally attacked a turbaned Sikh bus driver in Los Angeles on November 6, 2015, calling the driver a “terrorist“ and “suicide bomber,” and accusing him of hijacking the bus.
In the face of this hate crime, Balwinder Jit Singh, a father of five, who has worked as a bus operator for 17 years, kept his foot on the brake of the running bus while he was beaten. Singh’s courage ensured the safety of the pedestrians and passengers. The assault left Singh in the hospital with a black eye, swollen and bruised face and jaw, and infection in his eye. Two months later, he continues to suffer from blurred vision and pain. Singh, who is on the board of the recently vandalized gurdwara in Buena Park, has retained the Sikh Coalition to represent him in this ongoing criminal investigation.
Although Singh immediately reported the incident to the police, he delayed going public because he didn’t know how to do so until he contacted the Sikh Coalition. “I know that sharing my story sheds further light on the bigotry and hatred faced by communities across the nation,” said Singh. “These crimes cannot be tolerated.”
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, the individual responsible is currently in custody with the Los Angeles Police Department on a different criminal case. Police say the suspect potentially faces only misdemeanor assault charges for attacking Singh. These charges fail to capture the violent nature of the attack, and the anti-Sikh bias that precipitated it. The Sikh Coalition’s legal team is working with the local sheriff’s department and the FBI to push for a hate crime investigation and prosecution.
“In the face of hateful rhetoric and the current climate of fear, we must ensure that all bias-based incidents are thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice,” said the Sikh Coalition’s senior staff attorney, Gurjot Kaur. “We cannot fight hate if law enforcement agencies ignore or fail to recognize hate crimes.”
The violence against Singh is another incident in a string of bias-based attacks against Sikhs across the country in recent months.
Since December in California, a gurdwara in Orange County has been vandalized, a Sikh man in Fresno has been hit by a truck and beaten, and a Sikh store clerk in Fresno has been fatally stabbed. Over the last month, the Sikh Coalition has processed over three times the amount of legal intakes related to hate backlash than in previous years.
:(
This is getting almost as bad as the 9/11 backlash.