UNITED SIKHS urges Bloomberg to Step-up awareness training

New York City—UNITED SIKHS has urged Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City to step up awareness training for law enforcement and other public agencies to ensure that the humiliating experience of UK Sikh tourists is not repeated.

UNITED SIKHS wrote to Mayor Bloomberg today that the Sikh American Community is appalled and disturbed at the mistreatment of five UK Sikh tourists on Sunday, July 24, 2005, who were removed from a bus, handcuffed and told to kneel on the ground. “These tourists had committed no crime. However, they were misidentified, humiliated and treated worse than common criminals in the heart of New York City. Whilst we understand the heightened alert status that New York City is in after the London bombings, the Sikh American Community feels that such treatment by New York law enforcement is unacceptable,” UNITED SIKHS said in the letter to the Mayor.

“Although the Sikh American community is thankful to you for your quick apology to the Sikhs involved, we believe that further measures need to be taken to prevent misidentification,” the letter continued. UNITED SIKHS proposed the following course of action to Mayor Bloomberg:

1. Meeting to discuss the issues and concerns of misidentification of the Sikh American Community by law enforcement and other public agencies.
2. Sikh Awareness training to conducted for all law enforcement agencies including the anti-terrorism division. UNITED SIKHS will be able to offer this training as it did for police in Albany.
3. Providing education material to educate federal, state, and local law enforcement officials about the Sikh American Community.
4. Initiatives by the New York City Mayor’s office to educate New Yorkers about the Sikh American Community as being a productive community which has made positive contributions to New York City.
5. Programs and initiatives by the New York City to take measures to prevent such abuses and humiliation from occurring in the future.

“Racial profiling is inexcusable within the general public but to find law enforcement agencies acting irrationally at this day and age, begs the question if any lessons were learnt from the unfair backlash suffered by the Sikh community post 9/11,” said Harpreet Singh, legal director of UNITED SIKHS, a human development organisation working for the betterment of the Sikh community.

The Sikhs first faced humiliation and discrimination at the hands of law enforcers when the first person to be arrested in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 was Sher Singh, a turbaned baptized Sikh who was arrested by police from Amtrak because he was wearing his article of faith, a Kirpan. Following his acquittal there was no apology made by police for this misidentification. Further, the first backlash victim who paid with his life was a Sikh, Balbir Singh Sodhi, who was shot dead in Texas within four days of 9/11 because he wore a turban and looked like the terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 act of terror.

The Sikh American Community has been in the U.S. for over 100 years and continues to play a vital role in its contribution to American society. During the aftermath of tragic events of 9/11, over 400 Sikh Americans were victims of bias and hate related crimes. In response, the Sikh American Community has worked very hard to educate the American public about the Sikh faith and community. Thus, UNITED SIKHS and the Sikh American Community consider such types of incidents to be preventable.

“UNITED SIKHS has been involved in providing awareness training for police and the incident involving the UK Sikhs suggests more needs to be done,” Harpreet Singh added.

Issued by:
Manwinder Singh
Director
UNITED SIKHS
Phone: 973-980-2379