The George Floyd Murder Trial and The Sikh Perspective

April 22, 2021
New York, NY
On April 20, 2021, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of the murder of George Floyd.  Like most of the world, the Sikh community watched and held its breath, not knowing what would be the outcome or the reaction that could ensue from the public reading of the verdict.  
“It’s been almost a year since George Floyd died at the hands of the Minnesota Police Department and no one is happy,” stated Tejinder Bains, a criminal defense attorney in Queens, NY.  “Instead, communities, regardless of color, creed or ethnicity, like the Sikh community, feel the pain of the Floyd family because many too have had to endure similar senseless violence and sudden tragedy, often without the opportunity to find closure.   For some Sikhs, the Chauvin conviction brings a sense of relief that justice can prevail.”
The George Floyd murder spiked world-wide protest as people joined in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.  “So many people were waiting for too long to see if the right thing was going to happen and it did,” said Mr. Bains.   “A jury of twelve of Derek Chauvin’s peers all publicly and unanimously found him guilty on all 3 counts,“ he said. “There are 3 other officers facing criminal charges stemming from the Floyd murder but there’s no arguing that justice has prevailed in the trial against Derek Chauvin,” he added.
Mr. Gurpreet Singh, at UNITED SIKHS’  stated, “These tragedies are the result of ignorance of the value of a human life.  In the Floyd case, the police could have made a clean arrest.  Instead, a life was taken.”  
The Sikh community took stock because only a few days earlier, four Sikhs became the latest of a line of Sikhs killed in America simply because of who they are or are perceived to be. This time they were among the victims of a gunman who killed eight innocent people in a FedEx facility in Indianapolis.  Some speculate that the many Sikhs who worked at the faculty were the targets but a police investigation is still under way.
“We are a very peaceful people and our religion teaches us to be of service to others.  But we are being targeted,” states Mr. Singh.  
Others question what the government is doing to enact police reform, to abate hate crimes and to address high incidents of mass shootings and gun violence.  “One thing is clear and that is that a solution to these problems must be found,” stated Ms. Jaspreet Kaur, an activist and Director at Voice for Freedom.  “None of us can live peacefully while violence is being perpetrated against our communities.”  
UNITED SIKHS’ has been advocating to assist the Sikh families in Indianapolis who lost loved ones in the FedEx shooting.  National Legal Director, Wanda Sanchez Day stated, “There is undoubtedly a law enforcement crisis that is affecting families, and particularly racial and ethnic minority communities in this country.  We must develop a plan to address these problems sooner rather than later.  We know that police reform is needed, we know that better hate crime and hate incidents data and statistics are needed and we know that we cannot allow guns to be in the hands of those who incite violence and who are not capable of acting responsibly.  We also know that we must teach tolerance and acceptance.”
Gundeep Singh 
UNITED SIKHS
Media Coordinator