UNITED SIKHS Calls on U.S. Officials to Ramp Up Hate Crime Investigation Nation-wide
UNITED SIKHS met with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) officials on October 12, to call attention to Sikh community’s concerns about violence occurring in ever more vicious and random attacks against Sikhs in the United States.
The most recent violence has been against a Sikh family, including a 8-month old infant, in California found dead after being kidnapped. Before that, there have been a series of vicious unresolved crimes against Sikhs. These include a Sikh man who was killed execution-style in New York in June of this last summer. In 2019, a Sikh grandfather was murdered at knife point and his murder is still unsolved. What we know about this violent murder is that while a suspect was arrested in the case, charges were not sustained and he was released almost a year later. In 2017, a young Sikh boy was found shot in his garage, the proceeds of the sales of the store owned by his family still in his pocket and there are more including a surge in hate and bias based shootings against Asian community members recently.
Hate crimes (also known as “bias crimes”) are recognized as a distinct category of crimes that have a broader effect than most other kinds of crimes because the victims are not only the crime’s immediate target but also others like them. The FBI Hate Crimes Database was created to “provide transparency, create easier access, and expand awareness of criminal and noncriminal, law enforcement data sharing; improve accountability for law enforcement; and provide a foundation to help shape public policy with the result of a safer nation.”
Despite increase in data collection, In 2021, most major cities experienced a cumulative 44% jump in reported hate crimes and the U.S. has experienced a series of fatal incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including a series of deadly shootings. The Sikh community has been under attack in this way, especially since 9-11.
Despite incomplete hate crimes reporting, the data shows that 61.8% of victims were victimised because of the offenders’ race/ethnicity/ancestry bias and 198 hate crimes were committed against Sikhs in the U.S. from 2018-20.
Studies have recommended the use of non-traditional data sources to examine trends and predict hate crimes. They also recommended identifying the characteristics of persons who commit hate crimes as a tool for preventing and investigating crime but it is unclear whether these recommendations are being followed by all law enforcement nation-wide. “We need to ensure that they do because this research and the methods recommended could assist police and prosecutors in responding to, investigating, and prosecuting hate crimes,” states UNITED SIKHS advocate Mr. Manpreet Singh who attended the meeting with DOJ and FBI officials this week.
In addition to hate crime measurements and the use of non-traditional data sources to examine trends, UNITED SIKHS told officials in the Biden Administration at the meeting this week that cultural empathy and socio-diversity in law enforcement and at all government levels is needed to develop trust and working relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve. “Government officials at all levels must be diverse in language abilities and have cultural expertise of the people they serve. This begins from the top down,” states Wanda Sanchez Day, UNITED SIKHS Chief Legal Officer and National Legal Director. “We can’t build trust if the people you’re being asked to trust don’t understand your concerns or your language,” she states.
The community needs reconciliation and this must start with a willingness to accept that hate and intolerance of Sikhs and others plays a role in this violence. The community is well aware of this. They live with hostility on a day-to-day basis from both within the United States and abroad.
“Even if these cases are not about hate, the community needs to know. They need to know from their leaders that they really understand the problem, from the community’s perspective, and that there are sophisticated and appropriate procedures to deal with the problem.” states Ms. Sanchez Day. “These intentional, random and vicious crimes are caused by perpetrators that may have mental impairments but that’s simply one factor and should not be the end of the investigation,” she stated.
“These are vicious and apparently random crimes that evade the police and their capabilities in many cases because it’s difficult to detect and prosecute when violence is this random,” stated an FBI spokesperson on the call. In that case, crimes will go unsolved and the motive evades understanding. Unless the police are willing to use nontraditional data sources, the solutions will continue to evade us. The community must know what the procedure is and that it’s being followed so they can muster up confidence in the institutions that should protect them and their loved ones.
“We need to protect our communities by delving deeper because even if the perpetrator has a mental health problem these crimes do not occur in a vacuum. We need to get ahead of this because otherwise domestic terrorists and others who sow discord win,” said Mr. Manpreet Singh, a UNITED SIKHS advocate
Law enforcement, in small towns and big cities alike, must be armed with the resources, training and clear procedure. This includes detailed data that can inform their investigation and sophisticated training about how to use this data, from the first officer on the crime scene to all involved in the investigation.
“When you’ve waited 3 years and more, as have the families of the victims in many of these crimes, you need information as much as you need Justice. The community needs to know that leaders are on the job and that they have a plan to resolve their cases, states Ms. Sanchez Day.
“Procedure! We want to know what procedure the local police and the FBI are following to resolve these crimes. We don’t see that,” states Mr. Manpreet Singh, a UNITED SIKHS advocate. “We want answers and we have been patient!”
The mental health of suspects and the constraints of the U.S. Constitution places on law enforcement hinder solutions but are not excuses for our failure to follow up decisively,” stated Advocacy Director Manvinder Singh. “Every case of vicious violence is different but there are also similarities, trends that may lead to motives being identified at the crucial moment or even crimes prevented,” he stated.
Officials of the DOJ and FBI committed at this meeting to providing information including local contacts within the local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and to facilitate communication with local law enforcement in these cases.
UNITED SIKHS is here to help facilitate understanding and reconciliation with the communities we all serve so that we work together to find solutions and reconciliation. While this will not alleviate the hurt and apprehension the families have or the fear the community lives with immediately, it will hopefully show accountability and the transparency the community seeks for their safety in the future.
UNITED SIKHS
Manvinder Singh
Director of Advocacy