New York, July 20, 2004
New York Daily
Last Sunday's senseless attack on a Sikh man - a 54-year-old father
and community leader - in Richmond Hill, Queens, was the latest reminder
that prejudice and hate are alive and well on the streets of New York.
The brutal beating of Rajinder Singh Khalsa, classified by police as
a bias crime, was a powerful argument for the urgent need not only to
denounce hate crimes, but also to take concrete steps to prevent their
recurrence.
Khalsa and his cousin, Gurcharan Singh, were going to have tea at the
cousin's Indian restaurant on 101st Ave. But because they were wearing
turbans, they ended up being made fun of and savagely beaten by a group
of white men who, in their ignorance, mistook them for Muslims and made
references to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
"It is a real problem that because of the war in Iraq, the government
is unintentionally sending messages that create an environment in which
these actions can become more common," said Bryan Pu-Folkes, the
executive director of the Jackson Heights' New Immigrant Community Empowerment
(NICE).
"Things like 'These people look suspicious and cannot board that
plane,' or 'the people who come from that country must register,' certainly
do not help," he said.
And he added: "We need to counter those messages. We need to educate
the children in the schools and we need to make clear that we live in
a no-hate zone and that this kind of attack will not be tolerated."
The six bigots who attacked Khalsa - five suspects are still on the
loose - surely were not aware that he had earned numerous awards for
his community service and volunteer efforts and that he helped to organize
a group to donate blood after 9/11. But it probably would not have mattered
anyway. That is how irrational - and dangerous - prejudice and hatred
are.
"Communities, government and all sectors must do better at working
together to stop hate crimes in New York City," Pu-Folkes said.
"And they must do it right away."
That is why on Thursday, almost 100 people in a diverse, multiethnic
coalition of more than two dozen civil rights organizations, Public
Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and
other leaders and groups gathered on the steps of the Queens Borough
Hall to denounce the attack on the Sikh community and demand justice.
Of course, not only Sikhs and Muslims are victims of hate. As you probably
remember, several Mexican immigrants also have suffered savage beatings.
In reality, all immigrants are at risk.
Pu-Folkes, who coordinated the protest, said the community demanded
that police be more responsive to hate crimes against immigrants and
that the attackers be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Since
the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 10 bias incidents have been reported
to the Richmond Hill 102nd Precinct, but no one has been prosecuted.
But nothing was as important at Thursday's demonstration as the announcement
that NICE and the coalition are developing a concrete plan of action
- expected to be ready by early fall - to counter the unintended negative
government messages and promote greater understanding.
"Diversity without understanding is chaos," said Pu-Folkes
who, along with other coalition leaders, met on Friday with the mayor's
office to discuss the action plan and ways to establish a more effective
collaboration.
"It cannot be only a matter of responding when an attack happens,"
Pu-Folkes said. "It has to be an ongoing effort to prevent these
unfortunate incidents from taking place."