Hate Crimes
In Arizona, four days after the infamous 9/11 attack, Sodhi is shot and killed outside a gas station. He was unarmed and he owned the gas station. He was 49 years old. The man who shot him was Frank Roque. After being arrested, he shouts, "I'm a patriot and an American."
In New York in 2001, three teenagers decided to burn down this sacred Sikh temple because they thought that it was named after Osama Bin Laden. It is scary how unaware the world was about Sikh people. Any sort of hate crime is horrible but the fact that this hate crime is directed towards people who are in no way associated is even more crazy.
In December of 2001, a liquor store owner named Surinder Singh Sidhi, wore an American flag turban in fear of being attacked after 9/11. Little did he know that, that would not prevent his attackers. In California, two men beat him in his store and accuse him of being Osama Bin Laden.
Sukhpal Singh was driving his cab and was shot in August 2002 in California. He was also the brother of the first Sikh murdered which was reported. It is unfortunate that the family has to suffer two losses. A year later and the hate is still so overpowering.
A truck driver named Avtar Singh is shot while he is waiting for his son to pick him up. As he is shot, he hears someone say, "go back to where you belong." Who is this person that is trying to determine where another person belongs? After 9/11 people became so influenced by hatred towards people who look different that they think they can shoot others.
In New York in 2007, six years after 9/11, an older student forcibly cuts 15 year old student's hair. As I have mentioned before, Sikh people do not cut their hair because it is a way for them to show respect to God. This is part of their religion. By cutting his hair without his consent, the older student is taking away this boy's religious rights.
In New York in 2008, Baljeet Singh has his nose and jaw broken by his neighbor. His neighbor attacked him and had often disturbed other Sikh people at the temple. Baljeet was 63 years old at the time.