Arizona Hate Crime Update

Phoenix, AZ - Responding to violent crimes in the Phoenix metropolitan area, the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA) and the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) collaborated with local leaders and law enforcement officials to organize a community forum to identify and respond to hate crimes. Approximately two-dozen community members gathered with officials from the FBI and local law enforcement on October 9, 2003 at a local Phoenix library to discuss the prevention and prosecution of hate crimes. The forum was facilitated by IACPA Executive Director Christopher Dumm and SMART National Director Preetmohan Singh.

Since the attacks of 9/11, the Sikh community in Phoenix has been particularly affected by violent crimes, including the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi on September 15, 2001 and the shooting of Avtar Singh Chiera on May 19, 2003. The Phoenix-area Sikh community also experienced the murder of convenience store clerk Sukhvir Singh two weeks ago in Tempe; however, this latest incident has not been characterized as bias-motivated.

Mr. Chiera, who attended the forum with his wife, said "I was attacked because of a lack of knowledge among people about Sikhs. We need to educate our society about who we are and end the ignorance." His sentiments were echoed by law enforcement officials who recommended consistently gathering within communities to learn about different religions and cultures.

Marcus Williams, a Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI, stated, "Education and time are the key, not just on negative issues like hate crimes. Communities need to stay visible in the media and take part in a wide range of events." He also recommended citizens joining the FBI's citizens' academy to learn about the federal agency and spread that knowledge in the local community.

Law enforcement officials also stressed building ties with local law enforcement before an unfortunate incident causes panic within the community. Sergeant Mike Horn of the Tempe Police Department said, "Staying in touch with local law enforcement is important so that we know about hate crimes when they happen, and so we can all work together to proactively prevent such incidents."

Although the focus was on education, Dr. Mankawal Sachdev expressed the community's frustration, saying "We have done the education. We've been doing it for the last two years, and there are still people being attacked. What more can we do?"

Responding to what more needed to be done, Rev. Dr. Walter F. Wieder of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Surprise, AZ said, "We make the link that if a Sikh is a victim, it also affects me." Participants also committed to making presentations about their cultures in each other's community centers and places of worship.

Furthermore, participants also committed to collaborating to make presentations at their own community gatherings about hate crimes and discrimination. Balbir Kaur, a local SMART representative stated, "The community needs to know what the laws are, and it needs to go out there and report these things when they happen."