Hearing on hate crimes against Sikhs

California State Assembly member Judy Chu was scheduled to convene the Assembly Select Committee on Hate Crimes for a hearing on ‘Hate crimes in the Sikh American community’ on Sept. 22 and 28.

According to a press release, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) was to testify at both hearings about hate crimes against Sikhs and suggest ways to effectively deal with them.

The hearings were expected to bring in law enforcement officials, government representatives, policy experts and community leaders to discuss strategies and policies to address the issues of hate crimes and diversity in public schools.

Sikhs have been a target of several hate crimes in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror strikes in New York and Washington. Many Sikh students at public schools have complained harassment and bullying because of their turbans.

(Compiled from press releases by M. Chooki)