In Kent, Washington, the local community has come forward to reassure the Sikh communityon their concern and protection.
The community is confused by the crime, as it is an old and established concentration of Sikhs. The first gurdwara was founded in the area in the 1940s and today there are five gurdwaras serving 20,000 Sikhs living in Kent and a little less than 20,000 living in the adjacent town of Renton.
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Kent police and the FBI are investigating the crime and have appealed to the community to help apprehend the perpetrator who is described as a 6 foot tall white man of stocky build.
The incident has rattled the victim who is now back home after being treated at the hospital. “He’s very shaken up and very afraid that the person is going to come back and get him again,” Jasmit Singh Kochar, the local Sikh Coalition leader in Renton said.
Indian-American congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has approached the Kent Sikh community to ask for a meeting and expressed her sorrow. She is expected to meet them at a vigil scheduled for March 5 at Belleview, Washington.
“Thoughts & prayers to family & entire Sikh community in wake of horrific shooting. This must be investigated as #HateCrime. #NoToHate,” Jayapal tweeted. After 9/11, Jayapal founded the Hate Free Zone (now OneAmerica), an organization formed after 9/11 to address backlash against immigrant communities.
“It was very disheartening to see the news that somebody was actually a victim of a hate crime, in a city that we have never felt that before,” Satwinder Kaur, a Sikh community leader said. “We open our doors to everybody, everybody is welcome to visit us,” she added.
“Yes, this recent attack is not something new,” conceded Jasmit Singh, “But the frequency is high now,” he said. “If you ask the general Sikh population about being confronted by people and abused, it has definitely increased over the last two months,” he said.
“This is a very unfortunate place we are at — to come to grips with how this is all going to play out,” Jasmit Singh said. “Why is the administration not speaking up loudly and clearly?” he asked.
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“While we appreciate the efforts of state and local officials to respond to attacks like this, we need our national leaders to make hate crime prevention a top priority,” the Sikh Coalition said.
“Tone matters in our political discourse because this is a matter of life or death for millions of Americans who are worried about losing loved ones to hate,”Rajdeep Singh, the Sikh Coalition’s interim managing director of programs said in a statement.
By Premji
