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N
E W S July
30, 2003: Arizona, USA The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney for Arizona, the Governor of Arizona, the Anti-Defamation League and the Sikh community have posted a combined $22,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for shooting Avtar Singh on May 19, 2003. In last week's news conference, held on July 23, U.S. Attorney for Arizona, Paul Charlton, announced that the investigation is progressing and they have leads, but the time has come to ask for the public's help. "We believe there is someone out there who knows exactly what happened," he said. Charlton called the reward unique because it represented government and private interests working together to help authorities solve a crime. SCORE and SikhNet raised $5,000 and $2,000, respectively, on behalf of the Sikh community. The other organizations posted $5,000 each. Guru Roop Kaur, a spokesperson for the Arizona Sikh community, has been in contact with Avtar Singh and his family since the beginning of the ordeal. She told The Sikh Sentinel that Avtar Singh is in a lot of pain still, although he is out of the hospital now. Singh has hired a driver for his tractor trailer, and along with his wife to help him, the three of them ride together on hauling trips and manage to do the work Singh needs to do to keep his job. Kaur also said that the Sikh community and the U.S. Attorney's Office were helpful in finding funds to assist Avtar Singh with his medical expenses, although all expenses have not been reconciled yet. This was an unusual move for a U.S. Attorney to reach out with financial help, and it was very welcomed, said Kaur.
Because of the racial comment and the fact that nothing was stolen, the incident was officially recorded as a hate crime within 18 hours. Two days after Avtar Singh was shot, Senator Richard Durban of Illinois detailed Avtar Singh's incident to the United States Senate and a hate crime Resolution was passed by the Senate condemning hate crimes against Muslims, Arabs, East Indians and Sikhs. Also present at the news conference was Lakhwinder Singh, brother of Balbir Singh who was murdered in Mesa, Arizona shortly after 9/11. "We need more education; this is because of lack of education," he said. Frank Roque, charged with the shooting murder, is expected to go to trial on August 18. This month, 500 religious leaders across the nation, including representatives from SCORE, signed a letter to be sent to Congress with the message that the interfaith community supports the passage of comprehensive, national hate crimes legislation. Current law permits federal prosecution of a hate crime only if the crime was motivated by bias based on race, religion, national origin, or ethnicity, and the assailant intended to prevent the victim from exercising a "federally protected right." The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, S. 966, which is currently being discussed by congressional leaders in our nation's capital, would expand federal jurisdiction to reach violent hate crimes committed "because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, or disability" of the victim. The law would empower federal prosecutors to act in concert with local police and provide funding to these officials to assist with investigations. A broader federal law will also help make up for the inadequacy and absence of inclusive hate crime laws in many states and municipalities. "Hatred and firearms are a lethal combination," said Attorney General Terry Goddard. "Arizona needs to send a clear message that shameful acts of cowardice and racism will not be tolerated in our state. People should never fear for their safety because of their faith, color, nationality…or because of what they're wearing. It's unlawful, immoral and un-American." Persons with information or those who believe they have been a victim of a hate crime can call the Attorney General's Civil Rights Division Hate Crime Hotline at 1-877-491-5742 in Arizona.
Copyright
©The Sikh Sentinel 2003 |
Avtar
Singh, father of two boys who are students at ASU, has lived in Phoenix,
Arizona for 18 years. He has been a truck driver for over 14 years and
he had just recently bought a new eighteen wheeler. That fateful night,
Avtar Singh had just parked his truck a few blocks from his home and called
his son to pick him up. While he was backing out of his truck, someone
yelled "Go back to your own country." and opened fire, wounding
Singh in the lower abdomen and upper thigh. His son, Hardeep Singh, found
him bleeding in the parking lot.