New York, July 20, 2004
New York Daily

Last Sunday's senseless attack on a Sikh man - a 54-year-old father and community leader - in Richmond Hill, Queens, was the latest reminder that prejudice and hate are alive and well on the streets of New York.

The brutal beating of Rajinder Singh Khalsa, classified by police as a bias crime, was a powerful argument for the urgent need not only to denounce hate crimes, but also to take concrete steps to prevent their recurrence.

Khalsa and his cousin, Gurcharan Singh, were going to have tea at the cousin's Indian restaurant on 101st Ave. But because they were wearing turbans, they ended up being made fun of and savagely beaten by a group of white men who, in their ignorance, mistook them for Muslims and made references to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"It is a real problem that because of the war in Iraq, the government is unintentionally sending messages that create an environment in which these actions can become more common," said Bryan Pu-Folkes, the executive director of the Jackson Heights' New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE).

"Things like 'These people look suspicious and cannot board that plane,' or 'the people who come from that country must register,' certainly do not help," he said.

And he added: "We need to counter those messages. We need to educate the children in the schools and we need to make clear that we live in a no-hate zone and that this kind of attack will not be tolerated."

The six bigots who attacked Khalsa - five suspects are still on the loose - surely were not aware that he had earned numerous awards for his community service and volunteer efforts and that he helped to organize a group to donate blood after 9/11. But it probably would not have mattered anyway. That is how irrational - and dangerous - prejudice and hatred are.

"Communities, government and all sectors must do better at working together to stop hate crimes in New York City," Pu-Folkes said. "And they must do it right away."

That is why on Thursday, almost 100 people in a diverse, multiethnic coalition of more than two dozen civil rights organizations, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and other leaders and groups gathered on the steps of the Queens Borough Hall to denounce the attack on the Sikh community and demand justice.

Of course, not only Sikhs and Muslims are victims of hate. As you probably remember, several Mexican immigrants also have suffered savage beatings. In reality, all immigrants are at risk.

Pu-Folkes, who coordinated the protest, said the community demanded that police be more responsive to hate crimes against immigrants and that the attackers be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 10 bias incidents have been reported to the Richmond Hill 102nd Precinct, but no one has been prosecuted.

But nothing was as important at Thursday's demonstration as the announcement that NICE and the coalition are developing a concrete plan of action - expected to be ready by early fall - to counter the unintended negative government messages and promote greater understanding.

"Diversity without understanding is chaos," said Pu-Folkes who, along with other coalition leaders, met on Friday with the mayor's office to discuss the action plan and ways to establish a more effective collaboration.

"It cannot be only a matter of responding when an attack happens," Pu-Folkes said. "It has to be an ongoing effort to prevent these unfortunate incidents from taking place."