HORRIFIC MURDER HAS FOREST HILLS RESIDENTS ON EDGE: SEE INSIDE
April 22-28, 2022 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
THE NEWSPAPER OF JAMAICA, HOLLIS & ST. ALBANS
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Richmond Hill Sikh community leaders and residents
rally for peace in light of recent hate crime attacks
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
In light of recent attacks
against three Sikh men, community
leaders and residents were
gathered for a rally in Richmond
Hill on Thursday, April 14, calling
for justice, peace and unity.
Rain couldn’t deter members of
the Sikh community from praying
for peace at the corner of 101st Avenue
and Lefferts Boulevard, also
known as Little Punjab.
“We want to make sure that
this hate is no more. This hate does
not belong in our city, in our state
and in our country,” said Japneet
Singh, community leader and rally
organizer. “We have people here
from the Guyanese community,
Trinidadian community, white,
Black and Latino community supporting
us. We want to make sure
that this doesn’t happen again to
anyone!”
The rally was held in response
to two separate attacks on three
Sikh men, who went for an early
morning walk on 95th Avenue
and Lefferts Boulevard nearby the
Sikh Cultural Society.
On April 3, a man approached
Nirmal Singh, 70, and punched
him from behind, leaving him
with a broken nose. A week later,
two men — Gulzar Singh and Sajjan
Singh Ghotra — were attacked
and their turbans were removed.
On April 14, the NYPD arrested
19-year-old Vernon Douglas of
Sikh community leaders and residents speak at a rally denouncing the recent attacks against three Sikh men in
Richmond Hill. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Brooklyn, who is facing hate crime
charges for the vicious attack on
Nirmal.
For the second case, police
caught one of the two suspects and
charged him with a hate crime
robbery.
“I was confused as to why they
attacked me,” one of the victims
said at the rally.
Harmin Singh, a local businessman
who has been living in the
community for over 20 years, said
the attacks were unacceptable.
“We have contributed to this society
like no one can imagine. Every
morning I say hi to people passing
by, and we have so much love.
We work hard. We go to work. We
don’t bother anyone. It is unbelievable
what happened,” Singh said.
“All lives matter,” said
Sukhjinder Singh Nijjar of the
Sikh Cultural Society. “We have
red blood and different colored
skin, but our skin color doesn’t
matter. We live here and are protecting
our community.”
Bronx community leader Clifford
Temprosa, who immigrated
from the Philippines to the U.S.,
cited the injustice, hate and xenophobia
that has long plagued immigrant
communities throughout
the nation.
“The Sikh community is my
ally. We all need to look at each other
as brothers and sisters walking
down the street,” said Temprosa,
who also helped organize the rally.
District Leader Richard David
called for resources and funding to
help immigrant communities and
local organizations on the ground
in response to hate crime violence.
“This is a testament to the
strength of our community. Despite
the rain, we came with one
message: hate has no place in
Richmond Hill or New York City,”
David said.
According to community leader
Albert Baldeo, they’re going to
hold government officials accountable
to ensure safety and equitable
services in the community.
“We have paid our taxes and
have built this community. This
is our home and we are not going
to leave. We want to make sure
that our community is safe, and
our kids can grow up and live
the American dream. That fight
continues with each generation,”
Baldeo said.
Speaking on behalf of City
Council Speaker Adrienne
Adams, Jamal Wilkerson said the
councilwoman stands with the
Sikh community and is calling for
everyone to stand together against
hate and bigotry.
“We can no longer be separated.
We need to be together, move
forward together, fight together
and love together,” Wilkerson said.
Vol. 10 No. 16 40 total pages
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