Culture / Sikh Advocacy Group Urges FBI To Explore Hate Crime Motive In FedEx Shooting

Sikh Advocacy Group Urges FBI To Explore Hate Crime Motive In FedEx Shooting

Culture Apr 19, 2021

by Hina P. Ansari

On Thursday evening a lone gunman entered a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana and killed 8 employees in the latest mass shooting in America. The next night, officials released the names of the victims. Out of eight people, four were Sikh which has resulted in an outpouring of grief from the global Sikh community and demands from a noted Sikh advocacy group to look into this as a hate crime.

The Sikh Coalition, the largest “Sikh civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States” based out of New York, released an official statement expressing their shock and disbelief.

Those who have passed are Jaswinder Kaur, 64; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Amarjit Sekhon, 48 and Amarjeet Kaur Johal, 66 in addition to Matthew R. Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19, Karli Smith, 19 and John Weisert, 74.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims of this horrific violence,” said Satjeet Kaur, Sikh Coalition Executive Director. “While we don’t yet know the motive of the shooter, he targeted a facility known to be heavily populated by Sikh employees, and the attack is traumatic for our community as we continue to face senseless violence. Further traumatizing is the reality that many of these community members, like Sikhs we have worked with in the past, will eventually have to return to the place where their lives were almost taken from them.”

The shooter’s motivation remain unclear however according to the police, 90% of the FedEx warehouse are Punjabi and Sikh, therefore racial motivation does not seem too far-fetched among the tight-knit Sikh community of Indianapolis. The Sikh Coalition has further expressed for a full investigation into “the possibility of bias as factor”.

“Our families should not feel unsafe at work, at their place of worship, or anywhere. Enough is enough — our community has been through enough trauma,” expressed Komal Chohan whose maternal grandmother was Amarjeet Kaur Johal, adding that several of her family members who work at the FedEx facility where the shooting occurred “are traumatized.” On Twitter Komal also noted that Johal was holding her paycheque in her hand when they identified her body.

This is absolutely heartbreaking… Waheguru mehr kare 🙏🏼 My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the massacred. pic.twitter.com/tsd7jGvJEA

— sukhi ᥫ᭡ (@DoabanJatti) April 17, 2021

Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 people makeup the Indianapolis Sikh community. In addition to various social posts mourning the losses there were various vigils and prayer services held throughout the city including at the city’s oldest Gurudwara throughout this weekend.

As the investigation continues, the rallying cry from the global Sikh community to investigate this as a hate crime is gaining traction. Let’s see how this unfolds.

Main Image Photo Credit: www.twitter.com

Hina P. Ansari

Author

Hina P. Ansari is a graduate from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since then she has carved a successful career in Canada's national fashion-publishing world as the Entertainment/Photo Editor at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She was the first South Asian in...

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Sikh Advocacy Group Urges FBI To Explore Hate Crime Motive In FedEx Shooting

by Hina P. Ansari

Hina P. Ansari

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