LONDON (TIP): An India-Origin Sikh taxi driver was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by passengers he drove from a casino in the city of Reading in south-east England, prompting a UK police force to launch an investigation.
Vaneet Singh, 41, said that a group of four men slapped and shoved him, and asked “are you Taliban” after he received them from the Grosvenor Casino in Reading, Berkshire, in the early hours of Sunday.
One of the four also tried to remove his turban.
“It was horrible, really frightening, I will never work the nightshift again. I”m still very scared,” he told the BBC.
Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses as they investigate the report of an assault.
Vaneet Singh, who worked as a music teacher at a school in Slough, Berkshire, turned to taxi driving after his teaching job was stalled during the coronavirus pandemic.
The musician, who lives in Tilehurst with his wife and three children, said he has been left shaken up by the assault and will be avoiding night shifts.
“It’s very bad experience. It’s my religion so I respect my turban,” he said.
One of the four passengers, all described as white, pulled at his turban as he was driving and slapped him on the head, while others kicked and punched the back of the driver’s seat.
He says he tried to explain the religious significance of the turban to them and asked them not to touch it.
He recalled the passengers being well behaved at the start of the journey but “totally changed” as it went on.
Vaneet Singh, who is suffering from aches and pains since the incident, is convinced the attack was of a racist nature and believes he was a victim of hate crime.
Thames Valley Police are yet to confirm their line of inquiry in the assault case.
LONDON (TIP): An Indian-origin entrepreneur-activist was on Monday dropped as a prospective London mayoral candidate to contest against Sadiq Khan next year after her past antisemitic comments came to light.
Geeta Sidhu Robb, the founder of organic food and juice products firm Nosh Detox, had been shortlisted as the Liberal Democrat candidate to take on Labor’s Khan but was instead suspended from the party after a 1997 General Election footage revealed her making anti-Jewish remarks.
“I apologize profusely for my actions in the 1997 General Election campaign. My behavior caused offence and hurt and I am deeply sorry,” said Sidhu Robb.
“There is no room for any form of racism or antisemitism in society and as such I very much regret my conduct at that time. It is in no way an excuse, but the context was that I was on the receiving end of a consistent racist campaign and, wrongly, retaliated as I did,” she said.
“I apologize profusely for my actions in the 1997 General Election Campaign. My behavior caused offence and hurt and I am deeply sorry. There is no room for any form of racism or anti-Semitism in society and as such I very much regret my conduct at that time.
— Geeta Sidhu Robb (@GeetaSidhuRobb) September 14, 2020
It is in no way an excuse, but the context was that I was on the receiving end of a consistent racist campaign and, wrongly, retaliated as I did.
— Geeta Sidhu Robb (@GeetaSidhuRobb) September 14, 2020
As a Conservative Party General Election candidate in Blackburn 23 years ago when she was contesting against incumbent Labor MP Jack Straw, Sidhu Robb was filmed saying: “Don’t vote for a Jew, Jack Straw is a Jew.”
The London-based health food promoter, who came second behind Straw in that election, said she was “deeply ashamed” of the language she had used, which she is seen admitting in the footage was done in anger.
“As shown in the footage, I instantly regretted my appalling behavior, which I continue to do. And I am actively reaching out to the Jewish community to listen and learn,” she said.
“Two wrongs never make a right. I made a mistake and I take responsibility for my abhorrent actions 23 years ago; they were never repeated. I urge you to judge me on who I am today, a campaigner committed to eradicating inequality and discrimination in all its forms,” she added, in a lengthy Twitter statement.
The London mayoral election was due to be held in May this year but has been postponed to May 2021 due to the coronavirus lockdown disruption.
So far, incumbent Sadiq Khan is being challenged by Conservative Party candidate Shaun Bailey in the race. The Lib Dem choice has proved difficult as the party’s previous choice, Siobhan Benita, withdrew from the race saying she could not commit to an extra year of unpaid campaigning. The party is now back to seeking a prospective candidate after Sidhu Robb’s suspension.
“Geeta Sidhu Robb has been suspended from the Liberal Democrats and will not be on the ballot paper to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for mayor of London. There is an investigation under way in accordance with due process,” a Lib Dem spokesperson said.
The notion of power behind the perpetuation of cruelty may be understood as a battle between the violator and his prey. It is a double-edged sword whereby the victim can either turn into a groveling, sniveling, emotional and physical wreck, or rise phoenix-like above his/her humiliation and transfigure into a determined combatant ready to take on the aggressor through dignified retaliatory action or role reversal.
Whether we fall by ambition, blood or lust,
Like diamonds, we are cut with our own dust. — John Webster
Alchemy, by definition, is a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation or combination, a medieval precursor of chemistry concerned with the transmutation of matter and with trying to find a medicine that could cure any disease. In the context of modern day reality overwhelmed by violence, it could well be a search for the philosopher’s stone that could alter the anatomy of violence.
Violence — the very word conjures up nightmarish visions of sadistic pleasures that challenge the very basis of human dignity and love. It is an endemic ‘pandemic’ that is slowly consuming the world more rapidly than any monstrosity hitherto known. One sees it all around now more than ever before and it is disturbing to know that life and the promise it holds out for us can be so fragile. When one wakes up every day to the reality of a host of injuries and losses on account of territorial disputes, manslaughter, murder, suicide, rape, domestic violence, lynching, acid attacks et al, the human spirit can be severely undermined. When the impact of a thappad (slap) reverberates through concentric circles to land squarely on a face uplifted in trust; when one hears the onomatopoeic Chhapaak of carelessly splashed acid or slush landing on an unsuspecting victim once too often, the alchemy of violence is born.
A random survey shows that the incidence of violence and trauma — acute, chronic or complex — in our country is as high as one per minute. The tragic deaths of Sushant Singh Rajput, Jayaraj and his son Bennix, George Floyd, the viciousness in the Galwan valley and other such horrifying incidents of unimaginable brutality, are all pretty much symptomatic of what ails contemporary civil society. While acute trauma results from a single incident and chronic trauma is the outcome of prolonged abuse, complex trauma arises from exposure to traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature. Besides, there are a host of other afflictions and ailments that threaten to invade our bodies and mind without any warning and their possible prognosis can leave one gravely distressed. Thappad, Chhapaak and the other illustrations mentioned above thus metamorphose into multivalent symbols that float like leitmotif through most narratives of belligerence, with aggression figuring at the bottom of the pyramid of violence and brutality. So, it is important to not only keep oneself informed about the remedial options available and seek the assistance of healthcare professionals, psychotherapists, law enforcing agencies, NGOs etc., but also to generate public awareness and support against such hydra-headed insecurities. Positive action in the face of grave adversity can often alter the basic structures of emotion.
Violence works in several ways and at several levels — emotional, sexual, verbal and physical. In cases of interpersonal relationships and ‘trauma bonding’ — a strong emotional attachment between the abuser and the abused through intermittent cycles of reward and punishment — the perpetrator develops a stranglehold over his victim by eliciting fear and gratitude for being allowed to survive. But if the abuser gets away with impunity day after day, brutality begins to worm its way into his psyche so insidiously that he is ready to bare his teeth at the slightest hint of resistance or provocation from the stricken. Therefore, the whole notion of power behind the perpetuation of cruelty may be understood as a battle between the violator and his prey. It is a double-edged sword whereby the victim can either turn into a groveling, sniveling, emotional and physical wreck, or rise phoenix-like above his/her psychosomatic humiliation and transfigure into a determined combatant ready to take on the aggressor through dignified retaliatory action or role reversal. Violence, thus, has an alchemic power. While it can galvanize the victim into constructive action for oneself, by some extraordinary alchemy, it can also invest the sufferer with greater resolve to take up the cause of others similarly positioned. Conversely, the transgressor can either be contrite and seek redemption or sink further into the pits of depravity, even necrophilia sometimes and consequently be filled with self-loathing (Manto’s Toba Tek Singh) to a point of self-annihilation. What needs to be remembered then is that, when the thin line between passion and reason gets completely obliterated and the oppressor loses all sense of continence, the effect of the hand that inflicts the blow can very often boomerang on the striker himself and destroy him.
Violence, per se, is multi-causal. Whether villainy is in a habitual offender’s DNA or triggered by unhealthy competition, whether it is self-inflicted or provoked by an external agency, whether it is related to socio-economic, socio-cultural or religio-political dynamics, or whether it is driven by fear, anxiety, revulsion, anger or revenge, it is self-destructive. If resentment keeps simmering for too long, it threatens to erupt like a volcano and destroy all that is beautiful, leaving behind a trail of cinder and ash. As such, before raising a hand to deliver a fatal blow, the striker must wait for the iron to cool down rather than blow the bellows harder. Humans are no punching bags to vent frustration and inadequacies on. Nor are they percussion instruments to be slapped and banged with rhythmic regularity by warped minds to produce gruesome strains!
Since our physical appearance is our first introduction to our social milieu, the desire to feel and look good is a natural human desire. Ergo, the maintenance of good mental and physical health, should remain our primary concern. The contribution of healthy physical and nutritional habits to our well-being and our ability to face the world with equanimity thus can never be overemphasized. Hence, to ensure that things don’t fall apart and the center holds, seek if distressed and you shall stumble upon a solution; talk if in need of help and you’ll get a sympathetic ear; send out a smoke signal and you’ll be rescued.
(The author is Emeritus Professor of English, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India) / Tribune, India
“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.” – Arundhati Roy
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s (NJPAC’s) Community Engagement team has started a new series of social justice initiatives this summer. This begins with two series of events — both of them virtual – that will address these issues.
The first series is of online panel discussions around issues of race, equity and social justice.
“Democracy, Voting, Census: A Conversation about Power” was the first of these. It was a Zoom video conference event on July 6 at 7 p.m. that NJPAC hosted with colleagues at the New Jersey Institute of Social Justice and the Newark Branch of the NAACP. It was moderated by Andrea McChristian, Law & Policy Director for the Institute.
March for Democracy, Voting, Power Photo / Courtesy NJPAC
The goal for this event was to ensure that everyone understands the importance of taking part in civic life, and how to harness the power that we have as citizens, right before New Jersey’s next election, like completing the Census (and encouraging others to do so as well!), hosting a candidate’s forum, and advocating for criminal justice reform with our elected officials.
A cohort of activist thought leaders came together as panelists for this inaugural event. They included
A’Dorian Murray-Thomas Photo / Courtesy NJPAC
A’Dorian Murray-Thomas, the founder and CEO of SHE Wins, a social action organization for middle and high school girls in Newark, who is also, at 23, the youngest person ever elected to the Newark Board of Education;
Shennell McCloud Photo / Courtesy NJPAC
Shennell McCloud, the Executive Director of Project Ready, an education advocacy group;
Henal Patel Photo / Courtesy NJPAC
Henal Patel, Director of the Democracy & Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; and
Denise Quijada Photo / Courtesy NJPAC
Denise Quijada, Census and Partnership Manager for Sadie Nash Leadership Project, which promotes leadership and activism in young women.
Andrea McChristian Photo / Courtesy NJPAC
Andrea McChristian, Law & Policy Director for the Institute, moderator
The Arts Center has formed a Social Justice Programming Task Force, to workshop ways we can examine the state of civil rights in our state and our nation, and how we can move progress forward.
“Dialogue can open a door. But to walk through that door, you have to actually ‘do’ something.” – Donna Walker Kuhne, Senior Advisor – NJPAC’s Community Engagement
The second series, which represents an evolution of NJPAC’s long-running PSEG True Diversity Film Series into the PSEG True Diversity Film Club. This series always focused on issues-based films; now it will highlight works that address race and social justice. To keep things safe during the pandemic, the Film Club is moving toward a book-club inspired model: Every month a film will be picked, and the public is invited to screen that film a week in advance of the event.
This is how it is done: For example, the documentary “13th”, the first selection, can now be screened for free on Netflix, even if you’re not a subscriber, or on YouTube.
Then, once all have watched the film, participants and observers get together on a Zoom video conference to discuss it, with a moderator who can bring context and insight to what we’ve seen. Our first entry, Ava DuVernay’s searing documentary “13th”, about the relationship between the abolition of slavery (established by the 13th amendment to the Constitution) and the mass incarceration of African American men, will give us many avenues to discuss inequality in our criminal justice system. Rick Thigpen, PSEG’s Senior Vice President, Corporate Citizenship, and the chairman of the PSEG Foundation, will host the first discussion on July 20 at 7PM. To join this live conversation via Zoom, you must register at www.njpac.org
There will be another panel conversation, and another film club meeting, every month.
“Conversations about justice, equality and access have always been an integral part of NJPAC’s role as an anchor cultural institution. As America’s most diverse performing arts center in terms of programming, staff and audiences, these values are embedded in our heart and soul.” – John Schreiber, President-CEO, NJPAC
About NJPAC’s Community Engagement
NJPAC’s Community Engagement is committed to being a resource for all who seek to educate themselves about the need for social justice, and to make their own voices heard. The organization will do its part to register voters, encourage Census participation, and make the contact information of our representatives in Trenton and in Washington D.C. easily available to anyone who wishes to speak to those in power about what their community needs. Links to all these resources are at www.njpac.org.
About NJPAC
From interns to ushers, artists to donors, NJPAC is the most diverse performing arts center in the nation with the best people on the planet. They come from many backgrounds. They’ve taken many journeys to get here. And they’re all proud to be part of the NJPAC community. Those who work at NJPAC today embrace that same desire for systemic societal change. At NJPAC, they’re ready to fight for it.
NJPAC located in downtown Newark, N.J., prior to COVID-19, has been America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted nearly 10 million visitors (including over 1.7 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.
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(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Health & Wellness, and Spirituality)
To create lasting change in the United States, we must do more than reform the police. We must reconcile with our history — with race and with racism. And to do that, there is no better model to guide us than South Africa’s
By Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò
The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks are the latest in a continuing pattern of violence inflicted by state agents and citizens, mostly white, against Americans of African descent. Their deaths have stoked strong denunciations and calls for justice and change, to do something, anything, to put an end to such incidents
But to date, there has been very little interest in real change from the highest levels of political leadership. Through executive order, the president has issued modest police reforms, and congressional legislation has already stalled. To create lasting change in the United States, we must do more than reform the police. We must reconcile with our history — with race and with racism. And to do that, there is no better model to guide us than South Africa’s.
We are at a fork in the road of the kind that made South Africa, during the last days of apartheid, opt for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission model as the preferred path to a new society. South Africa chose to enter into the record the ugly history of deprivation, violence and denial of humanity of black people perpetrated by the white-dominated state and other groups within it, so that no one could reasonably disavow what happened or claim ignorance of what was done in their name and to their benefit.
Every state agent who sought forgiveness from the commission had to give a full account of the crimes they committed as state agents in granular detail and identify their victims’ names, educating the population about how low their society had sunk while apartheid lasted. That is how the truth played out; South Africa now has a full record of this history, for not only South Africans but all who desire access.
This same process is what the United States needs in order to confront the truth about what it did to black people throughout its history.
The United States has faced many past forks in the road. At its inception, the country could have gone full steam ahead in building the utopia promised by its founding fathers. Instead, it chose slavery. It had another turning point at the conclusion of the Civil War when it chose white reconciliation at the expense of full citizenship for black compatriots. There was yet another opportunity at the conclusion of the Jim Crow era; again, the United States elided full citizenship for black Americans by taking the easy path of trying to institute progress through litigation that is constantly being challenged and reversed.
At every step, the United States refused to acknowledge the wrong inflicted on its black citizens. But the nation is once again at a decision point.
We are dealing with a mind-set — including among nonwhite immigrants — that was constructed in a time of slavery and used to justify the dehumanization of black Americans. Black Americans and we, their immigrant cousins, are never routinely considered to have a place in America’s space. Our citizenship has never been full nor taken for granted: it is always asterisked. This mind-set must be the subject of a national conversation.
We needed an amendment to the Constitution to secure our citizenship even when we were born on U.S. soil and nonblack immigrants were routinely admitted. We had to have our equality with others litigated in courts. We had to have our right to live anywhere we want and can afford restated and guaranteed by additional legislation and court judgments. We have had our right to vote unimpeded periodically subject to renewal by Congress. And we must continue to suffer the indignities of having our fellow citizens act as if only we have problems.
Over the past century, other societies realized they had wronged segments of their populace either through racial discrimination, genocide or military misrule. They accepted that they had fallen short of what kind of society they desired to be, and that they had to reconcile with the undeserving victims of their deeds. Reconciliation required acknowledging and atoning for the wrong done — asking for their victims’ forgiveness while resolving never to repeat the wrongs and working to restore their victims to full humanity as fellow citizens.
The United States and South Africa share similar histories of denying the humanity of black people. In South Africa, there is collective sharing of the burden of what the country did to its black citizens and understanding that black South Africans deserve to be made whole if South Africa is to become the nation of its modern founders’ dreams. South Africa is a long way from realizing this dream, and the reluctance of white South Africa to reciprocate the generosity of the black majority is scandalous. But the foundation laid by the truth remains an indispensable starting point.
To become the perfect union its founders intended, the United States must make its black citizens whole, without legal equivocations or constitutional hair-splitting. That is the ultimate argument for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in our land. It is the precondition for a different future.
(Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò is professor and chair of the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University)
SCHAUMBURG, IL (TIP): This week, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) joined more than 150 Members of Congress as a cosponsor of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. The bill is led by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass, Senator Cory A. Booker, Senator Kamala D. Harris, and House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler. Sponsors described the bill as the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities.
“As our nation continues to battle its legacy of systemic racism, this legislation will help to ensure that police officers are equipped with the resources they need to appropriately and effectively respond to the challenges they face on the job while sending a clear message that there is no place for brutality or misconduct in law enforcement,” said CongressmanRaja Krishnamoorthi. “We need to make equal justice under the law not simply a principle, but also a reality for all Americans, regardless of their background, and this legislation is a crucial step forward in that effort.”
The Justice in Policing Act of 2020:
Prohibits federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious and discriminatory profiling, and mandates training on racial, religious, and discriminatory profiling for all law enforcement.
Bans chokeholds, carotid holds and no-knock warrants at the federal level and limits the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement.
Mandates the use of dashboard cameras and body cameras for federal offices and requires state and local law enforcement to use existing federal funds to ensure the use of police body cameras.
Establishes a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave on agency from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability.
Amends federal criminal statute from “willfulness” to a “recklessness” standard to successfully identify and prosecute police misconduct.
Reforms qualified immunity so that individuals are not barred from recovering damages when police violate their constitutional rights.
Establishes public safety innovation grants for community-based organizations to create local commissions and task forces to help communities to re-imagine and develop concrete, just and equitable public safety approaches.
Creates law enforcement development and training programs to develop best practices and requires the creation of law enforcement accreditation standard recommendations based on President Obama’s Taskforce on 21st Century policing.
Requires state and local law enforcement agencies to report use of force data, disaggregated by race, sex, disability, religion, age.
Improves the use of pattern and practice investigations at the federal level by granting the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division subpoena power and creates a grant program for state attorneys general to develop authority to conduct independent investigations into problematic police departments.
Establishes a Department of Justice task force to coordinate the investigation, prosecution and enforcement efforts of federal, state and local governments in cases related to law enforcement misconduct.
WASHINGTON (TIP): An Indian-American organization has resolved to work together with the African-American and other minority communities for a more just America.
This comes after 46-year-old George Floyd, an African-American, died in Minneapolis on May 25 when a white police officer pinned him to the ground and knelt on his neck while he gasped for breath.
“At Indiaspora, we stand strongly and squarely with the African-American community, as we strive together for a more just America. Their struggle is ours too. Indeed, aided by allies from different communities, it needs to be our national purpose,” Indiaspora said in a statement, June 11.
The Indian-American diaspora, it said, is mindful of the fact that had it not been for the civil rights movement and the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, many of its members would not be in the US today.
“But the letter of the law does not inevitably or automatically translate into the experience of the people. We, too, are not immune from racial persecution, as demonstrated by well-chronicled events that have occurred in the distant and recent past,” Indiaspora said.
“So we have more work to do. More to do for Floyd’s six-year-old daughter, Gianna,” it said.
“Therefore, we resolve to work together, hand in hand, with the African-American and other minority communities, until we can all be assured of successfully encashing our collective promissory note, set forth in America’s constitutional declaration that we are all created equal, in the bank of justice. Let us end systemic racism,” Indiaspora said.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (TIP): Hundreds of mourners in Minneapolis on Thursday, June 4, remembered George Floyd, the black man whose death in police custody set off a wave of nationwide protests that reached the doors of the White House and ignited a debate about race and justice.
Philonise Floyd, one of Floyd’s brothers, choking with emotion, told a memorial service at a chapel in the Minnesota city’s North Central University that their family was poor.
“It’s crazy man, all these people came to see my brother, it’s amazing he touched so many hearts,” said the brother, wearing a dark suit and a badge with a photo of his brother and the words “I can’t breathe” on his lapel.
Floyd’s death on May 25 has become the latest flashpoint for rage over police brutality against African Americans, propelling the issue of race to the top of the political agenda ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3.
Derek Chauvin, 44, filmed in a widely circulated video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd gasped for air and repeatedly groaned, ”Please, I can’t breathe.” was fired from the Minneapolis police force and charged with second-degree murder.
Huge crowds have defied curfews and taken to the streets of cities across the country for nine nights in sometimes violent protests that prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to send in the military.
The Reverend Al Sharpton, a television political commentator and civil rights activist was among those at the memorial service for George Floyd
Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd’s family, told the memorial service that the police action that day was evil.
“What we saw in that video was evil. So America, as we proclaim as we memorialize George Floyd, do not accept evil. Protest against evil. We cannot cooperate with evil. We cannot cooperate with torture,” Mr. Crump said.
Prosecutors leveled new charges against four former Minneapolis police officers implicated in the killing on Wednesday, June 3. .
However, on Thursday, June 4, the three officers charged with aiding and abetting the murder of Floyd made their first appearances in court, where bail was set at $1 million but would be lowered to $750,000 if they agreed to certain conditions, including forfeiting any personal firearms.
In New York City, which has been hit by looting during the protests, thousands of people attended a memorial event in a Brooklyn park for Floyd.
Many knelt in the grass in the afternoon sunshine in a symbol of protest against police behavior and chanted, “No Justice. No Peace.”
U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries urged people to continue their protests, saying the tragedy has awakened a cross-section of people who would bring lasting change.
“This time will be different, because the movement is being led by young African American sisters,” the New York Democrat told the crowd. “This time will be different because it’s not a top-down movement, it’s a bottom-up-movement.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday, June 4, there had been evidence that foreign interests and “extremist agitators” affiliated with left-wing movements like Antifa were taking over the protests. But he offered no details.
The Reverend Al Sharpton, a television political commentator and civil rights activist, told the Minneapolis service that the overwhelming majority of protesters were peaceful.
“There have been protests all over the world. Some have looted and done other things. None of us condone it – looting and violence,” Rev. Sharpton said. “But there is a difference between those calling for peace – and those calling for quiet. Some y’all don’t want peace, you just want quiet. You just want us to suffer in silence.”
The protests against Floyd’s killing came close to the White House on Monday, June 1 night when baton-swinging police used heavy handed tactics to drive demonstrators away.
Mr. Trump has threatened to send U.S. troops to stamp out civil unrest against the wishes of State governors. That alarmed current and former military officials.
Mr. Trump’s former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, after long refusing to explicitly criticize his former boss, denounced any militarization of the response to protests.
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people does not even pretend to try,” Mr. Mattis, who resigned as defense secretary in 2018, wrote in a statement published by The Atlantic.
Services for Floyd are expected to stretch across six days and three States, including memorials in North Carolina and Houston. A funeral is planned for Tuesday, June 9.
LONDON (TIP): Meghan, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, has spoken about events following the death of George Floyd saying she was sorry that children had to grow up in a world where racism still existed and that current events in the United States were “devastating”, according to a Reuters report.
“I know you know that black lives matter,” Meghan said in a video she recorded for students graduating from her old high school in Los Angeles, which was aired on Wednesday, June 3.
The death of Floyd has become the latest flashpoint for long-simmering rage over police brutality against African Americans and led to nationwide protests, some violent, with curfews imposed in some cities to quell the disorder.
“For the past couple of weeks I’ve been planning on saying a few words to you for your graduation and as we’ve all seen over the last week what is happening in our country, and in our state and in our home town of LA is absolutely devastating,” said Meghan, whose mother is African American and father is white.
“First thing I want to say to you is that I’m sorry, I’m so sorry that you have to grow up in a world where this is still present,” she said in her message to the girls at the Immaculate Heart High School.
The duchess, a former U.S actress and wife of Queen Elizabeth’s grandson Prince Harry, said she wanted to say “the right thing” and was nervous her words would be “picked apart”.
“The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing. Because George Floyd’s life mattered, and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered, and Philando Castile’s life mattered and Tamir Rice’s life mattered and so did so many other people whose names we know, and whose names we do not know,” she said.
Britain’s royal family by tradition does not comment on political issues. However, Meghan and Harry stepped down from their official royal roles at the end of March and are now living in Los Angeles with their baby son Archie.
In her message, the 38-year-old reflected on her own memories of the 1992 LA riots.
“Those memories don’t go away and I can’t imagine that at 17 or 18 years old, which is how old you are now, that you would have to have a different version of that same type of experience,” she said.
“That’s something you should have an understanding of, but an understanding of as a history lesson not as your reality. So I’m sorry that in a way we have not gotten the world to the place you deserve it to be.”
MELBOURNE (TIP): Indian- origin Sikh man running for the city council in Australia has been racially targeted by a man in a truck shouting racial slurs at a life-sized cut-out made from one of his election placards, according to a media report.
Sunny Singh, a Port Augusta City Council nominee, said a social media video targeting his race is the first time he has experienced racism in the local community, media reported.
He was attacked in a video posted to a national trucking Facebook page.
The video shows a man in a truck directing racial slurs at a life-sized cut-out made from one of Mr Singh’s election placards, which is eventually run over by the truck, the report said.
“I was a little upset and shocked because I’d never even seen this man before, never met him, I don’t know why he did it,” Mr Singh was quoted as saying by the report.
“I was amazed how welcoming the people of Port Augusta were when I came here. This is the first time this has happened here.”
He said the Port Augusta community had rallied behind him.
“This morning I saw Facebook and I saw hundreds of messages and comments supporting me,” Mr Singh said.
South Australian Attorney-General Vicki Chapman has described the footage as “disturbing” and “on the face of it, racist conduct”.
“We are a state that has a very proud history of democracy. Our government is completely behind maintaining that and the right for people to stand for public office.
“I just want to say to other candidates in the local government elections, thank you for standing.”
Port Augusta mayor Sam Johnson said he was shocked by the violence and racism in the video.
“Appalled, absolutely appalled, gutted, outrageous – in today’s society, what would possess anyone to do that? Clearly a lot of effort was put into that,” Mr Johnson said.
Mr Johnson said the Indian community and the Sikh church contributed greatly to the Port Augusta community and economy.
“The experiences I’ve had with our Indian community and multicultural community, they are very giving and community-minded,” he said.
“Sunny Singh is a shining example of exactly the type of migrant we want to welcome into our community, and not offend in this way. The offending post should be removed immediately,” said the Member for Stuart, which includes Port Augusta, Dan van Holst Pellekaan.
Meanwhile, the trucking company pictured in the video, Moroney Trucking, has been suspended as a service provider, the report said.
JOHANNESBURG, SA(TIP): A former Indian-origin city councilor has been arrested in South Africa for making derogatory racist comments against President Cyril Ramaphosa in a video posted on Facebook.
In the viral video, former Durban councilor Kessie Nair, who was earlier sentenced to six years in prison for fraud in 2005, called Mr Ramaphosa a “kaffir” — a derogatory term used against black people during the racist apartheid era.
In the video, Kessie Nair said that he is prepared to take a bullet or go to prison for the rest of his life.
“I… do hereby call for that kaffir state president Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, yes I mean the kaffir state president Cyril Ramaphosa, to be charged for frauding [sic] this nation, for oppressing this nation, for high treason, for failing and he’s the source to all crime violence poor healthcare, poverty that prevails in a so-called true democracy,” he said in the nearly five-minute-long video.
“I’m ready to go to jail for the rest of my life or take a bullet, I just want to say that the truth will hurt.” Media reported.
In 2005, he was sentenced to six years in prison for fraud. He said that it took 13 years of introspection to release the video, reported.
“Nobody wakes up one morning and makes a statement and a video like that on social media,” Kessie Nair further reported.
He was arrested in Durban and was charged with incitement of public violence and crimen injuria or injuring a person’s dignity.
Nair‚ the nephew of late struggle stalwart Billy Nair‚ has received widespread condemnation from various quarters‚ including the provincial ANC‚ community and religious organizations‚ as well as the presidency.
His family has distanced themselves from his utterances. They issued a statement urging South Africans to forgive him and promising to do their best to “make amends”.
“We have a history of being in the trenches fighting apartheid and being involved in the struggle for the liberation of this country from the shackles of the nationalist government‚” said his brother Krishnan Nair.
Krishnan added that his brother suffered from a chronic illness and “needs immediate medical care and attention.”
Presidential spokeswoman Khusela Diko said that the rant did not deserve attention and that Nair needed support from friends and family.
“Harvard has failed to show that it does not unlawfully discriminate against Asian-Americans,” the Justice Department said.
WASHINGTON(TIP): The Justice Department lent its support on Thursday, August 30, to students who are suing Harvard University over affirmative action policies that they claim discriminate against Asian-American applicants, in a case that could have far-reaching consequences for the use of affirmative action in college admissions.
In a so-called statement of interest, the department supported the claims of the plaintiffs, a group of Asian-Americans rejected by Harvard. They contend that Harvard has systematically discriminated against them by artificially capping the number of qualified Asian-Americans from attending the school in order to advance less-qualified students of other races.
In its filing, the Justice Department argued that the court should deny Harvard’s request to dismiss the case before trial.
The government said that Supreme Court rulings require that universities considering race in admissions meet several standards. They must define their diversity-related goals and show that they cannot meet those goals without using race as a factor in admissions decisions.
The department argued that Harvard does not adequately explain how race factors into its admissions decisions, leaving open the possibility that the university is going beyond what the law allows.
“Harvard has failed to show that it does not unlawfully discriminate against Asian-Americans,” the Justice Department said in a statement Thursday.
The Harvard case, which was brought by an anti-affirmative-action group called Students for Fair Admissions, is seen as a test of whether a decades-long effort by conservative politicians and advocates to roll back affirmative action policies will ultimately succeed.
That push has broad support from President Trump. The Department of Education and Justice Department said in July that the administration was abandoning Obama-era policies that asked universities to consider race as a factor in diversifying their campuses and would favor race-blind admissions instead.
NEW YORK(TIP): An Indian-origin restaurateur in the US was racially targeted by a customer who referred to him and his family as “a tribe from India”. He was further told that he “probably just funded Al-Qaeda” by eating at the hotel, a media report stated.
Taj Sardar, the owner of ‘The Kings Diner’ in Ashland, Kentucky, was targeted by racial posts by the man after eating at his restaurant.
The small eatery serves a combination of home cooking and Indian dishes.
Later, the man took a photo of the restaurant and wrote on Facebook to voice his displeasure with the food and also the people inside, media reported.
“I reluctantly entered to order meatloaf special and was greeted by a tribe from India. I’m ashamed that I probably just funded Al-Qaeda,” the post on Facebook said.
“When I first read the thing on the Facebook, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this serious?’ ” Mr Sardar said.
“I was like hopefully his backers don’t try to get together and push me out here, which I’ve been living here since 2010,” he was quoted as saying by the report.
Since the racist post, the restaurant has been packed with community support doubling business ever since.
“I got to realize there are more positive people out there than the negative ones we just had experienced, and I’m really thankful to this community here,” Mr Sardar said.
Mr Sardar said he is thankful for the outpouring of love he has received.
He has complained about the incident to police as he fears the safety of his family, the report said.
Meanwhile, Ashland city’s Mayor Steve Gilmore and three city commissioners visited Mr Sardar to give support.
“After what he went through, I wanted to tell him, we’re very proud you’re one of our entrepreneurs in the city of Ashland and your reputation is sterling,” Mr Gilmore said.
“What he went through was pretty heavy stuff, and this morning I wanted to show him we’re proud of having him in our community,” he said.
“There’s no room in this city for that kind of behavior, for racist behavior and racist comments,” one of the city commissioners said.
Mr Sardar and his family came to the US legally in 2006 and moved from upstate New York to Ashland in 2010 to open their store.
Meanwhile, the Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Services has terminated the employee.
“We recently became aware that a member of our staff created several posts on social media that fall far short of that standard. On behalf of Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Services, and all 650 members our team, we wish to apologize to anyone who was offended by those posts. We do not agree with, or condone, them”, they said in a statement.
NEW YORK(TIP): Indian American Sikh man was brutally assaulted and spit at by two unidentified men in California. This is the second attack on a community member in about a week that has raised concerns over increasing incidents of hate crimes in the country.
Disturbing footage from a surveillance camera showed 71 year old Sahib Singh Natt walking alone on the side of a road early morning on August 6 in Manteca, California when two men, wearing hoodies, walking from the opposite direction approached him.
Mr. Natt ,stopped on seeing the men and the two men were seen talking to him. Mr Singh then walked past them but they continued to follow and talk with him.
After a brief argument, one of the men, who was wearing a black hoodie, suddenly kicked Mr. Natt in the stomach and the elderly man fell down on the road, with his turban coming off.
He tried to get up and defend himself but the man again kicked him in the stomach. He fell on the road as the man who attacked him came close to him and appeared to touch his face and spit on him. They then walked away as Mr. Natt was lying on the road.
A few seconds later the man in the black hoodie ran back and viciously kicked him thrice near his head as he laid on the street. He then started leaving again, paused, turned around, and then spat at Mr. Natt.
This was the second attack on a Sikh man in about a week in California. On July 31, 50-year old Surjit Malhi was attacked while putting up campaign signs in support of incumbent Republican Congressman Jeff Denham and other local Republican candidates.
While beating Mr. Malhi, the attackers yelled “Go back to your country!” and spray painted the same message, along with hate symbols, on his truck. Local police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
Sikh advocacy group The Sikh Coalition wrote on their Facebook page that while it does not have any immediate evidence that the attack on Mr. Natt was bias-related, the group is quickly investigating the details to learn more. He has received serious injuries and a photo of him shows him in a collar brace.
A report in the Manteca Bulletin said Mr. Natt has had heart and other health issues. Manteca Police say the incident appears to be a robbery attempt, but they are not ruling out the possibility of it being a hate crime.
Co-founder of National Sikh Campaign Rajwant Singh said “we are disturbed and appalled by the recent attacks on Sikh-Americans. The fact that Sahib Singh was assaulted and had his turban ripped off his head should be a peaceful call to action for our community and the many supporters of our campaign – Sikhs and Non-Sikhs alike. This situation serves as a painful reminder that there is still much work to be done in bringing Americans of all faiths, colors, and communities together.”
He said America is going through an “incredible time of polarization” and hateful rhetoric has been inserted in the public domain. “The Sikh community could be the easy target of the people who are either enraged or misguided. We hope that civic sense prevails in this nation and we continue to make this nation stronger and harmonious,” he added.
Executive Director of NSC Gurwin Singh Ahuja said Sikhs wear turbans to stand up against inequality, injustice and the poor treatment of the oppressed. The organization had launched the National Sikh Campaign & We Are Sikhs last year to spread awareness among Americans about their Sikhs neighbors, what the community stands for and the contributions it makes to the country.
Indian American Impact Project, a non-profit organization focused on Indian American political participation, had condemned the attack on Mr. Malhi saying hate violence targeting the Indian American community and the broader South Asian American community, has surpassed post-9/11 levels.
NEW YORK(TIP): Indian American Shiva Ayyadurai, running for senate, has been
assaulted allegedly by a racist man who punched him in the face leaving him severely bleeding at a town hall in Massachusetts.
According to the media reports, Ayyadurai, 54, who is running Independent against powerful incumbent Elizabeth Warren from the Democratic party was attacked last week by her supporter.
Mr Ayyadurai, an eminent scientist and an outspoken critic, was punched by a man, wearing a t-shirt which said “liberal” and a Warren for Senate sticker.
He approached Mr Ayyadurai with an umbrella where he was scheduled to appear, the report said.
“I was just punched in face by a racist @SenWarren supporter,” Mr Ayyadurai tweeted.
“This is how these white privileged white supremacists react. What you just witnessed is how you white supremacists react when you don’t want to hear the truth from a dark-skinned Indian guy. The same guy you claim you want to help. You guys are racists,” Mr Ayyadurai said.
He received a bloody lip, swelling, and abrasions, the report said.
The encounter played out as a crowd of Warren supporters waited to enter a center, the Great Barrington police said in a statement. Paul Solovay left the line, crossed Castle Street, and approached Mr Ayyadurai.
“Solovay allegedly engaged in a verbal confrontation that became physical when he pushed the bullhorn toward the speaker, striking his mouth,” police said. “Officers acted quickly to subdue Solovay and place him into custody.”
“We don’t produce enough engineers. We don’t produce enough doctors. But we do produce a bunch of scumbag lawyer lobbyists like Elizabeth Warren,” Mr Ayyadurai says in the video before it cuts to Solovay shouting at him from across the street.
When the two come face to face, Mr Ayyadurai repeatedly calls Solovay a racist through the megaphone before the 74-year-old pushes it into his face, the video shows.
Solovay, who was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct, pleaded not guilty on Monday in Southern Berkshire District Court. He was released on personal recognizance.
NEW YORK(TIP): America’s first Sikh-American Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has been racially targeted by two radio hosts who repeatedly called him the “turban man” on air, drawing severe criticism from politicians and netizens over their “xenophobic and racist” comments.
Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who host the “Dennis and Judi Show” on the radio show NJ 101.5FM, were talking about Grewal’s decision to suspend marijuana prosecutions in New Jersey when they began calling him the “turban man”.
“You know the attorney general guy? I’m never going to know his name, I’m just gonna say the guy with the turban,” Malloy said.
“Turban man!” Franco repeated in a sing-song tone. “If it offends you, then don’t wear the turban, man, and I’ll remember your name,” Malloy said, as both the hosts laughed.
“But Turban Man — is that highly offensive?” “To me? No. To people who wear turbans, could be,” said Franco.
“Could be. But if you called me Baseball Hat Man and I was in a culture where no one wears baseball hats, should I be offended?” Malloy said.
“Uh, no. I would say no,” Franco replied.
“So, anyway. The attorney general — Turban Man — says he’s not going to prosecute pot things until September,” Malloy said, laughing during the conversation.
Grewal, 44, however, retorted sharply and said he is the 61st Attorney General of New Jersey.
“I’m a Sikh American. I have 3 daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio,” he tweeted.
“This is not the first indignity I’ve faced, and it probably won’t be the last. Sometimes, I endure it alone. Yesterday, all of New Jersey heard it. It’s time to end small-minded intolerance,” Grewal tweeted from his personal twitter account.
He also posted a link to an address he gave in May at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies conference, where he talked about issues of hate and intolerance.
In his speech, he had said that comments targeting him on social media have been “stomach-turning” as he shared with the audience that he has been called racist words like “towel-head” and “terrorist”.
He recalled the day he was nominated to become the 61st Attorney General of New Jersey, a commentator had asked where will Grewal “park” his “elephant.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who had appointed Grewal to his post, strongly condemned the language of the radio hosts, demanding action by the station.
“Outraged by the abhorrent and xenophobic comments mocking @NewJerseyOAG on The @DennisandJudi Show on @nj1015. Hate speech has no place in NJ and does not belong on our airwaves. Station management must hold the hosts accountable for these intolerant and racist comments,” Murphy tweeted.
The radio station later tweeted that it is aware of the “offensive comments” made by Malloy and Franco during the broadcast.
“We have taken immediate action and have taken them off the air until further notice. We are investigating the matter and will have further comment shortly,” it said in the tweet.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, also a Sikh-American who wears the turban, tweeted, “Hey “Racist Man” @DennisandJudi : I’m a Jersey guy, born & raised, and so is NewJerseyOAG Grewal – this type of racist garbage has no place in Jersey. Get with the program! #RacistManDennis #jerseypride #educateyourself.”
Bhalla also thanked Murphy for “standing up and speaking out” in support of Grewal.
Grewal, who was previously Bergen County Prosecutor, became the nation’s first Sikh state attorney general after the state Senate approved his nomination this year. Grewal is born to Indian immigrant parents in Jersey City and was raised in the state’s Hudson and Bergen counties.
The clip quickly garnered attention on Twitter and civil rights advocacy group ACLU of New Jersey tweeted a link with an audio pronunciation of Grewal’s name, saying “Turban man? Is that offensive?’ Yep. (If you have to ask…). Racism isn’t cute. It’s just racist.” Twitter users too slammed the racist remarks saying there is no place for such language. Amardeep Singh, ACLU NJ Board Member and co-founder of rights group Sikh Coalition tweeted “let’s go after the advertisers of the show as well.”
City of Hoboken’s Deputy Chief of Staff Jason Freeman tweeted that racism has no place in the “New Jersey that we live in.”
“No person should ever be judged by their Turban, Kippah, Cross, Hijab, or anything else that represents their faith. @DennisandJudi needs a lesson in the kind of NJ that we all want to live in,” he added.
NEW YORK (TIP): According to the complaint filed by Indian American passengers Marc Fernandes, Shahana Islam, Sabiha Islam, Bakiul Islam, and Anshul Agrawal, they were stranded during a stopover in Moscow when their connection Aeroflot flight to JFK got canceled due to heavy snowfall in New York. A complaint was filed on March 22 before the Department of Transportation Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings in Washington, DC .
They allege that while rest of the passengers — mostly White Americans — were transported to their destination in an alternate flight, approximately 20-25 South Asian passengers, many of them young children and babies, were asked to board a flight back to Delhi by an Aeroflot official, saying that they have no alternate arrangements.
The complaint filed by the passengers says an Aeroflot representative named Mikhail, informed them that no seats were available on alternate flights and that the airline would not be issuing them transit visas, which means the travelers will have to leave Moscow within 24 hours.
He instructed them to fly back to India on the next flight and threatened with deportation back to India if they fail to accept his terms.
The complainants allege that despite them showing their American passports, the Aeroflot representative addressed them as Indians and threatened with civil and criminal sanctions, including forfeiture of their Aeroflot tickets if they don’t accept they are Indians.
Another Aeroflot employee, who has been identified by the name tag “Kitora”, in the absence of Mikhail, told the Indian American passengers that other passengers who were stranded have been provided with an alternate route that would fly them to JFK in return flights via Europe. She also assured them that US citizens will not be deported to India and also assured that they will get priority on the next available flight. But, as she continued speaking with the passengers, Mikhail appeared and handed them their boarding passes to India.
When they tried to reason with him he apparently got furious and rude to the passengers.
Concerned about the situation, the passengers frantically called the United States embassy in Moscow but the Aeroflot employees refused to speak to them and yet again threatened them with deportation and a heavy fine.
The embassy officials on the phone advised the passengers to take any step to avoid deportation as it could have serious legal ramifications.
On landing in Delhi, the complaint says the passengers were not assisted by a single Aeroflot staff on what alternate arrangements have been made. On reaching the office of Aeroflot in Connaught Place, an employee told the passengers that Aeroflot would only refund half the cost of the tickets and that flights booked through non-Aeroflot airlines would not be reimbursed at all.
As the next Aeroflot flight to Washington, DC, or New York was not available until January 15, passengers flew on another carrier, by paying close to $1,000 per ticket.
The complaint questions Aeroflot’s actions stating that airline employees repeatedly and systematically targeted and discriminated against the South Asian travelers, in clear violation of federal law. It also requests the DOT to conduct a full and thorough investigation into Aeroflot’s actions to ensure that the airline be held accountable for its mistreatment of US citizens
The complaint was filed by Muslim Advocates and Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss PLLC.
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