Is Queens, New York Becoming A Boiling Pot For Hate Crimes?
Just days after 70-year-old Nirmal Singh was attacked in Richmond Hill, the New York borough of Queens saw another assault on two Sikh men yesterday.
As reported by CNN, two elderly Sikh men, one 76-year-old and the other 64-year-old were approached on Tuesday morning by two men who allegedly assaulted them with their fists and a stick. The victims, who have not been publicly identified, were taken to the hospital in stable condition, the police have said.
One suspect has been taken into custody, while the other was still at large as of Tuesday night, according to the NYPD. Police said the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
The neighborhood in which these attacks have been taking place is known as Little Punjab for its sizable population of Sikh and Indian immigrants.
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“Sikhs have repeatedly faced this kind of violence — now multiple times in this same place in this month alone,” Nikki Singh, senior policy and advocacy manager for the Sikh Coalition, said in a statement. “As an organization that works to combat and prevent hate, we continue to stand with the Sikh community in Queens as well as all impacted New York City communities who routinely experience these hate crimes.”
It is unclear whether the suspect in Nirmal Singh’s case was involved in the attacks on Tuesday or not.
NY State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar said that as the first Punjabi American ever elected to New York State Office, she in “unequivocal terms” stresses that there is zero-tolerance for hate crimes against the Sikh American community in New York State.
She is calling “for both incidents to be investigated as hate crimes” and the perpetrators brought to justice.
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There has been an alarming 200% rise in hate crimes against the Sikh community in recent years. As the state of New York recognizes April as Punjabi month, it is unfortunate that the month has begun with violence. The US has always held an image of being the land for all. It has grown by selling dreams. Today immigrants from all over the world are facing discrimination in America. With cases of hate crimes on the rise, it is just a matter of time before people will fear for their lives to get to their American dreams.
