Sikhs attacked again in Richmond Hill

UPDATE- Two men have been charged for all three hate crimes and the robberies carried out against three Sikh elderly men. 19-year-old Vernon Douglas and 20-year-old Hezekiah Coleman were arrested by NYPD and have now been formally charged for the attacks that sent shockwaves through Sikh communities across the world. One of those charged was the same man that was pictured and videoed after the attacks.

Following an attack on a 70-year-old Sikh man last week, two more dastaar (Sikh turban) wearing elder Sikh men have been attacked again in Richmond Hill (Queens, New York, USA).

The attacks, which occurred in the same area of Richmond Hill, are being treated as potential hate crimes due to being seemingly random and violent, although the latest two victims were also robbed according to The Sikh Coalition. One arrest has been made following the latest attack.

The first attack occurred on 3rd April and saw 70-year-old Nirmal Singh, who was in the USA visiting from India where he has now returned, attacked around 7am whilst walking to a local Gurdwara. An image of a suspect wanted for questioning by police was released (see below).

The latest attack on 12th April saw two Sikh men on their way to work at approximately 7am set upon by one man, described as young and black, in separate attacks within minutes of each other. In a video released by political candidate for State Senate Japneet Singh, the men described being attacked from behind without reason. The attacks continued when one of the Singhs (Sikh men) held his hands up to show no threat. The attacker also left the scene and then returned topless to continue the attack. The second victim was attacked with a stick, whilst another man with the attacker shouted “shoot him”. See the video here (spoken in Punjabi). It is unclear what was stolen from the men. In his post on the attack, Japneet Singh stated “it’s clear the Sikh community is being deliberately targeted”. On his Instagram Japneet also stated the issue seemed to emanating from an abandoned house where people and possibly a “gang” hangout.

Police have arrested one suspect, who was believed to have been recorded by an eye-witness in a video shared on Sikh Expo instagram page. It is unclear if this arrest is also related to the attack on 3rd April.

Speaking on the topic, Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said, “There has long been an issue of kesdhari (Sikhs that keep hair; practicing Sikhs) Sikhs being attacked in the USA for simply how they look.

“As we see a rise in Asian hate crimes in the USA, the issue of Sikh hate clearly has penetrated people of colour too, with now at least four attacks of this kind against Sikhs in the New York area reported in the last 11 months. This should not be interpreted as a black community issue, but there is little doubt now that black individuals have committed hate crimes against Sikhs.

“Work is being done by Sikh community groups to not only build relations between different communities to address such issues, but also to work towards the protecting those that could be targeted in this way.”

A tweet by US Sikh activist Karanveer Singh Pannu has stated a Richmond Hill neighbourhood patrol will be started by Sikh men to ensure the immediate safety of local Sikhs.

Updates on this situation will be provided as they come in.