About a week ago the Houston Chronicle ran a story about a burglary here in Houston. A Sikh family (the Tagores) came home one night to find that their master bedroom had been ransacked and that a window was broken. They did what anyone would have done: called the police to report the crime. Then the story becomes not so routine:
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is investigating allegations that deputies harassed a family of Sikhs whose home was burglarized last week.
Family members say the deputies handcuffed them, roughed them up and taunted them instead of taking a report on the break-in.
One deputy reportedly asked them if they’d “heard about the bombings in Bombay.” Another allegedly said he had been to Kuwait and “knew about Muslims…”“The allegations, if they’re true, are certainly intolerable and inconsistent with our policies,” said sheriff’s spokesman John Legg.
The deputies could face anything from disciplinary action to termination, Legg said. He declined to release their names pending further investigation. [Houston Chronicle]
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p>This incident occurred on November 26th. On November 27th, a film crew from San Antonio-based Sach Productions was already in Houston to interview the family.
The idea behind the birth of Sach Productions is the creation of an agency that uses the film media to further the Sikh cause. The intention of Sach Productions is to introduce Sikhs to the world and then bring forth issues that concern them.
The initial projects are short documentaries that introduce Sikhs to the Western world. The intention is to then bring issues relating to Punjab, Human Rights, Arts and Culture to the people. [Sach Productions]
By December 5th, as the local news began to pick up on the story, Sach Productions had already filmed and uploaded a documentary about the incident on to the web:
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p>
The rapid reaction by Sach Productions is pretty impressive. So thoroughly documenting the story and then making the material available allows us bloggers to do a more effective job of spreading the news and detailing what actions can be taken.
A petition for strong action will soon be delivered to Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Sheriff-Elect Adrian Garcia. It can be viewed and signed here.
We ask that you, Sheriff-elect Garcia and Judge Emmett, promise to ensure that the deputies involved in this incident are disciplined, that the Harris County Sheriff’s office takes decisive steps to put an end to racism and profiling by its officers, and that the Sheriff’s office apologize to the family for the deputies’ behavior. [Petition]
The best way to make your voice heard on this issue is probably to respectfully contact Sheriff-Elect Adrian Garcia directly [hat tip to The Langar Hall for providing digits]:
1730 Jefferson, Suite 214, Houston, Texas 77003
Mailing address: P.O.Box 30066, Houston, Texas 77249-0066
713.652.5191 office
713.652.5902 fax [Link]
If you send an email here the Sikh Coalition will compile questions to Garcia for you: questionforgarcia [at] sikhcoalition.org
Houston has a large South Asian American population and elected officials know that if enough people raise their voice they will be forced to take action out of political necessity.
I wonder if their superiors required viewing this DOJ training vid:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crs/video/ocg-video.htm
Sounds bad, but it seems as if the Kirpan set him off. Police officers will not let a weapon (which the Kirpan is to non-Sikhs) in plain site while they are conducting an investigation.
The more I read about this case, I think the fault is 50/50. Sure the cops overreacted, but the sister seems to think the kirpan, shaped like a knife is ok to have around cops investigating a crime scene. These aren’t the innocent victims of a hate crime they portray themselves out to be. I’ll save my outrage for real hate crimes.
vikram – you’re statement is troubling. are you saying the police response is justified? this seems to be a clear cut case of ignorance and racism. i hope that ACLU is getting involved with this. this a complete violation of civil rights.
Sounds bad, but it seems as if the Kirpan set him off. Police officers will not let a weapon (which the Kirpan is to non-Sikhs) in plain site while they are conducting an investigation.
It’s not in Abhi’s quote but they proceeded to handcuff other people including a 60 year old mother. Second, if a white guy was robbed and a cop came in and saw the white guy holding a shotgun, he’d simply ask the homeowner to put it away while they talked. These cops weren’t at all interested in investigating the theft.
Vikram –
Firstly, you have the right to be armed with most things in your house, including a kirpan. Secondly:
No I am not saying it is justified. I am saying that in a crime scene, police officer’s are trained to behave threateningly to someone with a weapon. Obviously it’s part of her religion, but would it have been so much to ask to put it away until the cops left? Her constitutional rights I am sure would not be an issue when she has to take it off to get on a plane! I have said the cops overreacted, but it’s not a clear case of ignorance and racism as you claim.
Vikram – the Sheriff’s office didn’t offer that excuse. They said that if true, the actions taken were against their policies.
Ennis,
Yes a redneck would probably have a gun, but I can assure you if he had it out while a police officer came to investigate, the cop would handcuff him. Leaving the crime scene is not the same. She still has the weapon on her person and is now away from where the officer can see her. Even worse.
Vikram –
Firstly, the cops have identified no such policy. And it’s perfectly reasonable for somebody to have a gun while waiting for the cops to arrive, as long as they don’t point it at them, ESPECIALLY IN TEXAS.
Secondly, if you’re making a complaint one family member can leave. I don’t know where you’re getting this from, but that’s not “leaving the crime scene” I’ve reported a robbery that happened, my roomates were able to enter and leave as they wished.
Sure we wait to here the other side before we rush to make a judgement on this case.
Wasn’t there a post about a year ago about a cop in Illinois where everybody made a rush to judgement before all the facts were in.
Please don’t leave comments as me, use your own handle.
Was your roomate who was coming and going in possesion of a weapon in the open for which he refused to put away?
And police brutality and racial profiling live on. No matter how much “sensitivity training” they’re given, they still don’t learn.
That’s simply because ignorance begins at home.
Vikram, again the police aren’t offering any of the justifications that you’re making.
Kawaljeet Kaur has not been charged with any crime. NOBODY from the police has said she was wrong to be armed in her own house. Instead the police said that if this report is accurate it is AGAINST THEIR PROCEDURES.
So why do you insist on making up excuses when the cops aren’t?
And police brutality and racial profiling live on. No matter how much “sensitivity training” they’re given, they still don’t learn.
Who are they? White cops? So the action of few is OK to paint them all the same way. I just love the double standard.
Jef
“It couldn’t have been the kirpan.” Because you were there when all this was going down. Let’s wait till the investigation is done. I still don’t think this is as clear cut based on how the sister reaction. She sounds like a shrew.
19 · vikram said
yep. that justifies it. case closed.
17 · Ennis said
because vikram never met a hate crime victim he didn’t find guilty.
18 · Suki Dillon said
I just love how you rush to whitey’s defense when whitey’s not even under attack. Well played, old chum!
19 · vikram said
Shrew you. You’re a real stickler for ‘investigation’ and ‘let’s wait for the truth’ eh?
19 · vikram said
Vikram, It is a little unfair to make disparaging remarks about people you barely know. Go back to your room, now.
Jef – it’s a very important issue and one that I had been planning to post on last week. Sometimes even important things can slip.
Wow. Man, if anything this is a clear cut case of flat out ignorance and racism. I truly do not understand all these calls for “let us hear the other side.” What da F**k?!!!!!
I absolutely agree with Jef (comment 16)—-it is obvious that the problem started as soon as the cop saw what the caller looked like…at that point the cop made a cognitive short-cut fueled by ignorance: turban = osama bin laden = muslim (hence the later comment that was made about knowing what muslims are about).
I sincerely cannot believe that in a blog about south asian american issues anyone can be so freakin’ naive or so blind to the fact that since 911 there have been numerous hate crimes that have targeted sikhs. why would the cops be immune to this pervasive ignorance? And, how can you not get that?!
Jeff I know you have good intentions but we hate comments like this. Yes, you weren’t the first to send us this, a local blogger and commenter (Ruchira) was. There is no assignment desk at SM. Each blogger blogs about whatever they want to blog about whenever they want to blog about it. Some posts take a lot out of time if you want to write them properly. I stayed home from work today for medical reasons and was thus able to devote time to write a post with more links and useful information.
30 · Abhi said
Call in gay was yesterday, Abhi. 😉
I partied too hard yesterday and needed another day 😉
vikram said “She sounds like a shrew.”
and now you’re sounding sexist! she’s confident and knows her rights. more power to her and her family for not staying silent and accepting any blame for this situation.
26 and 32. Jef Costello said
I know Abhi and Ennis already responded to you, but since you called ME out in your criticism–I was the one watching “Aunty Padma” (zing! you’re acerbic all right!) on TV, after all– I feel like it’s appropriate to respond.
I was confused by your apology, in part because the comment for which you are making amends involved you singling out a sweet, utterly apposite post about Eid, the sort of post which makes people feel happy and welcome here and helps build our community– the same community which then mobilizes for causes like…responding to a Sheriff-elect after an incident like this. Then I saw your back-handed “in spite of the late turnaround, we all love” and realized that you are, in fact, oddly incapable of letting go of your central point about our tardiness even while you are apologizing for writing it in the first place.
I agree with one thing you wrote:
…and I don’t want to derail this thread further, either.
I’ve had cops refuse to investigate a big burglary upstate, but this is assault! I also remember an elderly lady whose husband (both white, lived here all their lives) was stabbed in their pharmacy in my very family-oriented NYC neighborhood a few years ago and left to die in a pool of blood, and the cops never investigated his death, no matter how she begged, and it was never reported in the press. This looks like the police figured this course of conduct to be the path of least resistance, so it’s good that they are being proven wrong.
once i was standing in a crowd of spectators after a big sporting event, a fair distance from some commotion and celebratory riots. at the first instance of being ordered to disperse, everyone started doing so. no one was loud, no one was raucous…everyone was just shuffling along and had been watching out curiosity, more than anything, including me and my two white friends. there were some cops around, dressed in full riot gear, monitoring our progress while standing on the sidewalks. no big deal, really. we were on a public street that had been shut down to accommodate the crowds. then, a cop hopped off the sidewalk, pushed through the crowd, approached me and blasted me point blank in the face with pepper spray. i went down screaming. my two friends just yelled “WHAT THE F*CK!” and he blasted them too. then, from what i was told by strangers, because my friends and i were all writhing on the ground, the cop just walked off. the strangers helped us up, and we made to a local fast food joint, where people let us skip the line to the pisser to wash out our eyes..
above all my local sports team regalia, i wear a turban on my head. to him, i probably looked like i helped out in 9/11, a dirty moslem. but no matter – under vikram’s rationale, because i might have been breaking the rules a bit by being too slow to get out of an area from where the police officers told us to disperse, i deserved what i got. as did my friends.
for the record, i am a bit of a shrew, too.
That is indeed expedient and efficient of Sach productions…I remember catching this story on the news and intending to post it to the tip line, but not finding anything online (that evening) to which I could link. Kudos to them.
Why? what Vikram does is basically called ‘licking the gora feet’ (or other body parts). These types subscribe to the belief that the gora always is right by default, and the desi must have done something wrong. After all, the gora does allow the poor desi to live in this wonderful, great country of milk and honey as a big favour, no?
The roots of this behaviour can be traced to the years of colonial rule in India. remnants of this exist in India as fanciful tales about the gora’s honesty, promptness, fairness, efficiency, work ethic, cleanliness, tidiness, etc. Some of us who have been to Gora lands for a while do know that the gora is just like the rest of the world in such matters, but the likes of Vikram still believe in all that and Santa despite all evidence to the contrary.
The unfortunate thing is, even getting kicked by a redneck shouting something like ‘towelhead, go back!’ will not open these peoples eyes. They will blame themselves even then.
Kudos to this strong, articulate family for publicizing this troubling incident. No doubt there’s many more that families just ignore or try to forget. And I love knowing there’s a group like Sach Productions that can turnaround on such documentaries so quickly. (It would be great if every minority group was this organized.) At the same time, I have to say I cracked up when I saw the son re-creating the scene of running around the house, with his flip-flops. I would’ve edited out that scene. Documentaries don’t normally make you re-create poignant moments in your story. Hilarious, lol.
These people have carried themselves with the utmost dignity and self-respect. I admire their spirit, pride, and eloquence. Terrible what happened to them. Glad that they are getting support.
There was this incident in the Bay Area 5 years back which ended much worse.
Why? what Vikram does is basically called ‘licking the gora feet’ (or other body parts). These types subscribe to the belief that the gora always is right by default, and the desi must have done something wrong. After all, the gora does allow the poor desi to live in this wonderful, great country of milk and honey as a big favour, no?
I think that is an unfair attack on Vikram, and many times in the past I have had the same comments said about me.
This story is just so utterly appalling. It made me sick when I read it.
Let’s remember one other thing: while the cops were busy harassing and overreacting to the kirpan, they were not investigating the crime that actually took place – the burglary. Presumably there is still a robber running loose because the police officers were too busy getting their racism on. So this case is not only a matter of gross injustice against an innocent family – it’s bad police work too.
So, even if I am not Sikh, even if I am not desi, even if I don’t care about Sikhs or Muslims or social justice, even if I am totally and completely 100% selfish, I still have an interest in seeing the police officers in question disciplined for this incident. Because if their racism interferes with their ability to do the job taxpayers are giving them a salary to do – keep the neighborhood safe – that is EVERYONE’S problem. And it’s not going to go away if enough excuses are made about this incident.
This is a good way to put such incidents in perspective. Even if this was white on white or black on black injustice, it is injustice nevertheless. This part of the equation tends to get lost when religion and ethnicity are discussed. It’s hard to leave these factors out of this discussion of course since they are relevant to the case, but I think it tends to obscure the larger point about the injustice.
oruvan
First off, I would love to see you say that to my face. Personally I don’t like cops. I think they can be jack booted thugs. But I also think people who are so naive to think that when a cop in doing an investigation that it is ok to keep a knife on their person, are plain stupid. And I can’t stand identity politics victims like you. I am a desi therefore I must back the desi version of the story. Same as a white person saying I am white so I must back the white person.
“And police brutality and racial profiling live on. No matter how much “sensitivity training” they’re given, they still don’t learn. Ignorance begins at home.”
You say ignorance. They say experience. I rode in a police car once for kicks (not sure if that was legal), seen the rank underbelly they deal with day in, day out, and the idea of being “sensitive” can sometimes be so funny, it’s, well, deadly. btw–one of the cops was Columbian background of all things, the other one Italian I think. One was my neighbor.
They don’t even respond to a lot of neighborhood calls because no matter what they do, it won’t be right. I came to think that each ethnicity needs their own police, much like policewomen usually handle female violators. More on topic of this post, cops should learn more about desis, especially the ones with turbans. Desis, outside of domestic cases, don’t have a street rep for violence and for f$#k sake, we had nothing to do with 9/11. However, I think their attitude is they’d rather stay alive than risk being sensitive. They’re not social workers. When the cop depended on his “intuition”, he often ended up dead. They are trained by the book to be robot-like and go strictly by the rules because that’s what works for all concerned. Still, in the case of the situation describe above, a knife is not likely to be a danger like a gun, so I think they probably violated procedure.
This family have conducted themselves with integrity, decency and proportion. Vikram’s comments are pathetic, offensive, preumptious and bigoted. Sorry to say this, because I know you probably don’t like language like this, but Gungadin-ism is a reality, and it’s on display here.
I would say it to your face, Vikram, if I could get over there to America from England to say it. You make it sound as if it would be some kind of challenge, but to be honest, it sounds like it would be fun.
is there a reason that we’re still engaging vikram in this conversation? i’m never one to ostracize someone for having contrary beliefs – i too often have beliefs that might be ridiculed or question by the blogosphere masses (not liberal). but…..this is just ridiculous. if the “shrew” comment didn’t give away his underlying bias or lack of objective thought, it’s the use of catch phrases like “identity politics,” when the term is wholly inapplicable to the instant situation. if i may be concise, “moron” may be the apt term. not for his position, but for how he’s stubbornly stood by his position without the ability to substantiate or justify it despite repeated calls to do so.
so, ignore the f*cking moron, who is probably thriving off of being a contrarian to us mass liberal PC hoardes. and yes, vikram, i’d say all this to your face in a heartbeat, as i have to any number of other fools i’ve come across in the realz world. i question if you’d be saying all this to any of our faces rather than from behind the anonymity of the internet…especially calling a woman a shrew to her face when she’s wearing a big bad dangerous 3″ long dull kirpan!
Huh? The appropriate response would be: “Can you even point to Bombay in a world map?”. I hope the deputies have the book thrown at them.
M. Nam
Ennis,
Thanks for posting this. Sizzle is sad to know what you had to go through. I don’t think many people who don’t wear a patka will ever truly understand what sikhs have to go through post 9/11 so I guess restraint in trying to justify the cops actions is necessary.
Couple of things.
First, this is the Harris County Sheriff’s department, not the Houston Police Department. The latter polices the incorporated city of Houston, the former the unincorporated parts of Harris county. HPD is a professional outfit. The sherriff’s department is not.
Second, there is literally a new sheriff in town. Adrian Garcia defeated Tommy Thomas in this year’s election. Thomas, a 20 year veteran of the sheriffs office, attracted contrversy for racist emails his officers sent around to each other. Also, under Thomas, the sheriff’s office lost a civil rights suit for assaulting two Houstonians who videotaped a drug raid. Then, to make it worse, the sheriff’s had his officers spy on the two, hoping to “dig up dirt” against them. More on Thomas at Garcia’s campaign site.
Not many folks in Houston are going to defend the sheriff’s office (and to see the worst of it, google “ida lee delaney”). But, for some reason, Vikram, my non-Houstonian brother-in-kram, is up to the task. “Shrew”, Vikram? That’s not the kind of language us Krams use. Shame, shame. It’s a krime, its a kalumny, and its a krummy way to behave. But us krams stick together, so lay off Vikram. Please.
“The idea behind the birth of Sach Productions is the creation of an agency that uses the film media to further the Sikh cause.”
What is the “Sikh cause”? I thought we all had only one cause and that is the South Asian cause.
…unless these new men and women come from the same social pool who become a part of the system. What then?
Abuse of power by cops has always been directly proportional to the amount of role the Government plays in people’s lives. Just look what’s happening in Greece, as an example. This is a society where the Government has its fingers in everything – and hence the system is atrophying rapidly. The cops are just like your DMV clerk, municipal inspector, Energy czar, Health-care reform czar, Auto czar or Wall street bailout czar – but with a gun. As the Government does more and more things, it will fail to do it’s most basic function – protect the civilians.
Reduce the role and power of Government, and such incidents will be minimal.
M. Nam
What if the Sikh family makes these allegations and the officers deny? Would this all be caught on the dashboard cam? If not, this would be a case of he says, she says. How does the court decide who’s saying the truth?