Oregon Grand Jury Fails to Indict Turban Attackers with a Hate Crime
by Sikh Coalition
Roseberg, OR (March 20, 2008) - The Sikh Coalition is disappointed that an
Oregon grand jury
declined to indict three men for committing a hate crime when they tore
off and stole a Sikh
trucker’s turban. The Coalition learned last night that the grand jury
instead chose to indict
the men on the lesser charges of harassment and theft in the third degree.
“Burning a cross on an African American’s lawn is not a mere act of
vandalism, and stealing a
Sikh’s turban is not a misdemeanor theft. They are both hate crimes,”
said Amardeep Singh,
Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition.
The Assault
On August 5, 2007, Ranjit Singh was leaving a convenience store at a truck
stop in Oakland,
Oregon. As he was leaving the store, three men approached him and tore
off his turban. The
assailants immediately drove away in two separate cars.
Ranjit Singh called the police right away. The police arrived and were
able to view the store’s
surveillance video. On September 6, 2007, the Douglas County Sheriff’s
Office arrested three
men in connection with the assault. The Coalition then confirmed that the
Douglas County
District Attorney was pursuing hate crime charges against the attackers.
The Grand Jury and Their Decision Not to Indict the Attackers for
Committing Hate Crimes
Whenever a person commits a crime, only a prosecutor who represents the
government may
prosecute the crime. Here, since the attack against Ranjit Singh occurred
in Douglas County,
Oregon, the Douglas County District Attorney’s office is in charge of
prosecuting Ranjit’s
attackers.
The Douglas County District Attorney decided to pursue charging Ranjit’s
attackers with
committing a hate crime which is a felony (a crime defined as serious).
In Oregon, whenever a
prosecutor charges anyone with a felony, they must always first request
the permission of a
Grand Jury to do so. The Grand Jury is composed of ordinary citizens of
Douglas County.
In this case, the Grand Jury decided that there was not enough evidence to
move forward with a
hate crime prosecution. The prosecutor believes that the Grand Jury may
have viewed the attack
on Ranjit Singh as a prank committed for childish amusement rather than
the act of
bias-motivated bigots. The Grand Jury therefore charged the attackers
with misdemeanor (crime
defined as less serious) theft and harassment, but not a felony hate
crime.
The Sikh Coalition’s Concerns and the “Dollar Value” of a Turban
While we are thankful that the Douglas County District Attorney’s office
pursued hate crime
charges against the attackers, we are disappointed that the Grand Jury did
not move forward
with a hate crime indictment.
We are disturbed that the dollar value of Ranjit Singh’s turban arose as
an issue during the
Grand Jury proceeding as a means of determining the degree of theft the
attackers would be
charged with. The turban is a priceless article of faith for Sikhs.
Sikhs throughout history
have chosen death over removing their turbans since it encapsulates a
Sikh’s commitment to
their faith.
It is clear from our perspective that the Grand Jury completely
misunderstood what’s at stake
here. Stealing a Sikh’s turban is not a matter of mere theft, it is a
hate crime that injures
the entire community.
Next Steps
The Sikh Coalition calls on the Douglas County District Attorney’s office
to disallow the
attackers to plea down the current misdemeanor charges. We look forward
to cooperating with
the District Attorney’s office during the attackers’ misdemeanor
proceedings to explain the
impact of the attack on Ranjit Singh.
We also call on the federal government to investigate charging these
attackers with hate crimes
under federal law. Federal law can act as a safety net here to ensure the
true impact of this
attack is affirmed by the judicial system.
We call on all Sikhs to stand up for their civil rights and fearlessly
maintain their articles
of faith.
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The Sikh Coalition is a community-based organization that works for the
realization of civil
and human rights for all people. The Coalition serves as a resource on
Sikhs and Sikh concerns
for government, organizations and individuals.
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