STOCKTON, C.A: A bad joke that made the round of the constructions site where my brother works 80€s like this “Go to L.A,, be treated like a King.” It is often the Case that Americans attempt to make light of suffering, perhaps to distance themselves from the misfortunes of others but today as the WWI cartoon character, Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and he is us,”
Whatever your color or economic Status you have an opinion about the Rodney King beating and subsequent verdict, It is truly ironic that the two black men who have focused our attention on racial issues in the U.S. are named King, although the incidents of beatings, arrests and riots are 30 years apart 4S our reader said, “It’s Deja Vu.”
W.S.N. took an informal poll of some of our readers, soliciting their Opinions as Sikh people in America about the verdict, the riots and the issues at the heart of this situation. The following are some Statements that we received.
Dr. Iqbal Singh Prof. of Intel Law Duke University, Member of the Committee for Human Rights.
“The gap between the races is a natural thing, often it is based on fear, But education about the strengths and weaknesses is the Key to understanding the aspirations that we all have. It is imperative that we work together for a joint future.
“Unfortunately the social infrastructure has deteriorated. Each person works longer and harder for the same share that was easier to acquire in the past. Obviously the white majority has retained the largest share of the economic pic. The transfer of resources is not seen as a cost benefit but rather a demand from the minority. The loss is then blamed on the minority rather than the situation.
“If we only see the minority (blacks) as brutes then our focus is misplaced. There is a subtle difference in the motivation of minority populations. Those minorities who immigrate to the U.S. often are both highly educated and highly motivated this is because of the situations from which they came. You may see an engineer or teacher immigrate and be a dishwasher or storekeeper and whose children then become college educated professionals.
“We are all familiar with Roots the portrayal of Black history which shows us 4 different sort of immigration one where the population was forced, unwillingly to come to America, where they were sold into slavery and where from the beginning families were separated. Although many blacks are motivated to get ahead, the motivation is different and even their status, (blacks) among other minorities is at the bottom. “This speaks to the extra vengeance with which the Koreans were attacked. “Personally, I was, and am very pathetic towards blacks. I feel that whites are not out to get blacks as we can see by the news, most whites were also disturbed by the beating and the verdict.
“The potential for something Positive lies in our greater understanding. The Black movement will go forward. As a member of the Martin Luther King holiday commission I feel this very strongly.”
Dr.Harbans Singh Sraon Sewadar, Guru Nanak Temple, Buena Park, CA.
“Of course the riots were a reaction to the Rodney King verdict. But adding to the problem was the fact that the police were not prepared and more than 16 hours passed before police were adequately deployed, before that they didn’t do much I feel this was due to the rivalry between the Mayor Tom Bradley and Chief Gates,”
The justice system obviously has some flaws. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words; in this case we probably had a thousand pictures in the video, A video shown worldwide which spoke loudly that there was no question of the illegality of the police actions. “Yet an injustice was done, in a case of jury nullification, the jury was obviously wrong. This inspired the rioters.
“But not just blacks righted, the demonstrations against the verdict escalated and was taken over by lawless individuals of all races. The looting wasn’t confined to blacks but was a case of those with a criminal bent taking advantage of the situation. And many innocent people suffered because of this action,
“It seems also that part of the problem was the ignorance of the merchant community. Asians have moved into the area because of the lower cost of property yet they have not learned about the society and the culture of their black neighbors this has created antagonism between the two. Koreans are victims of their own ignorance and of those who may be jealous of their success.
There is one way thought that we can all help. Register to vote for good people. Do not elect politicians who continue to make empty promises..
I, on the behalf of Guru Nanak Temple organized a group of 15 volunteers who went to one of the afflicted areas to clean up and bring food. At the site I made a short statement, There is only one race the human race, and we are all a part of it.
“Sarbat Da Bhala” as Sikhs we wish well to the entirety of humanity.”
Dr. Amarjit Singh, Panthak Committee spokesman said that it was an obvious injustice to Rodney King and there was a great awareness of this in America. He then said that upon hearing the verdict four things came to mind.
“1) In contrast to the Punjab where hundreds have been killed, the world has not shown the same awareness.
“2) R.K. was a victim of technicalities. Sometimes in a system technicalities overcome the truth, People knew the truth of what happened but the truth was hindered by the machine of the system which factored against the truth,
“3) Violence was unwarranted, there are better ways to express resentment there was no need for such acts and to happen here was very unfortunate.
“4) The system became a victim of the whims of the few. That is to say, the jury should have been practical and known that on such issues the verdict be handled carefully, The authorities should have been better prepared.
“In essence, this verdict was pro establishment rather than pro White.”
Capt. Harbhajan Singh, in 2 written statement to W.S.O, said, “The verdict of the jury declaring “Not Guilty, the former police officers charged with the use of excessive use of force in the Rodney King beating case came a shock and surprise to me just like it did to all others who have been watching on T.V. the mercilessly beating of a helpless, unarmed man, lying on the ground.
The trial appears to be unfair unless the jury had some other evidence (that has not been made public so far), to base its decision on, If there was any, it should have been made public,
The beating up of white Americans by the Blacks is as deplorable as was the beating up of Rodney King a black man by four white policemen. It was impossible to sit helplessly when they were being kicked around, just because they were a different skin. So much hatred My God I could not believe how intenslyitlay buried in some people’s hearts.
The police inaction in averting an ugly situation from developing in the first place appears to be deliberate. Allowing people to die and letting business to be looted and buildings to be burnt down for hours without any obstruction or interference by the Police and the Fire Dept, has shaken completely the faith of the common people. How could they let it go on, is beyond my comprehension?
All concerned need to be handed up for their evasive and deliberate contributions to what we have witnessed here last week.
The whole thing reminded me of the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots in India when thousands of Sikhs were mercilessly killed, their temples, businesses and homes burned.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 22, 1992
