New York men arrested in connection with two separate hate crimes against Sikh individuals
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After two Sikh men were attacked, robbed, and had their turbans ripped off in Queens, New York, this week, police arrested two men in connection with that attack as well as another that took place days earlier. The first suspect, identified as 20-year-old Hezekiah Coleman, was charged with robbery, assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment, and two counts of robbery as a hate crime on Tuesday.
The second suspect, 19-year-old Vernon Douglas, was arrested Thursday and was also charged in the case with two counts each of robbery as a hate crime, robbery, hate crime, and aggravated harassment. According to police, both were connected to attacks on April 3 and April 12, CBS News reported.
The April 12 attack took place in the same intersection where Nirmal Singh, an elderly man visiting from India, was beaten during a walk near his temple last week. The latest attack also involved two men, aged 76 and 64. According to police, both suffered minor injuries to the head and body after being hit with fists and a stick. All three victims were not familiar with Douglas or Coleman.
In the second incident, Coleman and Douglas attacked the individuals, removed their religious headwear, and took money from them, police said.
After his arrest, Nirmal Singh’s son, Manjit Singh, issued a statement in which he noted how grateful he was for the arrest since the attackers “cannot harm others.”
“My father is very grateful that his attacker has been identified and arrested so that he cannot harm others,” Manjit Singh said.
“Our family sees this sad incident as an assault not just on him, but on all who wear turbans and other articles of faith,” he added. “Successfully investigating and prosecuting this as a hate crime should send a clear message: All of our elders—regardless of religion, race, or any other characteristic—deserve to be able to walk the streets without fear.”
According to data compiled by the FBI, between 2019 to 2020, attacks against the AAPI community rose by 73%. Additionally, last year, a Sikh Coalition analysis of FBI data found that anti-Sikh hate crimes in 2020 were at their highest level since they were first tracked in 2015. The data also indicated that hate crimes against all people of color had seen the highest increase this year.
“Sikhs have repeatedly faced this kind of violence—now multiple times in this same place in this month alone,” said Nikki Singh, a senior policy and advocacy manager at the Sikh Coalition. “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.”
“This targeted hate violence is not only deeply traumatizing to the individuals involved—it’s traumatizing to those entire communities,” Nikki Singh added. “We must keep fighting for justice to send the message that violent hate will not be tolerated.”