Kansas community is still reeling from the February killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla
The South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) on Tuesday participated in a critical hate crimes forum facilitated by the US Department of Justice Community Relations Services in Kansas and demanded a response to hate crimes.
Representatives from government agencies, diverse community leaders, and advocacy organizations gathered at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City, where the community is still reeling from the February killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla.
The forum examined and addressed the bigotry and hate violence targeting South Asian communities across the United States.
“The United States was founded on religious liberty, yet our country is flooding with hatred and violence explicitly targeting communities based on their religion, race, nationality, and perceived identity,” AALT Executive Director Suman Raghunathan said in a press release.
“The president’s responses to the tragedy in Kansas along with many others have been deeply problematic. Multiple attempts at a ‘Muslim Ban’, careless words or complete silence following attacks on our communities, and his failure to name white supremacy as a clear and present danger to our country all combine to signal the lack of necessary interest, will, and leadership to address these fundamental issues,” he said.
Indian American Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead by a gunman in a bar in Olathe, Kansas, on the night of February 22. Before opening the fire the gunman shouted to Kuchibhotla “Get out of my country.” This was just one instance of hate violence targeting South Asian, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and interfaith communities across the country.
In its recent report Power, Pain, Potential SAALT documented 207 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic political rhetoric aimed at South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Arab, and Middle Eastern American communities during the divisive 2016 elections.
ACT for America, a noted hate group, is hosting a series of multi-city anti-Muslim rallies on June 10 to manufacture fear and hatred of the Muslim community.
In the wake of such incidents, SAALT and its partners are coming out to denounce fear-mongering and xenophobia as unacceptable and to demand the vigorous enforcement of civil rights and liberties, their statement read.