Flyers given with links to free resources to prevent hate crimes and help drivers respond quickly in case of emergencies
After the unpleasant incident last month where a Sikh taxi driver was physically attacked and harassed by another taxi driver in an apparent hate crime, Sikh activists have been educating the community about their rights in America.
Keeping up the momentum to educate more Sikhs on the safeguards available to them in the face of a hate crime or a racially prejudiced situation, Sikh Coalition and a number of other civil rights and community organizations came together on Feb 12 to organize a resource drive for minority taxi and rideshare drivers in New York City.
These included the Arab American Association of New York, the Asian American Federation, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of New York, Muslim Community Network New York and many others.
Read: 40% of striking New York taxi drivers are South Asians: Jaslin Kaur, city council candidate (November 2, 2021)
At the John F Kennedy (JFK) airport in New York, more than 25 volunteers distributed 600 flyers with links to free resources meant to prevent hate crimes and help drivers respond quickly and effectively if passengers do threaten their safety. Resources were available from 10 organizations in more than 12 different languages.
“Events like these are critical for getting resources into the hands of people who need them and showing solidarity between different community organizations and the city agencies that serve them,” said Nikki Singh, Sikh Coalition Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager.
“We are grateful to everyone who made this resource distribution possible, and look forward to continuing to provide legal, advocacy, and community-based support to our taxi and rideshare drivers.”
“Taxi and rideshare drivers from our communities remain vulnerable to hate and discrimination given their interactions with the public,” she said.
Read: Taxis beat ridesharing services in New York City: Morgan Stanley data (July 11, 2016)
In the past several years, the Sikh Coalition has provided free legal aid to a number of Sikh drivers who have been violently attacked–including a community driver assaulted at JFK early last month, whose attacker has since been charged with a hate crime, Singh said.
“We continue to proactively distribute resources in the hope of helping drivers to prevent hateful incidents or protect themselves when they do occur, and we are excited to partner with city agencies and other local organizations to reach individuals in need outside of our own community,” she said.
Singh also thanked the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for providing volunteers transportation and means to reach the drivers.
Read: New York Based Taxi Technology Platform Announces New Senior Advisor, Justin Erlich, Ahead of Expansion in to US Taxi Market (December 17, 2021)
Some of the other organizations that were a part of the initiative were: the Korean American Family Service Center, Nonviolent Peaceforce, Stand with Asian Americans, the NYC Commission on Human Rights, the NYC Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, and the NYC Taxi and Limosine Commission.