Sikh Leaders Meet Judge Emmett about Harrassment
By Dr. Tejenndra Singh Gill
Last updated: December 19, 2008
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HOUSTON: The entire Sikh community was shocked to know what happened to the Tagore family the night before Thanksgiving. The wide coverage of the incident by the TV, press and the Sikh Coalition clearly reflected the public out cry on this unfortunate incident involving a Sikh family and the Harris County law enforcement department. The prominent Sikh community members requested a meeting with the Harris County Judge, Ed Emmett, which was held on Monday, December 15th @9:00 AM in Judge Emmett’s office suite in downtown Houston. The meeting was aimed at giving first hand information to the County Judge and to request his intervention in the case so that such incidents are not repeated in the future.
This meeting was attended by the highest executives and administrators of the Greater Houston Gurdwaras. The meeting with Judge Emmett was orchestrated by the Executive Director, IACCGH, Mr.Jagdip Singh Ahluwalia. The meeting, which was held in a very positive and friendly atmosphere, was attended by the following prominent Sikh citizens; Jagdip Singh Ahluwalia, Executive Director, IACCGH, Prithvipal Singh Likhari, Chairman, Board of Trustees, GSSWH, Col. Rajinderpal Singh Bhalla, Vice Chairman, GSSWH, Tejendra Singh Gill, Secretary, GSSWH, Hardam Singh Azad, President, Sikh National Center, Harjit Singh Galhotra, Secretary, Sikh National Center, Hira Singh Chamdal, President, Breen Gurdwara, Mandeep Mahar, Secretary, Breen Gurdwara, Bobby Singh Monica Singh, Attorney, Ramandeep Singh (victim family member), Kawaljit Kaur (victim family member)
The Policy Director and Chief of Staff for the Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, Kathy Luhn, recorded the proceedings.
The proceedings started with Judge Emmett’s opening remarks and by asking the attendees to give their brief introduction and comments. Almost all the attendees thanked the Judge for the opportunity he offered to meet with the representatives of the Houston Sikh. They expressed confidence in his leadership and praised his role during the hurricane Ike. The Judge then asked Mr.Bobby Singh to elaborate on the issue and give his suggestions on what could possibly be done to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Mr.Bobby Singh spoke at length in a straight forward but very professional tone and sought justice for the victims of the incident. He gave several suggestions on what could be done to improve the training program, and he was joined by the attorney, Ms.Monica Singh in stating the facts on what steps have been taken in the past to ‘educate’ the law enforcement personnel on Sikhs and Sikh Traditions.
Mr.Galhotra spoke of his involvement with the Houston Police Department and outreach programs. Dr.Gill stated that we are not here for a confrontation with the authorities rather we are here to find ways and means that would prevent such incidents from taking place in the future. He emphasized that the common man calls 911 in the hope that the law enforcement personnel will offer assistance. We do not want the people to lose confidence in the law enforcement, and think twice before calling 911. The GSSWH, Chairman, Mr.Prithvipal Singh Likhari and the Vice Chairman, Col.Rajinderpal Singh Bhalla, were of the opinion that perhaps better education on Sikhs and their religious beliefs/appearance will be helpful, and that the efforts should be made to impart such education as part of the overall training program designed for the law enforcement personnel. The Executive Director, IACCGH, Mr.Jagdip Singh Ahluwalia, who has been associated with the Judge Emmett for a long time, expressed his confidence in the Judge, and greatly appreciated the positive attitude of the Harris County officials towards the Houston Sikh community.
The President, Gurdwara Breen Road, Mr.Hira Singh Chamdal talked about the Sikh Day parade held in the downtown Houston, essentially to show case the Sikhs and Sikh Traditions for the benefit of Houstonians. The President, Sikh National Center, Dr.Hardam Singh Azad in his comments suggested that ignorance should not be an excuse. Judge Emmett was highly receptive to the various suggestions made at the meeting. In a very kind and apologetic manner he said what difference it makes to a law enforcement officer whether a person belongs to one religion or another or looks different from others. From the victims family, Mr.Ramandeep Singh, was asked by Judge Emmett to recount the details of the incident, which he did in an ‘extremely calm manner’, and stated the facts. His comments were followed up by his sister, Ms.Kawaljit Kaur, who had brought various representations and protest notes signed by the community organizations, including the Sikh Coalition, and the public at large. Judge Emmett gave both the family members a patient hearing and expressed his sadness over the entire incident. He offered apology to the victim’s family.
After thanking the Sikh representatives for meeting with him and giving their constructive suggestions, almost an hour long meeting was adjourned by the Judge. Mr.Ramandeep Singh and Ms.Kawaljit Kaur handed over a stack of more than 2100 signed petitions plus protest letters from out of state community organizations, including one from the police organization in New York. (Note: The comments quoted here are not verbatim.)
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