India House & SOS Partner to Host A Town Hall: An Engaging Discussion of Hate Crimes, Immigration and Fake News

By Pramod Kulkarni

HOUSTON: The political landscape in the United States has undergone an unprecedented transformation since the 2016 presidential election.

The new administration has signed numerous executive orders restricting immigration and called into question the authenticity of the mainstream media. Concurrently, there has been a rise in hate crimes against South Asians and other minorities.

Share Our Secrets (SOS), a 10-year-old educational organization focusing on life-long learning, partnered with India House to present a Town Hall on hate crimes, the immigration crisis and fake news on Sunday, April 30 afternoon.

The Town Hall brrought together a panel of immigration and law enforcement professionals, academics, community activists and media professionals, to discuss, share, and provide guidance on how to deal with such current affairs.

SOS graduate Preity Bhagiya welcomed the audience of about 100 people and introduced India House Executive Director Col (retd.) Vipin Kumar, who presented an informative video of activities underway at India House.

Then, SOS Founder and Chairman Emeritus Ranvir “Biki” Mohindra took the stage to provide background about SOS and the reason for the Town Hall. “This afternoon is about unity.” said Mohindra. “Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, but everybody here should go home  with the feeling that if anything happens that shouldn’t happen, at least we are a united front. The Town Hall is not against anybody; it is not a political forum; but educational, and it is about unity amongst diversity.”

The panel discussion got underway with another SOS graduate and immigration attorney, Denise McGettrick, serving as the moderator. Addressing the question of hate crimes, HPD officers drew a distinction between hate crimes and hate incidents. “For a hate crime to occur, there has to be an offense,” explained Officer Vasquez. “If you are assaulted with bias motivation because of your gender, gender identity, or ethnicity, then it is a hate crime. A hate incident relates to an expression of views that are different in terms of politics, religion or culture, but no crime or offense took place.”

“You should still report such incidents to the HPD by either calling the non-emergency 911 or the Hate Crimes Hotline (713 308-8737) and let the police make the determination,” Vasquez continued. “Hate crimes and incidents are vastly under reported.

Retired KPFT General Manager Duane Bradley described a bombing took place at the radio station about 18 years, and more recently, a shot fired from an AK 47 assault rifle. “There was a lot of fear among the volunteers. However, we stood together as a community against hate organizations.”

“A thousand hate crime incidents took place in the first month after the presidential elections,” said Manpreet Kaur, with the Sikh Coalition, which was formed after 9/11 to disseminate information about the Sikh community. “We have to energize our base., talk to our elected officials. They care about our votes. The South Asian population has grown 900% since the 1980s. Funds are allocated city and statewide on the basis of reported incidents, so it is important to report.”

Community activist and former Houston City Councilman Jew Don Boney framed the hate crimes conversation in terms of five great ethical revolutions of the 20th century, “The first revolution was for moral and ethical reform epitomized by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal when social security was established along with other economic rights. Second was the race revolution in terms of the dismantlement of racial segregation through civil rights legislation and the Fair Housing Act. The third revolution was about gender, the rights of women. The fourth was the green revolution for ecology or the environment,” asserted Boney. “We’re now in the midst of a fifth revolution, a counter revolution to undo the first four revolutions.”

“Putting the current issues of hate crimes, immigration and fake news in this framework allows us to understand what we’re up against. We need to use the modern technology tools, such as social media, to fight it,” urged Boney.

ADL Board Chair George Gibson cited the Holocaust and how it came to be in Germany. “It happens slowly, and happens legally by taking away certain rights of a targeted community. It is easy to dismiss it as a little thing. When you indoctrinate the police, the lower-level officials and judges, the society can get to that state of industrilized mass murder.”

“Do I think we’re at the same stage as Nazi Germany?” Gibson asked. “Of course not, but we have to stay vigilant. For example, theere are now laws that restrict the people’s right to vote.”

On the subject of immigration, Natoinal Immigration Forum’s Brenda Kirk said she was working with large employers to get their immigratn employees to transition from Green Card to citizenship. It helps to have a US passport to avoid travel restrictions.”

TSU Professor Jay Aiyer had a different take on restrictive immigration policies. “A lot less has happened than what people have realized. We haven’t had comprehensive immigration reform, but a series of executive orders that have been either nullified or put on hold. What we have seen is increased enforcement against people who do not have legal status, and also a chilling effect on how immigrants are treated.

“We talk about the increase in hate crimes, but not about why it is occurring,” Aiyer continued. “I don’t believe that a third of Americans are racist. What we do know is that there is greater apprehension about the cultural changes that are taking place in the United States. The country looks a lot different to many people.

There is more discomfort in communities that are less diverse. For example, many people are completely unaware of what it is to be Muslim. Their awareness is based on stereotypes. This creates an environment of hostility. I would suggest that it is important for our community to do a better job of introducing ourselves to our neighbors. It is important for us to not remain in silos. Over time, such interactions through things such as potluck dinners can change attitudes and a culture.”

“Once people form individual relationships, it is much easier to have a dialog, I think increasing our knowledgebase about other cultures helps reduce tensions,” said Kirk.

“Racism does exist in our communities. For example, there is systematic manipulation of voting rights laws in the City of Pasadena to maintain the existing power structure. We can’t be complacent,” said Gibson.

“Black people understand the nature of victimization,” said Boney, arguing for speaking out against discrimination. “Martin Luther King said there comes a  time when silence is betrayal. By our silence, we become co-conspirators with evil. I suggest that we all speak up against injustice.” “We all need to stand together and work together with other minority communities,” agreed Manpreet Kaur. “My testifying on behalf of the LGBT community was a big teaching moment for myself about the LGBT and for them to learn about Sikhism.”

Duane Bradley  provided a fitting conclusion to the panel discussion. “I think there is an intrinsic fear about the unknown and of others. I grew up in an insular commnuity in New Jersey. In my personal experience, my uncle took me to coal mining towns of Kentucky. I didn’t know people lived like that. I learned how to embrace other communities and become a better citizen.”

Speaking of fake news, Bradley said the system of news dissimination has become so fragmented that now we’re being fed news algorithmically that reinforces our existing beliefs. The challenge is to broke down such walls and explore other news and other cultures. The choice is between faith and fear. If we choose faith, we have an opporunitiy to grow as a society and enhance each other.”

The Town Hall organized by SOS graduates Rishi Goswami and Denise McGettrick under the mentorship of Mani Subramanian and Vish Murrali. Snacks and beverages were catered by Madras Pavilion.

For more information about SOS, visit www.shareoursecrets.org