Crabtree’s comment, which was made after attending an auction in Woodland, talked about how he saw people with “rags” on their heads, and must have been from another world.
The comment, which Crabtree has apologized for, was not intended to be racist, but the Sacramento Sikh community has been troubled in the last year by violence and hate crimes.
Last year, a grandfather was shot and killed and another man critically wounded after they were attacked on their daily walk. Another attack involved a cab driver being beaten and called “Osama Bin Laden.” Both attacks involved men wearing Pagri.
From the Modoc Independent News:
Members of the Sacramento Sikh Temple have asked for a meeting with Modoc County Supervisor Loren “Shorty” Crabtree after he remarked that people attending a Woodland auction were “wearing rags around their heads.”
“Given recent hate crimes and attacks against Sikhs in the Sacramento area, the remarks by Chairperson Crabtree are very troubling,” said Amar Shergill, attorney and board member for the Sacramento Sikh Temple in an e-mail to the Modoc County Daily News.
Hate crimes and attacks against Sikhs in the Sacramento area referred to by Shergill include the fatal shooting last November of an Elk Grove grandfather who was gunned down during his daily afternoon walk with a friend who was also struck in the gunfire and remains in critical condition. Both were wearing turbans.
Read the full article here.