Attorney General Eric Holder: Zero tolerance for white killers (August 10, 2012)Posted by Nicholas Stix
At service, Holder calls Sikh temple shooting a hate crime
By the CNN Wire Staff
Friday, August 10, 2012; updated 6:03 p.m. EDT
CNN
Oak Creek, Wisconsin (CNN) -- In the strongest denunciation to date by a U.S. law enforcement official, Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday labeled the attack on a Sikh temple that killed six worshippers "an act of terrorism, an act of hatred, a hate crime."
Holder spoke at an emotional memorial service for the victims of the attack that emphasized healing and forgiveness instead of retribution for the shooting rampage by an Army veteran who killed himself after being wounded by police gunfire.
Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Sikhs in America have been targeted by revenge-seekers who apparently have mistaken them for Muslims, perhaps due to the traditional turbans they wear and their dark skin.
"In the recent past, too many Sikhs have been targeted and victimized simply because of who they are, how they look, and what they believe," Holder said. "That is wrong. It is unacceptable. And it will not be tolerated."
He called for a national discussion on changing laws to prevent future shooting attacks, as well as "how we might change the hearts of those so filled with hate that the despicable act we mourn today could ever have occurred." Holder mentioned no specific laws.
Holder also declared the attack at the Sikh gurdwara, or house of worship, in a Milwaukee suburb to be "an act of terrorism, an act of hatred, a hate crime "that is anathema to the founding principles of our nation and to who we are as an American people."
Earlier, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said the Sikh community lived the words of slain civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. this week by responding with love to the attack.
Wearing an orange head covering in keeping with Sikh tradition, Walker quoted King's assertion that only love can overcome hate, and said he witnessed that truth in the aftermath of Sunday's attack at a Sikh temple in a Milwaukee suburb.
"This week, our friends and neighbors in the Sikh community have shown us the best way to respond is with love," the Republican governor told the hundreds of mourners who filled the Oak Creek High School gymnasium for the service.
As Friday's service began, three Sikh musicians in dark turbans sat cross-legged on the ground next to a row of six coffins and large, framed photos of the dead.
Mourners slowly walked past, including Sikhs in their traditional turbans and non-Sikhs using scarves and handkerchiefs to cover their heads in keeping with Sikh custom.
"You have taken this life. This is your will," a prayer leader said between hymns sung over somber music. "We accept your will. Please give us strength to bear this loss."
At one point, a group of seven uniformed police officers joined the line to pay their respects, with some embracing family members of the victims.
Overhead, a large video screen displayed projected photos of the dead and wounded in the attack, including police Lt. Brian Murphy, who remains hospitalized from multiple gunshot wounds after being the first responder to the temple on Sunday.
Murphy's family released a statement Friday thanking police and other emergency responders who rushed to the scene. "We will never forget their heroic actions and quick thinking that saved so many lives on that terrible day."
The family also thanked medical staff and the Sikh community for including Murphy in prayers.
Two Sikhs wounded in the attack remained hospitalized, Punjab Singh in critical condition and Santokh Singh upgraded to satisfactory, while another was treated and released earlier this week.
The family of Santokh Singh said "we are profoundly touched by the outpouring of support from people across the world. "
Killed were five men -- Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65; Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; Prakash Singh, 39; Suveg Singh, 84 -- and one woman, 41-year-old Paramjit Kaur.
At Friday's memorial service, relatives of the slain shared memories of their loved ones and encouraged the Sikh community to move past a crime that still remained beyond full comprehension.
"We must not fight fire with fire. We must not fight hate with hate," said Kaleka's son, Pradeep. "My father used to say that you can't put a fire out by pouring gasoline on it."
The attacker, Wade Michael Page, was a 40-year-old former soldier-turned-front man for a white supremacist rock band. He killed himself in the parking lot of the gurdwara after being shot by a police officer, the FBI said Wednesday.
Investigators say they found no clues to explain why Page went on the killing spree.
Former Army colleagues said he espoused racist views during his military stint in the 1990s that became more pervasive after he left the service.
The incident occurred slightly more than two weeks after a shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, left 12 people dead and 58 wounded.
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who visited the gurdwara on Thursday, said more massacres will come unless the United States tightens up its gun laws.
"It's easy to be polite to say 'We're so sorry this happened' and give the same speech at the next killing a month from now," Jackson said, calling for a move from "politeness to a change in policy."
Jackson delivered the closing prayer at Friday's memorial service.
A CNN/ORC International poll released Thursday indicates that the public remains divided on gun laws, with 50% saying they favor no restrictions or only minor restrictions on firearm ownership and 48% supporting major restrictions or a complete ban by individuals except police and other authorized personnel.
Those numbers are identical to where they were in 2011, and the number who support major restrictions or a complete ban has remained in the 48%-to-50% range for more than a decade.
The CNN survey was conducted by ORC International on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the attack on the Sikh temple.
Also Thursday, temple members swept, scrubbed and painted over damage to their building when investigators allowed them back inside four days after the attack. A lone bullet hole remained in a metal door frame, which members say won't be repaired.
CNN's Tom Cohen, Poppy Harlow and David Mattingly contributed to this report.
Attorney General Eric Holder: Unlimited tolerance for black killersCrime Scenes
• 300 S Artesian Ave, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
• 7200 S Artesian Ave, Chicago, IL 60629, USA
• 1000 W Cullerton St, Chicago, IL 60608, USA
• 9300 S Anthony Ave, Chicago, IL 60617, USA
• 800 E 88th St, Chicago, IL 60619, USA
• 4500 S Union Ave, Chicago, IL 60609, USA
• 400 E 63rd St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
• 2700 S Keeler Ave, Chicago, IL 60623, USA
• 4700 S St Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60653, USA
10 Shot in Last 24 Hours [original title]; 10 shot Friday and Saturday across city [revised, diminished title]
By Ellen Jean Hirst and Peter Nickeas
August 11, 2012, 10:01 a.m. CDT
Chicago Tribune
Ten [nameless, raceless] people were wounded by gunfire in a handful of robberies and other attacks [carried out by nameless, raceless, heightless perpetrators] across the South and West sides on Friday and Saturday, police said.
An 18-year-old was shot in the chest during a driveby shooting in the Pilsen neighborhood on the West Side and is in critical condition atJohn H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, police said. Police were called about 3:10 a.m. to the scene in the 1900 block of South Morgan Street after receiving a report of a person being shot and found a crowd surrounding the victim who was laying on the sidewalk.
Witnesses on the scene told police they observed a red Ford Explorer driving southbound on Morgan with approximately 4-5 people inside. [Well, at least we know the vehicle’s color!] Witnesses heard gunshots coming from the vehicle, which fled westbound on Cullerton Street. Witnesses told police they heard someone inside the Explorer shouting gang slogans [Which slogans form which gang? More teasing, with worthless non-information. This Ellen Jean Hirst is as bad as her colleague, No-Name Nickeas.] The victim doesn't have any documented gang affiliations, police said.
A [raceless] 15-year-old boy was taken to a nearby hospital after being shot in the leg on the South Side early Saturday morning, police said. While walking east on at East 93rd Street and Anthony Street in the Calumet Heights neighborhood at 12:45 a.m., the boy was approached by a [nameless, raceless, heightless] 19- to 25-year-old man with dreadlocks. The man flashed a blue steel semiautomatic gun and told the boy to "give me everything you have." [Well, at least we know the gun’s color, and that the man had dreads! Look for a Swedish guy with dreads. Yeah, that’s the ticket!]
The boy pushed the handgun away and struggled with the man before he was shot in his left upper leg. The shooter fled in an unknown direction and the boy was taken to Advocate Trinity Hospital by a friend, where he was in stable condition. [Tough kid!] Police were unable to find a crime scene where the boy said he was shot and he lives 7 miles away in Englewood. [Hmm. What was he doing on the South Side? Shorty action, or gang action? Don’t all 15-year-olds walk around strange neighborhoods at 12:45 a.m.?]
A [nameless, ageless, raceless] person was shot in the 4400 block of South Union Avenue in the Canaryville neighborhood about 1:45 a.m., Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak said. He was in a car heading south on Union when a [nameless, ageless, raceless, heightless] known gang member opened fire from the street, Kubiak said. He was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center.
Two [nameless, raceless, heightless] 27-year-old men were shot in the 800 block of East 88th Street in the Burnside neighborhood just before midnight, Kubiak said. Both men identify with the same gang [which we refuse to identify, because the crime news is our private business, you chump readers!]. One was shot in the hand and is in good condition at Advocate Trinity Hospital and the other was shot in the side of his back and is in stable condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center.
A [nameless, raceless, heightless] man with a bag of money meeting [a nameless, raceless, heightless] someone to buy a car in the 300 block of South Artesian Avenue in the near West Side neighborhood was shot by two [nameless, raceless, heightless] men with handguns about 10:45 p.m., police said. The 24-year-old was shot in the neck, bicep and hand. He tried to meet someone to purchase a car [repetition] and was told when he arrived the man he was to meet wasn't there. Two [nameless, raceless, heightless] others emerged, both with handguns, and opened fire. He dropped the money and ran but was shot, police said. He's in stable condition at Stroger hospital.
A [nameless, raceless] 27-year-old who had been arrested 63 times was shot in the buttocks about 7:20 p.m. near the intersection of 63rd Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in the West Woodlawn neighborhood, police said. He's in stable condition at Stroger hospital [sic].
About a half hour before that shooting, a [nameless, raceless] 25-year-old man was taken to Holy Cross Hospital after getting shot in the 7200 block of South Artesian Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. The 25-year-old was on a porch with friends when [a nameless, raceless, heightless] someone approached and opened fire, police said.
About 12:25 p.m. Saturday, a [nameless, raceless, heightless] 26-year-old was shot in the arm in the 4700 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. He is in good condition at Stroger hospital. He was in a car with his girlfriend when [a nameless, raceless, heightless] someone he knew ran up and shot him, police said. His girlfriend drove him to the hospital.
About three hours earlier, a [nameless, raceless, heightless] man was shot in front of a home in the 2700 block of South Keeler Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood. He was hit in the elbow and back and taken to Stroger hospital.
ehirst@tribune.com
Twitter: @ellenjeanhirst
pnickeas@tribune.com
Twitter: @peternickeas
[I thank my reader-researcher RC for both of the above stories.]
Fantastic read! I’ve saved your site…..,
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