The recent shooting of Indians in Kansas, leading to the death of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibotla, depicts the present racial climate in the US which is said to be fueled by Trump’s rhetoric of ‘America for Americans’, universally understood to be a ‘White Christian America’.
Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take immediate action to stop rising hate crimes in the US.
“There is clearly a surge in hate crime in the US right now and due to which there is fear among immigrants and minorities here. US society is becoming much more intolerant and, in fact, people are defining Trump’s ‘America for Americans’ in a different way. Any act of violence fueled by hatred and xenophobia and prejudice cannot be tolerated and we condemn hate crimes. We have asked for quick action against the hate crimes from the Department of Justice. We are monitoring the incidents of hate crimes around the country ever since we have noticed a surge in these racially motivated crimes,” Sanjay Puri, chairman of Virginia based US-Indian Political Action Committee told Sputnik.
Hate Boils Over, Say Studies
A recent report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, shows a surge in hate crime after Donald Trump became President.
Similarly, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a leading monitor of hate crimes in US, recorded a rise in hate crimes in US after Donald Trump was elected President. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, hate crimes surged after Trump’s election with 867 hate crimes occurring within 10 days of Trump’s election. The New York Police Department also recorded a 115 per cent increase in hate crimes after Trump’s election victory.
In view of the recent hate crimes, several US senators have urged Trump administration to crack down on attacks against immigrants and minorities. “There has been alarming increase in bias-motivated violence and many members of racial, ethnic and religious minority communities, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people live in very real fear for their safety,” said the senators in a letter to Attorney General Sessions.
They asked Sessions to prioritize funding for Community Relations Service and Civil Rights Division and reaffirm the Department’s commitment to work with state and local officials in prosecuting hate crimes.
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