Video: Community Unites After Sikh Shootings (Elk Grove, CA)

Our hearts and thoughts are with the community of Oak Creek, Wisconsin today, after yesterday's tragic shooting at a Sikh temple that claimed seven lives—including the gunman—and left three wounded.

The Sikh community has been a target of hate since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and often mistaken for Muslim. Yesterday's tragedy reminds us of the two Sikh grandfathers who were shot during their daily stroll in Elk Grove, Calif. in March 2011. We joined the community seven days after the shootings and documented their interfaith vigil, and again, for the community's Sikh Solidarity Day, detailed below.

This piece is an example of community solidarity with the Sikh community and law enforcement leadership.

One of the community leaders in Elk Grove was Amar Shergill, a West Sacramento attorney who is a board member of that city's Sikh temple and the American Sikh Political Action Committee. He spoke about Oak Creek, Wisconisin's tragedy with the local Patch.

"When I heard about it this morning I had the breath taken out of me," Shergill told the Patch. "In a lot of ways it was similar to what happened in Elk Grove last year. Both incidents strike at the heart of the Sikh community."

Oak Creek will be addressing the shootings at tomorrow's National Night Out event, which will include screenings of Not In Our Town films. We will be following the city and community's response.

More resources:

Read this piece from our partners at Teaching Tolerance, "We Honor Sikhs by Learning About Them."

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