Source: SMART

http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/press/pressdetail.asp?pressid=47

On July 25, 2003 SMART reported that "earlier this week, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh civil rights organization, conducted a congressional briefing about hate crime and effective strategies for outreach and prevention... The briefing, entitled 'Violence Against South Asians since 9/11', took place on Capitol Hill July 23 and was sponsored by the offices of Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Joe Wilson (R-SC)... Preetmohan Singh, SMART’s National Director, stated that since 9/11 the Sikh American community has experienced over 400 hate crimes, including verbal and physical threats, aggravated assaults, and shootings. Amnesty International recently reported that only one of nine hate crimes is reported in the United States. Experts state that reporting in the South Asian community is even lower primarily due to the lack of access, language barriers and immigration status issues."