Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumSikh activists demand apology from Kamala Harris for defending discriminatory policy
A group of Sikh activists has launched an online petition asking Indian-American Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to apologise to the community for allegedly defending a discriminatory policy in 2011 that prohibited state prison guards from keeping beards for religious reasons, even though exceptions were given for medical reasons.
In a statement, these Sikh activists alleged that during her tenure as Californias Attorney General, Harris defended a policy that prohibited state prison guards from keeping beards for religious reasons, even though exceptions were given for medical reasons. The case settled without a policy change in 2011, prompting the US Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation and forcing California Sikhs to successfully lobby for stronger workplace religious freedom laws in the state the following year.
Kamala Harris lectures her opponents on civil rights, but she needs to apologise for trampling on the civil rights of Sikh Americans as Californias attorney general, Rajdeep Singh Jolly, a lawyer and political consultant in Washington, DC, said.
While the Obama/Biden administration was taking historic steps to allow observant Sikhs to serve in the US military, Harris was fighting hard to deny religious freedom and equal opportunity to Sikh Americans, Jolly said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/sikh-activists-demand-apology-from-kamala-harris-for-defending-discriminatory-policy-in-2011/story-L3rn0ttp2XNhyh2F2Bx8qN.html
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
corbettkroehler
(1,898 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
stonecutter357
(12,697 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
sop
(10,192 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Vegas Roller
(704 posts)Many of them came here from late 1800's to early 1900's to help build railroads and now own a lot of farms and orchards as well as trucking and other businesses.
Even more important than votes, they pump a lot of money in the campaigns.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
drray23
(7,633 posts)On youtube (I think it was) about the Sikhs that are into trucking. There is a network of Sikhs owned rest stops in California that caters to their religious (there are shrines in the rest stop) and dietary needs.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Maraya1969
(22,483 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
SunsetDreams2
(268 posts)Thats what Im getting when I search. I will keep looking
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
SunsetDreams2
(268 posts)whom according to my search first told this story on April 10th and then it was picked up by Conservative Daily News on April 11th. It matters a great deal where a story originates
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)BTW, January 2011:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8283894/Sikh-man-cannot-become-guard-because-of-beard.html
Do you deny this event happened?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
SunsetDreams2
(268 posts)I am suspect of any conservative rag. Thats what I was coming up with. I could do without the snark.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
friendly_iconoclast
(15,333 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)the lawsuit and won. I'd like to hear Sen. Harris and hope she doesn't take too long to come forward about this.
Under the deal made public Thursday, the state will not change its rules requiring most men to be free of facial hair so they can be fitted for gas masks. But it is paying Trilochan Oberoi (tree-LOH-chin OH-bur-roy) $295,000 in damages and giving him a $61,000-a-year job as a manager in the corrections department.
https://americanturban.com/2011/10/27/state-of-california-settles-with-trilochan-singh-oberoi-but-maintains-discriminatory-policies/
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
SunsetDreams2
(268 posts)Im going to look into this further
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
cwydro
(51,308 posts)No comment.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Celerity
(43,408 posts)As Poll Numbers Surge, Attacks on Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris Increase; Sikh Attorney Challenges Record on Civil Rights
https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/as-poll-numbers-surge-attacks-on-presidential-candidate-kamala-harris/article_aa63b8ac-9dbd-11e9-84de-671cffedf1df.html
snip
Indian American venture capitalist Shelly Collins Kapoor, who serves on the Harris campaigns National Finance Committee, told India-West that sexism was clearly at play. The end result (a settlement in favor of the plaintiff) was obtained by Harris. Why is she being denied credit and criticized for obtaining the settlement? Kapoor queried, also questioning why the issue is now coming up nearly a decade after the case was settled.
Regarding Jollys petition, in 2005, Trilochan Oberoi, a 65-year-old veteran Indian naval officer, applied to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to work as a prison guard at Folsom State Prison. After passing a number of tests, he was told by prison officials that he would have to shave off his religiously-mandated beard to take a respirator-fit test which requires wearing a gas mask. Oberoi refused and the CDCR denied him employment.
Former California Attorney General Jerry Brown who would go on to serve two terms as the states governor challenged the state Personnel Boards ruling. The state sat on the case for three years as Oberoi awaited a decision.
Harris, who won her first term to serve as the states attorney general in 2010, was asked about the case by India-West at a press conference when she announced her win in San Francisco. She told this publication that she did not know about the issue, but would look into it.
Ten months after Harris took office as attorney general, Oberoi was offered an administrative post at the Folsom State Prison, and began working there Nov. 1, 2011. I feel like a soldier who has finished a long battle, a jubilant Oberoi told India-West in 2011, shortly after his case was settled (see India-West story here: https://bit.ly/2Xii92u).
We got a lot of push-back from his supporters, who claimed we were being partisan and who felt we were jeopardizing his candidacy by taking this issue up, he said.
The Sikh Coalition did not ask Brown for an apology, as Jolly has done with Harris.
snip
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)Does this mean it's a good policy?
"The Sikh Coalition did not ask Brown for an apology, as Jolly has done with Harris."
So?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Celerity
(43,408 posts)Sikh Coalition's Program Director,Amardeep Singh, with Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)I have some old pics of me taken with a variety of politicans because of position I once held. That doesn't denote a 'tie.'
This is rather like others in another thread discounting a poll in Iowa because one of the pollsters worked for, with, or know Elizabeth Warren.
And didn't this story break waaay back in April?
And didn't the Obama administration do a lot for that religious group?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Vegas Roller
(704 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Celerity
(43,408 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)within a year of taking office.
"Harris was fighting hard to deny religious freedom and equal opportunity to Sikh Americans, Jolly said.
Please tell if you know more about what Sen. Harris has to apologize for. Thanks in advance.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)Joe Biden served several terms in the US Senate and two terms as VP... AFTER his supposed racism.
No apology needed.
Next?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)case in his favor within her first year of taking office.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)He was bought off.
That did little for the rest of the Sikh community.
Next?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
tonedevil
(3,022 posts)the no facial hair policy is because they have to wear gas masks? If you have facial hair the integrity of the mask is compromised and you are very likely to breath in the substance you are trying to protect against by wearing the mask. In this case it would be the religious freedom to be injured or die from inhalation.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)... that was their reasoning. Do you understand her actions provoked a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation? Do you understand she argued to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Sikh man denied a government job because of his beard? Do you understand an arbitration board ruled in his favor that the agency had discriminated against him by making no effort to consider alternative accommodations, such as allowing him to wear a tight-fitting mask?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
tonedevil
(3,022 posts)there is no health or safety risk for people with beards who must wear face masks and Senator Kamala is a religious bigot who gets great joy from thwarting the religious beliefs of Sikh's. I'm so glad to learn from someone with such vast knowledge as yourself.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)Do Attorney Generals change safety regulations/policy at prisons?
Hopefully we'll get more information as the story develops.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
tonedevil
(3,022 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Celerity
(43,408 posts)is critical of the attack. This is definitely being spun by the MAGAT media, even if they were not the progenitors.
Also Senator Harris is hardly an anti-Sikh activist, despite Jolly's attempts to shape that narrative.
From 2017
https://www.facebook.com/SenatorKamalaHarris/posts/the-sikh-practice-of-langar-is-a-sacred-tradition-where-a-free-meal-is-shared-by/526793277663810/
disgusting MAGATS in those comments, those fuckers are pure hate
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)no news sites I'm familiar with.
This is a stupendous fail!
Thanks again for your expert searching skills
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)I get five out of ten sites that aren't rightwing.
Indica News
NBC News
Telegraph.co.uk
Indian Express
Religion News.
This means rightwing sites are publishing the story, but it's nowhere near exlusive to them.
Is it your position that if a rightwing site publishes a story, that story shouldn't be taken seriously EVEN IF mainstream and non-political sites are also running with it.
Shall we apply that standard to every story?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Celerity
(43,408 posts)A lot depends if the MSM picks this up and runs with it going forward.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)Is it your position that if a rightwing site publishes a story, that story shouldn't be taken seriously EVEN IF mainstream and non-political sites are also running with it?
Shall we apply that standard to every story?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Celerity
(43,408 posts)No, I do not believe that, I was simply pointing out (in a limited way) the current state of the early amplification.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wyldwolf
(43,867 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
SunsetDreams2
(268 posts)Im still not following why Harris has to apologize for settling the case with him and giving him a job with the state. All within a year of being elected AG.
Jerry Brown was the AG for much of this case
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Goodheart
(5,327 posts)I'm going to give Kamala a pass on this one.
Sorry, Sikhs.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BannonsLiver
(16,396 posts)Theyll be fine.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Cha
(297,298 posts)Good for the Obama/Biden Admin! They don't get enough credit.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden