US President Joe Biden mourns the death of 7 victims in 2012 Wisconsin Gurdwara attack

United States President Joe Biden on August 5 mourned the death of several people in a mass shooting by a white supremacist at a gurdwara in Wisconsin nine years ago. He also admitted that the hate crimes against Asian-Americans surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic & pledged to work with the community members to combat the crisis. On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist opened fire inside Oak Creek gurdwara in Wisconsin, taking the lives of seven people.

"On this day, in 2012, I was with another friend who's half Sikh--he's a Sikh. And we were dealing with 10 people shot in a hateful act of bigotry at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Seven people lost their lives that day. Today, we honour everyone impacted by the tragedy," Biden told reporters at the White House.

While talking to the reporters after meeting with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPP) civil rights leaders, Biden said addressing the increase in hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, “We think about all the pain during this pandemic with the rise in hate crimes, harassment, bullying and other forms of bias against Asian-Americans...It seems not to stop.” Several Indian-Americans were invited to attend Biden’s meeting at the White House. 

Biden-Harris meet Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Leaders

White House said in a statement on August 5, that US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “met with 13 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA & NHPI) leaders representing the rich diversity of the AA & NHPI communities to discuss a wide range of issues, including the Administration’s Build Back Better Agenda. The conversation focused on the importance of combating the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, economic opportunity, commitment to equity, protecting the sacred right to vote, and immigration reform.”

“The meeting also commemorated nine years since the horrific 2019 Sikh Temple mass shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin,” it added. The leaders included Seema Agnani, Executive Director, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development; Christine Chen, Executive Director, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote; Quyen Dinh, Executive Director, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center; Satjeet Kaur, Executive Director, Sikh Coalition; Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Kūhiō Lewis, President & CEO, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

And others - Neil Makhija, Executive Director, Indian American Impact; Gregg Orton, National Director, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans; Tavae Samuelu, Executive Director, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities; Chiling Tong, President & CEO, Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship; Alvina Yeh, Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance; and Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.

IMAGE: AP