First Anniversary of Oak Creek shooting: Sikhs for Justice donates $13K to Lt. Brian Murphy

Oak Creek, Wisconsin (August 09, 2013): According newsletter by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), while remembering the victims of the Oak Creek Sikh Gurdwara terror strike Sikh rights group “Sikhs for Justice” (SFJ) handed over a sum of $13,000/- to Officer Murphy to honor his heroic and timely action which saved many lives.

The donated money for Officer Murphy was collected through San Francisco Bay Area based community radio station “Chardi Kala” which is a mouth piece of US Sikhs.

SFJ demanded that Officer Brian Murphy of Oak Creek Police Department should be awarded “Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery” for risking his life to defend Sikhs in a shoot out at Wisconsin Sikh Temple. The award is given by the U.S. Office of Justice Programs, to recognize police officers who have shown bravery and either sustained injuries or risked injury in the line of duty.

While sympathizing and showing solidarity with the families of victims and the community at large, attorney Pannun stated that it is incumbent upon Obama Administration take concrete measures to prevent future hate crimes against Sikhs or any other religious minority. These attacks have cultivated deep sense of insecurity among the American Sikh community, added attorney Pannun.

While commending the efforts of US law enforcement officer who risk their lives to protect religious minorities in the country, attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who practices civil rights in the United States and is legal advisor to SFJ, stated that Oak Creek Temple shooting was not due to mistaken identity as commonly portrayed but rather Sikhs were targeted for being Sikhs, a religious minority.