Tragedy of hate crime, murder rallies community

America has always represented hope for a better life to people around the world, but for some new Americans, that dream can become a nightmare.

Satender Singh was attacked on July 1 in an apparent hate crime at Lake Natoma and removed from life-support four days later. Singh came to this country of freedom in peace and with a desire to build his life. But tragically his new life ended just as it was beginning. He died because a group of people expressed their hatred and their bigotry in the way most bigotry eventually expresses itself, through violence.

The murder of Singh, and the reaction to the death of the 26-year-old immigrant from Fiji, showed the worst and best of the Sacramento community in one stroke.

The worst is obvious -- once again, a young person was tragically murdered by someone who apparently thought he was gay. Reports are that homophobic epithets preceded the violence and Singh's death. This kind of hate crime is so vile and heinous that words fail to capture the lack of humanity in such an act. Authorities should work double-time, publicly and behind the scenes, to find the killers.

That Singh's death came at the hand -- allegedly -- of some people of Slavic descent is particularly troubling. Increasingly, a growing segment of radical fundamentalists in that religious community have targeted the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender communities and other minorities with despicable hate speech that debases our residents and raises the threat of violence. Tragically now, the threats of violence have become reality, as manifested in this murder. The first amendment to our nation's Constitution protects speech, but our community has the right to expect that the exercise of free speech will respect the dignity of all people who live here and not instigate violence or murder.

This tragedy, however, has demonstrated that people of peace and goodwill far outnumber those who express hate. There are brave souls within the moderate Slavic community who have spoken out against the violence. Recently, many diverse groups in the Sacramento region rallied to the cause of creating a Sacramento we all envision -- where every person is accepted and loved for who they are. Community leaders from CAPITAL, the Council of American-Islamic relations, the Japanese American Citizens League, the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, Stonewall Democrats, the Capital Unity Center, the Slavic Assistance Center, just to name a few, have been instrumental in forming an alliance against hate in Sacramento.

At a community vigil after Singh's death, his friends from his job at an AT&T call center spoke of a person who brought much joy and love to their lives. It's important to remember that this man was an individual and many, including his parents in his native Fiji, loved him.

If there is anything at all to be gained from this tragedy, it's the continuing collaboration of the Sacramento community around the idea that hate and discrimination will not be tolerated here.

Viewed through this vision of what our community can -- and will -- become, Singhr's death allows Sacramentans the opportunity to meet the hate of his killers with a renewed commitment to treat everyone in our community with respect and dignity.

Hate destroys so much, and it builds nothing. It builds no bridges. It builds no trust. It builds no community. Its power only grows if we allow it to grow through silence.

Our community will never be silent. We have been through this before: Remember the 1999 murders of two gay men and the firebombings of three Sacramento Jewish synagogues, the fires last year at a few moderate Slavic churches, the firebombings in the 1990s of then-Sacramento City Councilman Jimmie Yee's home, the Japanese American Citizens League headquarters and the NAACP offices and the attacks on Sikhs and Muslims after 9/11. Then and now, the voices of love and understanding outweigh the actions of those who seek to divide and spread hatred.

Our challenge is to translate our anger into constructive action that will help change our world. We can start by considering how we confront the bigotry of others.

We must not tolerate hate, hate speech or hate violence against the gay and lesbian community or any community of Sacramento. We must educate; we must persuade; we must cajole; we must nonviolently -- always nonviolently -- confront any radical community or individual who encourages or tolerates discrimination and hate. And yes, words do matter.

Hate destroys. But our Sacramento will continue to build, even more so after Singh's death. We will build bridges; we will build community. We will not settle for tolerance alone; we will demand acceptance and love. We will not rest until the words and actions that hurt and divide are no more.

About the writer:

• Darrell Steinberg is a Democratic state senator who represents Sacramento and is president of the Capital Unity Council.