WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Fueled in part by the Olathe shooting of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi urged the Attorney General to use his powers inside the Justice Department to take immediate action in preventing hate crimes in the U.S.
“From grave desecration at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis to a shooting at a bar in Kansas, Americans have been shaken to the core by the recent rise in hate crimes,” Krishnamoorthi said in the letter he penned to Jeff Sessions.
The Indian American community was left in a state of shock after 51-year-old Navy veteran Adam Purinton fired on two Indian engineers he thought to be Middle Eastern. Purinton reportedly yelled “get out of my country” before he began firing. The FBI announced this week the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
There have been a catalogue of hate crimes recorded in the U.S. in recent days — more Jewish Community Centers across the country have been receiving bomb threats, and there have been a sleuth of reported targeted attacks against Muslims and Sikhs. “All Americans must be able to count on the federal government to defend their fundamental rights as citizens of this great republic. If any American is harassed or threatened because of who they are, it harms everyone,” Krishnamoorthi said.
“I respectfully urge you to use the full powers of the Justice Department to investigate and combat this disturbing rise in hate crimes,” he said. “These attacks seek to undermine not just public safety, but the very nature of American exceptionalism.”
“A fundamental promise of our nation is that any American – regardless of where you come from, the color of your skin, or how you pray – can trust the federal government to preserve, protect, and defend their rights,” he added.
