Documentary Recounts A Wisconsin Town's Reaction To A Deadly Hate Crime

THIS IS KPBS MIDDAY EDITION. I MAUREEN CAVANAUGH. AND HATE CRIMES -- WHEN HATE CREATES VIOLENCE, HOUSESITTER COMMUNITY REACT? HOW SHOULD THE CRIME BE PROSECUTED? HOW CAN HATE BE REPLACED WITH ACCEPTANCE? THESE ARE SOME THE QUESTIONS RAISED BY A NEW DOCUMENTARY, WAKING IN THE OLD GREAT, CHRONICLES THE DEADLY HATE CRIMES COMMITTED AT A SIKH TEMPLE IN WISCONSIN. IT'S ONE OF THE DOCUMENTARIES PRESENTED BY THE GROUP NOT AN HOUR TOWN, AN ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO EDUCATING COMMUNITIES ABOUT HATE CRIMES AND BULLYING. THE SCREENING AND DISCUSSION OF WAKING IN NO CREEK WILL BE HELD IN SAN DIEGO TONIGHT. HERE'S A CLIP FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM. 911, WHAT'S YOUR EMERGENCY? I WAS IN THE PARKING LOT. I THINK SOMEONE WAS SHOOTING SOME GUY WITH A TURBINE. HE'S IN A CHURCH WITH A GUN. HE'S IN THERE SHOOTING PEOPLE. FUELED BY HATRED, WITH A LOADED GUN. KILLED MY MOTHER WHILE SHE PRAYED. THEY SHOT AND KILLED FIVE MORE MEN. EARLIER TODAY I SPOKE WITH WAKING IN OAK CREEK FILMMAKER PATRICE O'NEAL. THE TREES, WHY IS THIS DOCUMENTARY CALLED WAKING IN OAK CREEK? WHAT IS THE WAKING? IT'S ABOUT AN AWAKENING OF A COMMUNITY, ABOUT PEOPLE BEING EACH OTHER IN A NEW WAY. WHAT SO POWERFUL ABOUT THIS STORY, IS FROM SUCH HORRIFIC TRAGEDY, FROM THE KILLING OF SIX INNOCENT PEOPLE IN THEIR HOUSE OF WORSHIP, FROM THE SHOOTING OF A POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS SHOT 15 TIMES DEFENDING THE TEMPLE, FROM THIS STORY EMERGES SUCH INSPIRING CONNECTION IN WAKING OF THIS COMMUNITY. WE CALLED IT WAKING BECAUSE IT'S A WAKE-UP CALL TO ALL OF US. WHAT DO WE DO TO KNOW OUR NEIGHBORS, TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER BEFORE SOMETHING HORRIFIC LIKE THIS HAPPENS, BEFORE TRAGEDY STRIKES? HOW CAN WE LEARN THE LESSONS OF OAK CREEK IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS AND TOWNS. BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS. THERE ARE SHOCKING PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENTARY, AS WE JUST HEARD THE 911 CALL. WE SEE THE SHOOTER CONFRONT POLICE. WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE THAT REAL-LIFE FOOTAGE? I THINK WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE HORRORS OF HATE. IN ORDER TO, I THINK, GRAPPLE WITH THE STORY, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A SIKH COMMUNITY WENT THROUGH, WHAT THESE POLICE OFFICERS WENT THROUGH, WHAT THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY WENT THROUGH. THAT KIND OF TRAUMA. I THINK -- IT'S NOT GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, BUT YOU HAVE TO FEEL THE TENSION. YOU HAVE TO FEEL THE PAIN AND FEAR THAT THIS COMMUNITY WENT THROUGH IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND, I THINK, THEY'RE POWERFUL RESPONSE AND HOW THEY EMERGED. I SAY THAT TO KNOW THERE COULD BE MANY PLACES TO WOULD HAVE PULLED. IN FEAR. IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THE STORY IS SO REMARKABLE. AND DATA PULLING. IN FEAR A SIKH COMMUNITY WENT OUT INTO THE WORLD AT THAT, THIS IS WHO WE ARE, THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO. THESE INCREDIBLE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR PARIS. THEY FOUND THEMSELVES AS LEADERS NOT JUST IN THEIR TOWN BUT IN THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. IN THE DOCUMENTARY, THE WAKING IN OAK CREEK, NOT MUCH IS SAID ABOUT THE SHOOTER EXCEPT THAT HE WAS A WHITE SUPREMACIST. WHY IS THAT? I THINK AS JOURNALISTS, WE HAVE JOINED MANY GROUPS IN NOT TRYING TO GLORIFY PEOPLE WHO TAKE THESE KINDS OF ACTIONS. IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, THE BACKGROUND AND IDENTITY OF THIS PERSON IS NOT WHAT THIS STORIES ABOUT. OTHER PEOPLE MAY DO STORIES ABOUT HIS ORIGIN, THE KILLERS ORIGINS AND WHAT MAYBE MOTIVATED HIM. THAT IS NOT WHAT THE STORIES ABOUT. WAKING IN OAK CREEK IS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, WHAT THEY DID IN THE AFTERMATH OF HEAT. IT'S NOT HIS STORY. WE DON'T WANT TO GLORIFY HIS STORY. WE WANT TO ILLUMINATE -- SHED LIGHT ON WHAT THE COMMUNITY CAN DO AND WHAT THIS PARTICULAR TOWN WENT THROUGH AND DID TO REALLY PROVIDE A MODEL FOR ALL OF US. AFTER THE FILM AND I KNOW YOU WANT A CONVERSATION TO START AND THAT IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AT THE SCREENING TONIGHT IN SAN DIEGO. WHAT KINDS OF QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS DO YOU THINK THE FILM RAISES? ONE OF THE THINGS I WILL ASK AS WE BEGIN THE FILM IS, PLEASE DON'T WATCH THIS AND THINK YOU ARE GOING TO BE A STORY, FEEL SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND WALK AWAY. WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE NOT TO WALK AWAY FROM THE STORY OF OAK CREEK BUT TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CONNECT TO OUR NEIGHBORS. WHAT SIMPLE THINGS CAN WE BEGIN TO DO TO CONNECT TO OUR NEIGHBORS AND THEN, WHAT MORE SYSTEMIC THINGS CAN WE DO TO PULL TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE OUR KEY INSTITUTIONS OF PEOPLE DID IN OAK CREEK TO COME TOGETHER AND NO EACH OTHER AND UNDER AND EACH OTHER SO WE CAN PREVENT THE NEXT HATE CRIME. THE WE KNOW WHO THIS GUY IS, WHO WAS LEANING THAT WAY. SO WE KNOW EACH OTHER SO WE UNDERSTAND AND DON'T SEE EACH OTHER AS OTHERS. PATRICE, THINK OF HER SPEAKING WITH US. THANK YOU. THAT WAS PATRICE O'NEAL, A FILMMAKER OF WAKING IN OAK CREEK. THE FILM THAT'S GOING TO SCREEN TONIGHT AT THE CENTRAL DOWNTOWN LIBRARY. JOINING ME ARE TWO PEOPLE WHO WILL JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION AFTER THE FILM. RANA SINGH SODHI IS A SIKH, THE BROTHER OF THE FIRST POST-9/11 HATE CRIME VICTIM. RANA, THANK YOU FOR COMING ON. AND OSCAR GARCIA IS THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY HATE CRIME UNIT. RANA, WE SEE THE SIKH COMMUNITY IN WISCONSIN STRUGGLING TO REACT WITH PEACE AND GRACE TO THE KILLING OF SIX MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. DID YOU ALSO STRUGGLE WITH YOUR REACTION AFTER THE DEATH OF YOUR BROTHER? NO. ACTUALLY, FIRST THING, SIKH BELIEVE IN PEACE. SIKH DOES NOT BELIEVE IN VIOLENCE. WE LEARN FROM BIRTH AND SIKH ALWAYS BELIEVED IN PEACE TO PERFECT OTHERS. ALL THOSE THINGS HAPPENED. WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENED TO MY BROTHER AFTER 9/11, THE FIRST HATE CRIME IN UNITED STATES. I LEARNED THAT WHEN MY BROTHER -- HIS DEATH HAPPENED ABOUT 2:35 IN THE AFTERNOON AND THE PEOPLE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE COMMUNITY, LOCAL PEOPLE, AND ALL OVER THE NATION -- WE HAD 300 TO 400 PEOPLE COME WITH FLOWERS AND CANDLES TO MY BROTHER GAS STATION. THAT LOVE MADE ME SO MUCH STRONG. THE LOCAL ORGANIZATION, LIKE INTERFACE, AND THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, BEING A VICTIM'S FAMILY AND COMMUNITY, THEY ARE STANDING WITH US TO MAKE US STRONG. TO COME UP WITH GRIEF AND TELL THE STORY. TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE WHO YOU ARE. AND WHAT IT IS. THE COMMUNITY, ITSELF, MAKE MY FAMILY AND ME STRONG TO COME OUT UNTIL THE STORY. SPEAKING OF COMMUNITY, FOCUSING ON THE SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY FOR A MOMENT, OSCAR, COPIES THE IS THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY HATE CRIME UNIT? WE HAVE CASES BROUGHT TO US IN THE LOCAL POLICE AGENCIES ON A REGULAR BASIS, UNFORTUNATELY. A LOT OF THESE CASES TO GO UNSOLVED SINCE ONE OF THE CHALLENGES OF THESE PARTICULAR TYPES OF CASES IS IDENTIFICATION OF THE SUSPECT. I PERSONALLY ONLY RECEIVE THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. MANY OF THESE CASES DO GO UNSOLVED. HOW DO CHERT -- HOW DO YOU DETERMINE IF IT IS A HATE CRIME? THAT POSES A CHALLENGE TO THESE TYPES OF PROSECUTIONS. THE KEY ELEMENT OF WHAT MAKES THE CRIME A HATE CRIME AS OPPOSED TO A NON-HATE CRIME IS A REQUIREMENT THAT WE PROVE AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL MOTIVATION FOR THE ATTACK OR FOR THE VANDALISM, THAT IT WAS A BIAS OR PREJUDICE TOWARD A PARTICULAR CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VICTIM AND THAT CAN BE BASED UPON RACE, ETHNICITY, NATIONALITY, RELIGION, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER AND DISABILITY, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISABILITY. THAT'S OFTEN TRYING TO PROVE BIAS IS A DIFFICULT JOB,'S INTENT? YES. WE ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT THE MOTIVATION WAS OF THE OFFENDER AT THE TIME. WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF HATE CRIME YOU SEE? THEY RUN THE GAMUT. JUVENILES COMMITTING VANDALISM, SWASTIKAS ON A MOSQUE OR A SYNAGOGUE TWO VERY SIGNIFICANT INJURIES, BEATINGS WITH WEAPONS, BASEBALL BATS POCKETKNIVES, GROUP BEATINGS AND SOMEONE WHO IS DIFFERENT THAN THE ATTACKERS. RANA, NEW IMMIGRANTS TO THE U.S. ARE UNFORTUNATELY OFTEN TARGETS OF IMPULSE AND HATE CRIME. AS IT ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT FOR IMMIGRANTS TO REPORT THESE INCIDENT INCIDENT? I THINK MOSTLY IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY TALKING TO THE SIKH COMMUNITY, THEY ARE NOT TOO MUCH EDUCATED ABOUT HATE CRIMES. I LEARNED IT AND THERE IS A LOT OF STORIES I LEARNED AFTER THE 9/11 THINGS. PEOPLE DON'T REPORTED. I KNOW THE GUY WHO WORKED FOR SOME OF THE FRANCHISE STORES AND SOMEBODY CAME AND TOLD HIM, YOU LEAVE OR I WILL COME AND SHOOT YOU. SOMEBODY CAME TO HIS DOOR AND IT ON HIS FACE. HIS FRIEND TELLING ME HIS STORY, AND WHY YOU DON'T REPORT? SHE SAID IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY. HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU CALL THE POLICE? I SAY YOU ARE IN INDIA, YOU ARE IN AMERICA. THIS IS THE LAND OF FREEDOM, THE COUNTRY OF IMMIGRANTS. ENJOY YOUR LIFE. NOBODY CAN COME TO SPIT ON YOUR FACE. THEY'D TAKE HIS PROBLEM VERY WELL. I LEARN THERE'S SO MANY PLACES IN OUR COMMUNITY, PEOPLE DON'T REPORTED. I'M TRYING TO EDUCATE MY COMMUNITY AND ALL OTHER PEOPLE. IF YOU DON'T REPORTED, IT'S NEVER GOING TO STOP. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, YOU SHOULD REPORT IT. AUTHOR, YOU ARE BEGINNING OF PROSECUTION CONCERNING THREAT AND HATE MESSAGES RECEIVED BY THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS RIGHT HERE IN SAN DIEGO. WHAT IS A CASE ABOUT? WE HAD SOME EMPLOYEES FROM THE CARE ORGANIZATION, THE LARGEST MUSLIM CIVIC ORGANIZATION IN OUR COUNTRY -- AND THE RECEPTIONIST AT THE LOCAL SAN DIEGO OFFICE, THE BUSINESS OFFICE, CAME TO WORK ONE MORNING AND LISTENED TO THE PHONE MESSAGES AND HEARD A SLEW OF PROFANITIES AND ANTI-MUSLIM THREATS AGAINST THE MUSLIM PEOPLE. THEY'RE WAS REFERENCE TO THE CASE IN FRANCE, THAT THAT WILL BE REPEATED AGAIN. LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER. IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO INTIMIDATE AND VERY MUCH PUT FEAR, SIGNIFICANT FEAR THAT THE EMPLOYEE THAT HEARD THAT MESSAGE -- OF COURSE, SHE COMMUNICATED THAT TO THE DIRECTORS AT THE OFFICE. THERE WAS A SECOND MESSAGE COMMUNICATED BY THE SUSPECT WHO THEN E-MAILED A FEW HOURS LATER TO A REPRESENTATIVE FROM CARE AT THE NATIONAL OFFICE IN WASHINGTON, DC AND THAT INDIVIDUAL THAT THAT HIS MESSAGE IS THAT MORNING AND SAW SOMETHING SIMILAR, AS FAR AS THREATS TO KILL. THE SLURS AGAINST THE MUSLIM RELIGION. THE ALLEGED PERPETRATOR IS NOW A DEFENDANT IN COURT. WHAT IS HE BEING CHARGED WITH? HE WAS CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL THREATS TO THE LOCAL SAN DIEGO CARE EMPLOYEE AS WELL AS THE ATTEMPTED CRIMINAL THREAT TO THE WASHINGTON, DC REPRESENTATIVE FROM CARE. ALSO AT THE TIME, AT HIS HOME, THE EXECUTION OF A SEARCH WARRANT BY LOCAL POLICE -- THEY FOUND A HIGH-CAPACITY AMMUNITION MAGAZINE, WHICH IS ILLEGAL IN SAN DIEGO, ACTUALLY, IN OUR STATE. WAS ALSO CHARGED WITH THE MOTHER RELATED OFFENSES RELATING TO -- CHARGED WITH OTHER RELATED OFFENSES RELATING TO HARASSING. RANA LOST HIS BROTHER TO A HATE CRIME RIGHT AFTER 9/11. THIS PERSON, WHO IS NOW ON TRIAL, ALLEGEDLY TALKED ABOUT THE CHARLIE HEBDO ATTACK IN PARIS. I'M WONDERING, TO HATE CRIMES RISE AND FALL WITH THE NEWS HEADLINES? WHEN WE TEACH ABOUT HATE CRIMES TO THE COMMUNITY AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCED, WE CATEGORIZE CERTAIN TYPE OF OFFENDERS. THIS PARTICULAR OFFENDER APPEARS TO FIT WITH THE TYPE REFERRED TO AS REACTIVE OFFENDERS. SO, VERY MUCH WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MEDIA -- NOT TO BLAME THE MEDIA -- BUT SOME PEOPLE LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE MEDIA AND THEY REACT TO IT. THEY REACT, UNFORTUNATELY, IN A CRIMINAL MANNER. THEY TAKE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS THREATENING PEOPLE. WHAT DO YOU THINK NOW, RANA, SIKH COMMUNITY, NOW THAT IT WENT THROUGH THE ATTACKS THAT YOU MENTION ON YOUR BROTHER, THIS MAN REPORT TO THE POLICE IN ARIZONA AND ALSO THIS DOCUMENTARY -- THE MASSACRE THAT HAPPENED IN OAK CREEK. WHAT DOES THE SIKH COMMUNITY HAVE TO EDUCATE THE LARGER COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW TO RECOVER AND HOW TO DEAL WITH HATE? BASICALLY, I THINK ANYTHING HAPPENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD DONE BY A TERRORIST. WE BELIEVE IT, THE SIKH COMMUNITY IS TARGETED. I SEE THAT DIRECTION OF THE PEOPLE. ANY BE HEADING, LIKE THE PARIS INCIDENT HAPPENED. PEOPLE WHEN THEY GET ANGRY, THEY DIRECTED. WHEN THE FRESH? IT, THEY SEE THE TURBAN AND THEY DIRECTED EVEN MORE. THE ONLY THING HAPPENED AFTER 9/11. I'VE BEEN IN THIS COUNTRY IN 1985, I NEVER HAD ANY ISSUE BEFORE 9/11. I CAN GO TO ANY SHIFT ANYWHERE TO WORK ANY TIME OF THE. I HAVE NO CONCERN ABOUT MY SECURITY. BUT THIS 9/11 EPISODE REALLY CHANGED SIKH COMMUNITIES LIFESTYLE. THEREFORE, WHEN IT COMES TO THE SIKH COMMUNITY, OTHER COMMUNITY, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BE USING TONIGHT'S DISCUSSION AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL, OSCAR? AS PATRICE O'NEAL HIGHLIGHTED, IN THE INTERVIEW, PART OF THE EFFORT IS TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE WHAT'S HAPPENING, IN REGARD TO HATE CRIMES AND ALSO TO GET PEOPLE TO CARE MORE ABOUT THESE HATE CRIME BIT HIM. PART OF THE REASON WE HAVE ADDITIONAL PENALTIES IS BECAUSE OF THE DISTINCT DAMAGE IT DOES TO THE VICTIM, NOT NECESSARILY THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE BUT MORE THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE. HATE CRIMES TAKE MORE THAN TWICE AS LONG TO RECOVER FROM THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA FROM THE ATTACK. ASK YOURSELF WHY IS THAT AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WHY WE HAVE ADDITIONAL PENALTIES. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IN A PERSON IS ATTACKED FOR THE WAY THEY LOOK, THEIR SKIN COLOR AND IF THEY ARE WEARING A TURBAN OR THEIR RELIGION OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION, YOU DON'T EXPECT THE VICTIM TO CHANGE TO NOT BE A VICTIM IN THE FUTURE. THOSE TYPE OF THE DEMS AREN'T ABLE TO PUT THEMSELVES AT RISK -- LESS RISK FOR FUTURE ATTACKS, UNLIKE SOMEONE WHO WAS ROBBED OR IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS OVER THE SITUATIONS. I WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW, THE DOCUMENTARY WAKING IN OAK CREEK WILL BE MADE AT 6:30 AT THE DOWNTOWN CENTRAL LIBRARY. I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH RANA SINGH SODHI, THE BROTHER OF THE FIRST POST-9/11 HATE CRIME VICTIM AND OSCAR GARCIA, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY WITH THE COUNTIES HATE CRIMES UNIT. THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.