While we recognize that police may have been acting on a tip when it boarded the Amtrak train and interrogated Mr. We believe that the pursuit of this prosecution sends a very troubling message to people in the Providence community. As you know, the weapon was a Kirpan, a blunt ceremonial knife worn by devout Sikhs as an integral part of their religious beliefs. Singh for carrying a concealed weapon, based on a search that was conducted after he was detained at the Providence train station on September 12th in the panic following the September 11th attacks. I am writing to express our organization’s deep concern about the City’s apparent decision to continue to pursue criminal charges against Sher J.B. The letter sent to Providence Police Chief Richard Sullivan: Furthermore, the ACLU asserts that the statute as it is being used now will have the effect of essentially banishing devout Sikhs from the state if they wish to practice a basic tenet of their religion. The ACLU also alleges in the letter that the use of the state’s “concealed weapon” statute is a potential violation of Mr. “Even if one could forgive this overreaction in light of its proximity in time to the horrible events of the preceding day, it certainly does not justify the city’s pursuit of questionable criminal charges over a month later,” said Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island. Singh “sends a very troubling message to people in the Providence community.” The ACLU also noted that the tip leading to the detention of Singh and three other passengers was almost certainly prompted by “classic racial profiling – somebody deemed these passengers dangerous solely because of their appearance.” In the letter to Chief Sullivan, the ACLU wrote that the criminal charge against Mr. The “weapon,” a Kirpan, is a blunt ceremonial knife worn by devout Sikhs as an integral part of their religious beliefs. Singh was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, based on a search that was conducted after he was detained at the Providence train station. PROVIDENCE, RI – – In a letter sent today to Providence Police Chief Richard Sullivan, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has called on the police department to drop the criminal charge filed against a traveling Sikh man for carrying a ceremonial dagger the day after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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