Continuing our look at local lawmakers' bills, let's examine AB 504, by Warren Furutani, D-Long Beach.This bill would have required police officer training courses to include instruction on the "kirpan," a ceremonial knife carried by Sikhs. According to Furutani, this has become more of an issue since 9/11, as Sikhs have been stopped and searched more frequently.
Again, the governor said "nein."
This bill is unnecessary. It is the policy and practice of the Commission to periodically review and update existing course curricula. If the Commission determines that training on the kirpan is warranted, it can create a program without this measure.
The whole reason this bill was necessary was because the police commission had failed to move ahead to work on this on its own in all these years. Unnecessary hardship on the state exchequer and innocent Sikhs is not a priority for it.
Your insensitive headline reinforces the reasons why CA law enforcement needs training about Sikhs and the kirpan. Sikhs maintain articles of faith, including the kirpan, as physical manifestations of core spiritual values. The articles of faith bind the believer to core Sikh principles like remembering God, working honestly, equality of all people, and sharing with the needy. The kirpan, in particular, obligates Sikhs to defend the oppressed and promote justice for all people. The fact is that since the September 11th terrorist attacks, Sikhs have been increasingly profiled by law enforcements, and arrested for carrying what is a religious article of faith. The public - including law enforcement - unfortunately does not know who Sikhs are, nor understand the religious tenets. Mr. Furutani's bill aimed to educate law enforcement about a community still struggling in the wake of 9/11. The bill passed *unanimously* in the CA state legislature. In other words, the governor's position on the bill was the opposite of 100% of CA state legislators - legislators on both sides of the aisle. Therefore, it is the governor's position that is outside of the mainstream, and not Mr. Furutani's. The governor should be ashamed of his veto; he certainly has lost any support from the Sikh community.
I applaud Warren Furutani for introducing the bill. Although the Governor thought it was “unnecessary,” he’s certainly in the minority. AB 504 was passed unanimously in both the Assembly and Senate. Clearly, Mr. Furutani was in good company. It’s the Governor who made a mistake by vetoing what everyone else recognized as an important and necessary bill.
It's a shame that the governor unilaterally vetoed this important bill that had unanimous support in both houses. This bill would have really made a difference for California's Sikh community and set an encouraging precedent for other states. Law enforcement officers must understand the Sikh community better and all our articles of faith, including the kirpan. The governor should be promoting diversity, understanding, and respect in California. This bill would have been a step in the right direction.
"If the Commission determines that training on the kirpan is warranted, it can create a program without this measure."
To me, this is the main message of this misguided article. The Commission is aware that countless Sikhs are being unfairly arrested because they carry a kirpan, a Sikh article of faith. Police officers do not know what a kirpan is or why Sikhs wear it. However, the Commission is doing nothing to address this problem. This is exactly why legislation was introduced to mandate that training be given to police officers on Sikhs and their articles of faith.
Shame on your wanting to get a kick out of others plight by your insensitive headline....get the context correct at least....Sikhs don't wear the kirpan, an article of faith, in their pockets. Shame on Governor Schwarzenegger for vetoing this bill...it was necessary in training the law enforcement when interacting with members of the Sikh faith...there are still a lot of places in the United States that do not have any idea on how to handle people of different faiths....as we have seen since 9-11....my hope is that the governor will realize that with or without this bill education is necessary and should not be put on the back burner. Great effort by all those who tried to make this bill a reality...
It is truly a shame that despite all of our efforts, the governor vetoed the Kirpan Bill. In this country we all have the right to religion, and have the right of pursuit of happiness. It is harder for Sikhs to take advantage of these rights we are entitled to when many people are unaware of our faith. This bills main purpose was to educate the public about our religion, and show why our kirpans, turbans, hair, and flowing beards are extremely important and essential assets in our lives. It is a tremendous disappointment to see that this bill which would have opened many doors to Sikhs has been coldly closed, and vetoed.
Looks like writer of this article is interested in wasting CA taxpayers money on having the law enforcement arrest innocent indiviuals carrying kirpan and then courts releasing them because they are innocent. The core reason to introduce this bill was to educate law enforcement to remove ignorance and save tax payers money which is wasted by such arrests. So if all CA taxpayers are interested in wasting their money then this veto is good news.
Congratulations to our Governer on being ignorant to the needs of CA residents. May be we should introduce a bill to address that ignorance.
I would like to thank Mr. Furutani for trying to open the minds of law enforcement. If a bill like this were to show up in front of the governor's face again, I doubt he would let it pass. I pray to God that the Commission is able to introduce some training plan for officers in the future without requiring the governor's approval; or we'll just have to wait for a different governor.
Warren Furutani is obviously a man who understands the need for laws like this to pass. If the law makers and the police department are educated on the subject then maybe some of the general public, who seem to be ignorant about Sikhism in general, can begin to understand that articles of faith are as important in Sikhism as they are in any other religion practiced here in the United States. Also if the author of this aritcle took the time out to research the subject at hand, SIKHISM, he would know that the Kirpan is not merely put in ones pocket. Please educate yourself on matters pertaining to the 5th largest religion of the world!
Comeon man, I've sikh friend who wears this kreepan. They are cool. Consider this bill again.
Shame on Arnold. I looked this up. The bill had overwhelming bi-partisan support. Meaning even the republicans supported the bill. This bill is about educating police officers. Why is that bad? This bill would have saved California money becuase officers would know who Sikhs are and what a kirpan is and money wouldn't be wasted on false arrests. We need this money now and we need a better Governor. Dailybreeze--it's lame you took a cheap shot at Furutani on this. At least you should have mentioned that the entire legislature supported his bill. Furutani-- you should run for Governor.
Your insensitive headline clearly shows your ignorance on the matter, please put yourself in others shoes before you stoop to yellow journalism tendencies which are rampant in the American media today. Warren Furutani is to be lauded for standing up for the rights of Sikhs, a small minority community.
It is not the imposition of majority opinions on society, but tolerance and respect for minorities that are the hallmarks of a democratic society. Democracy itself is threatened by indifference toward minority rights and political opportunism that exploits prejudices and ignorance in the population.
Minorities must be able to participate in society as equals while giving full expression to their own identity without fear. To accomplish this, minorities are dependent upon the majority - upon the awareness within the majority that it has a special responsibility in actively safeguarding minority rights.
AB 504 was imperative to create an understanding of the Sikh faith in the law enforcement community. I agree with many of the comments. Mandatory education of the kirpan would lead to less arbitrary arrests that waste our money. But more importantly, education would help to create an understanding of Sikh articles of faith within law enforcement that would reverberate to many other folks. It is clear that this bill should have been signed by the governor, as ALL of our representatives supported it. I have no doubt we will have a bill like this next session and eventually a governor will sign it.
People came to this country in the beginning so they could practice their religion. Sikhs are trying to make others understand their religion so their rights can be upheld. It is unfortunate that the governor made such a action without considering Sikh rights.
I a extremely disappointed in the Governor. This bill had the unanimous support of both the legislative houses. This bill would have protected Sikhs from further harassment, as if being singled out at airports is not enough already.
Shame on you Dailybreeze for ridiculing Mr. Furutani for his efforts to try and educate Police officers on the Kirpaan. He is a true leader who worked diligently for the welfare and rights of the Sikh community.
Your making this kind of comment itself shows how little you know about the SIKHS and our beliefs.And that is exactly what we want the Police to learn , so that they are well informed. This is education and no one should take education lightly. I do hope you realize that.
I want to say thanks to Warren Furutani for this effort. I had a chance couple of months ago to hear him. And he has done some amazing work for the people of California.
Honorable Furutani:
Bravo, well done. Your efforts in the spirit of serving people,s religious rights are commendable. Karpan is a gift from the Prophet Guru Gobind Singh ordained to Sikhs on 30 March 1699 at the time of biptization ceremony, giving 5Ks, kirpan is one of them. During past 300 years, it never used as a weapon and Sikh history stands testimony to it. Kirpan is not a weapon it is just like a CROSS for all Christians. Thank you for your efforts recognizing the importance of article of Sikh faith. God bless you and your family.