1
NRI Pulse
July 2021
Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper July 2021
404-664-2805 www.NRIPulse.com
Free Copy
Indian Grandfather Injured By Cop Settles Lawsuit NRI Pulse
BY VEENA RAO
India only days earlier, was taking a stroll in Sureshbhai Patel, the front of his son’s home grandfather from India, who in Madison, Alabama was injured by a former Madion Feb. 6, 2015, when son police officer while visiting a neighbor called the his family in 2015, has settled a cops on a “skinny black federal lawsuit for $1.75 million. man wearing a white or Sureshbhai’s attorney, Hank light-colored sweater, Sherrod, in a statement sent out jeans, and a toboggan to media outlets earlier this year, hat, walking around had confirmed the settlement. close to the garage”. The case has been formally disMinutes later, missed, he had said. Patel was approached Speaking to NRI Pulse, a by two police officers family member confirmed the on the sidewalk. They settlement amount but added asked Patel for identhat it was never about the montification. Patel told ey. “Sureshbhai’s life does not them he didn’t speak change because of the settleEnglish (at least five ment,” he said. times), and tried to Sureshbhai, who continues indicate where his son to need a walker, has since, relived. turned to India. His family did Video recordings from two police dashboard not apply to renew his green card. cameras show officer Eric Parker slamming Patel Five years before video footage of George to the ground, face first. The frail, mild-mannered Floyd’s brutal murder under the knee of a white retired farmer was left paralyzed on the ground, one police officer led to a mass movement against minute and 41 seconds after the encounter began. systemic racism in the country, Sureshbhai’s bruPatel had to be transported to the hospital by tal takedown had whipped up shock and anger. ambulance where he spent ten days, had to have Sureshbhai, then 57, who had arrived from surgery, and then had to be transferred to a reha-
bilitation center. This was confirmed by the Eleventh Circuit Judges in a decision rejecting immunity claims from Parker and the city of Madison. The takedown left Patel permanently partially paralyzed. Despite evidence from two police dashboard cameras, two deadlocked juries couldn’t agree on whether the excessive, unnecessary force used by Eric Parker was a crime. During the trial, defense attorney Robert Tuten told the jury that Parker’s assault was largely Patel’s fault. “When you come to the US, we expect you to follow our laws and speak our language. Mr. Patel bears as much responsibility for this as anyone.” Three months later, Federal Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala threw out the civil rights case against Parker. Later that year, the cop was reinstated by the Madison Police Department. This, despite reports that he was investigated twice by the Madison Police Department’s internal affairs division before he assaulted Patel. Parker no longer works for Madison PD, but according to sources, he is still an officer in uniform. Last year, in the first victory for Patel since his ordeal began, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals rejected immunity claims from Parker and the city. The court ruled that a jury could reasonably conclude Parker violated Patel’s civil rights by using unnecessary force.
Turns 15
Thank you for supporting our community journalism for 15 years! If there’s anything the pandemic has taught us, it’s that life is precious. Difficult times call for resilience and adapting to new circumstances. At NRI Pulse, we had to suspend our print operations for over a year, but we are grateful to have survived the hard times. The good news is that our digital channels grew phenomenally over the past year and continue to thrive as we step into our 16th year. We promise to be back with another great print edition later this year! In the meanwhile, please take a moment to check out our dynamic website www.NRIPulse. com, and subscribe to our weekly digital newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our exciting YouTube channel. If you liked this special issue, please send us a note at editor@nripulse.com. We love hearing from readers! Stay well! Stay connected! -Editor
Why Are Immigrant Indian Americans Less Likely To Report Discrimination?
BY NAISHA ROY
Atlanta, GA: On June 9th, 2021, a new study on the social and political views of Indian immigrants revealed a shocking fact that highlighted a key generational difference within the group. The study, titled “Social Realities of Indian Americans: Results From the 2020 Indian American Attitudes Survey,” attempted to shed some light on the life and views of the second-largest immigrant population in the United States. The Carnegie Endowment of International Peace, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Pennsylvania conducted the study as a continuation of their collaborative effort to probe the sociopolitical attitudes of Indian-Americans. While the study included details about a myriad of different factors in Indo-American life ranging from religion to caste, perhaps one of the most pointed facts within it were the ones pertaining to discrimination. According to the study, “One in two Indian
much more likely to report being victims of discrimination than their foreign-born counterparts.” Indian families across the Metro-Atlanta area spoke on this data, discussing their personal experiences as well as reactions to the study’s results. One American-born child and an Indian-born parent from each family elaborated on why they see discrimination differently and what may have caused this disparity in the study. The Vyas family came to the United States in 1998 and have lived here ever since. Their daughter, Harshi Vyas, spoke on why she felt American-born Indian-Americans were more likely to report discrimination than their parents. “Even though we may be citizens of the US and have the same rights as the others living here, we are considered foreigners because we come Americans reports being discriminated against in from a different way of life,” she commented. the past one year, with discrimination based on “While the Indians who have immigrated here skin color identified as the most common form became citizens, [it can be scary if] people do not of bias […] Indian Americans born in the US are believe you when you say you were discriminated
against.” Both she and her father Mr. Vyas seemed to agree with the results of the survey. Mr. Vyas described India as “multicultural,” further explaining that he had also seen issues like this in his home country. He agreed that he would be less likely to report discrimination than his daughter, citing, “It may be due to fear or ignoring such [discriminatory] behaviors and focusing on positivity.” Vyas also commented on the discrimination she faced being a female Indian-American, recalling how she was often told to “clean the table, to actually dress up more, and being told to go help somewhere else” as compared to the boys in her family. This was also paralleled by daughter Sophia of the Sabat family who also said she had been discriminated against more for gender than race. The study also noted gender as being the second-biggest reason for discrimination for U.S.-born Indian residents after race, with 28%
Continued on Page 9…