Community Corner
Sikh Temple Shooting Remembrances Begin
Sikhs began a 48-hour continuous recitation of holy scriptures Friday morning, while a ceremony was held at the federal courthouse in downtown Milwaukee later in the afternoon.
Events marking the 1-year anniversary of the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin started Friday, as temple members began a 48-hour recitation of Sikh holy scriptures and a remembrance ceremony was held at the federal courthouse in downtown Milwaukee.
A Punjabi-language service began about 11 a.m. with hymns, call-and-response and words about the six people killed in the attack on Aug. 5, 2012.
Those temple members— Prakash Singh, Sita Singh, Ranjit Singh, Satwant Singh Kaleka, Paramjit Kaur and Suveg Singh—were remembered later Friday afternoon in the federal courthouse ceremony.
So, too, were the four people who were injured that day, including Punjab Singh, who remains critically injured in a rehab facility. Members of his family were at the courthouse and recognized.
Many more temple members continue to suffer emotional and mental distress as a result of the shooting, or had their families torn apart and lives forever altered.
"We are gradually healing with the help of family, friends, community and our faith," Sikh Temple of Wisconsin President Kulwant S. Dhaliwal said.
Both of Wisconsin's U.S. senators, Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin, spoke at the ceremony.
Johnson said he can't imagine the evil that filled the heart of the gunman, white supremacist Wade Michael Page, but is thankful for the peaceful manner in which the Sikh community responded.
"As a father, a husband, brother and a son, I cannot begin to fathom the pain the survivors continue to experience," Johnson said.
Baldwin said she was inspired by the police officers who put themselves in harm's way and the Sikh community's response.
"You reminded us of the values that define us as one people," Baldwin said.
U.S. Attorney James Santelle, who organized the ceremony, announced that a $512,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department will help pay for mental health and trauma services for Sikh temple shooting victims and survivors.
Using the Sikh word for temple, gurdwara, Santelle said the courthouse stands as a "gurdwara of justice."
"This is your gurdwara. This is our gurdwara," Santelle said.
One-year anniversary events continue through Monday night.
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