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Within the past month, two Sikh men have been attacked the Central Valley.
One man, Singh Natt, was told to go back to his country while in Turlock. The other man, Surjit Malhi, was kicked and spit on while walking in Manteca. To unite against hatred, the Sikh community held a meeting in Downtown Modesto to share their message of peace and union.
"This was a crime against the whole town of Manteca," said Gary Singh, the Vice-Mayor of Manteca.
Singh emphasized "unity" as the central message during Thursday's meeting.
'It's not just an Indian thing, even tonight. We have people from every culture here tonight. They are standing in unity together and showing this is not going to happen in our community, no matter where it is," Singh said.
One of the men who was attacked took a moment to thank the crowd for coming.
"I never speak, but I feel very strongly, one nation under God, so we are one nation standing for us," said Malhi, the man who was attacked in Turlock.
The meeting was held by the Jakara Movement, the leading Sikh youth organization in California.
"No matter who you are, religion, race, how you look, just coming together. Being so loving towards each other, taking out any hate, anything from the past that might be in your heart and just coming together and saying 'I am here for you,' and 'I want you to be here for me,'" said Gursimar Sidhu, one of the youth speakers.
The Sikh community looks past what happened to two of their friends.
"I want to emphasize that we are not afraid. We may be angry, sad, and disappointed, but we are not afraid," another speaker said.
Now, they are looking ahead to share their message everyone is equal.
On Sunday, August 19, there is a planned peace march at the same park where Singh Natt was attacked.
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