Sorry to say. Not everyone of color is always an immigrant or a criminal. Think about it. At the end of the day, there are good and bad in all races.
By Ken Herar
As of last week, the truth has come out regarding the sexual assault allegation that was reported last February against a 19 year old female in Abbotsford. The 19-year-old victim was walking along the sidewalk at about 7 p.m. when she saw a newer-model white pickup truck pass her twice as she headed east toward a bus stop. Two South Asian men allegedly were inside the vehicle. As the woman approached the intersection, the male passenger exited the truck, grabbed the victim and pushed her into the rear seat of the truck. The driver parked the vehicle a short distance away and both men sexually assaulted her. She was then pushed out of the truck and onto the ground in a parking lot in the area of Gladys Avenue.
The Abbotsford Police issued a statement last week reporting that this story told by this young woman was not true.
I wrote a column earlier this year on this story urging people with any information or knowledge of these suspects to come forward for the public safety of our community.
This is part of what I expressed in my column on Feb 23rd.
“I’ve been hearing various comments over this past week regarding this incident. Many have been very supportive regarding what this woman has endured, however, others people’s comments have the potential to divide the community. Here is what one person said on Facebook: “Time to start deporting these people that are not born in Canada & strip them of Canadian citizenship or send them to jail for 99 years if born here.” I responded with this: That’s a pretty racist remark to make.
Sorry to say. Not everyone of color is always an immigrant or a criminal. Think about it. At the end of the day, there are good and bad in all races. When we speak about diversity, one of the things we have in common is that we all stand up against those who commit criminal acts and believe in public safety.”
It’s very unfortunate that our local community had to fear that two individuals were on the loose due to these false allegations. I know people are stating that this young woman needs to be punished and charged. Lets remove ourselves from these negative feelings. First of all, the Abbotsford Police did a tremendous job in investigating and being diligent in trying to find these suspects. Our diverse population, including the South Asian community stepped forward to lend their support to locate these suspects.
We may never understand the reason why this young woman did what she did in making up this story or why she felt the need to accuse South Asian men as being the culprits. I recall a time in 1989 of a similar case where a young woman accused a South Asian man for attacking her in Abbotsford and it turned out to be false. Being a brown person, I can say it was not a very nice feeling listening to some of the comments and assumptions. I hope this individual receives the help she needs.
False accusations against a certain race or culture can hurt and divide an entire community.
Ken “Kulwinder” Herar is a Mission-based writer and a winner of the champions of diversity award for his columns in the LINK newspaper and other Fraser Valley newspapers. Herar can be reached at [email protected] or view his blog at http://www.kenherar.blogspot.com
