Sikh Couple Kicked Out Of Movie Theater For Wearing Kirpan

[luckysingh99]

Don't forget that this is NOT some hillbilly suburb of US, where seeing a Sikh would be a little alien, this is Emeryville which is near Oakland and San fran - California !!!

Majority of these people especially in the cities know exactly what a Sikh is and that they may have a kirpan.

It sounds to me as if this was just some security person who had some personal grudge with Sikhs- maybe he was denied credit at a gas station run by a Sikh, maybe he had a run in with some apna taxi driver...etc..it could be many of things.

From what I gather, this person actually picked out the singh from the crowd to do a search on him !

This is the problem because whatever the reason may be, he doesn't ever have to officially prove since a security person has the right to refuse entry of someone that he 'may suspect' as being likely to cause trouble. According to his job guidelines it would be that he should check anyone by searching them that he suspects may be carrying a weapon or be likely to cause trouble. It seems that he has 'abused this right' because he must have known quite well that the singh in dumalla was very likely to be wearing a kirpan. therefore he singled him out and found the kirpan.- and then 'voila' he had the perfect reason to refuse entry!!

The singh should rightfully take some legal action against AMC, since all the employees no matter what job title represent the interests of AMC.

Enough is enough, this kind of stuff really pees me off. We all know of someone who has been given a hard time at airport security because of being Sikh but we just put up with it and humbly accept it, but this kind of stuff really crosses the line and someone has to SHOUT !!!

[ekgurjaskhalsa]

Don't forget that this is NOT some hillbilly suburb of US, where seeing a Sikh would be a little alien, this is Emeryville which is near Oakland and San fran - California !!!

Majority of these people especially in the cities or know exactly what a Sikh is and tat they may have a kirpan.

It sounds to me as if this was just some security person who had some personal grudge with Sikhs- maybe he was denied credit at a gas station run by a Sikh, maybe he had a run in with some apna taxi driver...etc..it could be many of things.

From what I gather, this person actually picked out the singh from the crowd to do a search on him !

This is the problem because whatever the reason may be, he doesn't ever have to officially prove since a security person has the right to refuse entry of someone that he 'may suspect' as being likely to cause trouble. According to his job guidelines it would be that he should check anyone by searching them that he suspects may be carrying a weapon or be likely to cause trouble. It seems that he has 'abused this right' because he must have known quite well that the singh in dumalla was very likely to be wearing a kirpan. therefore he singled him out and found the kirpan.- and then 'voila' he had the perfect reason to refuse entry!!

The singh should rightfully take some legal action against AMC, since all the employees no matter what job title represent the interests of AMC.

Enough is enough, this kind of stuff really pees me off. We all know of someone who has been given a hard time at airport security because of being Sikh but we just put up with it and humbly accept it, but this kind of stuff really crosses the line and someone has to SHOUT !!!

Thanks... this is what exactly happened..

[ekgurjaskhalsa]

This is terrible. :angry2:

But what is the legal situation in America regarding kirpans ? Did AMC behave unethically or illegally ? Did they simply go against the their own ethics published in their corporate policy or did they break a right enshrined in law ?

My natural reaction is to suggest Singh and Kaur start legal action against AMC, but I realise discrimination law in America is very different to the UK. In America it is a long and costly process, not unlike 3rd world countries. In Europe of course such action is completely free, as it is considered for the social good.

Given the Chinese company's recent losses regarding disability discrimination I suggest Singh and Kaur and indeed all of us, remind the very Jewish orientated board of AMC of the very first anti-Jewish Law that Germany passed in 1933. That Law banned Jews from attending movie theatres......in other words gave cinemas the right to refuse entry to Jews simply for being a Jew. Trust me, there are many points of ours that AMC will either not understand or simply ignore....but this one will hit home hard.

Singh and kaur have started petition and they have been suggested to contact Sikh Coalition..

Few years back, kirpan law in California made it to governor but he did not sign it...We are still fighting for this

There is one county where Sikhs are allowed to wear kirpan but not in one where this AMC is at... but bay area has a huge population of Sikhs and security guard was aware of who Sikhs are...

[Singh559]

Signed!

[ekgurjaskhalsa]

United Sikhs took over this case and they have their own traceable petition.

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50846/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11324

[aman12]

A true sikh can never go to theatre to watch movies.

So all those Sikhs who went to theatres to watch Sadda Haqq aren't true sikhs?

As long as you are spending time remembering waheguru, doing paath and are leading a sikh lifestyle there's nothing wrong with spending some time watching a decent movie or following a tv show.

imho it only becomes a problem if you prioritise those things over sikhi.

[proud2bejatt]

The singh should have crushed the security guard soon as his dastaar was touched we can get him out of the legal case later as they will use corporate law and we will claim common law jurisdiction.

Simple stuff, not a burn the 'victim' thing but there's no victim in this case only an action waiting to happen.

VJKVJF||