Anthony Weiner, a Democratic candidate, accused police officers of "bail[ing] out of a Town Hall meeting on bias crimes aimed at helping Sikh community members, after agreeing to attend three weeks ago." According to Weiner, current New York mayor Michael Bloomberg instructed the cops to abandon the meeting. Weiner goes on: "It looks like the mayor is putting politics over public safety."

Weiner added that "the Sikh Coalition has reported 62 hate crimes since the Sept. 11 terror attacks." According to the article, "Sources put the number of documented hate crimes involving Sikhs at six since May 2000."

It is hard to believe that only six hate crimes involving Sikhs have taken place in New York in the last five years, especially given the difficulties Sikhs have faced after 9/11. Weiner should be commended for bringing this issue to the attention of the public; hopefully more will be done to accurately report such hate crimes and to undertake effective strategies to prevent and punish them.