More than 10,000 people celebrated the Sikh religious holiday of Baisakhi Sunday and denounced a series of hate crimes against the sect following the 9-11 terrorist attacks....

Sikh leaders say there have been hundreds of documented hate crimes against their followers since the 9-11 attacks, including the murder of an Arizona Sikh who was gunned down within days of the 2001 attacks. Police say assailants have mistaken Sikhs, who wear turbans, for Muslims.

Congressman Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, who joined the festivities, decried the violence against Sikhs.

"It's bigotry wrapped in ignorance," said Sherman, who is advocating new federal legislation to increase penalties for hate crimes.

Further highlighting the need for more understanding, two non-Sikh men attending another event near the Convention Center on Sunday quipped that the Sikh gathering looked like "an al-Qaida convention." [Link]