User:Coop444/Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting

In the aftermath of the shooting, Amar Kaleka, the son of Satwant Singh Kaleka, became involved in politics, supporting gun control and new legislation to reduce hate crimes. Kaleka criticized Obama, who visited the sites of other mass shootings, but not the Sikh Temple. As a member of the Democratic Party, Kaleka ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for the United States House of Representatives in WI's 1st congressional district in the 2014 election. Pardeep Kaleka, Satwant's other son, continues to advocate towards recognition of Sikh violence as the executive director of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee.

In the 10 year anniversary of the shooting, Sikhs continue to effortlessly ensure these traumatic events and history of violence on the community aren't forgotten and continue to be recognized. One way this was done was through the Sikh Coalition who has encouraged the National Day of Seva to honor the lives of those lost in the shooting. This day of devotion to the victims remembrance has been ongoing since 2013 and continues in 2022.

The six victims killed included one woman: Paramjit Kaur, 41; and five men: Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, the founder of the gurdwara; Prakash Singh, 39, a Granthi; Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; and Suveg Singh, 84. All of the male victims wore turbans as part of their Sikh faith. Four of the victims were Indian nationals, while the rest were Americans. Priest Prahash Singh, among the dead listed above, had only recently immigrated to America, along with his wife and two children when he was shot and killed.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the site, and Oak Creek police chief John Edwards said his force treated the incident as a "domestic terrorism incident" in "the beginning stages of this investigation". Oak Creek police handed the investigation over to the FBI. They also investigated possible ties to white supremacist groups and other racial motivations. The FBI said there was no reason to think anyone else was involved in the attack, and they were not aware of any past threat made against the temple. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder described the incident as "an act of terrorism, an act of hatred, a hate crime". Although past threat against the temple may have been unknown, the aftermath of 9/11 has created a view that the image of "turbaned and bearded" was one of terrorism and of the enemy. Prior to the temple shooting, the Sikh community faced harsh marginalazation and continued violence that only foreshadowed the commitment of a more destructive crime.

Many Sikh Americans did not approve of the protests in India against the United States, and strongly condemned the actions, such as flag-burnings, taken by the protesters. U.S.-based Sikh community groups pledged assistance to the victims and their families, and urged Sikh Americans to organize interfaith vigils. They also organized to send an emergency response team to Wisconsin. These were not the only reactions that occurred. After the deadly shooting, discussions online showed racist radical right individuals praising the gunman for his actions and further promoting the white-supremacist cause.