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Intolerance of Diversity a Growing Concern

Radhika R Shankar

For the second time in two months, an apparent hate-inspired shooting spree erupted in southwestern Pennsylvania, leaving five people dead and a sixth clinging to his life.

Nancy Wells, executive director at the Allegheny County Center for Victims of Violent Crimes, said at a news conference: "This kind of violence always has a broad ripple effect on a large number of people. It ripples out in ever-expanding circles," she said. "People are suddenly asking the question: "If it can happen in the South Hills...can it happen anywhere?"

As the residents struggle to come out of the shock and plan ways to deal with such catastrophes in the future, police are still trying to determine if anything specific happened on Friday, April 28, that triggered Richard Baumhammers to go on a rampage.

The most chilling part of the incident was the unhurried, methodical manner in which the gunman drove along the 20-mile trail of blood.

The 34-year old lawyer, who focused on immigrant businesses, grew up in his affluent parents' home in Mt. Lebanon. And it was here that Bauhammer allegedly began his rampage by first shooting Anita Gordon, a 63-year-old Jewish woman, half-a-dozen times and setting her house on fire.

He then fired at her synagogue. At 1:55 pm two more victims were shot at an Indian grocery store in a Pittsburgh suburb. Minutes later, shots were fired at two synagogues in Carnegie and Mount Lebanon. At 2:30 pm two employees at a Chinese restaurant were shot and at 3:00 pm a black karate student was killed.

At 3:15 pm Richard Baumhammers was arrested.

As police rushed him to a car, people in a crowd yelled: "He needs the death penalty" and "You're going to die."

During his arraignment in Beaver Falls on one count of murder and recklessly endangering another person, the 6-foot-2 Baumhammers wearing a bullet-proof vest over a faded black T-shirt appeared to smirk. Four other homicide charges and related charges are pending in Allegheny County.

Recent reports have disclosed that Baumhammers advocated an end to Third World immigration. A self-proclaimed chairman of the Free Market Party, his website carried a copy of his party's manifesto, which demanded an end to Third World immigration, special immigration rights for Europeans, lower taxes and less foreign aid.

Baumhammers closed down his website in September because he was unhappy that it was attracting no attention to his cause.

Kent Kretzler, owner of Travel Connections in Scott Towne Center, was sitting at his desk when he heard shots fired next door. He looked out his window and saw a calm, cool and collected gunman holding a revolver get in a black Jeep Cherokee and drive away.

Anil Thakur and Dinesh Kumar worked as computer engineers at the WideCom Group, a Canadian producer of copiers, large scanners and printers with a factory in India and offices in Canada and California. They had come from India on work-permits for training. As the training neared its end, they postponed their return by a week to complete some pending work.

The two had planned to do some shopping at India Grocers to add to the gifts they had been buying. On the fateful day, Thakur wanted to get something more for his wife, his parents and his two children aged four and two.

Kumar, at the last moment decided against accompanying Thakur to the store and chose to stay back in office.

A colleague, Joe Lanuka, dropped Thakur near the store and went to a bank close by. When he returned 15 minutes later, Thakur was lying on the floor bleeding from four gunshot wounds.

Thakur (31) died at Allegheny General Hospital about four hours after he was shot.

Many Indian-Americans in the suburban Pennsylvania neighborhood were upset over the incident and though they did not know Thakur, the community held a vigil, collected funds, and sang Hindi songs of peace and honor.

WideCom's executive vice president, Suneet Tuli, who flew down from the company headquarters in Toronto, held back tears as he described the last few days to more than 400 local Hindus gathered at a temple in Monroeville. Tuli described Thakur as a quiet person who worked hard for his family.

Tuli who made arrangements with the Allegheny County Coroner's Office and Funeral Home to send Thakur's body back to his family in Bihar, India, told the attendees that he had been unsure of how he would accomplish the task, with no friends or family in Pittsburgh. "Instead, I found that I have thousands of friends here," he said. "I don't have words to thank this community for the help you've given. I wish his family was here to see this love and support."

Sandip Patel, 25, the manager at India Grocers and a member of Hindu-Jain Temple, was shot twice - once in the back and once in the neck. Doctors operated on him for two hours to remove the bullets. He is in a critical condition but stable, according to Linda Ross, a spokeswoman at Mercy Hospital. However, he faces the possibility of permanent paralysis.

Many members of Pittsburgh's Indian community know and like Sandip Patel and his family who operate a chain of Indian grocery stores.

According to one attendee at Thakur's memorial service the shootings were a chance for Hindus to remember Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of non-violence. Community leaders are planning a peace rally this week in Pittsburgh.

Next: Dr Do More

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