COMMUNITY UNITES TO FIGHT VIOLENCE

Indo-Canadians Call For An End To 'Conspiracy Of Silence' At Forum On
Gang-Related Crime

No more gangsters as role models. No more chasing quick ways to material
success. No more violent responses to personal slights.

And enough with the conspiracy of silence.

Those were some of the clearest messages as the Lower Mainland's
Indo-Canadian community joined yesterday with police and politicians for an
unprecedented public discussion of solutions to the violence in their
community that has cost them the lives of 50 young men in the past 10 years.

Drug- and gang-related violence, along with a culture of revenge, was the
backdrop as some 150 delegates met in Vancouver's Morris Wosk Centre to
trade ideas.

Some delegates argued that gangsters like the late Bindy Johal are promoted
as models of success to Indo-Canadian teens.

"We don't want any more gangster role models," said Insp. Amrik Virk, of
the Surrey RCMP, a Sikh and one of the co-ordinators of the community forum.

Shinder Kirk, an Indo-Canadian and an Abbotsford police officer, argued
that too often, young people in his community are told they must be
successful at any cost.

"They are bombarded with it at home," Kirk said. "They see selling drugs as
a way to get money and material things."

Jasper Dhaliwal, a 31-year-old who attended high school with young men who
went on to become gangsters, said they would often come around the school
in flashy cars, trailing beautiful women and promoting drug-dealing as a
way to get rich fast.

Some argued that being subjected to racism in school convinced young
Indo-Canadian men to fight back; still others talked of a revenge mentality
imported from the immigrants' villages in India -- where police and
authorities are not trusted.

Surrey teacher Rob Sandhu, who taught many of Vancouver's Indo-Canadian
gangsters, noted that too often, institutional crime -- defrauding ICBC,
employment insurance or worker's compensation -- is tolerated at home.

Yet others said it goes back to the way young Indo-Canadian men are brought up.

Some -- such as Kuljeet Kaur Mander, a local Punjabi radio talk-show host
- -- said much of what causes youngsters to turn to violence occurs at a
young age.

"Lenience towards boys makes them take advantage of their parents," Mander
warned.

Among the many solutions proposed? Education programs to convince young
people gang life is more deadly than glamorous.

The wide-ranging discussion also ripped the veil off what former B.C.
premier Ujjal Dosanjh, also a delegate, described as "a conspiracy of
silence" that goes beyond simply refusing to talk to police about criminals.

Many speakers insisted Indo-Canadians are turning a blind eye to violence
within the home as well -- to spousal abuse, alcoholism, child neglect and
gender bias, for example.

The forum broke up with a commitment to form smaller groups to work on
specific proposals, and to meet again in several months.

"We can't drop the ball now," said Supreme Court Justice Wally Oppal.

WE CAN'T DROP THE BALL NOW: OPPAL

Supreme Court Justice Wally Oppal said the community has taken a giant
first step to solving problems: "We have recognized -- even the skeptics --
that we have a problem."

Former drug addict Jasper Dhaliwal said there are too few resources for
Indo-Canadian youth, especially those moving into high school: "My parents
weren't there for me going from Grade 8 to Grade 9. They were working too
hard."

Teenager Baldeep Brar said young people brought up in Canada balk at the
restrictive traditions of their parents: "There is a huge gulf between
parents and kids. The parents want to keep the old values and can't
compromise."

Radio talk-show host Kuljeet Kaur Mander said new immigrants face a huge
culture gap: "My view of family violence is that some new immigrants are
not mentally prepared for life here."