Sikh Woman Says She Was Racially Profiled By Sporting Goods Store
FREMONT (CBS SF) -- A Sikh woman who went to a Fremont sporting goods store to ask about buying some ammunition says she was racially profiled by staff at the shop.
As a certified firearms instructor and aspiring police officer, Sim Sangha didn't think twice about asking to buy several hundred rounds of ammunition for her semi-automatic rifle at a local Dick's Sporting Goods store.
Two days later, Fremont police knocked on her door.
"I said, 'Is there something that I did wrong?' They said, 'No, but someone reported that you looked suspicious,'" said Sangha. "And I said, 'What do you mean I look suspicious?'"
Troubled by the incident, Sangha would later post on Facebook that the store employee who reported her to police had racially profiled her and violated her civil liberties.
Sangha, who is Indian-American and a Sikh, believes she may have misidentified as a Muslim and potential terrorist.
"I did nothing out of the ordinary," said Sangha. "I've been around firearms my whole life. Being around firearms doesn't make me nervous. I've actually worked at a gun store before as well."
A spokesperson for the Fremont Police Department said they had an obligation to investigate the report which they added was quickly cleared up once they learned Sangha was a firearms instructor.
Dick's Sporting Goods did not respond to repeated requests for comment about their handling of the case.
Sangha says she considered a lawsuit, but feared it would only trigger a backlash rather than promote greater cultural understanding and tolerance.
"I feel like they need to be educated," said Sangha. "And that's my main goal -- to educate people about who Sikhs are and what we're about."
