This event replaces two separate rallies that had been planned earlier.

In response to last week’s shooting of a Sikh man in an apparent hate crime, the community has banded together to plan a Community Unity Rally on Saturday, March 11 from 11 AM to 1 PM at Kent Lutheran Church, 336 2nd Ave S, Kent, WA 98032.

Originally, two rallies had been planned, one by East Indian Connection and one by a group of community members, but both events have been combined into one.

Satwinder Kaur, a Kent resident, candidate for Kent City Council and a member of East Indian Connection, said the Sikh community hopes to bring people together to support each other.

“One incident does not define our community in Kent. We are better than that,” Kaur said.

“Hate crimes are not just one community’s problem. They are all of our problem,” Kaur added. “We want our public and government officials to see there is work to be done, and they can work on developing some policies to protect the residents.”

[Edited 3/8/17, 8:56 AM]