Sikh Trucker Accuses Oregon Police of Racial Misconduct

 Sikh organizations across the country have rallied to support a Yuba City truck driver who says he suffered extensive injuries at the hands of Oregon State Police after being pulled over for no apparent cause. Gurpal Singh Gill, 41, of Yuba City, Calif., was driving north near Milepost 106 when police received a complaint that he had poured an unknown liquid onto the road, according to the Oregon State Police. While following Gill, a trooper noticed that instead of a rear license plate, Gill's 2000 Peterbilt had the license plate number scribbled on the back of the truck, said OSP Sgt. Mark Walkup. During the traffic stop, the trooper reportedly saw a weapon of some kind under Gill's shirt, so he detained him at gunpoint and removed him from the vehicle. While handcuffing him, the trooper reported that Gill appeared to go for the knife under his shirt, so he was physically restrained and arrested, according to an OSP report. Gill believes that racial profiling was to blame for the traffic stop. Gill is a member of the Sikh faith, and his knife -- called a kirpan -- was only worn for ceremonial purposes, the newspaper reported. He told an Appeal-Democrat reporter that he'd been roughed up during his arrest, and that he had never reached for his knife. [more ] and [more ]