{"id":8194,"date":"2018-05-18T05:33:50","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T11:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=8194"},"modified":"2021-10-04T05:36:17","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T12:36:17","slug":"balbir-singh-sodhi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=8194","title":{"rendered":"Balbir Singh Sodhi"},"content":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"22826\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"22827\">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<\/script><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pri.org\/stories\/2016-09-23\/his-brother-was-murdered-wearing-turban-after-911-last-week-he-spoke-killer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Balbir Singh Sodhi<\/a> is a name<\/strong> that may not yet mean anything to you.<\/p>\n<p>I somehow came across his story through social media just last week. On September the 15th, 2001, just four days after the 9\/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Balbir was murdered while planting flowers outside of his family&#8217;s locally owned gas station in Mesa, Arizona.<\/p>\n<p>He was killed for no reason other than the way he looked. Being a member of the Sikh faith, he was wearing a tradition turban and had a full beard. He was the first backlash victim after 9\/11.<br \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"8195\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?attachment_id=8195\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4032,3024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 8 Plus&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526126504&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.6&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0017241379310345&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_7091\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?fit=640%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8195\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?resize=640%2C480&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?w=4032&amp;ssl=1 4032w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?resize=684%2C513&amp;ssl=1 684w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?resize=336%2C252&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><strong>The white man that killed Balbir<\/strong> admits that his hatred and racism that was in his heart escalated after the attacks, and that was the sole driving force behind his senseless act.<\/p>\n<p>I remember taking my girlfriends son to the zoo a few days after 9\/11. A young couple was at the zoo, the girl in a hijab, a head covering that is worn in public by some Muslim women. My thoughts upon seeing this are as clear to me now as it was that day&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;the world has changed for the worse, and no one is as safe as they used to be&#8230;.&#8221;<\/em><br \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"8196\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?attachment_id=8196\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4032,3024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 8 Plus&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526126590&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.6&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0032258064516129&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_7093\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?fit=640%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8196\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?resize=640%2C480&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?w=4032&amp;ssl=1 4032w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?resize=684%2C513&amp;ssl=1 684w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?resize=336%2C252&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7093.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><strong>The Mesa gas station is still owned<\/strong> by Balbir&#8217;s family, and a beautiful memorial is still there out front. They also own a local restaurant, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gurupalacemesa.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Guru Palace<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I go to the gas station to remember Balbir, then head over to the Guru palace to get something to eat. I meet the wonderful family members there, but don&#8217;t let them know that I&#8217;ve just learned of Balbir&#8217;s story.<\/p>\n<p>I feel the warmth and love that the family has for their community, family and business.<br \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"8197\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?attachment_id=8197\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?fit=4032%2C2880&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4032,2880\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;My Walkabout&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;343&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526128043&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;My Walkabout&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.99&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0035714285714286&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?fit=640%2C457&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8197\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?resize=640%2C457&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?w=4032&amp;ssl=1 4032w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?resize=300%2C214&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?resize=684%2C489&amp;ssl=1 684w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?resize=336%2C240&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/HipstamaticPhoto-547846043.795956.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><strong>I slowly savor the warm garlic naan<\/strong>, rice and curry. The sweet paneer and spicy masala tickle my tongue and comfort my soul.<br \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"8198\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?attachment_id=8198\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4032,3024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 8 Plus&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526131202&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.6&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_7104\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?fit=640%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8198\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?resize=640%2C480&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?w=4032&amp;ssl=1 4032w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?resize=684%2C513&amp;ssl=1 684w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?resize=336%2C252&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7104.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><strong>I find it important to share this story<\/strong>, as we all need to remember Balbir these days, as sometimes I feel that nothing has changed regarding violence, racism and hatred since those dark times after 9\/11.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JwyDt3gi8CA?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Balbir Singh Sodhi is a name that may not yet mean anything to you. I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAowqprcCw:productID":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7315],"tags":[75936,589476282,589476462,589476463],"class_list":["post-8194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-day-in-the-life","tag-9-11","tag-a-day-in-the-life","tag-balbir","tag-sikh"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mywalkabout.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7091.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p99I7P-28a","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8194"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15411,"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8194\/revisions\/15411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}