California Man Assaults Sikh 7-Eleven Clerk Because He 'Hated Muslims'

Ignorance is often one of the leading causes of blind racial hate towards others. This is especially true in the US where the usual rallying cry of racists involves a certain wall being pushed by a certain president. For that matter, hate crimes are also quite common, even in places like California where one islamophobic California man even assaulted what he thought to be a Muslim 7-Eleven clerk.

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The incident happened in Marysville, California in a 7-Eleven branch. The 7-Eleven clerk of the said branch was also a member of the Sikh community in California. Unfortunately for the clerk, a man named John Crain, 43, does not know the difference between a Sikh and a Muslim.

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Crain took some coffee from the store and tried to walk out without paying. He was then confronted by the 7-Eleven clerk, but since Crain “hated Muslims,” he threw the hot coffee on the Sikh clerk’s face. He also punched the man before leaving the store:

Thankfully there were witnesses who helped Crain get arrested:

“Those guys who work at the 7-Eleven are sweethearts. They’re super nice dudes,” said Malia Lomanic, one of the witnesses who also lived next door. Crain was then taken into Yuba County Jail and is now facing charges of theft, assault, a hate crime.

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Amar Shergill, a member of the American Sikh Public Affairs Association, explained that, “The Sikhs are American, we’ve been working hard here for over 100 years. A hate crime against a Sikh is the same as a hate crime against members of the Jewish or LGBTQ communities.” Regardless, what the islamophobic Crain did would have still been a hate crime.