Local Candlelight Vigil Honors Milwaukee Sikh Shooting Victims

A candlelight vigil at San Jose Sikh Gurdwara Temple in Evergreen Valley was held Wednesday evening in remembrance of

It was touching to see representatives from so many different faiths and walks of life come together to join in time of sadness and reflection.

The Sikh gurdwara is proud to have such a loving and spirited community.

Thousands of people, about 2,000, were present in solidarity.

The program started with words of condolences by different faith leaders, government officials, fire department and law enforcement personnel.

A prayer for the lost souls and wellness of injured was held.

The heroic action of Lt. Brian Murphy was recognized. He was hit by a barrage of bullets from the gunman, U.S. Army reservist Wade Michael Page. He took  nine bullets when he responded to one of the injured persons the day of the shooting. The gunman was killed by police after exchanging gunfire.

Dr. Andrew Kille of the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council read a comment posted on an online forum: "I was going to post something telling you the differences between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, but then I realized you don't need to know anything about someone's religion to know not to shoot them."

Everyone pledged to help and support the victims of this tragic event and pray for love and peace to overcome this war and hate that unfortunately does still exist in our society.

Together we will overcome it.

Sukhdev Singh Bainiwal is a director of the Sikh Gurdwara Temple in San Jose

Editor's Note: A commuity peace rally was also scheduled to be held Thursday at the county Government Center building's James McEntee Plaza in San Jose, hosted by members of the Sikh community and the Coalition 2020. U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, and San Jose City Councilman Ash Kalra were on hand and prayers, speeches and performances were planned.