Winston-Salem, NC: In response to the front sign shooting of the center belonging to the Om Hindu Organization of North Carolina, (link: http://huff.to/1TMaHRy) The local Hindu community, many of whom frequent the center have expressed sincere adulation and praise of the vandals for directing their hatred towards an inanimate object, and not toward any of the living beings.
Om Hindu Organization president, Keshav Joshi, commented, "We applaud this wonderful action to only fill the sign with holes, rather than our bodies." The sign was riddled with over 60 holes created from multiple shotgun blasts, Joshi has even looked at the silver lining within the silver lining, stating, "60 is an auspicious number, as it is 12 x 5, with 5 representing the 5 elements (pancha-bhutas) and 12 representing the 12 astrological divisions (raashi)" Joshi also mentioned the organization has conducted many information and learning sessions, intended to provide local communities a basic understanding of the religion. He credited the riddling of only the sign with holes to those efforts. He added, "It's only due to the tireless effort from our community to educate that the bullets simply pierced metal."
The local sheriff's office has declined to comment fully but has offered some brief comments, Chief Deputy Brad Stanley said, "There appears to be no specific intent to cause the Hindu community a sense of relief." He also continued, "As of now it looks like kids being their usual normal wonderful, helpful selves. No evidence of extra support or encouragement."
The Sheriff described a continuing investigation, until people forgot about the incident and moved on to the next person Donald Trump offended, the offendee's response, and Trump's subsequent refusal to retract the initial offending remark.
However, Joshi was not deterred in the least when expressing his optimism, and later suggested the shooters were celebrating the Hindu festival "Holi," but rather took the name literally and thought it referred to putting holes in their sign. He added, "Either way, given what's happened in this state recently, holes in signs is something we will gladly accept as the Lord's daan [gift].
When questioned by local reporters about the potential for even further progress, he simply stared, and with a glint of hope in his eye, and stated, "One day we may have vandals that simply make scratch marks in the sign with knives, that would be a glorious day, we are not there yet."
