Sikh Community Honors NJ Sheriff's Officer's Legacy With Langar

TRENTON, NJ - As is tradition on the third Saturday of the month, members of the Sikh community gathered at the Trenton train station for their free community kitchen. They feed people from all walks of life, including the homeless and others who are less fortunate.

The event on Saturday, Jan. 19, took on a more somber tone, as there were a few extras there to honor Mercer County Sheriff’s Officer Pablo Santiago. Santiago died of a self-inflicted wound last month.

“He put his all into it, and he did it every month,” said Sachdeep Arora, who has been organizing the event in Trenton since November 2017. “ … He helped set up on Friday night and showed up early on Saturday. He was really part of the team. He fit in so well. He was always smiling, and we felt comfortable having him there.”

He even helped find a second location for service, at the Kingsbury Twin Towers Apartments in Trenton.

“He was from Trenton, and he knew where the need was,” Arora said. “He was the reason we got into the high rise apartments. He was integral part of planning it.”

Santiago pointed the group to the low-incoming housing complex last summer. He partnered with the Sikh community to launch services at that location, so there are now two services in Trenton the third Saturday of every month, doubling their previous outrach.

Sharing food has been an integral part of the Sikh religious tradition for over 500 years, Arora said. Free meals are provided for approximately 100,000 visitors every day at Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), the most significant religious site in the Sikh tradition, according to an online guide posted by the Sikh Coalition.

About 10 million people are served worldwide annually in an effort to promote equality among all people, regardless of their religion or cultural traditions.

For years, the Sikh community has been serving langar (free community kitchen) and delivering other basic essentials to those in need in different parts of New Jersey one Saturday every month, according to a spokesperson for the Sikh coalition.

The Lawrenceville gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) began the tradition in 2017. They began with three families and has grown to include a total of 80 people who serve altogether. There are about 15-20 who serve the community each month, but Santiago was one person who always showed up to serve.

For general security measures, they began looking to hire an off-duty police officer to patrol during weekend services in March 2018.

Santiago was the first to offer his services, but he soon went beyond his duties as security detail and became an active member of the services.

“He wanted to give back to the community,” Arora said. “There were no hidden agendas, just folks working together to do better for the community. He jumped in with both feet forward.”

He became actively involved, and began to learn more about the Sikh community, faith and traditions. Santiago brought his daughter on occasion. His mother worked at Anchor House, and his wife had some involvement.

He also introduced his longtime friend Det. Angel Turner to the community, and she became just as active as he was. Santiago and Turner went to high school together. They both entered into the law enforcement community and worked together on a lot of community outreach collaborations.

After Santiago introduced Turner to the Sikh community, she became extremely involved in the langar. She has been to every langar since September, including the one on Saturday.

“It was the first one without Pablo, and it meant a lot because it opened the door for a lot of people,” Turner said of Saturday's event, which she said opened the door to more people to understand what langar is all about.

See related: Grief After NJ Sheriff’s Officer Kills Self At Government Office

Santiago’s immediate family and friends joined the typical gathering on Saturday. About 75 people showed up to the Trenton train station on Saturday, including about 15 to 20 police officers and members of Santiago's family, according to the Sikh Coalition.

Turner called it an “outpouring of support” for Santiago, a loved member of the community who tragically took his own life in December.

“No one expected it, and we still don’t know why it happened,” Arora said of Santiago’s sudden death. “I hope that he is at peace.”

Arora said that they couldn’t properly memorialize Santiago at their event. There will also be a formal Sikh community memorial service in Santiago’s honor at Sikh Sabha of New Jersey in Lawrenceville on Feb. 10. More details on that event will be announced at a later date.

“It all shows how much of an influence he had,” Arora said. “It’s such an outcry of love. The community wants to prolong his legacy.”

Images from Saturday’s event are attached to this post. Images and video are courtesy of Sikh Sabha of New Jersey.

Read more about langar here.