Atlanta Shootings
By: Julia Zhou
3/21/2021
On March 16th, 2021, a man opened fire on three spas in Atlanta, Georgia. Many were killed, and the attack seemed to be racially motivated.
In the attack, eight people died, six of which were Asian women. The six were: Soon Chung Park; Hyun Jung Grant; Suncha Kim; Yong Yue; Xiaojie Tan; and Daoyou Feng. They were attacked at the Gold Spa, Aromatherapy Spa, and Youngs Asian Massage.
The perpetrator of the shooting was Robert Aaron Long. He was a customer at the spas.
The reason for these actions? Government officials strongly believe that the attack was racially motivated. Because of the recent COVID-19 virus and its alleged ties to Wuhan, China, Asians have faced a lot of hate. Though some victims of these attacks have not been Chinese, their attackers based their actions on the belief that they were Chinese and had carried the virus.
Some examples of this racism are shown even almost 3,000 miles away: just recently, a 91-year-old man was pushed down purposefully for being Asian is in California. He passed away from his injuries.
The suspect of the shootings, Long, has argued that the attack was not racially motivated, but his argument still points towards bias against women. Female and Asian government officials like Thai Senator Tammy Duckworth have worked against this racism and discrimination.
Asian citizens of America, particularly in Texas, New York, California have protested against this violence. They’ve made a statement go viral: “I don’t feel safe anymore”.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have visited Atlanta, encouraging those among the victims of the Atlanta shooting to stay strong. Harris seems to have specifically connected with these events – she’s Asian and a woman herself.
Though some may argue that Long’s actions were not racially motivated, Asians and women deserve respect. Regardless of the current events, Asians should not be shunned or violated in any way. Though we at the Monty Times cannot force your opinion, please consider our beliefs.
Sources:
abcnews.com
texastribune.org
theguardian.com
reuters.com