New York, NY-On Tuesday evening, a violent shooting spree at three Atlanta-based salons and spas left eight people dead. Six of the victims were Asian-American women. Hours later, authorities announced the arrest of the alleged perpetrator. The massacre comes in the wake of a nation-wide rise in attacks on the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community. According to STOP AAPI Hate, there have been nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents targeting Asian Americans since March 2020.
In the wake of the shooting, Rovika Rajkishun and Murad Awawdeh, Interim Co-Executive Directors of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement.
“Last night’s horrific massacre of six Asian American women left our movement devastated and heartbroken. Now, as always, we stand in solidarity with the Asian-American community. For more than a year, the toxic combination of xenophobia-stoking elected leaders and misinformation around the COVID-19 pandemic across the state and country has fueled a massive increase in anti-Asian bigotry. Yet few of those in power recognized this trend for the threat it was. Instead, again and again, it was Asian-Americans who paid the price. The vibrant lives we lost last night are the latest reminder of the horrific cost of doing nothing. The New York Immigration Coalition calls on every New York elected official to stand with our Asian-Americans communities and demand they call for justice and accountability.”
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