“A Really Bad Day”
By Maya J. Carter
Again, here we go. Another act of cruelty, violence and hate has befallen America, this time targeting Asian Americans. On March 16, 2021, a 21 year-old white male traveled to three businesses in the Atlanta-area and shot and killed eight civilians, six of them being women of Asian descent. During a press conference conducted in Atlanta the following afternoon, Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms stated: “Whether it is senseless violence that we’ve seen play out in our streets, or more targeted violence like we saw yesterday, a crime against any community is a crime against us all.” She continued on to note that six of the victims were Asian women. Reporters questioned whether the killing spree would be considered a hate crime, especially in light of the recent growing number of reports of crimes against Asian Americans in the United States. The businesses targeted by this senseless violence were Asian-owned businesses. It was also disclosed that the shooter was preparing to travel to Florida to likely continue on with his violent rampage.
Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County sheriff’s office had a different take on the motivations of the alleged killer who admitted to the shootings. He claimed that the shooter reported that he had a sex addiction and the businesses were targeted because they were a “temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate.” He went on to state on behalf of the state of mind of the shooter, “He was pretty much fed up and kind of at the end of his rope. Yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did.”
Baker has received considerable pushback against his callous and dismissive statements. Not only does he try to make the mass murderer appear empathic – cue references to Dylann Roof, Kyle Rittenhouse, James Alex Fields, Jr., and other alleged and convicted murderers later heralded as heroes by the alt-right – but disregarded altogether the pain caused to the victims’ families who are left to mourn their losses. Unsurprisingly, it was later revealed that Baker posted on Facebook a promotion for a t-shirt that called the coronavirus an “imported virus from Chy-na”, one of many racist monikers for the COVID-19 virus as stated numerous times by the former (45th) President of the United States.
According to USA Today: “The Atlanta-area attacks follow a rise in anti-Asian violence amid the coronavirus pandemic, which also signals a larger trend of violence against Asian women. From March 2020 to February 2021, Stop AAPI Hate, a group that tracks discrimination and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, received 3,800 reports of anti-Asian hate, with women reporting hate incidents 2.3 times more than men. Stereotypes and hyper-sexualization of Asian women are factors in what drives harassment and violence against them.” Additionally, the article states: “Asian American Advancing Justice, a non-profit legal aid and civil rights organization, said the broader context of the recent shootings ‘cannot be ignored. The shootings happened under the trauma of increasing violence against Asian Americans nationwide, fueled by white supremacy and systemic racism.’” Community based safety initiatives including escorting elderly Asian people during their walks have been utilized to preempt violence against Asian Americans, and groups including Hate Is A Virus and Asian Americans Advancing Justice are dedicating resources to educate and prevent hatred targeting the Asian American community.
Both President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Georgia Senators all shared statements regarding the mass shooting, and the President and Vice President will be visiting the Atlanta area on Friday. The Vice President stated: “It speaks to a larger issue, which is the issue of violence in our country, and what we must do to never tolerate it and to always speak out against it. I do want to say to our Asian-American community that we stand with you and understand how this has frightened and shocked and outraged all people.”
How do we stop the hate? America definitely has a long and brutal history of violence against people of color including Asian Americans, and this should make all Americans reflect upon how we treat our fellow citizens…yet again. This hate is deadly, insidious and spreading, and is not reflective of the claim of pride in the diversity and melting pot that is America. We should all be angered and moved to speak out against those who continue to harbor hate in their hearts, as their ideology is fundamentally wrong and flies in the face of the democratic idea of life, liberty and justice for all.
#HateIsAVirus
[si-contact-form form=’2′]