Many Asian Americans across the United States have been verbally harassed, spit on and injured for months in a ‘disgusting pattern of hatred’ that coincides with the Covid-19 pandemic. The killings of eight people, mostly Asians, at three spas in the Atlanta area set up a community on Wednesday, even though law enforcement has not yet determined a motive.
“We do not know if this incident is racially motivated, but you need to understand the deep-seated fear that our community is experiencing,” said Cynthia Choi, one of the co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition fighting violence and harassment against Asians and Americans. in the Pacific.
“At the moment, if there is no evidence, we can also not rule it out because Covid (19) was racially motivated, and that the majority of the victims were Asian women,” Choi added.
The shooting incident in the Atlanta area made the Asian American and Pacific Islands (AAPI) community across the country feel in mourning and felt that it was a devastating increase in violence that was becoming increasingly known to them. has.
“I feel like it’s just another extreme,” said Hanna Kim, a Novi Michigan teacher.
Kim, a 24-year-old Korean American, said she often feels she has a target on her back. Last year, a parent wanted to remove one of her students from her second grade because Kim was an Asian.
“Are people going to say things to me?” Kim said she frequently asks herself questions. “Are people going to avoid me because they think I’m going to be the one spreading the virus for some reason?”
Hours before the shooting, Stop AAPI Hate released its latest data on the number of first-hand complaints they received. The report was part of an effort to renew their call for concrete action against the afflicted disorder and discrimination.
Since March 19 last year, the group has received a total of 3,292 complaints from all 50 states and Washington, DC. The group has reported at least 503 anti-Asian hate incidents in the past two months.
Most incidents – about 68% – were cases of verbal harassment, while avoidance or avoidance accounted for about 20.5%. About 11% of the incidents involved physical assaults, according to Stop AAPI Hate.
State Representative Sam Park, who was the first Asian American Democrat to be elected to the State House in Georgia in 2016, said there was “tangible fear and anxiety” in the Atlanta area after the shooting.
“Whether it was racially motivated, it was an attack on Asian American women, against members of our community, and of course we want to do everything in our power to protect everyone,” Park told CNN.
Across the Atlanta metro area, the population of the Asian Americans and the Pacific Islands has grown significantly in recent years, reflecting the trend of the growing and diversifying population throughout the state.
The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum said some of its members in Atlanta are concerned about the safety of their families, including those who work in salons.
“We are devastated and devastated by the violence in Georgia that has claimed eight lives, of which six were Asian American women. We mourn with the families of these victims. We are appalled and still concerned about the safety of our community members across the country. “the country because violence against Asian Americans has increased,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, the group’s executive director, in a statement.
In recent months, lawyers, actors and officials have come together to expose violence after a series of attacks in California and New York that seriously injured several people and left some dead.
“(K) With the increasing level of hate crimes against our Asian American brothers and sisters, we also want to speak to them in solidarity and acknowledge that none of us should ever remain silent in the face of any form of hatred,” Harris said. said during a bilateral meeting with Irish officials commemorating St. Patrick’s Day.
Last week, President Joe Biden addressed the country on the one-year anniversary of the closure of the Covid-19. During his speech, he condemned the hatred and discrimination faced by Asian Americans.
CNN’s Nicquel Terry Ellis, Natasha Chen, Priya Krishnakumar and Madeline Holcombe contributed to this report.