Remembrance vigil on March 12, 2022, for the Atlanta spa shooting victims killed on March 16, 2021.Photo: 11Alive
“This shooting reminded not just Atlanta, but the entire country, that violence is still directed at our community, and it can lead to death, and we have to be vocal,” Long Tran, an Atlanta-area cafe owner who attended an anniversary memorial Saturday in Atlanta, tells PEOPLE.
Six of the eight victims of theMarch 16, 2021, attackwere women of Asian descent, killed amid adocumented rise in anti-Asian hate crimesin major U.S. cities.
In the Atlanta area today, “there are some Asian American groups that are advocating for things like more awareness, harsher laws for violence toward Asian Americans, and some are advocating for stricter gun control,” says Tran, who in January announced his intent to run for a seat in the Georgia legislature. “Some are still raising money for the families.”
“And some have risen up to take leadership roles in their community,” he says. “Some are running for local office. Some are running for state representative or state senate, like I am. I’m not running specifically because of the spa shootings, but that was a part of my decision to make sure that we start having a stronger voice at the Capitol.”
A vigil on March 12, 2022, for victims of the Atlanta spa shootings.11Alive
And the group Stop AAPI Hatetrackednearly 11,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans between the pandemic’s start in March 2020 and December 2021, with 57% of those incidents occurring last year — and women as the targets nearly 62% of the time.
In July the Atlanta shooter, Robert Aaron Long, 22,pleaded guilty to four of the eight murdersin a plea deal with prosecutors in Cherokee County, which is home to Young’s Asian Massage outside Acworth, Ga. He was sentenced to life without parole, reports theAssociated Press.
His victims in that setting included Xiaojie Tan, 49, and Daoyou Feng, 44, both of whom worked at the spa; customer Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; and Paul Andre Michels, 54, a contractor who was on site working at the business.
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Long still faces murder charges for four victims killed in neighboring Fulton County. He has pleaded not guilty in the deaths of Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Sun Cha Kim, 69; and Soon Chung Park, 74, who were shot at Gold Spa Massage, and Yong Ae Yue, 63, who was killed at Aromatherapy Spa.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has announced her intent to seek the death penalty in those cases, which she said included a hate crime element, reportsFOX 5 Atlanta.
Upon his arrest, Long allegedly confessed to the slayings and told police he had a sexual addiction, authoritiesannounced at a news conference. At the time, Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds, speaking about Long, said racial animus toward the victims “did not appear to be the motive,” instead describing them as “targets of opportunity.”
“He made indicators that he has some issues, potentially sexual addiction, and may have frequented some of these places in the past,” Reynolds said.
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In recalling those victims on Saturday, when more than 150 people gathered in an Atlanta park, their surviving family members emphasized their personal loss.
To learn more and to report crimes, go to:Asian Americans Advancing Justice,Stop the AAPI Hate,National Council of Asian Pacific Americans,Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, andAsian Pacific Policy & Planning Council.
source: people.com
