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ATLANTA – After a week of pain, fear and mourning, the capital of Georgia held a march and rally in the city center on Saturday to protest the killing of eight people, including six women of Asian descent, by a gunman who targeted three Atlanta-area massage companies. .
Hundreds of activists chanted “Stop Asian Hate” as they left Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta, bound for the State Capitol, where they would join hundreds of others in a rally following a shooting that left eight people dead.
The roaming demonstration began after a series of speeches and took place along downtown sidewalks, movie sets and the transit station.
Holding up signs and using megaphones, activists shouted messages like, “Asians are not a virus.”
The protest was billed as a #StopAsianHate event that would allow people to “come together to mourn, heal and support”.
Around noon, the Woodruff Park crowd joined hundreds of people gathered at Liberty Plaza, in the shadow of Georgia’s Gold Dome.
State Representative Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese-American to be elected to the Georgian legislature, lamented on Saturday that the victims of the shooting “had no one in their community to look after them, and we end up with deep rage, sorrow and sorrow. . Lawmakers, she said, must adopt changes to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.
Senator Raphael Warnock said: “We need reasonable gun reform.” He added that tougher hate crime laws were needed.
Senator Jon Ossoff echoed those sentiments, adding, “Let’s build a state and a nation where you can register to vote on election day, but you can’t buy a gun on the day you plan to vote.” kill.”
At Liberty Plaza, many people in attendance said it was their first protest. Before Tuesday, Elisa Park, 54, of Marietta, kept her head down when she heard about or experienced anti-Asian sentiment.
“I was quiet for a while, you know, sweep up, keep your head down, work hard,” she said. “But not this time.
Ms Park said she came to the rally to pressure lawmakers to end violence against Asians. Ms Park added that she was not the only one living in heightened fear since the shooting. Her single Asian colleagues and friends, she says, are afraid to just walk their dogs alone.
This is Mrs. Park’s first demonstration. Her aunt was afraid for her safety, Ms Park said. She didn’t know what to expect but was moved by the sea of people who came forward.
“It’s not just Asians here, there are African Americans, whites, Latin Americans,” she said. “It’s really stimulating.”
Saturday was also the first protest for Hemming Li, 11, as well as his mother, Wen Zhou, 40, from Forsyth County.
The two of them, along with Hemming’s father, family friend and 6-year-old sister, took an hour’s drive to the rally to express their anger over Tuesday’s acts of violence and to their management by the police.
Increase in attacks against Asian Americans
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- Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were killed in the Atlanta massage parlor shooting. The suspect’s motives are under investigation, but Asian communities across the United States are on high alert due to an upsurge in attacks against Asian Americans during the year elapsed.
- A torrent of hatred and violence against Asian Americans in the United States began last spring, in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Community leaders say bigotry was spurred by rhetoric from former President Trump, who called the coronavirus a “Chinese virus.”
- In New York City, a wave of xenophobia and violence has been compounded by the economic fallout from the pandemic, which has dealt a severe blow to Asian-American communities in New York City. Many community leaders say racist attacks are overlooked by the authorities.
- In January, an 84-year-old Thai man was violently crushed to the ground in San Francisco, resulting in his death in a hospital two days later. The attack, captured on video, became a rallying cry.
Hemming and his sister held up signs they had made together a few days earlier that marked “Stop Asian Hate” in the blue marker.
Ms. Zhou said she never imagined protesting with her family, but the murders of Asian immigrant mothers have struck too close to their homes.
“The recent event puts us at risk,” she said.
The protest comes a day after President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris visited leaders of the Asian-American community in a city still reeling from Tuesday’s attacks. “We have been reminded, once again, that the crises we face are many – that the enemies we face are many,” Ms. Harris said in a speech following Friday’s meeting.
She added, “Racism is real in America and always has been. Xenophobia is real in America, and always has been. Sexism too.
Mr Biden noted that the investigation into the attack was ongoing and that he and Ms Harris were “regularly updated” by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Christopher A. Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. .
“Whatever the motivation, we know this: Too many Asian-Americans have walked the streets and worried, waking up every morning last year feeling that their safety and that of those close to them is at stake.” Mr. Biden said in his own remarks.
At Saturday’s rally, Jane Zhong, 60, of East Cobb, a first-time protester, wore a white tea flower as part of a Chinese tradition to commemorate those who have passed away.
For Ms. Zhong, the death of one of the spa shooting victims, Xiaojie Tan, struck too close to her home. Both are Chinese immigrants and mothers of a daughter who graduated from college last year.
“I knew I had to introduce myself,” she says.
Ms. Zhong, who heard about the rally through WeChat, a Chinese courier service, said, “I’m here to express my anger.”
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