Recent Shooting Sparks a Conversation About Anti-Asian Bias
On Wednesday, March 17th, a man went on a shooting frenzy at three spas in and around Atlanta, Georgia. This incident has sparked a conversation about anti-Asian racism in America and an increase in violence against Asian-Americans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rallies and protests aiming to “Stop Asian Hate” have ensued across the United States in response to this shooting.
The shooter, Robert Aaron Long, shot and killed eight people, and injured one more. Six out of the eight who died were women of Asian descent. When taken into police custody, Long confessed to his crimes, explaining them by claiming he had a sex addiction. CNN says, “Long told police the shootings were ‘not racially motivated,’ according to [Jay] Baker, of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Baker also referenced Long's ‘sex addiction,’ saying that Long sees the spas as a ‘temptation’ that he ‘wanted to eliminate.’"
Despite the shooter claiming racism was not the motive for the shooting, many view this event as just one of many recent instances of anti-Asian violence in America. According to California State University, San Bernadino’s anti-Asian prejudice fact sheet, “Anti-Asian hate crime in 16 of America’s largest cities increased 145% in 2020 according to an analysis of official preliminary police data by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism…, with the first spike occurring in March and April amidst a rise in COVID cases and negative stereotyping of Asians relating to the pandemic.”
The rise in anti-Asian hate crimes coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because the virus originated in China, some Americans have come to associate Asian people of any ethnicity with the virus. Adding on to this stereotyping, former President Trump tweeted on Twitter several tweets connecting the virus to China, causing still more Americans to see the connection and discriminate against asian-Americans. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, “In the week after former President Donald J. Trump tweeted about ‘the Chinese virus,’ the number of coronavirus-related tweets with anti-Asian hashtags rose precipitously.” As the mixing of the coronavirus and anti-Asian statements or hashtags increased on twitter, even more people bought into the idea that Asian people were somehow responsible for or connected to the coronavirus. This xenophobic mindset can quickly lead to violence and hate crimes.
In response to the rise in hate crimes, protests organized by the Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate organization are being held throughout the United States. Although Asian-Americans have experienced racism and xenophobia before, the Atlanta spa shootings were a tipping point, driving Americans both inside and outside the community to speak out. Protests and vigils have been held in Atlanta to honor the victims of the shooting, but also in other cities across the US like New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and many more.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown that followed have created tension and anxiety throughout the country, potentially leading some to seek to scapegoat those who may look or speak differently. However, vocal and passionate response to this reaction suggests that this narrow-minded way of thinking may be the exception, not the rule.