ATLANTA, GA – Today, Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) released the following video from Atlanta, Georgia in remembrance of the 8 lives stolen in the mass shooting outside of Atlanta five-years ago today: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng.
“It’s the fifth anniversary, and I just think about the continued challenges that we face when it comes to violence and hatred in our country, not just that facing the Asian community, but so much else…So often, we forget about the dangers that we face, the tragedies that occurred, but it’s important that we show this isn’t just important to those here in Atlanta, but it’s important to those of us around the country to stand up against hate in all forms.”
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Senator Kim first visited the sites in the aftermath of the shooting in 2021. In today’s video he reflected: “It was unbelievably powerful to be here. This whole area here was covered in flowers and signs, people, their hearts pouring out…So many people were fearful about the violence affecting the Asian American community at the time. I was asked to come down here by the families of the victims, and I met with them shortly after coming and paying my respects here, to hear their stories about their moms, about their family, about, you know, their concerns about the violence and just how tragic this was.”
In his message, the Senator also recognized the continued challenges to combat hate in our country: “I have colleagues of mine in Congress that are literally attacking pluralism and diversity in our nation, saying that that is not something that we should have, that pluralism is a lie, and I just find that to be so grotesque and disgusting. And it leads often to this type of violence and division within our society.”
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