Council Member Sandra Ung, Council Member Linda Lee, Council Member Julie Won and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards co-sponsored a vigil on Thursday evening at Borough Hall to mark the one-year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings in March of 2021.

Attendees held white flowers in honor of the eight victims, which included six Asian women, who were killed. 

“One year later, the events that unfolded in Atlanta are still an unspeakable tragedy,” said Council Member Sandra Ung. “But we can stand up to this hate by keeping the memory of these Asian women and the other victims alive, just as we do with the victims of Asian hate here in New York City, like Christina Yuna Lee, Michelle Go and Guiying Ma. The AAPI community is not invisible or forever foreigners, and we need to give our children a sense of dignity and our seniors a sense of security. Too many New Yorkers face intolerance and bigotry, but we can and must do better. It gives me hope to see so many members of our community coming together to support the AAPI community.”

“After all the attacks we suffered in 2021, the shock and horror of the Atlanta shooting was just unbearable,” said Council Member Linda Lee who became the first Korean-American elected to the NYC Council and serves as Vice-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus in City Council. “Worse, before and after that attack I’ve had friends and relatives who are afraid to step outside alone, so to see this epidemic of violence continue a year later really just fills me with sorrow. As a City, we need to do more to bring an end to this violence and ensure our communities receive the resources they so badly need. I’m grateful so many friends and allies came out today to stand in solidarity with our community, and despite our pain we take comfort in their love and support.”

“There has been so much violence and tragedy in the Asian American community this past year. My heart goes out to all those who lost their lives in Atlanta and their families and neighbors who loved them. It is difficult to process the racism, misogyny, hatred, and suffering that caused so much death and pain for Asian Americans and women specifically,” said Council Member Julie Won. “We deserve to feel safe in our communities and our homes. We have to heal the root causes of this violence, we must build interracial solidarity and invest deeply and immediately in communities that have been neglected for decades. We will get through this.”

“Tonight, we remember the eight innocent individuals, including six women of Asian descent, whose lives were so callously stolen from us one year ago. They were beloved mothers, grandmothers, spouses, sisters, aunts, friends and community members, and we hold their loved ones in our hearts,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “But their murders were not isolated incidents. With this vigil, we also uplift the memories of Michelle Go, Christina Lee, Yao Pan Ma, GuiYing Ma and every single Asian American in New York and around the nation who have unjustly been the targets of anti-Asian hate violence. Together, as one united borough, we stand in solidarity with our Asian American community and stand against this pandemic of prejudice.”

“The anxiety and fear that so many of our Asian neighbors in here in Queens and around NYC are feeling in the wake of recent attacks and the memory of last year’s horrific shootings is heartbreaking and demands our collective action. Asian New Yorkers, all New Yorkers, deserve to be able to walk around their city without feeling like they might be targeted for violence just because of who they are. Our city must do more to support community-led efforts to connect people in their own languages with services, support, and safety training. Thank you to Council Members Sandra Ung, Linda Lee, and Julie Won and to Queens Borough President Donovan Richards for convening us tonight to stand together against hate violence,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.

“This week marks the two year anniversary of NY’s first COVID death and the one year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings,” said State Senator John Liu. “The pandemic brought an onslaught of hatred, racism and violence that continues unchanged today, and as we reflect on these somber anniversaries, we must recommit ourselves to standing up, speaking out and fighting back against hatred in all forms.” 

“As we gather to reflect on the one-year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shooting, let us reaffirm our commitment to tackling the growing anti-Asian violence here at home,” said Assemblywoman Nily Rozic. “Tonight’s vigil sends a clear message that New Yorkers will always stand united against racism and xenophobia, and serves as a call to action to invest in AAPI organizations with allyship that include funding for critical resources as we work toward rooting out hate in all forms.”

“Xiaojie Tan. Daoyou Feng. Hyun Jung Grant. Suncha Kim. Soon Chung Park. Yong Ae Yue. One year after they were murdered, our mothers, our sisters, our daughters continue to fall victim to horrific violence almost daily,” said Council Member Shekar Krishnan. “We, as a city and a nation, have to guarantee the safety of every Asian, every woman, and every person. This tragedy, and every day since, are a reminder that we still have a long way to go.”

BACKGROUND: On March 16, 2021, gunman Robert Aaron Long went on a shooting spree, specifically targeting three Asian-owned spas in the Atlanta. He killed six employees, all Asian women, and two customers. The workers that were murdered were Xiaojie Tan, 49, Daoyou Feng, 44, Hyun Jung Grant, 51, Suncha Kim, 69, Soon Chung Park, 74, and Yong Ae Yue, 63. The two customers were 33-year-old Delaina Ashley Yaun and 54-year-old Paul Andre Michels.