#StopAsianHate Is Raising Awareness After Georgia Shootings Leave 6 Asian Women Dead

Leaders and celebrities are condemning the recent wave of violence against Asian Americans after a recent deadly shooting in Atlanta came amid a surge in anti-Asian violence.

By Ashleigh Carter

Updated on 3/17/2021 at 3:05 PM

Protesters hold signs that read "hate is a virus" and "stop Asian hate" at the End The Violence Towards Asians rally in Washington Square Park on February 20, 2021 in New York City. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, violence towards Asian Americans has increased at a much higher rate than previous years. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) reported a 1,900% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020. | Getty Images
Protesters hold signs that read "hate is a virus" and "stop Asian hate" at the End The Violence Towards Asians rally in Washington Square Park on February 20, 2021 in New York City. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, violence towards Asian Americans has increased at a much higher rate than previous years. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) reported a 1,900% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020. | Getty Images

Celebrities and leaders are standing in solidarity with Asian Americans as an alarming uptick in violence and hate has targeted the community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

People are sharing the hashtag #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate after a 21-year-old white man attacked three spas, killing eight people, in the Atlanta, Georgia area on Tuesday. Six of the victims were of Asian descent, and seven were women, according to multiple reports. 

The gunman is in custody and has been charged with at least four counts of murder and one count of assault in Cherokee County connected to a shooting at a spa there, according to the Associated Press. The other shootings occurred at businesses in Atlanta, according to police. Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said Wednesday that officials haven’t designated the shootings as a hate crime because the investigation is still in its early stages. 

Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said during a press conference on Wednesday that the suspect indicated he had a “sexual addiction” and “may have frequented” some of the spas. Reynolds also said when officials interviewed the suspect, he claimed that the attacks were not racially motivated. 

But the shootings come after multiple reports show an increase in attacks of Asian Americans nationwide. Data collected by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino found a 149% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 16 of the largest U.S. cities in 2020. The study also found that the first spike in crimes occured in March and April — when the COVID-19 virus was first rapidly spreading. 

According to data collected by Stop AAPI Hate, 3,795 incidents of harassment, shunning, physical assault, or discrimination were reported between March 2020 and February 2021. Many people have criticized former President Trump for exacerbating anti-Asian discourse by repeatedly referring to COVID-19 as the “China Virus.” 

President Joe Biden last week condemned the violence in a speech, calling it “un-American.”

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Wednesday that Atlanta “stands ready to provide additional resources” to its communities. When asked during a press conference if the spas were places that sexual encounters would occur, Bottoms said that the city would not be “victim shaming.”

“As far as we know in Atlanta, these are legally operating businesses that have not been on our radar,” she continued.

Bottoms also said that officials believe Long was on his way to Florida to potentially “carry out additional shootings.”

"Obviously whatever the motivation was for this guy, we know that many of the victims, the majority of the victims, were Asian,” Bottoms added. “We know this is an issue that’s happening across the country. It has to stop."

In the midst of the uptick in anti-Asian violence, many celebrities, lawmakers, and public figures have recently offered support to the Asian American community and condemned violence and attacks: