"The Atlanta Shooting happened because of the unfair blame being put on Asians for the rise of the pandemic - and given that America has some of the most Covid cases in the world and has affected the lifestyles of everyone in America, this prompted Americans to attribute the blame onto Asian-Americans. It is no secret that xenophobia and racism towards Asians, especially Chinese people, is concentrated now more than ever as there have been many accusations towards multiple Asians for "starting" the quote-on-quote "Chinese Virus." The truth is that people know well that Asian people are not the only ones responsible for bringing the virus to the US - they are using this to justify the hate crimes, xenophobia, and racism towards Asians. This shooting happened because of xenophobia and racism towards Asians, and the blame Americans have put on Asians for the way the pandemic has affected everyone's lives - there is no denying this. This shooting definitely fits into the rising AAPI hate - hate that often goes unnoticed or not reported. Regardless of what the shooter's motivation was, whether he was "having a bad day" or if he was racially-motivated, there are still people who doubt and refuse to believe that anti-Asian racism even exists, and attributing the crime of six Asians among eight people as just a person who had a bad day suppresses the voices and fears of AAPI communities that feel the anti-Asian hate deeply and personally everyday. AAPI communities need to be heard and feel visible and protected. Hate crimes, racism, and xenophobia towards AAPI communities are also nothing new - they as well as those America has perpetuated towards other ethnic and racial communities, are embedded into American history. It's an issue that has gone on for years too long and we need to be heard and seen.

The Atlanta Spa Shootings occurred because of the stereotypes surrounding asian people. These stereotypes negatively affect the way people perceive asians and due to these underlying stereotypes (asian women being seen as “submissive” and asian men being seen as feminine), asian people are negatively affected. This along with the already existing blaming asians for the coronavirus contribute to the massive increase of AAPI hate in the recent years. However, this AAPI hate is embedded in America's history, not just something that is recent. Racism against asians in america is ingrained into the american psyche, just like other forms of racism america has perpetuated. AAPI hate crimes are certainly possibly underreported, and also asian american victims are also less believed due to the toxic model minority stereotype/myth.

I believe that racism was the main cause of this unfortunate event, especially with the rising tensions created from the virus. Although these hate crimes have always existed, it’s the belief that people of Asian descent are the cause for the problems we are currently facing that caused this hate crime, and many others, to happen.

Along with underreporting, I think that news agencies are also leaving out important details out of AAPI hate crimes. After the Atlanta shooting happened, American news sources reported that the murder happened because of the killer’s sexual addiction, but a Korean news source reported that a witness heard him say, “Kill all the Asians.” This kind of misreporting, or moreso of a lack of details being shared, doesn’t put the entire situation into the full perspective it needs to be in.

There is an underlying mesh of racism in the United States; these tensions have always existed, but have been brought to fruition by recent events, most notably COVID-19. I think the truth is that the people who instigate these hate crimes are aware that Asian people are not solely responsible for bringing COVID-19 to the US -- they are just using COVID-19 as an excuse for these hate crimes.

The rise of Covid-19 and the former president of the United States encouraging anti-asian crimes, harmful stereotypes combined with the underlying anti-asian racism that America thrived on, the Atlanta shooting was another painful reminder to the community and allies. 6 Asian lives were taken by a 21 white male, who was later described as “having a bad day” and “addicted to sex” as if that excused his actions of committing a hate crime. We see news about an elder being attacked or a video of an asian man being assaulted but it’s not until we see it pasted over tiktok or twitter that we see bigger news agencies officially report the incidents. There always has been AAPI hate but it’s only until big incidents like the Atlanta shooting happen that people want to believe it."

-Arcadia High School Senior

"This event was horrible, but I'm glad that at least it has forced non-Asian people to finally begin addressing racism and hate crimes towards Asians and women. For so long it felt like we were screaming into an empty void."

-Arcadia High School Junior

"The three spas that were shot up were obviously targeted because of racial bias. I think that’s plainly obvious enough just by looking at who the victims are—6 of the 8 victims are Asian women, so a solid 75% of the victims were Asian women. Since Asian people make up around 8% of Georgia’s population, there really isn’t room to say these shootings weren’t racially motivated. However, I think another factor at blame is how complacent the legislature is in terms of deterring people from committing similar hate crimes. The shooter was able to (key word) legally obtain a gun the day he went to shoot up Asian businesses. I don’t think it’s right that governmental figures will condemn AAPI hate but dilly dally in restricting the means for these hate crimes that target our community to occur in the first place.

I think with targeted hate towards both AAPI and other BIPOC on the rise, it is more imperative than ever that there be legal ramifications for committing hate crimes. Georgia has recently introduced hate crime legislature, but only hesitantly and after a ton of pushback from the unresponsive responses they’ve had towards Ahmaud Arbery’s death. Which is great but I’d like to see more development on that front besides just some legislation that hasn’t really had a chance until recently to be applied. But that means the same sentiment about encouraging local change can apply to communities everywhere. Arcadia has such a large population of AAPI people, so if anything we should be the most on top of advocating for our safety. There is a way for students to help besides just reading books and reposting. I think a lot of my fellow peers do not really know how to reach out beyond their socials, and what a lot of us do not realize is that we can actually reach out to our local legislators. If you’re concerned about the wellbeing of your family, as I don’t see why you shouldn’t be, then shoot a quick email to our Representative Judy Chu detailing your concerns and ideas. It’s better than anxiously sitting on your phone and not getting much done as you wish to.

I think while news agencies underreporting AAPI hate crimes is certainly an issue, it’s not the whole issue. Part of it is that many AAPI people don’t report their experiences. Since many AAPI we know are immigrants who had to fight tooth and nail to live here, they’d rather not stir attention even if they deserve to be heard, because there is a real fear of no one taking claims about AAPI hate seriously. That’s up to communities everywhere to listen more to Asian American and Pacific Islander people and consider their concerns more carefully or else no one is going to report what they go through. That starts within student populations too; people have been quick to write off the heightened attention around recent AAPI hate crimes as shallow advocacy clustered around Instagram stories, but I think if you don’t find that the posts you see on social media are comprehensive enough, it is your responsibility to do your own researching through some googling and a variety of news."

-Arcadia High School Sophomore

"The man was clearly a racist who attacked the store due to his anti-Asian beliefs, which he used to justify the murder of the victims. It’s in line with anti-Asian discrimination that has been ever present in America, but has increased in both intensity and reportage due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been multiple hate crimes reported within just the last few days.

I don’t see the news that often but my best guess is 'Anti-Asian hate crimes have been reported more often due to the known rise in Anti-Asian hate, but as I do live in an Asian bubble and am an Asian myself, I have most likely seen MORE coverage than the general public would have, which is terrifying as even what is shown here in Arcadia does not cover all of the anti-Asian hate crimes or even their origins'"

-Arcadia High School Junior

The attack was pretty obviously racially motivated, the act of specifically targeting Asian Americans and making them targets. The rise of AAPI hate, specifically the xenophobia that arose in tandem with the pandemic, has turned into a matter of safety. Many people are afraid that their grandparents, parents, even themselves are unsafe in their own neighborhoods, which is saddening and disgusting. I have seen an increase in response from the Arcadia community in terms of posting about others who are sadly experiencing the same violent hate crimes, but the rest of America is not extending the same importance.

Being immersed in social media, while sometimes can be tiresome, is so important because of the lack of coverage this issue is getting in the media. News networks are barely, if at all, covering these Asian American hate crimes and the rise in AAPI hate, and they need to start raising more awareness. America needs to start having these conversations if we are going to fight the rise in newly exacerbated AAPI hate.

-Arcadia High School Junior