Georgia Spa Shootings: Racism and Sexism
Originally Written: March 17, 2021
Last March, in a spa in Georgia, news of yet another shooting and hate crime reached us all. There were a total of eight casualties, where six included Asian women. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, where xenophobia and hate against Asian Americans has started rising significantly, this tragedy has only magnified the racism within the USA.
The current suspect was identified to have a sexual addiction and reportedly had a "bad day." Police say that this is what has ultimately caused the suspect to open fire on the women. However, in no way is this excuse acceptable; this was inherently rooted in racism and sexism. It is saddening to see that the news would report this case as the suspect having a "bad day." We all have bad days, but do we each grab a gun and decide to attack a spa that we know mainly consists of Asian women? It is clear as day that the attacker was intending on harming Asian women due to the irrational rising of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is exactly what a hate crime looks like. The attacker intended to harm Asian women in his attack. He knew the people working at the spa were Asian women. This fact should not be debatable or controversial in any way because this is an explicitly hateful deed.
Anyone who sympathizes with the attacker is in no way moral. The victims did nothing wrong against the attacker and he has no basis for attacking these Asian women. However, the police department is trying to cover up and "protect" the attacker from receiving the punishment he deserves, mainly because he is a Caucasian male. If the attacker was a person of color (POC), then the reactions from the police department would have been drastically different. The attacker's sex and race have made it significantly easier for the police to wave off the crime he committed. Additionally, the victim's sex and race have made it much more difficult for them to receive the respect they need. Asian women are one of the most marginalized groups in American society, both as women and as Asians. As a result, it was easier for the police to not take the attacks seriously.
March 17th was, unfortunately, one of the many hate crimes that were committed against Asians in the US. From violence against the elderly in public transport to shooting at middle-aged women, hatred against Asians has proliferated to a disastrous amount. Violence is never the answer, especially when your motives are driven by prejudice and bias. Instead, we should educate each other and prevent tragedies like this from happening again for the people who have already lost their lives for such foolish reasons. Let's #StopAsianHate.
Sources