Politics
Atlanta spa massacre – Over $2MILLION donated to GoFundMe for victim’s sons as hundreds rally against Asian hate
OVER $2million was donated to a GoFundMe for the sons of one of the victims in the Atlanta spa massacre, as hundreds rallied against Asian hate.
By Saturday evening, more than 66,000 people had donated to the fund for the two sons of victim Hyun Jung Grant, and more than $2.5million had been raised.
Over $2million has been raised for the two sons of one of the Atlanta spa shooting victims[/caption]
On Saturday, hundreds gathered in front of Georgia’s state Capitol for a rally[/caption]
Grant was one of nine victims at three separate shootings in the Atlanta-area on Tuesday – one in Acworth and two in Atlanta.
A total of eight people died – including six Asian women – and one of the victims survived.
Randy Park, Grant’s son, explained on the GoFundMe page that he and his brother are now the only family members living in the US, as the rest of their family is from South Korea.
“My mother, Hyun Jung Grant (maiden name Kim), was one of the victims of the shootings in Atlanta Georgia at Gold Spa,” Park wrote.
Suspect Robert Aaron Long was arrested for the shootings[/caption]
A memorial is set up outside the targeted spa in Acworth, Georgia[/caption]
“This is something that should never happen to anyone. She was a single mother who dedicated her whole life to providing for my brother and I,” he continued.
He later added that his mother was one of his “best friends and the strongest influence on who we are today. Losing her has put a new lens on my eyes on the amount of hate that exists in our world.”
Many have called on authorities and the media to call the attacks on Atlanta-area massage parlors hate crimes, though police have not yet stated whether they believe the attacks were racially motivated.
The shooter, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, has reportedly claimed that he is a sex addict and he targeted the businesses because they were a “temptation that he wanted to eliminate.”
People held signs with messages like ‘Hate is a Virus’ and ‘A bad day is not an excuse’[/caption]
Hundreds gathered to demand justice for the victims[/caption]
Grant, 51, was one of four people killed in the shootings in Atlanta. The others were identified as Soon Chung Park, 74, Suncha Kim, 69, and Yong Ae Yue, 63.
Four others – identified as Delaina Yaun, 33, Paul Andre Michels, 54, Xiaojie Tan, 49, and Daoyou Feng, 44 – were killed in the shooting in Acworth.
Another man, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, was shot but survived.
The attack has brought a new focus to hate directed as Asian people living in the US – especially as hate crimes against Asian people have more than doubled in the year since the Covid pandemic broke out.
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds gathered in front of Georgia’s state Capitol to demand justice for the victims and denounce racism, xenophobia and misogyny.
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The crowd heard from speakers, including Georgia Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and state Rep Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Georgia House.
“No matter how you want to spin it, the facts remain the same. This was an attack on the Asian community,” Nguyen said during the event.
“Let’s join hands with our ally community and demand justice for not only these victims but for all victims of white supremacy.”
