Posted March 19, 202111:00 am
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is proud to be a supporting organization on this statement from the AABA Ohio
STATEMENT ON THE RECENT DEADLY VIOLENCE
AGAINST ASIAN AMERICANS IN ATLANTA
The Asian American Bar Association of Ohio, jointly with the undersigned organizations,
condemns in the strongest terms the recent acts of deadly violence perpetrated against
multiple Asian American owned businesses on March 16, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. These
senseless acts of hate left eight dead, including six victims identified as Asian women.
This is yet another tragedy in a string of over 3,800 reported hate incidents against Asian
Americans across the country, 68% of them women, since March 2020. Our community
knows that many hate incidents go unreported, while many individuals - including our
elders and most vulnerable populations - live in fear of verbal, physical, and now deadly,
attacks.
We will not be silent as hate crimes against Asian Americans are rising exponentially
across the country. We will not be silent as irresponsible xenophobic rhetoric casually
infiltrates our everyday lives. And we will not be silent when members of our local Asian
community endure fear, anguish, and anxiety in the face of ongoing systemic racism and
hate crimes.
The Asian American Bar Association of Ohio calls upon all to stand in solidarity with our
Asian community, to take a stand against this targeted racial violence, and to amplify our
condemnation of irresponsible rhetoric such as referring to the coronavirus as the
"Chinese Virus," "Wuhan Virus," or otherwise "foreign" virus, which has fanned further
hate towards the APA community.
We extend our condolences to the family and friends of the Atlanta victims. The shootings
have shaken us to the core as a community. We demand that justice be swiftly rendered.