Lexington Officials Denounce Georgia Killings

LEXINGTON, MA — Lexington officials issued a statement on Friday about the killing of eight people in several massage parlors in Atlanta, GA, six of the victims were Asian women. The statement was signed by Town Manager Jim Malloy, Chief of Police Mark Corr and Director of Human Services Melissa Interess and written on the behalf of the Lexington Select Board and Lexington Human Rights Committee.

The statement reads:

"We are disturbed and saddened to hear of the murder of six women of Asian descent and two other victims in Georgia earlier this week. Regardless of the murder suspect’s stated motives, racial bias and misogyny were likely factors which cannot be ignored. These events have a clear impact on both women and on our Asian American community. This violence is just one event of many that mark the rise of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (AAPI). We stand with our AAPI and female residents to strongly denounce hateful words, actions, and violence.

In Lexington, we strive to create a safe, inclusive, and connected community for all of our residents and visitors. We value the voices and contributions of our female and AAPI residents, and we unite with those who continue to build a stronger, more vibrant community.

We are committed to providing supportive resources to any of our residents who are impacted by hate crimes, hate incidents, or microaggressions. We recognize the significant impact that these violent events can have on both mental health and feelings of well-being. Below are some resources available if you or someone you know needs support in processing the recent events. We are gathering stakeholder input and will be planning thoughtful next steps to move our community forward and support healing.
We all must play a role in creating and maintaining the culture of this community. To that end, we must all embrace differences and actively stand up for our neighbors when we see them being targeted. Anything less is not an expression of the warm and inclusive community we are all striving to build."

Police arrested the suspect in the shooting, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long and charged him in connection with the shooting at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, and at the Aroma Therapy Spa and the Gold Spa in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon. Long admitted to the killings and blamed the massage parlors for fueling his sex addiction.