Medford Leaders Condemn Anti-Asian Violence After GA Shootings

MEDFORD, MA — Officials in Medford are showing their support for the city's Asian-American community following a shooting rampage in Georgia that left eight people dead, six of whom were women of Asian descent.

According to authorities, a gunman opened fire at three massage parlors across the metro Atlanta area Tuesday. Cherokee County Sheriff's Capt. Jay Baker said the gunman admitted to the killings and blamed the massage parlors for fueling his sex addiction.

Read More: Metro Atlanta Massage Parlor Shootings (5 Things To Know)

Although many of the victims were of Asian descent, officials have said it's too early in the investigation to know if the shootings were "racially motivated." However, many advocates say the shootings coincide with a reported rise in anti-Asian violence since the coronavirus pandemic began.

"This attack was only one of the staggering number of increasing attacks, both physical and verbal, on members of the AAPI community within the last year," Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said in a statement Friday. "Targeting of the AAPI community out of hate and ignorance based on a misguided belief that they are somehow responsible for COVID-19 is disgusting and has no place anywhere."

Superintendent of Schools Marice Edouard-Vincent said the district is "committed to doing the work to create equity, inclusivity and belonging for all in our community."

"We are keeping all those affected by the senseless acts of violence committed in Atlanta this week in our thoughts. Additionally, we have all heard stories of Asian Americans being both harassed and abused throughout our country," Edouard-Vincent said. "This is both frightening and disgraceful. This situation has been simmering since the beginning of COVID-19 and has progressively become worse as the pandemic has progressed. Our district is committed to doing the work to create equity, inclusivity and belonging for all in our community."

The city will host a virtual community conversation called "Racism is a Public Health Crisis: What Does This Mean and How Can the City Address This Crisis?" Wednesday, April 7 from 6-8 p.m.

The Zoom link to the meeting is available on the Human Rights Commission page, www.medfordma.org/human-rights, or on city's event calendar at www.medfordma.org/mayor/city-events.