Falls Church Council Voices Support For Asian American Community

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Falls Church City Council released a statement in response to the Atlanta area shootings that killed eight people, most of which who were Asian American women.

The two shootings occurred Tuesday night at massage parlors in Acworth and Atlanta, Georgia. Six of the victims were Asian American women. A man has been arrested in connection with the shootings, and the motive remains under investigation.

The shootings have exacerbated concerns of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Incidents have notably risen in 2020 with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., leading to the creation of the nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate in March 2020. The center documents U.S. incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, according to the nonprofit's website. According to its latest report, 3,795 incidents were tracked by Stop AAPI Hate from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021.

Concerns Asians Americans are facing hit close to home for the City of Falls Church. The city is home to the Eden Center, a cultural center for the Vietnamese community. According to Census estimates, 10 percent of the city's population is Asian.

Falls Church City Council has one Chinese American council member, Letty Hardi. The late Council Member Dan Sze, who died in 2020, was also a Chinese American member of City Council.

Hardi shared her own response to the Atlanta area shootings aside from the City Council statement, recalling her various experiences with racism, "from the seemingly benign 'where are you *really* from" to the more serious 'go back to where you came from." She called it "heartbreaking" that the shootings brought attention to the anti-Asian racism concern since it has been a longtime problem.

"Regardless of the final determination of the motive behind the murders in Atlanta, for a community that has been sounding the alarm the past year about increasing violence, inflamed by racist rhetoric around COVID-19 – the latest horror certainly feels anchored in anti-Asian racism and misogyny, made possible with guns," Hardi wrote. "To our AAPI community, including our businesses, who are experiencing fear and discrimination – I grieve and stand with you."

She called on residents to listen to the Asian American Pacific Islander, learn about Asian American history and the history of anti-Asian sentiment, stand against racism when they see it, explore their own bias, donate to organizations to help Asian Americans, and support local Asian-owned businesses.

Below is the full statement released by Falls Church City Council.

We join the City of Falls Church community and people everywhere in mourning the victims of the horrific shootings in Atlanta that occurred this week. This attack comes amid a disturbing nationwide rise in violence directed against members of the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander community, exacerbated by misinformation and xenophobia around COVID-19. We condemn these recent acts of violence, but also the discrimination and stereotyping that has for too long harmed Asian American lives and impoverished our society.

The City is proud to host one of the largest and most vibrant Asian commercial centers in the country. The many and diverse members of Asian American community who live or work here are a vital source of creativity and strength for our City and our region. Our very future depends on ensuring that people of all backgrounds, ethnicity, and race are able flourish fully here and across America. In the coming weeks, the City will be launching enhanced efforts to engage and support our AAPI community and businesses.

The City of Falls Church is committed to promoting a more inclusive and equitable society in all our work in the community, from our police department, public schools, public library, and in all City programs and services. Hate, violence, and bias have no home here. Each of us has a personal responsibility to prevent misinformation, condemn violence, and unite to stand up for all fellow community members. We mourn for the victims in Atlanta, we pledge our renewed and ongoing commitment to work for a better future, and we stand in solidarity with all who contribute to the beautiful and vibrant diversity of our City, our region, and our country.