Thread by @AndyKimNJ

There was a mass shooting in America last night. Sadly that is not uncommon. Many of the victims were AAPI. Tragedy sits at the intersection of multiple broken parts of our society. To honor victims and save lives, we must make progress across all. #StopAsianHate (THREAD)

I’ve been asked if the violence against AAPI is new, and if it is getting better with the increased recent visibility. The answer to both is no. Discrimination/violence existed before COVID and it will continue after. And sadly, I don’t think we have seen the worst of it. 2/13

I can’t tell you how much it means to me and others that anti-AAPI violence has gotten attention. Biden’s mention in his speech was powerful. Now we need follow through. Give AAPI communities more resources/coordination. Give us tools to counter. Listen to our needs. 3/13

What we saw last night also reinforced the deep problem we have of gun violence. Last week I voted in Congress to pass universal background checks for gun safety. #HR8 is a right step for our nation. Nearly every American supports it. It is wrong that we fall short. 4/13

It’s too early to tell if these specific measures would have prevented this particular tragedy, but what is important is that we not be numb/apathetic in the face of violence. We have to keep working to reduce. Otherwise we implicitly accept violence as normal. 5/13

Between COVID/gun violence/healthcare/overdose/hatred/racism and other causes, we have grown accustomed to so much death in our communities. My 5 yr old boy talks about people we lost in last year with too much normalcy. We should fight for every life. 6/13

I’m very aware that I am AAPI member of Congress representing a district that 85% white and less than 3% AAPI. I’ve had people recommend that I not talk about my heritage/AAPI issues here. But I have to say that people in my district want me to stand up to hate in all forms. 7/13

We should never be outraged by violence only targeting those who look like us. Hate comes in many forms. I will work to be a better ally and an empathetic person to understand all these manifestations and to fight for others as I would for my own children. 8/13

Systemic racism is deep and we must always recognize the struggles of others. We mourn collectively the anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s murder this past week. Let us all commit to be vigilant and present in each other’s struggles. 9/13

It’s also worth noting that all but one of the victims yesterday were women. The Senate let the #ViolenceAgainstWomenAct expire. Today, I’m going to vote again to bring it back so we can add tools to addressing violence targeting women. 10/13

I’ve received a lot of messages overnight. Many have asked what can you do to help. Please spread the word. I spoke to someone yesterday that told me that they didn’t realize the struggles of AAPI until they heard Biden mention it. We have more work to do to raise awareness.11/13

We need cities/states/federal to listen. Really listen. Work with the communities to identify needs. Again not just AAPI communities. Minority/immigrant and other vulnerable and underrepresented communities all need to be at the table. 12/13

We in Congress/WhiteHouse/DOJ/Governors/Mayors have our work cut out for us. Let us pass NoHateAct, followup ExecMemo with more resources, and fight this hate with constant/relentless engagement. No single law can solve these problems, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying (END)