Waters on Atlanta Spa Shootings: The Only Promise of White Supremacy Is That None of Us Are Safe

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial services, issued the following statement mourning the victims of the Atlanta, Georgia spa shootings and condemning Anti-Asian violence. Six of the eight victims who were murdered were women of Asian descent. The suspect has since been taken into custody.

"The racist attack in Georgia that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, was a horrid reminder of the white supremacist threat that has plagued our country for hundreds of years. This week's attack is rooted in the same type of hatred that killed nine Black members of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and is rooted in the same type of hatred that killed 23 Latinos at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. It is clear that the only promise of white supremacy is that none of us are safe.

"The recent rise in hate and violence directed toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, which I have consistently and vehemently condemned, was fueled by Donald Trump and his absolute commitment to inappropriately and falsely blaming the Asian community for the spread of COVID-19. In the last year, Stop AAPI Hate received over 3,000 reports of Anti-Asian harassment or assault, and over 500 incidents have already been reported this year.

"We must take it upon ourselves to ensure that these numbers do not simply become statistics, and we must remember that these numbers represent real people who are being targeted simply because they are Asian or Asian American. These are people who have endured verbal assaults inside of businesses or physical assaults on sidewalks in their very own communities, and in the case of the white supremacist attack in Atlanta -- these are people of Asian descent who were killed at their place of work.

"In this time of grief, I know that the fear so many in the AAPI community are feeling can be paralyzing and debilitating -- but I want you to know that I will never stop fighting to stop Asian hate, protect you, and lift your voice.

"As we work to put an end to white supremacy, we must harness our collective power and make it known that we will not tolerate the targeting of the AAPI community. In the spirit of justice and solidarity, we must remind ourselves and the world that none of us are free until all of us are free.

"As always, I remain committed to pursuing justice for all, and will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the AAPI community in this fight. In Congress, I have co-sponsored Representative Grace Meng's resolution condemning Anti-Asian sentiment, as well as H.R. 1843, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which directs more resources to the Department of Justice to fight these types of hate crimes. I will continue to support legislation and initiatives to condemn racism and xenophobia and hold white supremacists accountable."

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