MoCo Vows More Protections For Asian Americans After GA Shootings

ROCKVILLE, MD — In the wake of Tuesday's mass shootings in Georgia that left eight people dead, Montgomery County leaders have vowed to offer additional protection and resources to local Asian communities.

Their announcement comes less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire at three Atlanta-area massage parlors. Six of the eight who died were of Asian descent, according to Georgia authorities.

"The (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community enriches the fabric of our nation and specifically here in Montgomery County. They should not and shall not continue to live in fear," County Executive Marc Elrich and the county council said in a joint statement.

"We are reaching out to leaders within the AAPI communities today and offering resources and protection — including increasing patrols around their neighborhoods and businesses — to assist in their security, peace of mind, and for them to feel as safe as possible in this county."

Patch reached out to the Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County and the Asian American Political Alliance for comment on Tuesday. The Montgomery County Police Department was also contacted.

Authorities in Georgia say it's too early to determine whether Tuesday's attacks were racially motivated. The suspect — identified as 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia — told police that the massage parlors fueled his sexual addiction.

"Our condolences and sympathies are with the family, friends, and communities of the victims of our nation's latest senseless mass shooting last night in Georgia," Elrich and the county council said. "And, although there is not a specific motive cited by authorities at this time regarding why this crime happened, we do know that this tragic news continues a concerning trend of violence against our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities."

Crimes against Asian Americans have spiked since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a report released by Stop AAPI Hate — a nonprofit that tracks incidents of discrimination and hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — there have been 3,795 recorded incidents between March 19, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021.

"The number of hate incidents reported to our center represents only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur, but it does show how vulnerable Asian Americans are to discrimination, and the types of discrimination they face," the report read.