Washington Leaders React To Atlanta Massage Parlor Shootings

OLYMPIA, WA — Several Washington lawmakers are speaking out against anti-Asian racism in the wake of a deadly shooting spree this week in Atlanta.

A 21-year-old gunman attacked three massage parlors across the Atlanta metro Tuesday evening, killing eight people. Most of the victims were Asian Americans, and while police have not formally identified a motive, many have noted that the attack comes at a time when violence against Asian residents is on the rise across America.

Among them is Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), the first Korean American woman in Congress. Shortly after he was arrested, the suspect reportedly told officers that he had targeted the parlors because he had a "sex addiction". Strickland says that's an unacceptable excuse, an attempt to sidestep the real issue.

"Racially motivated violence should be called out for exactly what it is, and we must stop making excuses or rebranding it as economic anxiety or sexual addiction,” Strickland said in a speech on the House floor Wednesday. "As a woman who is Black and Korean, I’m acutely aware of how it feels to be erased or ignored, and how the default position when violence is committed against people of color or women is to defer from confronting the hate that is often the motivation."

Gov. Jay Inslee joined Strickland in calling out the attack as "another escalation in the disturbing trend of anti-Asian violence in this country."

Over the past year there has been a rise in attacks on Asian Americans — including here in Washington. Just this month, Inslee released a statement on the issue, denouncing the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. It reads in part:

“Washington is a place where all people should feel safe and included. This is a welcoming state and I have a zero-tolerance policy for hate and racism. We must all condemn the acts of hate and violence displayed in the rising incidence of anti-Asian hate crimes in both Washington state and across the country. This is wholly unacceptable and must not stand."

Other local leaders have already pledged to take action. As the Seattle Times first reported, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz issued a joint statement following the shooting, pledging increased protection for the Asian American community:

“Individuals who commit these crimes must be arrested and held accountable. We are also taking additional steps to protect our Asian American neighbors – that includes increasing outreach to the Asian American community and community-based organizations across Seattle, as well as additional presence by police patrols and our Community Service Officers to ensure we are doing all we can for them during this painful time.”

Investigators say they are still piecing together what drove the attack in Atlanta. As for what caused the larger swell in anti-Asian crimes across the country, Inslee, Durkan and Diaz all agree: it's racism, fueled in part by the mistaken belief that Asian countries and Asian Americans are somehow at fault for the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We saw this ugly trend surge a year ago, when COVID-19 first emerged in our state. One year later, we have a vaccine for the virus – but racism is still running rampant," Inslee said.

Related: Metro Atlanta Massage Parlor Shootings: 5 Things To Know