Title: Condemning the horrific shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16, 2021, and reaffirming the House of Representative’s commitment to combating hate, bigotry, and violence against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community.
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
This resolution condemns the acts of gun violence that led to the tragic loss of eight lives in Georgia on March 16, 2021.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 275 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 275

  Condemning the horrific shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16, 
   2021, and reaffirming the House of Representative's commitment to 
 combating hate, bigotry, and violence against the Asian-American and 
                      Pacific Islander community.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2021

  Ms. Chu (for herself, Ms. Bourdeaux, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mrs. 
 McBath, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Green of Texas, Ms. Velazquez, Mrs. 
  Trahan, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Lowenthal, Mrs. Fletcher, Mr. Kim of New 
   Jersey, Mr. Takano, Ms. Stevens, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Mr. 
Carson, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Himes, Ms. Speier, Ms. Bonamici, Mrs. Lawrence, 
    Ms. Ross, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Omar, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mrs. 
   Napolitano, Ms. DelBene, Ms. Jacobs of California, Mr. Crow, Mrs. 
   Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mrs. Watson 
  Coleman, Mr. Torres of New York, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Ruiz, Mr. 
 Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Raskin, 
 Ms. Norton, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Huffman, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
  Espaillat, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Mr. Hastings, Mr. 
 Castro of Texas, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. 
  Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Gallego, Ms. 
Schakowsky, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Escobar, 
Mr. Neguse, Mrs. Torres of California, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Welch, 
   Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Adams, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. 
    Barragan, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Evans, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Khanna, Mr. 
Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Dean, Mr. Gomez, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Brown, Mr. Yarmuth, 
Ms. Bass, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Peters, Ms. Castor of Florida, Ms. 
    Meng, Mr. Bera, Mr. Beyer, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Spanberger, Mr. 
    Auchincloss, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Trone, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of 
   Pennsylvania, Mr. Suozzi, Mrs. Luria, Ms. Newman, Mr. Meeks, Mr. 
Kahele, Mr. Horsford, Mr. McNerney, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Pallone, Ms. Kelly 
  of Illinois, Mr. Rush, and Mr. San Nicolas) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Condemning the horrific shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16, 
   2021, and reaffirming the House of Representative's commitment to 
 combating hate, bigotry, and violence against the Asian-American and 
                      Pacific Islander community.

Whereas, on March 16, 2021, a shooter murdered 8 people and injured 1 in the 
        Atlanta, Georgia, region in 3 separate shootings that took place at 
        Asian-owned spas;
Whereas the people of the United States mourn the 8 innocent lives lost, 7 of 
        whom were women, 6 of whom were women of Asian descent, and several of 
        whom were immigrants;
Whereas the victims included Xiaojie ``Emily'' Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley 
        Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Yong Ae Yue, Soon Chung ``Julie'' Park, Hyun 
        Jung Grant, and Sun Cha Kim;
Whereas 49-year-old Xiaojie ``Emily'' Tan, a hardworking mother and the owner of 
        1 of the spas, was a dedicated and caring business owner who is survived 
        by her daughter and husband;
Whereas 44-year-old Daoyou Feng was an employee who recently began working at 1 
        of the spas;
Whereas 33-year-old Delaina Ashley Yaun, a newlywed and mother of 2, was at 1 of 
        the spas to receive a couple's massage with her husband when her life 
        was cut short;
Whereas 54-year-old Paul Andre Michels was a caring husband and a United States 
        Army veteran who did maintenance work for 1 of the spas and is survived 
        by his wife;
Whereas 63-year-old Yong Ae Yue was a mother of 2 sons who was known for her 
        kindness and generosity and her love of her pet Shih Tzu;
Whereas 74-year-old Soon Chung ``Julie'' Park was a mother and grandmother who 
        helped manage 1 of the spas and helped to prepare meals for the 
        employees;
Whereas 51-year-old Hyun Jung Grant was a former elementary school teacher and 
        hardworking single mother who dedicated her whole life to raising her 2 
        sons;
Whereas 69-year-old Sun Cha Kim was a wife, mother, and grandmother who enjoyed 
        line dancing and had been married for more than 50 years;
Whereas during an interview with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, the 
        suspect stated that the shootings were not ``racially motivated'', but 
        the investigation is still ongoing and authorities have not ruled out 
        the possibility of classifying the attacks as a ``hate crime'';
Whereas the Georgia shooting came in the midst of an alarming surge in anti-
        Asian hate crimes and incidents, which has caused many Asian Americans 
        across the United States to feel fearful and unsafe;
Whereas the use of anti-Asian terminology and rhetoric related to COVID-19, such 
        as the ``Chinese virus'', ``Wuhan virus'', and ``kung flu'', has 
        perpetuated anti-Asian stigma that has resulted in Asian Americans being 
        harassed, assaulted, and scapegoated for the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150 percent in major cities 
        throughout the United States in 2020;
Whereas according to a recent report by Stop AAPI Hate, there were nearly 3,800 
        reported cases of anti-Asian discrimination related to COVID-19 between 
        March 19, 2020, to February 28, 2021;
Whereas 68 percent of reported incidents of anti-Asian hate targeted Asian-
        American women, a population that has been historically marginalized, 
        sexualized, and fetishized;
Whereas, on March 19, 2021, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris 
        met with Asian-American leaders in Georgia and reaffirmed their strong 
        commitment to condemn and combat racism, xenophobia, and violence 
        targeting the Asian-American community; and
Whereas the people of the United States will always remember the victims of 
        these shootings and stand in solidarity with those affected by this 
        senseless tragedy: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the heinous and inexcusable acts of gun 
        violence that led to the tragic loss of 8 lives in Georgia on 
        March 16, 2021;
            (2) condemns any racism and sexism in the choice of the 
        shooter to target Asian-owned businesses and murder 7 women, 6 
        of whom were of Asian descent;
            (3) honors the memory of the victims, offers heartfelt 
        condolences to their families, and recognizes that the healing 
        process will be long and difficult for the Asian-American and 
        Pacific Islander community and all communities impacted by this 
        tragedy; and
            (4) reaffirms the commitment of the United States Federal 
        Government to combat hate, bigotry, and violence against Asian 
        Americans and Pacific Islanders and to prevent tragedies like 
        this from ever happening again.
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