Atlanta Mass Shooting 2021: What happened in this event? What factors led for these things to happen? Was this event a hate crime and a result of racism or a random act committed by a violent crazy person?

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Atlanta Mass Shooting 2021: What happened in this event? What factors led for these things to happen? Was this event a hate crime and a result of racism or a random act committed by a violent crazy person?

3/18/2021

28 Comments

Melvin Mateo (Per.5)

3/18/2021 09:05:54 am

I think this was a act of racism b/c unless more of his past is revealed it just seem it was a hate crime. Why would he target the asian women, maybe just b/c his ideas made him see that there race is there fault for what is happening with the pandemic.

Mr. Lawson

3/18/2021 09:12:01 am

Melvin,

I agree with you that this was an act of racism and should be treated a hate crime. The number of Asian women targeted and murdered would be considered a terrorist attack if the racial identities were reversed. It appears fake news and bigotry infected this man' mind and led to this tragedy.

I hope like the nbc article suggests that Black people and other people of color continue to unite so that we actively organize and take action to end these senseless acts of terrorism that are spawned from White Supremacist thinking.

Daniel Per.3

3/19/2021 11:49:46 am

I agree with you that this act of racism and this should be an hate crime. In the CNN article it explains that A man went on a shooting rampage at three different types of nail spas. The man killed 8 people which was 6 of them were Asian. This is an hate crime which that he should be punished for it.

Jasmine Flores (per 5)

3/18/2021 09:11:54 am

This man went on a shooting rampage. He went to three different nail spas and shot up the spa. He killed 8 people and 6 of them were Asian decent. They are naming this crime an act of racial hat crime. Whatever his motive was he accomplished it and now he will face actions for his choices.In my opinion this event was an act of hate crime and a result of racism because he went to these spa's owned by Asians and shot at them and he didn't just go to one spa he went to three.

Mr. Lawson

3/18/2021 09:16:10 am

J Flo,

I agree with you 100 percent. The fact that he went to multiple locations over 30 miles away make it clear this was a planned and premeditated event.

I'm tired of so much hate. I grieve for the victim's families and the Asian-American community. Last year we had a reckoning in regard to Black Lives being lost senselessly to the factors of white supremacy and violence. Now another marginalized group suffers.

I am sad for my country,

benjamin ordono p5

3/18/2021 09:14:48 am

The killings of asian people and other events are asian's americans being harass. I think that the people that harass asian's are blaming them for covid and this shut down. Well I think they are hate crimes and a result of racism and a crazy people believing this will work.

Ily Rodriguez P.2

3/19/2021 10:48:11 am

i agree that many innocent asian people are getting harass by blaming them for covid. i think that this event is a hate crime because the community of asians are getting targeted.

Osvaldo Hernandez

3/18/2021 09:17:03 am

I definitely believe this whas a hate crime towards the Asian community. There is nothing to point fingers to right now unless more of the investigation is revealed but this was a terrible act that had no justification but hate towards the Asian woman

Santana, Bryan / P.5

3/18/2021 09:17:49 am

On March 16th, Robert Aaron Long was responsible for a mass shooting that led to the death of 8 people, 6 of them being asian women. Although sex addiction is the suspected motivation for his crime, it would only explain the initial attack and still leaves more to be considered. Due to migratory reasons, spas are well known for their high asian demographics as well as infamous for their involvements in prostitution. Had this only have occured in location then this claim would have made more sense but the discrepancies grow due to him attacking another location soon after. However, with the drastic increase in asian hate crimes in the US, I believe it's totally plausible for this attack to have been racially motivated and it's vital that we look deeper into his behavioral patterns leading up to the mass shooting if we wish to truly decipher his motivation.

Arnell Golden

3/18/2021 10:54:36 am

Well written, I agree on behalf of your response, there is clearly another factor in the event which led to the gunning of 16 people, 8 of which did not live very long.

Jose per3

3/19/2021 11:36:42 am

It seem that more people are finding shootings a way to realize that their is hate brewing, I wish for more accountability on the part of the nation, this being said how many horrible acts such as these before there is outcry and retribution.

Isabele

3/18/2021 09:18:04 am

I totally think this isn’t okay , especially since this guy went to three nail spas and shot up the pace and killed 8 workers when most of them were asian , i honestly feel like this was an act of racism and now he’d be facing charges and time in jail for the choices he had made

Arnell Golden P6

3/18/2021 10:52:15 am

I think the event was terribly frightening, a group of Asian individuals which 8 of the total (16) shot and killed because of an opinion in which the shooter may have believed to be best. The shooter walks into a spa, gun down a group of people because of a sex addiction, unbelievable. Was he denied a sexual request, did he make a request? Clearly this is still a crime, done out of frustration, anger (hate), call it as you want. I think this is a hate crime, respectfully.
I do not wish bad but justice for the people who were gunned down during the event.

Victoria Gonzalez p.6

3/18/2021 10:54:02 am

i definitely do believe this was a hate crime against the Asian community because the fact that he went to multiple locations over 30 miles away would make it clear this was a planned event and that he had certain targets to go after since he went to different nail spas and clearly had to pass every other store and people just to get there and they all went unharmed expect the people he shot in the nail spots

Denisse Garcia

3/18/2021 11:27:47 am

Certainly, mass shootings have become something distinctive in the US. From shootings at bars to gang violence the most noticeable are the racial shootings. These take place at schools, malls, churches and spas. The intense racism, misogyny and hate many US citizens have mainly influenced by the propaganda from history books. The racist comments Donald Trump made at the beginning of the pandemic have created more hate toward asians. They have faced intense racism and offending stereotypes since WWII. This man's goal were spas which are known for mainly being run by the Asian community. Not only this but he aimed for three of these. His claims were to eliminate the temptation as he had an addiction for sex.
The sex market and sexualization of asian women and children has grown tremendously. The claim could be reasonable but not once the shooting was done in three spa's. In the end, the act has no justification, either it is about covid or sex workers, it is still an act of hate.

David Esquives

3/18/2021 11:56:38 am

Being honest everything now and days is repeating what happened hundreds of years ago but yet instead of trying to stop the racism we still continue it like the heartless people we are (well most of us) but in my opinion it couldve been an act of racism more than a violence act, but mostly thats how its been lately is nothing but racism violence towards any human.

francisco rangel

3/18/2021 12:03:10 pm

i definitely do believe this was a hate crime against the Asian community because he goes to different locations and kill asian community

Daniel Nuno p7

3/18/2021 12:05:31 pm

i feel like people took it too far when the were calling it an "Asian Virus". in my opinion that doesn't matter anymore. its not just Asians anymore, its all sorts of people and races effected by it. there's already a virus killing us, there's no need for us to kill each other, people are scared but that doesn't make it okay for the way they've been treating Asians.

Mark Salgado

3/18/2021 12:15:45 pm

This is hate crime! Asians, Chinese, Japanese Etc. all have been getting hate. This is all happening just because as many racist say it, The "Chinese Virus" has all of us quarantined. We shouldn't let anything set us apart (Latinos, African Americans, White, Asians Etc.). This without doubt is hate crime and should not be tolerated at all!

Sergio Quintanilla p7

3/18/2021 12:18:15 pm

I think this is an act of racism because they targeted a specific community of people and when it is just a random act they don't care of who they target. This is a hate crime and an act of racism

Vicente Gladin

3/19/2021 10:22:01 am

This man went to multiple places and killed 8 people 6 were Asian, I feel that many racists blame Asian people for the pandemic as it came from China and I think we can see that there are more and more hate crimes against Asians. I do believe this was a hate crime as it was premeditated, he knew where he was going to attack and this shows that he thought about it he maybe went to those places before to see if they were his ideal targets.

Mr. Lawson

3/19/2021 10:33:05 am

Vicente,

I agree with everything that you stated above. In particular, your quote "I feel that many racists blame Asian people for the pandemic..." illustrates the notion that racism is illogical. How can a group of people be responsible to a sickness that affects everyone due to their ancestry.

I hope we do not see more and more hate crimes but I fear we are in a moment in time where all people of color must be vigilant. Vice-President Kamala Harris will be key in the struggle due to her positionality and ancestry.

Destiny Angel

3/19/2021 10:22:23 am

I think that this event happened in a act of racism. I think things like this happen as a jealousy as well as just being racist. I feel like things like this weill never end people this country is so racist with any race.

Katherine Juarez P2

3/19/2021 10:29:45 am

The event that occurred on March 16th is an example of a hate crime fueled by recent hatred and racism towards Asian people. Since the start of the pandemic, people have discriminated and blamed Asians for the corona virus. It's no coincidence that this man chose to murder these people. He knew what he was doing.

Andy Lopez P2

3/19/2021 10:30:37 am

Don't know actually. He was either crazy or really stupid... or both. If this was a hate crime why he went to 3 spa? There were random people. I'm not giving ideas but shooting to races use to happen in places filled up with these race and only them, like a Buddhist Temple or something. However, I can't see any other reason why a person would go to 3 different freaking places without a goal in mind, and saying that he was bored is stupid. So I don't know, maybe he was the 3 things, crazy, stupid and racist (I think that racist is part of being stupid so anyways).

evasquez69746@student.greendot.org

3/19/2021 10:38:53 am

This man shot up the spa. He killed 8 people and 6 were Asian. I think is an act of racism because he went to the spa's owned by Asian, and it was his decision and I think there is no excuse for this.

Monserrat Castorena P.2

3/19/2021 07:01:12 pm

A series of mass shootings occurred at 3 different spas in Atlanta on March 16 resulting in 8 deaths. Six of the people that we killed were Asian women. The suspect, Robert Long, was detained later that day. Apparently sex addiction was the reason for this man murdering eight people.
Personally I can't see anything but a hate crime. It's strange to me that some man went to a spa to remove ¨temptation¨ and in doing that killed primarily Asian women. To me it just gives off a weird fetishization of Asians specifically Asian women because he saw them as a temptation. Also the fact that the police said this murderer had ¨a really bad day¨ just made me so angry. White men always get excused or try to garner sympathy by using the fact that they had problems be it with bullying or mental health. It just makes me so angry that a man straight up murdered eight women and the police were like ¨oh he just had a bad day¨. In what world does having a bad day mean you go and take someone's life and it's not even for something like self-defense but because you saw women as a temptation to you. I just hope that the victims, their family, and their friends can get justice and hopefully heal from their loss. Also that this man gets what he deserves and gets locked up. He doesn't deserve sympathy, leniency, or a light sentence.

Jaqueline Torres per.3

3/20/2021 08:51:26 pm

Based on the Los Angeles times this event happened on Tuesday and eight people, including six Asian women, were shot to death at massage parlors in the Atlanta area. The factors that affect these things to happen are the discrimination and attacks of racism due to the spread of coronavirus in the U.S. In my opinion, this event was a result of racism .

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