Growing tide of violence against Asian-American communities ‘has no place in our society,’ chief shepherd says while urging prayers for victims

DETROIT — A shooting spree that left eight people dead in the Atlanta metro area — including six women of Asian descent — “cut deep into existing wounds carved over the past year” related to violence against Asians and Asian-Americans, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said Sunday.

Police have arrested 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long and charged him with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault in connection to the March 16 shootings in Acworth, Ga., and Atlanta. Police allege Long entered three separate spas and massage parlors between 3:30 and 6 p.m. and opened fire, resulting in eight people dead and one person hospitalized.

According to police, Long had been a patron of two of the spas — which were listed on illicit erotic review websites — and told police his actions were a result of his self-identified “sex addiction.”

Regardless of Long’s alleged motives, the trend of violence against Asian-Americans is deeply concerning, Archbishop Vigneron said.  

Although police have not yet charged Long with a hate crime, the shootings occurred against a backdrop of an “increase in reports of verbal and physical assaults against Asians and Asian Americans” since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the archbishop said.

“Over the past year we have all experienced, in one way or another, the pandemic’s devastating impact on the health and wellness of our society. Also during this time, we have witnessed with growing alarm the increase in reports of verbal and physical assaults against Asians and Asian Americans,” the archbishop said. “While violence of any kind is wrong, violence born of racism is a particular evil that must be condemned and eradicated. It has no place in our society.”

Archbishop Vigneron, who also serves as vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the Atlanta shootings “cut deep into existing wounds carved over the past year” and urged prayers for the victims and their grieving friends and families.

The victims of the shootings ranged in age from 33 to 74. Six of those killed were women of Asian descent, while the other two who died were a white man and a white woman. The person wounded was a Hispanic man.

The incident has raised conversation and debate nationwide about violence toward Asian-American communities, particularly in the past year. 

As communities and families grieve, it is all the more important to turn to the God who has defeated death, Archbishop Vigneron said. 

“The Gospel reading from John for the fifth Sunday of Lent reminds us that Jesus has his arms around us and is holding us close, especially in moments of great distress,” Archbishop Vigneron said, commenting on the day’s readings. “Let us join in solidarity and embrace all our brothers and sisters in Christ who endure discrimination, aggression, and violence. As we comfort the afflicted, let us recommit our vigilance against words and actions that inspire hate in our communities, our country, and our shared world.”