CPC STATEMENT ON THE ATLANTA SHOOTINGS

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** 

Date: 3/17/2021

Press Contacts: Wayne Ho, President & CEO | (212) 941-0920 x 143 | who@cpc-nyc.org

CHINESE-AMERICAN PLANNING COUNCIL STATEMENT ON THE ATLANTA SHOOTINGS

Nation’s Largest Asian American Social Services Organization Calls for Restorative Justice, Investment in Communities, and Solidarity with All Communities of Color 

New York, NY – The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) is horrified and heartbroken at last night’s murders of eight people, six of whom were Asian American women, in Atlanta, Georgia. Our deepest condolences go out to the families of all the victims: Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, and four others whose names have not yet been released.

Since the start of the pandemic, CPC has stated unequivocally that COVID-19 is a public health issue, not a racial, ethnic, or immigrant issue, and denounces the rise in anti-Asian violence across the United States. While the details are still emerging, yesterday’s violence further traumatizes and terrorizes a community that has been living in fear over the past year. Asian American women, and particularly working class and immigrant women, have been disproportionately targeted by anti-Asian violence. Stop AAPI Hate has received reports of over 3,800 incidents in the last year, with women twice as likely as men to be targeted. Yesterday's violence was also rooted in a long history of racism in this country, coupled with the rise of white nationalism. Starting with the Page Act in 1875 which prohibited the entry of Chinese women into the United States, working class Asian women have too often been the victims of individual and institutional oppression.

Everyone deserves to feel safe and experience dignity, and CPC condemns violence and hate in all forms. CPC stands with partners like Asian Americans Advancing Justice- Atlanta, as they call for an end to the systemic disinvestment from communities of color and simultaneous criminalization of the same communities. Our solutions cannot be found in over-policing, but rather through investing in restorative justice and true accountability, a robust social safety net that includes everyone regardless of status, and in-language services for our communities: mental health resources, employment and immigration resources, health care and housing, and more. 

We must stand in solidarity with our neighbors to address the root causes of violence and hate, and work to address the intersections of racism, sexism, classism, and xenophobia. We must work together to build racial justice for Asian American, Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other communities of color. 

ABOUT CPC
The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) is a social services organization that creates positive social change. Founded in 1965, CPC is the nation's largest Asian American social services organization and aims to promote the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities of New York City. CPC is the trusted partner to individuals and families striving to achieve goals in their education, family, community, and career. 

關於華策會
華人策劃協會（簡稱“華策會”）是一個致力於創造正向社會變革的社會服務機構。華策會成立於1965年，是美國最大的亞裔美國人社會服務機構，旨在促進紐約市華裔美國人，移民，及低收入社區的社會權益和經濟賦權。華策會是為實現其教育，家庭，社區 及職業目標而努力的個人和家庭可信賴的機構。