[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 56 (Thursday, March 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 140--CONDEMNING THE HORRIFIC SHOOTINGS IN ATLANTA, 
   GEORGIA, ON MARCH 16, 2021, AND REAFFIRMING THE COMMITMENT OF THE 
   SENATE TO COMBATING HATE, BIGOTRY, AND VIOLENCE AGAINST THE ASIAN-
                AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY

  Mr. WARNOCK (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Markey, Mr. Blumenthal, 
Mr. Casey, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Carper, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
Whitehouse, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Reed, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Kaine, 
Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Brown, Mr. Padilla, Mrs. 
Murray, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Coons, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Booker, Ms. Cortez 
Masto, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Warren, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Merkley, 
and Mr. Ossoff) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 140

       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 American-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 Suncha Kim;
       Whereas 49-year-old Xiaojie ``Emily'' Tan, a hardworking 
     mother and the owner of one 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 one of the spas;
       Whereas 33-year-old Delaina Ashley Yaun, a newlywed and 
     mother of 2, was at one 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 United States Army veteran who did maintenance work for 
     one 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 one 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 life to raising her 2 sons;
       Whereas 69-year-old Suncha Kim was a wife, mother, and 
     grandmother who enjoyed line dancing and had been married for 
     more than 50 years;
       Whereas the Georgia shootings came in the midst of an 
     alarming surge in anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents that 
     have caused many Asian Americans across the United States to 
     feel fearful and unsafe;
       Whereas the use of anti-Asian terminology and rhetoric to 
     refer to COVID-19, such as the ``Chinese virus'', ``Wuhan 
     virus'', and ``kung flu'' perpetuate anti-Asian stigma that 
     has resulted in Asian Americans being harassed, assaulted, 
     and scapegoated for the COVID-19 pandemic;
       Whereas, in 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 
     nearly 150 percent in major cities throughout the United 
     States;
       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 and 
     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 condemning 
     and combating 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 Senate--
       (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 American-owned businesses and murder 
     6 women of Asian descent;
       (3) honors the memory of the victims, offers heartfelt 
     condolences to the families of the victims, 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 combating hate, bigotry, and violence against 
     Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and to prevent 
     tragedies like this from ever happening again.

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