[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 140 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 25, 2021
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
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
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.
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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