St. Paul, Minn.—It was with a heavy heart that the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans (the Council) received the news of the mass shootings that took place in Monterey Park, CA on January 21, and in Half Moon Bay, CA on January 23, 2023.

 

News of gun deaths impact all of us; but this news hits Asian Pacific Minnesotans especially hard. The event in Monterey Park occurred within a predominantly Asian Pacific community, and it followed a celebration of the Lunar New Year. It is easy for us to feel like we lost our own aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters—and because our communities are so connected and yet oftentimes so geographically distanced, it is possible some members of our Asian Pacific Minnesotan community may have been directly impacted. 

 

The event in Half Moon Bay, described as a workplace violence incident, is yet another sobering reminder of the disproportional impact a single person with a semiautomatic firearm can have.

 

Although local law enforcement has yet to determine a motive in either of these tragedies, the senseless loss of lives is a blight on our communities and on America. At the Council, we know that tragedies like these create lasting, multifaceted impacts—from economic impacts, to post-traumatic stress in Asian Pacific communities, to fears of gathering in large crowds. 

 

Our office stands ready to provide legislative, logistical, and other forms of assistance as we all process this latest tragedy.

 

Our words are inadequate. Our shared grief is real.   

 

Please do not hesitate to contact our office with questions, comments, and suggestions for legislative action.

  

Respectfully, 

 

Sia Her