A dance hall in Monterey Park. Farms in Half Moon Bay. A music-video set in Oakland. Yet three more locales – this time all in California in just two days – added to the nation’s growing list of places where mass shootings have taken place. As of this writing, this trio of unconscionable incidents translated to 19 lives lost, most of them Asian community members. We share their grief, and our thoughts are with all of the victims’ families.
Such incidents are antithetical to LIIF’s mission that “everyone in the United States should benefit from living in a community of opportunity, equity and well-being.” Safety is a key component of our work, and these vicious acts erode the sense of security for which we all long – and too often take place in historically excluded communities.
LIIF takes this moment to reaffirm our support for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, and all others impacted by these recent tragedies. The murders in Monterey Park occurred during Lunar New Year, which should be a time for celebrations, not condolences. Additionally, all the victims in the Half Moon Bay killings were AAPI and Latino agricultural workers, while an 18-year-old lost their life in Oakland.
LIIF continues to be committed to the following:
- To always stand with, listen to and support all historically excluded communities and our partners serving them;
- To denounce all attacks on the safety of any community; and
- To continue evolving into an anti-racist organization, knowing that internal change is just as crucial as the external.
All communities deserve better than this.