Atlanta Korean community built crucial relationship with police before deadly spa shootings
Before the deadly spa shootings in Atlanta last year, Korean community groups in north Atlanta had built relationships with local police departments through a simple program. When tragedy struck, they were quickly in the loop.
Clayton Lee is a Korean immigrant who came to the U.S. when he was 16. The former banker is a community leader who wanted to build relationships between immigrant business owners and the local community, including the police department. So, in 2019, he started a monthly meeting.
“Doing a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ program to invite residents and business owners to talk with the police department if they have any issues,” Lee said. “So, our focus was — is there any Asian hate crimes going on that area that you need to come up and talk to the police department?”
The relationships built through “Coffee with a Cop” were crucial for communication during the spa shootings. Because on the night of March 16, 2021, the police knew how to reach out.
“You know, first thing, when the spa shooting happened … first thing, I got these emails from various police departments, saying that this is what happened, what’s happening right now. And don’t worry, you know, we will go out and do extra patrol to Korean business owners,” Lee said.
Even at a time when Black and other communities of color are voicing a deep mistrust in law enforcement, that night, Lee saw the benefits of building the relationship between the immigrant community and the police.
This approach not only benefits the community but is important for his family.
“I have two daughters,” Lee said. “I want them to have the best opportunity as they can. And I think we need to build relationship as close as possible to the local people.”
For Lee, these relationships help immigrants become part of a better, more tight-knit community. He hopes to branch the program out this year to include Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian and more Asian immigrant business owners into the mix.
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