Democratic state Rep. Long Tran of Dunwoody speaks at the commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Meimei Xu/WABE)
Four years ago this Sunday, on March 16, 2021, a shooter killed eight people at a massage parlor and two spas in Atlanta. Six of the victims were Asian women.
Georgia lawmakers and Asian American rights advocates commemorated the four-year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday.
Democratic state Rep. Long Tran, the chair of the Georgia Legislative AAPI Caucus, said the shootings were “one of the most violent and tragic incidents that has happened to our AAPI community in history.”
“We as an AAPI caucus stand to make sure that never happens again,” he said.
Then, he named the victims: Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Michels, Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, Daoyou Feng, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim and Yong Ae Yue.
Republican state Reps. Soo Hong, vice chair of the AAPI Caucus, and Charlice Byrd highlighted the importance of unity in the face of violence.
“Hate has no place in our society. Racism has no place in our society,” Byrd said. “Violence must be met with justice, accountability, and change.”
Republican state Rep. Charlice Byrd speaks at a press conference commemorating the fourth anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings on March 13, 2025. To her right are Republican state Rep. Soo Hong and Democratic state Rep. Marvin Lim, and to her left is Bonnie Youn, former president of the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association. (Meimei Xu/WABE)
Four years later, one of the criminal trials is still ongoing. Robert Aaron Long has already been sentenced to life in prison for four of the murders in Cherokee County. He still faces the death penalty under Georgia’s hate crime law for four others killed in Fulton County.
This week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville ruled that Long’s admissions of guilt after his arrest in March 2021 can be used as evidence in the death penalty trial.
Bonnie Youn, a member and former president of the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, mentioned the new development in the trial.
“Is four years too long for justice? Is justice delayed, justice denied?” Youn said.
After incidents of anti-Asian violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, Youn added, Georgia saw an increase of AAPI legislators elected to office. The new AAPI Caucus convened for the first time at the start of the legislative session in 2023.
Cam Ashling, a AAPI political activist and co-founder of the Georgia chapter of the Asian American Action Fund, said Asian Americans are not “easy targets” but “well-educated, well-resourced, well-organized street fighters.”
“We are still working on seeking another guilty verdict, and we want this case in Fulton County to be designated as a hate crime,” Ashling said. “This is still the continuation of our work. It is not over. It’s been four years, and it’s still not over.”
AAPI political organizer Cam Ashling speaks at a press conference for the fourth anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings on March 13, 2025. (Meimei Xu/WABE)
Michelle Kang, a former candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives and a founder of the Atlanta Korean American Committee Against Asian Hate, criticized President Donald Trump’s dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.
“Today, I urge the Trump administration to restore DEI policies and practices. This restoration is crucial to protect immigrant communities and people of color. including Asian communities that have historically suffered from systemic racism and social injustice,” she said.
Victoria Huynh, the founder of Georgia AAPI Hub, said many Asian Americans expressed fear for their own safety following the shootings.
“As we approach the fourth commemoration of March 16, we do so in a political climate that has proven to be the fertile ground for continued hateful rhetoric against our communities of color,” Huynh said. “We must not forget. We must continue to call on our communities to stand together to fight against injustice and to ensure that hate has no place in Georgia and in our country.”
Lawmakers and advocates attending a press conference on March 13, 2025, commemorating the victims of the Atlanta spa shootings four years ago. (Meimei Xu/WABE)
State lawmakers have been working with law enforcement officials to provide services and response in multiple languages and be more attentive to the needs of Asian American and minority people, Democratic state Rep. Marvin Lim added.
The March 16 shootings were an act of “racialized gender-based violence,” said Monica Khant, CEO of the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence.
“Asian women have long been viewed as exotic beings and have been hyper-sexualized, objectified and fetishized,” Khant said.
Another commemoration will take place on Sunday, March 16, at the Norcross Community Center.
