Statement from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui Condemning the Racist and Violent Murders in Georgia

I am so saddened by yesterday’s report of the brutal attack and murder of eight individuals, including six women of Asian descent, near Atlanta, GA, and stand in solidarity with my fellow Asian Americans.

Hatred continues to fester in our country. Too often, women of color become the faceless, nameless victims of those who perpetuate racial and gender-targeted violence. The sharp increase in hate crimes in the United States has spared no community, as we have seen innocent lives taken in schools, workplaces, and centers of worship. The racist attacks the Asian community is currently facing, and has faced before the pandemic, is compounded with generations of racism woven into our country’s fabric. Because of this, the Asian community continues to endure an increased and disproportionate level of race-based hate crimes. I have seen firsthand how hate has infiltrated our country on both the policy level and in everyday life.

What we witnessed last night is a combination of a deep hate toward women, and a deep hate toward those of Asian descent. My heart and thoughts are with the families of these eight lives. They are mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters, whose families must now continue life in their absence. We must not let this unspeakable tragedy become old news. It is incumbent upon all of us as individuals to hold one another accountable and to ensure we remain united and report acts of racism, sexism and hate.

These murders are an attack on all of us. We must stand up against hate, together.

In solidarity,

Mayor Siddiqui