GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Members of the Asian Justice Movement came together at several events across the country this weekend to honor the victims of a mass shooting that targeted several spas around metro Atlanta three years ago.
Three years after the tragedy, activists across the country have been speaking out against Asian hate and racial discrimination targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
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On March 16th, 2021, police said Robert Aaron Long opened fire at a spa in Cherokee County and another in Fulton County, resulting in the death of eight people, six of them being Asian women.
Since the shooting, Long has been arrested and charged in both Fulton and Cherokee counties. He has pleaded guilty to his charges in Cherokee County but is still awaiting trial in Fulton County.
On the anniversary of the shooting, the Asian Justice Movement held a nationwide remembrance and cultural celebration to bring the community together.
Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins was in Gwinnett County Saturday, where hundreds gathered to remember the eight people killed years ago.
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“The Asian community before, I feel like we didn’t really stand up for ourselves enough and after [the shooting] it sparked something an brought us all together,” Nam Le, a performer at the event, told Rawlins.
Family members of the victims also attended the event.
“Three years ago, at almost this exact time of day, my family’s lives changed forever,” Mike Webb, the husband of one of the victims, said.
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