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Monterey Park shootings resonate with New York's Asian community
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jan 23, 2023
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CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jan 23, 2023
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When Wellington Chen walked past Roosevelt Park in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, he noticed more NYPD officers than usual and immediately realized they were there because of tragedy – the mass shootings in Monterey Park, Calif.
“That really sends a signal to me that whatever happens, even though it's thousands of miles away, we live in a small world and it has a ripple effect and will spill over into our community right away,” Chen, the executive director of the Chinatown Partnership, said Monday, adding that it left him with a “profound sadness.”
The Monterey Park shootings, which have so far claimed 11 lives, took place at a dance studio frequented by members of the Asian community, and have devastated the community as it marks the Lunar New Year, the two-week celebration that started Sunday.
The violence Saturday comes amid an extended period of anti-Asian violence that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. The alleged shooter, identified as Huu Can Tran, 72, fled the scene and was eventually found dead from a self-inflicted wound, according to local authorities.
In a statement, the NYPD confirmed that it had shifted counterterrorism and patrol resources as a precautionary measure despite not having identified any threats in New York, and said that security would be increased at Lunar New Year events across the city.
“We are in prayer for those who lost their lives and those who are injured," said Mayor Eric Adams, speaking at a Lunar New Year celebration on Sunday.
In New York, Vic Lee, the co-founder of Welcome to Chinatown, said the organization’s Lunar New Year Fair would go on later this week, with increased private security as well.
She said the tragedy was especially difficult to make sense of, given the timing.
“This is a festive, cheery, positive time [and] you just don’t address anything negative, so to see what’s happened and what’s unfolded in Monterey [Park], it’s been difficult to process, because Lunar New Year is viewed as such a sacred time.”
Police in California have disclosed no motive.
Tagged
hate crime
nypd
anti-asian
Race And Justice Unit
lunar new year
Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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