hankyoreh

Activists participate in a vigil in response to the Atlanta spa shootings Wednesday in the Chinatown area of Washington. (AFP/Yonhap News)

The mention of “sex addiction” by police as a possible motive behind a series of shootings at Asian massage businesses in the Atlanta area Tuesday is creating controversy.

US politicians and members of the Asian American community have been demanding a thorough investigation into what they describe as a hate crime targeting Asians.

In a Wednesday briefing, authorities in Georgia and Atlanta who are currently investigating the shootings said it was still too soon to conclude the shootings, committed by 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, were a hate crime. Long is currently under detention.

Jay Baker, director of communications at the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, said that Long “claims [the shooting rampage] was not racially motivated.”

“He apparently has an issue, what he considers a sex addiction, and sees these locations as something that allows him to go to these places [massage businesses]. And it's a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate,” Baker added.

Police have not ruled out the possibility that the shootings were a hate crime. But the unfiltered claims in their initial announcement that the suspect’s act was motivated by sexual impulses have attracted criticism.

Six of the eight people killed in the shootings were Asian women, and the massage establishments where they were carried out chiefly employed Asian women.

The police announcement sparked a heavy outcry from the Asian American community, with the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles releasing a statement calling the shooting a clear hate crime.

Kim Yeon-gyeong, a small business owner in the Atlanta area, arrived at the scene shortly after receiving word that the shootings had taken place at Gold Spa.

“I heard employees at the scene saying, ‘The shooter is saying he wants to kill all Asians. You need to shut your store down quickly,’” Kim told the Hankyoreh.

“It was obviously a hate crime, and it seems like the police are trying to steer the case in another direction,” she added.

Lee Geum-ju, who works as a teacher in Boston, said, “It’s only going to lead to greater indignation among Asian Americans and the public if authorities try to dodge the issues of racism and hatred toward Asians in this way.”

“The government needs to take action now to see this incident for what it is and to enact laws and policies to stop hatred and discrimination against Asians, who represent a minority among minorities,” she urged.

Within the US political community, Asian American lawmakers are expected to speak out and work to hasten related legislation.

In a statement before Congress Wednesday, Marilyn Strickland, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives who is Korean American, said the US was witnessing a sharp rise in racially motivated violence against people of Asian and Pacific descent.

“We must stop making excuses or rebranding it as economic anxiety or sexual addiction,” she stressed.

Tammy Kim, a member of the Irvine City Council in California, tweeted, “Let’s be clear: fetishizing Asian women and shooting them so he wouldn't be tempted IS Asian Hate and must be treated as a hate crime.”

Ted Lieu, a Democratic House member who is Taiwanese American, tweeted, “Having one possible motive does not negate other motives.”

“Suppose a murderer has a food addiction and only shoots employees at Korean restaurants. That would arguably be racially motivated,” he added.

Judy Chu, a Democratic House member who is Chinese American, said she would work quickly to enact legislation to respond to hate crimes.

Baker, the official who referred to Long’s “sex addiction” in his Wednesday briefing, has found himself also mired in controversy over allegations of racism, after it emerged that he posted a Facebook message in March 2020 showing a T-shirt with the words “COVID 19” in the form of a Corona beer logo and a message reading “imported virus from CHY-NA.”

The revelations have raised questions about whether related biases may have influenced the investigation into Long’s crimes. Baker also drew criticism for his remarks during this briefing, in which he said, “Yesterday was a really bad day for [Long] and this is what he did.”

In a column titled “Atlanta shooting suspect’s ‘bad day’ and the whitewashing of white crime,” Rex Huppke, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote that Baker was “playing the role of Long’s defense attorney.”

“‘[S]exual addiction’ is a claptrap term that sweeps away any serious discussion of how racism and misogyny are deeply intertwined,” he said.

“This is the problem we see over and over and over again when white men lash out violently, particularly against women. There is always an excuse offered, something that points away from misogyny or white supremacy or right-wing radicalization,” he added.

Commenting on the incident to reporters, US President Joe Biden said, “Whatever the motivation here, I know Asian Americans are very concerned.”

“But I am making no connection at this moment to the motivation of the killer. I’m waiting for an answer from — as the investigation proceeds — from the F.B.I. and from the Justice Department,” he continued.

Long was charged the same day with eight counts of murder.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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