In the wake of the killing of eight people at spas in the Atlanta area, six of which were Asian American women, President Joe Biden issued a statement Friday pushing for Congress to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
In a statement released by the White House on Friday, Biden said "Jill and I share the nation’s grief and outrage at the horrific killings of eight people, among them six Asian American women, in Georgia on March 16th."
"I urge Congress to swiftly pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would expedite the federal government’s response to the rise of hate crimes exacerbated during the pandemic," said Biden. In addition, he said it would support governments at the state and local level "to improve hate crimes reporting, and ensure that hate crimes information is more accessible to Asian American communities."
Robert Aaron Long, 21, was charged on with murder Wednesday, one day after the shootings took place.
The Associated Press reported that Long told police the shootings were not racially motivated, but that he has a "sex addiction" and "lashed out at what he saw as sources of temptation."
“Our investigation is looking at everything, so nothing is off the table,” Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said at a news conference.
Read President Biden's full statement here.