Amazing Donations To Families Of Atlanta Spa Shooting Victims

They collected millions of dollars

Racism against people of Asian backgrounds escalated

It has been almost a year since the spa shootings in Atlanta. Six Asian women and two others were killed with another person being wounded in the mass murder. A lone gunman entered the establishments where he took the lives of innocent people.

On March 16, 2021, a shooting spree occurred at three spas or massage parlors in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Eight people were killed, six of whom were Asian women, and one other person was wounded.

A suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, was taken into custody later that day. He told police he was motivated by a sexual addiction that was at odds with his Christianity, for which he had spent time in an evangelical treatment clinic. He was charged with 19 crimes in Fulton County, and 23 in Cherokee County. Long pleaded guilty to the Cherokee County charges and was sentenced to life without parole.

Although Long has not been charged with committing a hate crime, many commentators characterized the shootings as such, noting the backdrop of rising anti-Asian sentiment in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the shootings, mass protests against anti-Asian violence occurred in cities across the United States. Protests also took place in Canada and Taiwan. [Wikipedia]

After the shootings, a number of Gofundme pages were set up for families of the victims. Most people who asked for financial help received a huge outpouring of support. Many received much more than was requested.

Two brothers whose mother was killed requested $20,000 to help with living expenses. The fund raised $2,923.750.

The wife of a man who was killed in the Cherokee County shootings requested $375,000 for medical bills. The fund raised $383,768.

A victim’s family requested $20,000. The fund raised $223,095.

The youngest son of one of the victims requested $25,000. The fund raised $178,643.

Another victim’s family requested $20,000. The fund raised $142,426.

The only child of one victim had requested $30,000. The fund raised $128,597.

A husband of a victim requested $15,000. The fund raised $89,189.

Another victim’s family requested $50,000. The fund raised $81,921.

A request for money to help with a victim’s family was for $30,000. The fund raised $44,782.

It was a surprising and amazing show of support for the families of the six Asian women and the two others who died.

Although there has been a big increase in hate crimes and racist rants against people of Asian backgrounds in the United States since certain leaders were blaming China for the coronavirus, this was an indication that there was a lot of help given to these Asian families. Many of the donations could have been from other Asians, but the sums of money collected were staggering.

It shows that there are a lot of good and nice people in the world who are willing to help complete strangers in their time of need or distress.

[Information from Gofundme]