The Atlanta Massage Spa Killings

Were they racially motivated?

This past week a shooter, Robert Aaron Long, 21, killed 8 people, including 6 Asians, in three massage spas in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to reports, Long battled sexual addiction, which led to behaviors he considered immoral, and which were clearly against his professed beliefs and those written into the bylaws (see footnote 1) of the conservative Southern Baptist church (Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton, Georgia) where he worshiped as a member.

The church has since taken steps to remove Long from membership.

The driving force behind the slayings appears to be the sex-faith war going on within Long. He confessed to others about his addiction to sex and that he had often visited massage parlors and used pornography. Apparently, such behavior ended a relationship and motivated him to seek treatment.

A recent article in the Washington Post describes his addiction and his efforts to combat it.

“He was living, for about six months, at Maverick Recovery, a 12-step transitional-housing facility in Roswell, Ga., about 13 miles from home. He was also frequenting massage spas, one of his friends said — including, according to Atlanta police, the same Atlanta spas where this week’s slayings occurred.

“Long sought treatment for his pornography habit and penchant for buying sexual services at massage facilities, according to his parents and Tyler Bayless, a roommate at Maverick from August 2019 through at least January 2020”.

Let me hasten to say that his thoughts and actions do not mean any of those killed were involved in providing sexual favors for clients. Indeed, many, most likely, were not. From what has been reported, it is not clear whether Long had frequented any or all of the spas where the shootings occurred.

The eight victims(see footnote 2):

Xiaojie Tan was almost 50. She operated Young’s Asian Massage and was dedicated to her business and concerned for her employees. Those who knew her described her as a good and kind person.

Delaina Yaun, age 33, and her husband were at Young’s for a couple’s massage and were in separate rooms when the gunman started shooting. Delaina was killed. Her husband escaped. It was the first time either of them had been to Young’s.

Paul Andre Michels, 54, an army vet, had recently been hired as a handyman at Young’s.

Daoyou Feng, 44, a quiet person, had recently begun working at Young’s.

Yong Ae Yue, 63, is described by her son as a good person, a community person who didn’t do anything wrong.

Hyun Jung Grant, 51, a single mom is reported to have worked long hours at the Gold Spa.

Soon Chung Park, 74, helped manage one of the spas and cooked meals for employees.

Suncha Kim, 69, a grandmother married for over 50 years worked at one of the spas.

Though it is hard to believe that any of these people were involved in the sex industry (clearly some were not), this apparently did not matter to Long in his crazed state.

My wife is Japanese, so we are sensitive to racism and especially hate crimes against Asians. However, we don’t see Long’s killing spree as racially motivated so much as due to the sex-faith battle going on within him.

Why Long blamed the victims, two of whom were not Asians, and became violent to the point of killing 8 people, remains a mystery. Would Long have frequented massage parlors had the workers not been Asian women is a question we can’t answer for sure.

Calling the shootings a race crime relegates the war between Long’s strong sexual compulsions and his desire to live a Godly, faith-based life to second place when it seems to have provided the driving force behind the killings. He went to the spas to kill people whom he blamed for contributing to his sexual addiction. Whether or not they had anything to do with it, he likely thought they did. Maybe he thought they were a part of his problem and by eliminating them, he could, perhaps save himself. That most of them were Asians seems secondary.

Men who seek such services need to feel in control. Many, like Long, are extremely shy and struggle to have normal relations with women. Long probably felt more comfortable seeking his pleasure from members of another race, a race he likely considered inferior. In that sense the killings may be viewed as racially motivated.

Clearly Long hated himself for his continual failures to overcome his sexual addiction. But why would he take it out on people in the spas? Why not take his own life? Apparently, he was suicidal at one time, but something kept him from acting upon that feeling.

According to another Washington Post article, Long’s parents had kicked him out of the house the night before the shootings. We don’t know why they did that, but it could be tied to his addiction and could have triggered the events of the following day.

Clearly, Robert Aaron Long was a very disturbed individual, but was he a racist or white supremacist? That question has yet to be answered.

This article was inspired by another one written by Sharon Hurley Hall. Sharon writes insightfully about the racial aspects of this horrific killing spree.

Footnotes:

1. Article I. Membership, Section 6. DILIGENCE OF MEMBERS, Statement on Marriage and Sexuality says, in part:

“We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, polygamy, pedophilia, pornography, or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.”

2. The names and details came from “Atlanta Spa Shootings: What we know so far,” The Washington Post.