Congressman Krishnamoorthi Responds To Atlanta Spa Shootings Which Took Eight Lives, Reaffirms The Need To Pass His Legislation To Combat Hate Crimes

WASHINGTON – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement in response to yesterday's Atlanta-area shootings:

"I'm heartbroken at the lives lost in the Atlanta spa shootings last night. While we're still learning the specific details of these brutal attacks, there is no doubt that this is a frightening time for the Asian-American community because of the hate-motivated violence we've witnessed across the country. As a nation, we must come together to end this violence, the hateful rhetoric and harassment which have accompanied it, and the broader xenophobia and bigotry which laid its foundation."

"That's why I'm proud to have introduced the bipartisan Hate Crimes Commission Act to establish a national commission to investigate the surge in hate crimes across the nation, their root causes, and how we stop them. We need to stop these crimes, and we need to do it now."

Last week, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced the Hate Crimes Commission Act with Representatives Grace Meng (D-NY), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) as co-leads. The bill would create a bipartisan commission to investigate and expand reporting on hate crimes throughout the United States. This commission would be comprised of a group of 12 members appointed by House and Senate leadership who would have one year to prepare a report on the rise in hate crimes, potential causes of increase, and how to combat it. The introduction of the legislation follows independent reports of record numbers of anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate incidents and a string of attacks in cities across the country.

Cosponsors of the legislation include Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, Carolyn B. Maloney, Thomas R. Suozzi, Tony Cárdenas, Ro Khanna, Eleanor Holmes Norton, André Carson, Gregory Meeks, Brendan F. Boyle, Earl Blumenauer, Debbie Dingell, Robin L. Kelly, Mary Gay Scanlon, Frank Pallone, Jr., Sean Patrick Maloney, David N. Cicilline and Veronica Escobar.