CHICAGO – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is horrified by the shooting of eight people – six who were Asian Americans – in Georgia-based massage parlors last night. She released the following statement:

“My heart goes out to all the families of the victims that were senselessly murdered in Atlanta last night. It appears that the shooter was targeting women of Asian descent, which is deeply troubling.

“White nationalism is on the rise in this country, and we must begin to take this ideology as a serious threat. We cannot normalize behavior that spews hate and bigotry toward people of Asian descent.

“Reports have shown that violence against Asian Americans has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we must all do our part to prevent race-baiting rhetoric that leads to violence.”