Dear Friends & Allies,

This weekend’s tragic events are not only troubling, with the increased frequency of mass shootings in our world today, but they hit close to home, LAFLA’s East Los Angeles office is only miles from the incident.  We are devastated as we search for responses to this incident that has reopened wounds the Asian American and Pacific Island community (AAPI) has suffered through hate filled loss, discrimination and pain in the recent past.  A community which LAFLA has been so proudly dedicated to serve.  

As we observe Lunar New Year, a time that should be filled with celebration and festivities for so many in our community, we mourn the 10 lives lost and the 10 injured by another horrific act of gun violence. Words cannot express the depth of grief that the family members and community are feeling today and in the days to come. We grieve and mourn with you.

Our hearts go out to Monterey Park and the broader AAPI community as the investigation proceeds. We stand by and hold close our AAPI staff and community members as we process this tragic time of loss and healing. 

We also commit to assisting the community as it processes these tragic events, and join our sister organizations in outreach to those impacted by this tragedy.  We will not stand by silently and allow tragedies and injustices to mount. We affirm our commitment to nonviolence. We will speak truth to power. Our work is now, more than ever, urgent. #JusticeEquityHope

Anyone impacted by this tragedy may contact us at https://lafla.org/get-help/asian-pacific-islander-outreach/  – our partners at AAPI Equity Alliance have compiled a preliminary list of resources for victims and community members dealing with yesterday’s tragic shooting – here’s the link – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_Vmqt_jqesWeqV24TDpZyDImecJerZm7/view

In solidarity and hope,

Silvia Argueta