ST. LOUIS — Ten people were killed in a mass shooting near Los Angeles Saturday night. Ten others were injured.
The shooting happened at a ballroom dance studio after a Lunar New Year celebration.
Police were searching for a suspect, and did not share a description of the person that killed off a manhunt. A captain with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said it’s too early in the investigation to know if the gunman knew anyone at the ballroom or if it was a hate crime or not.
Michelle Li is a 5 On Your Side anchor on Today In St. Louis. She is also the founder of the Very Asian Foundation. She shared her reaction to the news on Sunday morning.
Henson: When you first saw it. Kind of. Tell me a little about your initial reaction to me.
Li: I was shocked to see something like that. I mean, shocked and not shocked at the same time because we are so used to seeing mass shootings. But I just think to have a shooting like this on the start of the Lunar New Year when so many families are celebrating all around the world, or I even have a friend who lives in Los Angeles whose mom flew in from the Midwest. And so they were spending all day yesterday in L.A. making food for today. And I just can't imagine what that would be like to wake up this morning and go, what in the world just happened? You know, I just think it's so tragic and sad, especially when it marks such a special occasion for so many families.
Henson: Give us a little bit of perspective on, you know, Lunar New Year. How big of a holiday this is for the AAPI community?
Li: I mean, it's really huge because so many people, no matter what their actual backgrounds are or where they were raised or where they're from, celebrate the Lunar New Year. They might celebrate it in different ways. But it's the symbol of spring and new beginnings and turning, you know, getting older and all these things. And so it's a huge thing. In fact, one of my friends went to the store actually on the West Coast, too, and posted a little story about it on Instagram. They had to wait 45 minutes in line in the checkout, you know, after their shopping. It is such a big event for people and it symbolizes so much. And that's for many people under the Asian diaspora. So it's a really big holiday. And I feel I feel like over the last few years, too, I've just seen a lot of people in my circles just want to celebrate something else as well. They maybe didn't grow up celebrating the Lunar New Year, but just understanding it and taking part in it as well. So, yeah, it's a huge thing. It's a huge thing for a lot of families.
Henson: And how prevalent is Asian hate? And, you know, it's a daily thing to different levels to some degree. And do you think this horrific incident will really wake more people up to the reality of how prevalent it can be? You know, no matter how serious or, you know, how the severity of it?
Li: Absolutely. But I will say we haven't heard that it's an anti-Asian hate thing right yet. So we still are waiting on a motive which could take a while. And, you know, just even working with the FBI in Saint Louis, you know, they say that if it is a hate crime situation, sometimes that comes way later in the investigation. But like, we don't know anything yet. But I will say it certainly comes to your mind, right? Like you think, oh, gosh. Knowing what you know about this incident where someone just walks in, shoots a bunch of people and leaves, you do your mind kind of goes there. Anti-Asian hate and discrimination has been real for a lot of people in our community has been real for our community, I should say, since the beginning of time. But a lot of times it has been kind of underreported or made, I think, just because of the semantics of like the model minority myth, all these things that have kind of put Asian people pitted against other people of color, not that Asian people are doing that, other people are doing that right, but that there hasn't been a lot of discussion about anti-Asian hate and discrimination. It really flipped for a lot of people who weren't aware during the pandemic when people started using anti-Asian language and behaviors because of COVID 19. But anyone who's Asian knows that they've been discriminated against or experienced racism since they were very little. I think that the rise in anti-Asian hate has been the rise in anti-Asian hate attacks have definitely been reported, and more people are willing to report and they know how to report. So that's huge. I mean, the percentages are out of this world. I mean, it's like a 300% increase on anti-Asian hate. So, yes, I think a lot of people worry about anti-Asian hate on a consistent basis. People live it every day and live it in different forms. But this has been a conversation for the Asian-American communities for the beginning, since the beginning of time.
Henson: And I know we're waiting on more information from the L.A. area about the specifics of this attack. But, you know, especially us being in media, how do you think the way it's covered, especially given, you know, some of the past incidents, how do you think the way it's covered is important for really, you know, painting a reality of what the entire situation is?
Li: There are so many different things that you could look at. Right. And so I'm hoping that when the coverage continues, you know, hours over days, over weeks or whatever, that newsrooms are reporting on it with empathy and with accuracy. So a lot of times, like when we look back at Atlanta and the Atlanta shootings and how slanted and kind of disrespectful some of that reporting was simply because they didn't have representation in the newsrooms or they were using, you know, they couldn't get into some of the communities because of culture barriers, cultural barriers or language barriers. I don't really know if that's going to be an issue in Los Angeles per say, but I know that Monterey Park is not necessarily Los Angeles, right? So I was watching some of that coverage and saying how that department is a smaller department, you know, but they're getting obviously help from outside agencies. So I just hope that newsrooms look at guidance from the Asian American Journalists Association. To know how to cover communities. And I, I feel like that's a good start. But really, I just think leading with empathy and fairness is really important and just taking into consideration the extra step of being respectful of cultures.
Henson: You know, as a community, you know, and as a society as a whole, how can we improve to make sure that all demographics so feel inclusive within their own community?
Li: Now, you know, I think it's so important for us just as people to keep building our community and what that community looks like and being honest and truthful about our communities. Right? So I think a lot of it not only has to do with like tolerance, but acceptance. You know, it's something that is so little and getting to know your neighbor, even if your neighbor does not look like you or have the same experience as you and understanding their truth. You know, to me, this is what I love about St Louis. There is a lot of community building. There's a lot of reckoning that's happening as well, too, and needs to continue to happen. But I think it's this idea of just being able to understand that we are all in this same space. We are all humans and we are all trying to bring our full humanity to spaces and being able to share our experiences as maybe an American experience. You know, for me, I'm always like, Yes, I'm Asian and I'm American. But really, at the end of the day, I cannot walk into Korea and expect to be treated like a Korean person. I am an American and I'm very proud of that. So I feel like sometimes the core of the issue is just the acceptance and the belonging. And so I think that that's something that we can continue to work on as a community, whether that is through our schools, our churches, our libraries. Just building up this just acceptance I think is something that we all have a part to do.
Henson: And as we kind of turn back to the incident and kind of close out our conversation, you know, obviously this puts a damper on today's holiday, so to speak. But how do you think it'll impact you as we go through the rest of the day? And how do you think, you know, other the St Louis a AAPI community will be impacted as obviously our hearts and minds are with those in L.A., the L.A. area?
Li: I think the one thing that we can do as a community, just everyone, is to still live our lives. To I say, have it's okay to be in dual existences, like we can have grief and we can have gratitude, you know? So I don't I hope no one is canceling there, at least in St Louis, canceling your Lunar New Year celebrations. I hope people still get together, but maybe spend a minute talking about what happened today and finding, I don't know, just solidarity and friendships and all of this and just talking about what we can do better as a community, I think, you know, but I definitely think that it is a reality that we can have these dual existences because it is very tragic and sad and can be very heavy to kind of take in the violence that we see across this country and across the world. But that doesn't mean that we can't live our lives and celebrate who we are at the same time. But yeah, I mean, I definitely feel like on the first day of Lunar New Year, this puts a damper on the holiday for a lot of folks, especially if you're near that area. Right. You would feel that a lot more heavy. But but I've already seen on social media people feeling this immensely and just thinking, gosh, what is our way forward if that could potentially be a hate crime. So, I mean, there are just lots of things to think about, but I do think that it's still if you can check in on your loved ones, check in on your friends, check in on yourselves, and if you can find a way to celebrate, then there's still lots to celebrate in our lives.
Henson: Anything else you want to add? And the other key points about this topic as a whole.
Li: You know, it's really hard because it's, you know, we're learning like I'm learning things just as you're learning things. You probably know more than I do because you're actually in the newsroom working saying it is really tragic that we still are dealing with these crimes, mass shootings, not saying even a hate crime at this point. You know, I mean, it is really sad to see so much violence. It is sad that we still can live in fear just for like looking what we look like. And that goes even without this incident today in California. I mean, we just can walk on to this to the world and maybe be targets of something, you know, because of what we look like and people not knowing anything about our lives. Right. But I think we've come so far. We just still have a long way to go too.
5 On Your Side has compiled a list of AAPI resources for those interested in learning more.
Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation: MAAY is "the first statewide Asian American and Pacific Islander nonprofit to focus on civic engagement," according to the MAAY website. Click here to learn more.
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates: OCA is "dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders", according to the OCA St. Louis website. Click here to learn more.
Asian American Chamber of Commerce: The AACC is "dedicated to building a community of Asian professionals, Asian business owners and those engaging in business throughout Asia", according to AACC's website. Click here to learn more.
St. Louis Vietnamese Community: St. Louis Vietnamese Community was established "to enrich the Vietnamese American community through cultural preservation, social and educational support programs," according to the St. Louis Vietnamese Community website. Click here to learn more.
Asian American Civic Scholars: AACS "promotes civic engagement among Asian American youth through activism, leadership, and service," in order to increase involvement in local communities, according to the AACS website. Click here to learn more.
Gateway Korea Foundation: Gateway Korea Foundation "inspires cross-cultural appreciation and understanding among the American Midwestern Heartland Community in connection with Korean Arts and Cultural experiences, according to the Gateway Korea Foundation website. Click here to learn more.
Korean American Association of St. Louis: Korean American Association of St. Louis represents Korean Americans in the Greater St. Louis Area by further developing the Korean community through promoting cultural education, supporting the rights of Korean Americans, and strengthening relations with other communities in the area," according to the Korean American Association website. Click here to learn more.
Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis: The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis offers the Gyo Obata Fellowship, "a program for undergraduate students pursuing careers in arts management," according to the RAC website. Click here to learn more.
Very Asian Foundation: Very Asian Foundation's mission is to "shine a light on Asian experiences through advocacy and celebration, according to Very Asian Foundation's website. Click here to learn more.
Editor's note: Michelle Li is the founder of the Very Asian Foundation. The nonprofit’s mission is to advocate for representation and inclusion of Asian stories in media and celebrate Asian communities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.