Community members lit candles and huddled together in a circle outside San Jose City Hall to grieve for mass shootings victims in Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay, East Oakland and Los Angeles.
Therese Santiago and Leika La Roque, two of the vigil organizers and outreach coordinators for Asian Law Alliance, said they held the vigil in response to the violence occurring recently.
Asian Law Alliance is a non-profit organization that provides equal access to the justice system for Asian Pacific Islander and low-income populations in Silicon Valley, according to their webpage
“We want to have a moment where we can have a bit of a peace from all that violence and take a moment to stand in solidarity with each other across all our communities and minorities, and stand with each other,” Santiago said.
Since Jan. 23, three mass shootings have occurred.
On Jan. 23, a gunman killed 11 people at Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio during a Lunar New Year celebration near Monterey Park, Los Angeles according to a Jan. 24 article by the East Bay Times.
Two days later, another gunman, Chunli Zhao, 66 years old, killed seven people at California Terra Gardens and Concords Farm in Half Moon Bay, according to a Jan. 26 East Bay Times article.
The same source also reported that during the same evening, another gunman killed one person and injured four others at a Valero gas station in Oakland, according to a Jan. 23 East Bay Times article.
“Yeah, it’s pretty complicated hearing so many things happen recently,” said Yifan Yang, one of the attendees at the vigil. “And the sadness, I don't know how to deal with it.”
These were not the only events that Santiago and La Roque acknowledged during the vigil.
As visitors stood with one another outside the doors of City Hall, both coordinators reminded everyone to remember the victims from the shooting in Los Angeles and to remember Tyre Nichols.
Three people were killed and four injured in a house-shooting in Beverly Crest, Los Angeles, according to a Jan. 28 Mercury News article.
Three weeks earlier, on Jan. 7, Nichols was killed after being beaten by police officers, according to a Jan. 28 article by N.P.R. (Nation Public Radio).
“In addition to this, there's the stuff going on in Memphis you know… I don't know, it seems never ending,” said Diane Lee, another attendee at the vigil. “It’s relentless but then you don't want to give up I guess. You don't want to just give in to despair,”
Jinni Pradhan, San Jose State’s program director of Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment, said the recent shootings are a reminder that gun violence is a real issue in the U.S.
Pradhan is a second generation immigrant who’s family immigrated to the United States before she was born.
She said that people will need time to process these events. According to Pradhan, without spending time to process these tragedies, some may hold on to these events creating emotional baggage.
Pradhan acknowledges that these issues may be very difficult to discuss because of how stigmatized mental health is in the Asian American community. She said that stigma makes discussing mental health issues difficult for immigrant families.
“Families who immigrate are just trying to work really hard to find a place and to survive and become successful. And so sometimes that doesn't make space for mental health. And then if you don't have space for it, then where are you going to find the words for it too, right?” said Pradhan.
She said most immigrant families have a difficult time speaking up about mental health issues..
Pradhan admits that immigrant families have “difficulty accepting therapy, talking about it, admitting it, saying that ‘it exists?’ ”
Santiago said the community needs the vigil to take a step back and to stand together in solidarity.
“For tonight, we just wanted a space for everyone to grieve together because reading about news like this alone in your room can be particularly isolating,” said La Roque.
