The city of Goleta is grieving and supporting its community following the rise in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
City officials say they strongly condemn the recent attacks, including the shooting in Atlanta, GA where eight people were killed — six who were women of Asian descent.
“The murders occurred against the backdrop of rising anti-Asian sentiment in the United States and have spurred an overdue conversation about violence directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders amid a new wave of xenophobia that has emerged during the pandemic," Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said in a press release. "The murders have also led to an increase in attention to the history of oppression and discrimination directed at the AAPI community as a whole, and against AAPI women in particular.”
Goleta's City Council declared racism a public health emergency last year while also condemning white nationalism and supremacy.
