NAKASEC Statement on the American Civic Association Shooting

For immediate release
April 4, 2009

Contacts:
Eun Sook Lee, NAKASEC, 323-937-3703, ext. 205
Dae Joong Yoon, KRC, 323-937-3718
Becky Belcore, KRCC, 773-506-9158

Statement on the American Civic Association Shooting

(Los Angeles, CA) The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and its affiliates – Korean American Resource & Cultural Center in Chicago and the Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles – extend our deepest condolences to the victims, families, and community of Binghamton. We join all Americans in mourning the lives lost in this senseless tragedy today at the American Civic Association.

While the facts about the story are still coming to light, we urge that in respect to the families and communities of the victims, that politicization of the issue is avoided.

Increasingly, mass shootings (from schools and churches to workplaces and community centers) are becoming as common as the gun violence that is reported daily in the news. Our communities must come together to join the efforts of others in tackling the root causes of these senseless acts that continue to endanger our families and friends.

Korean Americans join Southeast Asian and the larger Asian American and Pacific Islander community and the country to provide the support and resources needed for the families, staff, and community.