Allen Shooting Press Conference Remarks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 15, 2023
My name is Lily Trieu and I am the interim executive director of Asian Texans for Justice. We are a statewide nonprofit organization that connects Asian and Pacific Islander Texans to meaningful civic action to build personal and political power. Today we are calling on local and statewide officials to do their jobs and take action to protect the safety and welfare of Texans across the state - including the AAPI community.
In a span of less than a year, the Department of Public Safety has once again made statements dismissing incidents of gun violence against the Asian community in North Texas as not being racially motivated. Just like in May of 2022, well before an investigation had been conducted, the DPS continues to make flippant comments without considering facts. Not only is this insulting to a community who is fearful for their safety, it is negligent and irresponsible. We demand that DPS and local law enforcement work with federal authorities to exhaust all measures to determine whether the shooting in Allen, Texas was a racially-motivated act.
The Department of Public Safety has consistently shown their lack of regard to the personal safety of the AAPI community. Earlier this year, due to a lack of security protocols, DPS allowed for a criminal group to steal drivers licenses of nearly 5,000 Asian Texans. The majority of these Texans were not notified by DPS that they were victims until months later. Many have reported that they have suffered financial consequences. This pattern of negligence is unacceptable and we demand that Governor Greg Abbott conduct an investigation of DPS’ actions and make appropriate changes to ensure that ALL Texans are being served by our state’s government.
We also ask that Governor Greg Abbott take steps towards gun safety reform. In a 2022 poll that Asian Texans for Justice commissioned, we found that 83% of AAPI Texans want to see gun safety legislation passed in our state. This current legislative session has failed to pass any meaningful legislation to protect Texans from senseless gun violence — as the Governor continues to pose the possibility of a special session, we ask that gun safety be added to his list of topics. As our state’s highest elected leader, the responsibility to address mass shootings in Texas is on him — and the AAPI community expects him to take action.
Violence against Asian communities continues throughout the country and the AAPI community has made it loud and clear — we will not be silent as we lose more of our community to gun violence. We urge Governor Abbott and members of the Texas Legislature to stop their senseless attacks on people of Asian descent, like anti-alien land laws, but rather to focus their priorities on issues that better serve Asian and Pacific Islander Texans, and keep all Texans safe.
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Asian Texans For Justice (ATJ) envisions a future where all people feel bold in their belonging. We connect Asian and Pacific Islander Texans to civic action to build personal and political power. For updates follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
