NEEDHAM – Wednesday, March 17, 2021 – Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick and Police Chief John Schlittler issued the following statement in response to killings in Georgia on March 16th of eight people, six of whom were Asian women.
“We are horrified by the murders of eight innocent people in Georgia yesterday. While investigators are still working to determine whether racism was a motivation in these shootings, we note that six of the eight victims were of Asian descent. These killings come on the heels of increasingly violent acts against Asian men and women that should be appalling to all. It is a sad day for our country.
“The Town of Needham and the Needham Police Department are committed to supporting Asian members of our community, who are no doubt feeling threatened and hurt by these assaults. Racism of any kind will not be tolerated in Needham.
“On Tuesday, March 23rd, Needham Police Chief John Schlittler, other area police chiefs, DA Michael Morrissey and local elected leaders will participate in a virtual forum with members of the Asian community to discuss the rise in anti-Asian racism, hate crimes, and incidents and the ways that all of us can support our Asian friends and neighbors during these troubling and challenging times. We must and do stand with them.”
To obtain the Zoom link to participate in the forum, submit questions in any language, or request simultaneous translation to a specific language, send an email to Quincy Asian Resources’ CEO at philip@quincyasianresources.org. Please submit questions in any language ASAP to allow time for translation. Live translation will be provided for as many requested languages as possible.”