Biden and Harris head to Georgia in wake of mass shooting amid fears of anti-Asian violence

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Georgia on Thursday for a multifaceted trip, meeting with Democratic leaders in the state who helped flip it blue in the 2020 elections, as well as with CDC officials to discuss their efforts on the coronavirus pandemic. 

The pre-scheduled trip also comes just after a white gunman opened fire at multiple spas near the metro-area of Atlanta earlier this week, killing eight people, six of whom were Asian-American women. 

This will be an early test for the president, who is set to meet with community leaders devastated by what many have seen as yet another anti-Asian attack amid a rise in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans nationwide. 

Mr Biden addressed the spike in violence against Asian-Americans during his first primetime address as president last week, saying the community has been “attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated” throughout the pandemic, adding: “It’s wrong. It’s un-American. And it must stop.”

Georgia authorities have not filed hate-crime charges against the suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, who confessed to killing the victims and claimed to have a “sex addiction” which they said drove him to view the spas as “a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate”. 

But community members and advocates have called on the police to charge the suspect with hate crimes, saying there was evidence to support he was targeting women and Asian spas in the shooting rampage. Mr Biden has reportedly spoken with the FBI and law enforcement officials about a possible motive. 

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On Wednesday, Mr Biden told reporters about the shooting: “Whatever the motivation here, I know Asian Americans, they are very concerned, because as you know I have been speaking about the brutality against Asian Americans, and it’s troubling.”

During their trip to the state this week, Mr Biden and Ms Harris would also meet with the Democratic leaders who helped register thousands of new voters ahead of the senatorial special election which sent two Democrats to Washington following their electoral victory. 

They were scheduled to speak with former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, seen as one of the lead organisers in the state’s voter turnout efforts, who founded the national voting rights group, Fair Fight. 

The state was crucial in Mr Biden passing his American Rescue Plan, as it gave Democrats control of the Senate, with Ms Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote. The two have since embarked on a cross-country tour to promote the sweeping $1.9-trillion aid package. 

There have been nearly 3,800 violent incidents reported since March 2020 to the California-based Stop AAPI Hate, a group tracking violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The president and vice president were scheduled to meet with Asian-American leaders on Thursday to address the spike in violence and recent shootings. 

The trip would also present Mr Biden and Ms Harris an opportunity to meet with CDC officials based in Georgia, stopping at the CDC and Emory during their visit on Friday.