>>> ALL RIGHT.
WE ARE FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS
OUT OF THE ATLANTA AREA WHERE A
MAN IS ACCUSED OF KILLING EIGHT
PEOPLE, INCLUDING SIX
ASIAN-AMERICAN WOMEN ON TUESDAY.
EARLIER TODAY, LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS BRIEFED THE PUBLIC ON
THE LATEST INVESTIGATION, WHERE
A MOTIVE HAS NOT YET BEEN
DETERMINED.
THE KILLINGS COME AS THE NUMBER
OF ANTI-ASIAN HATE INCIDENTS ARE
ON THE RISE ACCORDING TO THE
GROUP STOP ASIAN-AMERICAN
PACIFIC ISLAND HATE.
JOINING ME NOW IS DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSMAN OF NEW JERSEY, ANDY
KIM.
CONGRESSMAN KIM, GREAT TO HAVE
YOU WITH US.
WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN
YOU HEARD ABOUT LAST NIGHTS
SHOOTING?
>> THANK YOU.
ITS BEEN HARD.
IT HAS BEEN.
I LEARNED ABOUT THIS, THE
KILLINGS, WHILE I WAS GETTING MY
KIDS TO BED LAST NIGHT.
AND IMMEDIATELY WENT THROUGH MY
MIND, AGAIN, HOW DOES THIS KEEP
HAPPENING?
AND WHO IS SAFE?
HOW DO I MAKE SURE THAT MY
FAMILY IS SAFE?
MY MOTHER, MY FATHER IS SAFE?
WHEN WE SEE JUST THE CONTINUED
VIOLENCE LEADING UP TO THIS,
WHAT WE KNOW IS ITS NOT OVER.
AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT
WERE SITTING DOWN AND
COMMITTING OURSELVES TO TRY TO
DEAL WITH HOW TO FIX THIS.
>> I KNOW YOU MENTIONED YOU
HEARD ABOUT THIS LAST NIGHT AS
YOU WERE PUTTING YOUR KIDS TO
SLEEP.
YOU HAVE A REMARKABLE STORY.
YOURE THE SON OF IMMIGRANTS
YOURSELF AND NOW HAVE CHILDREN
OF YOUR OWN.
HOW HAS THIS PERSONALLY IMPACTED
YOUR FAMILY?
HOW DO YOU TALK ABOUT THE KINDS
OF TRAGEDIES AND HATE THAT WERE
SEEING?
>> IT HITS US VERY PERSONALLY.
AND, YOURE RIGHT.
IM THE SON OF IMMIGRANTS,
MARRIED TO AN IMMIGRANT.
IVE EXPERIENCED A LOT OF THIS
DISCRIMINATION FIRSTHAND.
IVE HAD INSTANCES WHERE PEOPLE
YELL PROFANITY AT ME AND RACIST
REMARKS AT ME OVER THE LAST
YEAR, PUSHING ME AWAY BECAUSE
THEYRE WORRIED THEYRE GOING TO
GET CORONAVIRUS JUST SIMPLY
BECAUSE IM ASIAN-AMERICAN.
I FELT IT.
IVE SEEN THIS.
I SEE THE FEAR IN MY MOTHER WHEN
SHE GOES TO THE GROCERY STORE
SOMETIMES BECAUSE OF THE
EXPERIENCES THAT SHE HAS HAD.
AND I THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF
WORLD, WHAT KIND OF AMERICA ARE
MY TWO BABY BOYS GOING TO GROW
UP IN WHEN WE HAVE THIS LEVEL OF
HATRED AND ANIMOSITY WITHIN OUR
SOCIETY AND OUR COMMUNITIES
HERE.
IM VERY FEARFUL OF IT.
I DONT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO
MAEK SURE WERE GIVING ATTENTION
TO, THOUGH.
THATS AN IMPORTANT START AND
THATS WHY IM GRATEFUL TO YOU
AND OTHERS WHO ARE HIGHLIGHTING
THIS.
>> CONGRESSMAN, HAVE YOU
EXPERIENCED ANY OF WHAT YOUVE
DESCRIBED IN THE HALLS OF
CONGRESS?
>> IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS, NO.
I HAVENT HAD ANY DIRECT RACIST
EXPERIENCE THERE.
I WILL SAY WHEN I WORKED AT THE
STATE DEPARTMENT, FOR INSTANCE,
I WAS A TOP SECRET SECURITY
CLEARANCE, WORKED IN IRAQ,
AFGHANISTAN AND ELSEWHERE.
BUT ONE DAY I WAS TOLD BY THE
STATE DEPARTMENT I WAS BANNED ON
WORK ING
WORKING ON ANYTHING IN THE
KOREAN PENINSULA.
FOR SOME REASON BECAUSE OF MY
LAST NAME, MY HERITAGE, EVEN
THOUGH I WAS BORN IN THE UNITED
STATES, I WAS BANNED ON WORKING
ON ISSUES BECAUSE OF CONCERNS
ABOUT MY LOYALTY.
THAT XENOPHOBIA, THAT TYPE OF
ISSUE IS SOMETHING VERY
PERSONAL.
AND IT HURT.
ILL BE HONEST, IT HURT THAT MY
COUNTRY DIDNT TRUST ME.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IVE
EXPERIENCED, AND I CARRY THAT
WITH ME.
>> THATS A VERY TROUBLING
STORY.
HAVE YOU SHARED THAT BEFORE WITH
ANYONE?
HAVE YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FACT
THAT SOMEBODY AT THE STATE
DEPARTMENT TOLD YOU THAT?
>> I HAVE.
IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO BE ABLE TO
TALK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE PART OF
ME WANTS TO KEEP MY HEAD DOWN,
KEEP WORKING AND SHOW THROUGH MY
HARD WORK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT IS WRONG.
BUT IVE COME TO SEE WE CANT
JUST ASSUME THAT THESE ISSUE SS
RACISM ARE GOING TO GET BETTER.
THIS IS NOT JUST LIKE SOME PATH
WERE ON THAT WILL IMMEDIATELY
FIX THIS.
WE HAVE TO STAND UP AND SPEAK
OUT.
I HAVENT ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO
SAY WHAT I NEED TO SAY AT THE
RIGHT MOMENT, WHICH IS WHY I
FEEL SO MOTIVATED RIGHT NOW TO
SPEAK OUT ON BEHALF OF THE
VICTIMS AND MANY OTHERS THAT ARE
REALLY FRIGHTEN SFLD WERE
GRATEFUL FOR YOU SHARING THAT
EXPERIENCE WITH US.
SORRY YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH
THAT.
SOME HAVE RACIALIZED THE VIRUS
DURING THE PANDEMIC.
MOST PROM MEANTLY IS FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
HE DID SO AGAIN LAST NIGHT ON
FOX NEWS.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS
ANY OF YOUR COLLEAGUES ABOUT THE
POSSIBLE REPERCUSSIONS OF THIS
RACIAL LANGUAGE HE AND OTHERS
CONTINUE TO USE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE
RAISED.
WE HAVE A RESOLUTION ON THE
HOUSE FLOOR LAST YEAR,
CONDEMNING THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR
AND, AGAIN, WHAT WE KEPT HEARING
FROM MY COLLEAGUES IS JUST
TRYING TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT.
RATHER THAN CONFRONTING IT HEAD
ON AND RECOGNIZING ITS NOT
RIGHT, THATS NOT HOW WE SHOULD
BE TALKING ABOUT THE CHALLENGES
IN THE COMMUNITY, THIS IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE --
IM HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN TURN THE
CORNER.
WE HAVE A HEARING TOMORROW
RAISING THIS ISSUE OF VIOLENCE.