In honor of the lives recently taken in Atlanta, Georgia, Joe Biden wants the American flag flown at half-staff.
To show a “mark of respect” for the victims of domestic terrorist Robert Aaron Long, 21, Biden is calling for the American flag to be flown at half-staff at the White House and on all U.S. government grounds, POLITICO reports.
Earlier this week, Long enacted terror when he murdered eight people at three Atlanta-area Asian spas. Six of the victims were Asian. The spas that were attacked were Young’s Asian Massage Parlor, Aromatherapy Spa, and Gold Spa.
Instead of moving forward with their event to promote the $1.9 trillion stimulus package, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris plan to meet with Asian American leaders in Atlanta and visit the Centers for Disease Control headquarters. This move comes after law enforcement insensitively said the murderer acted out the terrorism because he had a “bad day.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) said Long was driven by “hate.” “We will hear, I guess, his explanation in the days ahead,” Warnock told MSNBC. “But we know hate when we see it. We’ll get into the nuances of it, but only hate drives you to take eight precious lives in the way that he did.” He added that the story should be more focused on the families of victims. “That’s really what we ought to be amplifying, their humanity,” he said.
On Wednesday, Long was charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault in Cherokee County. CNN reports that more charges are expected to come.
