Today, another community grieves and learns to navigate trauma due to senseless violence. Three mass shootings in California have occurred in under one week in the communities of Monterey, Tulare County, and now Half Moon Bay.
Last Monday, gunmen killed six people in Tulare County, Calif., including a 16-year-old and her 10-month-old child. The mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, impacted the Asian and Asian American communities during one of their most important celebrations, Lunar New Year festivities. And yesterday, citizens were gunned down in their place of work, at a farm outside of San Francisco.
You hear about these tragedies on the news and in your social media feeds, so why are you hearing from us?
With 647 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022, that means 647 communities and thousands of people are directly or indirectly impacted. The trauma and negative mental health effects that ripple out from the injured victims and those who witnessed the attack, to victims’ families and loved ones, to first responders and community helpers, to the broader community, and to all of us across the nation and the globe.
We are all a part of the concentric circle of suffering, some of us closer to the center than others, but eventually it reaches all of us. We must work together to bring an end to hate and violence, and to make public spaces safer, for everyone.
MHC calls on all communities and citizens to support each other during this time of grief and frustration. Utilize local and national resources to help heal your own trauma and get involved with your community to learn who your neighbors are and how you can help.
Please see below for resources. Get to know them, before you need them, and share them out with friends and family.
Luis B. Pérez, LCSW
President and CEO
For Asian American specific resources, go to:
Other resources:
Crisis Text Line – https://www.crisistextline.org/
Disaster Distress Hotline – This helpline, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provides immediate counseling for people affected by any disaster or tragedy. Call 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained professional from the closest crisis counseling center within the network.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – The Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. Call or text 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Support is also available via live chat at 988lifeline.org.
Tips for Survivors: Coping With Grief After Community Violence
