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Georgia representative creates cultural competence course for law enforcement after Atlanta spa shootings 3 years ago

State Rep. Marvin Lim helped develop an online course to bridge differences between those who serve and those who need protection.

ATLANTA — Saturday marks three years since eight people were shot and killed at three metro Atlanta spas, with six of the victims Asian women.

The violence came amid a rise in Anti-Asian hate crimes across the country.

When State Rep. Marvin Lim (D, District 98) realized that language and cultural differences impacted how law enforcement was able to investigate the spa shootings and other cases, he decided to create a solution. Lim said his work is deeply personal. 

"I really just wanted to contribute back to a community that gave to me," Lim said. "Gwinnett is the second most populous and the most diverse or nonwhite part of the state, and I happen to represent the most diverse area... nearly 50% of them are immigrants. I'm one myself."

Lim said his parents immigrated to Atlanta from the Phillippines when he was 7 in search of a dream that, at times, seemed elusive. 

Story continues below gallery. 

"Through also some luck, my father was able to get a visa for his company to transfer him here to America and specifically Atlanta, and they jumped at that opportunity," he said. "We were on various types of public assistance, so on for a while, free lunches, employment, all of the things."

It was those experiences that prompted a run for public office in Georiga 98th District, which he won. He never imagined the horror he would experience two months into the job on March 16, 2021-- the day of the Atlanta spa shootings.

"It was a shock. I think for a lot of us, it was a shock," Lim said. 

The gunman, Robert Aaron Long, is accused of carrying out attacks on three metro Atlanta spas. The shootings ended with eight dead and one wounded.

These are the names of the eight victims:

  • Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33
  • Paul Andre Michels, 54
  • Xiaojie Tan, 49
  • Daoyou Feng, 44
  • Soon Chung Park, 74
  • Hyun JungGrant, 51
  • Sun Cha Kim, 69
  • Yong Ae Yue, 63

RELATED: Spa killing spree leaves 8 dead in metro Atlanta; suspect captured

"One of my constituents was one of them. He just moved into my area. I didn't know till after the fact that he was," Lim said. 

As the community grieved, Rep. Lim searched for solutions -- an answer came from one of his own life experiences.

"They were having to toil long hours. And they were coming from immigrant backgrounds as well," Lim said. "Looking at the history of law enforcement in these communities, it came to mind. Oh, I am now two months into my position in some position to... do something about that."

He helped develop an online course, cultural adeptness in law enforcement, to bridge differences between those who serve and those who need protection. 

The course launched in 2023, and according to data from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC), roughly 2,600 officers across Georgia have enrolled to date. 

"I think (it) exposes people in those subconscious ways... to cultural differences in hopes of getting them to at least get used to it," Lim said. 

While he knows it can't prevent every future tragedy, he hopes it will help others, like him and his family, to ask for help while aspiring for something more. 

"That's really why I try to do this, this role first, you know, harm and then try to do some good," Lim said. 

The cultural adeptness course is not mandatory for law enforcement agencies. However, Lim said he hopes as more officers and departments learn about the class, they will be motivated to use it as a resource. 

   

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