FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE: FLOC Joins FBANC & California Filipinx Bar Associations In Joint Statement on Mass Shootings In Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay
Contact: Frances Prizzia, theflocboard@gmail.com
Thank you to Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (“FBANC”) for taking the lead and laboring oar to put together this joint statement which our California Filipinx Bar Associations commit to amplifying.
The Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (“FBANC”), Filipino-American Lawyers of Orange County ("FLOC"), Philippine American Bar Association ("PABA"), Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego ("FALSD"), and Sacramento Filipino American Lawyers Association ("SacFALA") deeply mourns the tragic loss of innocent lives resulting from the mass shootings in Monterey Park on January 21, 2023 and Half Moon Bay on January 23, 2023. These senseless acts of gun violence occurred at or around Lunar New Year, a time for joy, celebration, and renewal for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. FBANC especially grieves the families, friends, and communities of the victims, for whom this holiday will permanently bear a traumatic significance.
FLOC also acknowledges that sympathy is not enough. Although the investigations into these mass shootings are ongoing, one thing is unequivocal: we must renew and strengthen our collective efforts to reduce gun violence, advocate for long-term community safety, and sustain coalition building. In doing so, we must recognize that gun violence disproportionately impacts historically marginalized communities, including underserved and underprivileged communities of color.
Alongside its call to action, FLOC wholeheartedly urges our community to process this trauma with grace, kindness, and empathy. The important work of healing our communities and addressing systemic issues must stem not from hate, but from compassion. FLOC stands in solidarity with the families and communities impacted by these mass shootings, and all those who have experienced gun violence. With this statement, FLOC renews its commitment to advocate collectively and relentlessly for a safer and more just society.