The news of the two mass shootings in California rocked the Asian American and Pacific Islander world at the beginning of the Lunar New Year last week and left me wondering even more about the safety of my family – in the Golden State or anywhere.
 
Perhaps these weren't hate crimes per se, since most of the victims were of AAPI descent and the apparent shooters were elderly, Asian-American men. But even if we're talking about workplace violence or something similar, hate of some sort was involved. And we still have to deal with these new tragedies, amidst the backdrop of the spike in racially motivated attacks against the AAPI community during the pandemic.
 
I didn't learn about the horrific details of the Saturday night shooting at the Monterey Park dance hall until Sunday afternoon, as I was busy celebrating my daughter's birthday and was avoiding the news and social media. A rescheduled tennis match led to a rare Sunday off from work, and I had hoped to devote it to family.
 
When I did find out what happened in Monterey Park, a wave of sadness hit me. There are far too many shootings in the world that span a myriad of cultures, and no ethnic group should have to suffer killings like these. I'm a Filipino American and, while I don't celebrate Lunar New Year, I certainly understand the impact that these deaths have on the greater AAPI community at a celebratory – or at any – time of year.
 
The shootings in Half Moon Bay on Monday left me stunned. Intellectually I could wrap my head around these crimes, due to the unfortunate number of shootings – statewide, nationwide and worldwide – that I have heard about in my lifetime.
 
But this…this happening so soon after Monterey Park hit me hard emotionally. Why would someone do this to his own people? All of us are just trying to get by, we have the same struggles and we should be supporting each other. And for an elder – someone who you'd think would understand and value the sanctity of life more than the younger generation – to do this is surprising. Mass shooters tend to be much younger than the suspects in the recent incidents.
 
Would more gun control and making mental health services more readily available to everyone at least slow down mass shootings? I don't know what the answers are.
 
I do know that I'm hugging my daughters, my wife and my loved ones tighter these days, and I stand with my colleagues, friends and everyone in the AAPI community against hate and violence of any kind.
 
To those who celebrate Lunar New Year, Gung Hay Fat Choy. And to everyone, be safe out there.
 
Dean Caparaz is an Assistant Director in Cal Athletic Communications, a Cal alumnus and a member of HAUPIAA (Honoring Ancestry and Uniting Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans), the Cal Athletics AAPI employee-engagement group.