The rise of hate crime against Asians and Asian-Americans in the USA took an ugly turn this week after eight people were killed in Atlanta, Georgia by a white man on Tuesday. The shootings took place at three metro Atlanta massage businesses and police have charged a 21-year-old man with murder. One of the women who was killed during these shootings was 51-year-old Hyun Jung Kim, a single mother who was supporting her two sons. Kim was the only earning member of the family and her death has left the two sons grieving and angry. However, netizens have poured in their love and support to the two brothers, who now have to provide for themselves as they have to get into college and pay for other bills.
Kim’s son Randy Park expressed his rage in an Instagram post on Wednesday. Sharing a family picture that featured his mother and brother, Randy wrote that he lost his mother last night. He further said that his mother was the strongest pillar in life for him and his brother and to lose her to “scum” fills him with hate that does not encompass even a fraction of what “that stain on humanity” holds.
Talking about his mother, Randy said that she lived her whole life only to support her two sons all on her own and to see her taken away from them like this is “unfair”. He further said that he cannot describe how he feels. Randy laments that his mother will never get to see his brother and he get married, own homes, graduate college, and see her grandchildren.
He mentioned in the caption that for now, he is looking for any direction, advice and spreading awareness to the reality the society lives in. He called it really disappointing to see how much hate there is. With over 4,39,182 likes on his post, Randy received an overwhelming response on his post where celebrities and followers commented with their solemn thoughts and support.
He then started a GoFundMe page where he appealed to potential donors that he has no time to grieve since he has a younger brother to support and all he can think about is how to go about the finances. He had set a goal of $20,000 to figure out the living situation for him and his brother for the next few months. On the website, he mentioned that his biggest priority right now is to put his mother to rest and plan out the funeral but due to some legal complications, he is unable to obtain his mother's body. He said that any donations will be used as funds for basic living necessities for him and his brother such as food, bills, and other expenses.
The heartbreaking story of Randy had certainly moved netizens, since his GoFundMe page has received over $2,194,970. One of the top donations was $5,000. In an update, Randy had expressed his gratitude to all the donors and said, “To put it bluntly, I can't believe you guys exist.”