All of us at Evolv firmly condemn all senseless acts of violence. We are appalled at the recent events and escalation of hate crimes towards Asian Americans and Asians across the world. This is simply unacceptable and our hearts go out to all who have been impacted over the last year and in Atlanta Tuesday.
We implore for all of us to show more compassion, understanding and solidarity. It has never been more important to take a stance. So much of this hate stems from tasteless jokes, hearsay, rumors, bigotry, and a blame culture which has no place in our society. While COVID has put a lot of strain on many people, it simply does not excuse the skyrocketing acts of violence towards any portion of our population. Asian Americans are just as American as any other group and deserve to live a life free from mindless hate. The following people shot yesterday were innocent and deserve our deepest sympathies:
- Soon C. Park
- Hyun J. Grant
- Suncha Kim
- Yong A. Yue
- Delaina Ashley Yaun
- Paul Andre Michels
- Xiaojie Tan
- Daoyou Feng
It is easy to hide behind excuses and state that we live in extraordinary times and these racial tensions are the result of very complicated circumstances. That simply does not matter. These are the most basic and senseless acts of hate and nothing should ever excuse them. We stand by our friends, families and communities in demanding that this stop now.
Be safe and be kind. Together we will contribute to lasting change.
– Michael Scharff and Tyler Foster, Co-founders at Evolv Technologies