Warnock on Atlanta killings: ‘We know hate when we see it’

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) weighed in on the killings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six Asian women.

During an interview on Sirius XM’s “The Joe Madison Show,” Warnock discussed the portrayal of the suspect, Robert Aaron Long, who is facing murder and assault charges for the attacks on three spas in the Atlanta area.

Authorities said that they’re investigating if racism played a role in the attack, but pointed out that Long claimed that he attacked the spas to eliminate “temptation” for his “sexual addiction.”

Still, the killings shined a spotlight anti-Asian violence that has been on the rise since the coronavirus pandemic began last year in Wuhan, China.

“Listen, we know hate when we see it, and we’ll learn more about this person, I guess, as we move forward,” Warnock told Madison. “Clearly he is a sick and misguided individual who took eight precious lives.”

Warnock further said that it was more important to highlight the stories of the victims.

“This is how white supremacy works. It centers the humanity of certain people even when they are the perpetrators. We need to be telling the stories of these women, mostly women, these Asian sisters and brothers whose lives were lost,” Warnock said.

“Who are they? And we ought to center their stories so that we can connect with each other’s humanity because this is what drives this kind of badness, the ways in which people are unable to see the humanity in their neighbors” he continued.

Long is charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault over the killings. Capt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office came under fire Wednesday for saying that the supect had a “really bad day” and was “at the end of his rope.”