Lives lost in Monterey Park remembered at Phoenix Chinese Week event: 'We are one'

PHOENIX - The Asian American Pacific Islander community in Phoenix is reacting to tragedy amidst the biggest cultural holiday of the year, the Lunar New Year.

The first Lunar New Year's festival in Phoenix was held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizers say it was an absolutely phenomenal turnout, but the tragedy in California was certainly on both the minds and hearts of so many.

At Steele Indian School Park, it was a celebration of culture at the "Culture and Cuisine Festival."

"Today is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Year of the Rabbit," said Eva Li, president of Phoenix Chinese Week.

While she’s celebrating a holiday typically marked with joy, her heart is also saddened.

"Our hearts really go out to the community of Monterey Park," Li said.

A 72-year-old man named Huu Can Tran is believed to have killed 10 people at a Lunar New Year's event in the California town and injured ten others. He died from an apparent self-inflicted wound.

"I actually am from that area – Monterey Park – where that shooting happened, so it actually hit close to home," Chelsea, an event goer said.

Chelsea and Alex, who also attended the event, say the news is both heartbreaking and unsettling.

"You never know if some evil person wants to take advantage of a happy event and hurt people, but thankfully I saw some police here too, so that makes us feel better," Alex said.

While the motive of the gunman remains unclear, the attack is disturbing for a community that has seen an uptick in violence and hate crimes since the start of the pandemic.

Susan Chan with the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center says that’s why she insisted on being at the event.

"We all have to respect each other. We have to have diversity, equality, and inclusion for every person in this society. That’s why it’s so important that people understand our culture – our Chinese culture, our Asian culture," Chan said. "You can not let fear control your life, and it’s important for us to do outreach, to let people know we are here. We are standing together. We are one."