tonight -- voices rising and rallying. calling out violence targeting people of asian descent. >> we're fed up, we're pissed off and it's unacceptable in america. >> one year after the spa shootings outside atlanta gripped a nation -- if you were to describe what the gunmen took from you, what would you say? juju chang with the families that lost so much. their path to healing. a call to action. >> i'll make sure that i dedicate the rest of my life for people like her and people like me. >> a search for solidarity and solutions. >> we are going to fight the hate for as long as it takes.

>> fight the violence! >> this special edition of "nightline," "silent no more, fighting aapi hate" will be right back. want more restful sleep? nature's bounty gives you more with sleep3. the first ever triple action sleep supplement with 3 unique nighttime benefits

to help you get a great night's sleep and wake feeling refreshed. live bountifully. nature's bounty. ♪ ♪ good evening. thank you for joining ut. tonight marks the somber anniversary a year ago today a gunman opened fire on three spas

near atlanta. six of his eight victims were women of asian descent. that would ignite anger and inspiring action. what happened next? here's the "nightline" co-anchor juju chang. >> reporter: robert peterson's mom loved nurturing her plants. watching them thrive and blossom, just like her two sons. >> she was just happy that we came through, and we were good people. >> reporter: her 39-year-old son lives in her home, filled with her spirit. though his heart has weighed heavily ever since she was murdered a year ago. >> i couldn't get the day out of my head. my mother was 63 before she passed away. i want to remember her for those 63 years she gave me rather than this one day that he took her away. >> reporter: an orphan in south korea, she fell in love and

married an african american soldier. her life full of struggle, determination, and love for her children and grandchildren. >> my mother was a traditional korean woman. she loved family. she loved work. she loved to cook. she was a little silly at times, goofy. and i know that if she was here, she would have been angry. >> reporter: last march, she was one of eight people shot and killed at three asian owned or operated spas 30 miles apart in the atlanta, georgia area. six of the victims, asian women. the horrific mass shooting captured the shooting of the nation, already reeling from a string of seemingly endless attacks against aapi americans. the killer's last location, aroma therapy, where she worked at the front door, greeting customers. >> she opened the door and he shot her. she would have seen him for a

person, and he didn't allow none of these people to express their humanity to him. >> reporter: shortly after he was arrested, the suspect told weren't motivated by race but sex addition and he was just "having a bad day." >> he apparently has an issue, what he considers a sex addiction and sees these locations as a temptation for him he wanted to eliminate. >> it was hurtful that the perpetrator got the benefit of the doubt when these victims did not. they were persecuted. >> reporter: randy park feels his mother experienced that same stigma throughout her life. how much would you describe how much of a momma bear she was to you? >> i don't know if i can put it into words. >> reporter: shortly after she was killed, randy spoke with us about herselflessness as a single mom and why she lied to her kids about her work.

>> i was told that she worked at a makeup parlor with her friends. >> why do you think she shielded it from you? >> would you tell your kids you worked at a massage parlor? but i can't ever shame you. as long as it's with the intention of raising us. >> what do you think she sacrificed along the way for your benefit? >> her whole life. any dream or aspiration she could have had. >> reporter: the story resonating with so many around the country. after he asked for help to cover funeral expenses, his go fund me account ballooned to nearly $3 million. hundreds leaving kind words. what messages stay with you? >> people telling me that she would have been proud of us in how we handled the situation. >> almost as if she had a hand in making sure you're going to be okay. >> i can't shake that feeling either. >> reporter: and a nation, thousands protested, demanding

justice. like atlanta based voting rights activist cam ashley. why was that mass shooting such a galvanizing moment?p>> it's h done, and we've been having problems and having problems. so it was just like the tipping point. we're pissed off, and we nationally rally to stop asian hate. it's unacceptable in america. >> reporter: last year, despite data that found that 261% hate crimes against people of - asian descent in major cities, few were charged as such. kim, a vietnam war refugee, believes the atlanta murders revealed to others that racism against the aapi community exists. >> all the businesses that are targeted were asian-owned businesses. the targets of his execution were women women. and top of that, he has an

addiction towards asian women. that's a race situation. how can you not say this is a hate crime? >> why do you think so many of the victims remained invisible to, in many cases, to law enforcement, to reporters? >> asian people are not into, let's all shine, you know, national media on my tragedy, okay? we don't want our suffering and our tragedy on video forever. >> reporter: and yet the national spotlight helped galvanize activists and awakened allies to awaken in sol lairdy, >> we grew up with a black father and korean mother. we experienced what it was like to be recognized as black. we've also recognized as being not fully korean. we're not always fully embraced. my mother made sure we didn't have to decide. that it wasn't one or the other. >> i know firsthand that the

korean-american community can be very insular frankly, at time, prejudice. but your mother would not sit with any of that? >> she would not. she would be around her friends. and if they say things negative about black people, she would correct them. and she wouldn't tolerate it. i think i learned the same thing. >> reporter: robert had protested for black lives matter following george floyd's death. now his fight for justice continues in court. >> all rise. >> reporter: last july, then 21-year-old robert aaron long pled guilty to the murders and will serve life in prison. but he's still scheduled to stand trial later this your in fulton county where robert and randy's mothers died. he pled not guilty on those counts. the d.a. intends to pursue hate crime sentencing enhancements. why it important to you and so many activists that he be convicted of a hate crime? >> before we can end racism, we

have to be able to see it and call it out. we have to be able to label it. and if we don't, then we allow the perpetrator to get away, absolving himself of accountability and responsibility. >> reporter: robert and randy bloet plan on attending the trial. but justice in these circumstances can be elusive. if you were to describe what the gunman took from you and eric, what would you say? >> one of the things is that she never -- well, found like a true love, like that's what bothers me. that's what bothers me the most. because she would always tell me that everyone has someone. but she never got that chance and is never going to now. >> i would argue that you and eric were her true love. >> uh-huh.

>> reporter: once covered in flowers and messages, today, some of the spas stand empty. with different names. but the horror of what happened can never be erased. robert clings to comforting memories of his mother. >> this is my favorite dish because this is the first dish she taught me to make. >> reporter: it's more than just a spicy korean stew, it's soul food, helping heal robert's heart. >> i've been told that one daily be able to look at her picture and smile again. but right now, all i do is cry or i try to avoid looking at the picture. one day i will be able to drive by certain places and not feel a sense of loss. >> reporter: you didn't have

that privilege of saying goodbye. what would you say to your mom? >> i would just tell her that she knows i love her and i'll make sure that i dedicate the rest of my life for people like her and people like me. i'll make her proud. coming up, fear and fortitude. where does the stop aapi hate movement go from here? and we take you inside the fbi's effort to stop criminals from targeting asian businesses. >> it's occurring all throughout the country. >> stay with us. whoever you are. you have a style. and we want to help you own it. cause anyone can sell you clothes. ♪ ♪ we've got the brands. ♪ ♪ the value. ♪ ♪

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"nightline," silent no more, fighting aapi hate continues. here again, juju chang. >> reporter: one year after the mass shooting in atlanta, a show of solidarity here. >> we are commemorating this day as a tragic day in our history, and we are going to fight the hate for as long as it takes. >> reporter: the rage, the sorrow, and a fierce determination to focus attention on the ongoing attacks against the aapi community.p>> sometimee documented in manifestos or videos. for many of us here today, we know there's consequences. >> reporter: just this february, two new shootings at two asian spas in albuquerque, new mexico, sending renewed shockwaves throughout the asian-american community. these attacks, leaving two asian women dead, including this

woman, who died in a gun fight with two men during an armed robbery at her business, wonderful massage. >> she fought with everything she had to save her life. she thought seven times and hit one of the bad guys four times. i counted 27 bullet holes in the floor and the walls. >> reporter: rod was her boyfriend. the two met five years ago when she was looking for someone to teach him mandarin. >> she lit up not just the room but the world. >> reporter: what did she mean to you? >> i mean, everything about our backgrounds were totally different. and yet, emotionally we connected. she was a lot smarter than i was. but i was mart enough to fall in love with her. >> reporter: she came to america 11 years ago, with little more than a suitcase. >> she grew up in a small village in hubei province.

her family was basically sustenance farmers. >> i notice you refer to her business as a massage therapy business, opposed to a massage parlor. >> i have just had a problem with the connotation that "parlor" has. but i know that connotation is out there related to, you know, sexual activity and things like that. that's something that we have battled against at times. >> reporter: he says the two even armed themselves with a gun. in part, because nearby asian businesses had been attacked. >> was she aware that burglars and robbers were targeting asian businesses? >> yes. our plan was for her to run away. if she had to fight for her life, we had the gun in her shop. >> reporter: two suspects are in custody. one hospitalized with gunshot wounds. an attorney for one suspect saying the death was a tragedy. but claiming it wasn't racially motivated. there was no evidence that my

client targeted ms. fang because she was of asian ancestry. >> i did not see her. they said she was too badly damaged. it's impossible to understand how people can do something like this to somebody. >> reporter: but just three weeks later, another asian massage business robbed. anothe asian woman shot and killed. >> we want to make sure that the asian community knows that it is safe to report the crime to the albuquerque police department and we don't look into factors such as your immigration status or the fact that you have a business license. >> reporter: did she express her suspicions as to why asian businesses were being targeted? >> because of immigration status and things like that, there may be some reluctance to speak to the police and a lot of these other shops are mostly cash >> they think every time they burglarize the home of an asian

business owner they will come across cash. >> reporter: she's been investigating burglary rings that target asian businesses and homeowners on the east coast for three years. >> i learned that this uptick isn't only occurring in our region, it's occurring all throughout the country. >> i want to be careful, this isn't a hate or bias crime, but a crime based on, in some ways, racial stereotypes. >> there's stereotypes that these criminals are making in regards to the asian community. some cases indicate that some asian business owners keep money at home, but not every case. so it's not completely accurate. it's a belief they have. >> reporter: her team arrested a criminal ring with roots in south america, who pled guilty after traveling across three states. mainly targeting chinese food restaurant owners. >> we encourage asian business owners to lock their cars and homes, to consider obtaining surveillance cameras. to help us solve these crimes.

>> reporter: surveillance cameras also capturing more acts of hate. just last week, this man being caught punching and kicking a 67-year-old asian woman over 120 times. and then there are the lives lost. christina lee, the 35-year-old creative producer, stabbed over 40 times. 61-year-old woman, a beloved wife and grandmother, struck with a rock on the head while sweeping a sidewalk. >> the hate against asian americans is proportionally impacts women, and it's a public safety issue for us. >> reporter: her organization recently surveyed 2400 aapi women and found at least 74% have experienced some sort of harassment in the past year. >> the stereotypes that go with asian americans being docile and submissive, that may further pe

on us as victims, because we're quote unquote, you know, the easiest victim. >> reporter: last year, a bipartisan covid-19 hate crimes law funded programs aimed at protecting asian americans. for kim ashley, this is a moment for the asian american community to find their voice and get to work. >> go volunteer at a nonprofit. get involved in a campaign. get more people to vote. talk to your relatives about anti-blackness. we also have that issue. that divides our community. do something and find within them some voice that if something happens to you, or if you see something happen to somebody else, speak up, you do something, report it. >> mom would want you to see that she could have been your mother, your neighbor, your sister or friend, and for many of you in the audience today, she could have been you. >> reporter: for some who are

still grieving, they say staying silent is no longer an option. >> i want to learn how to look forward. we don't end racism by ignoring it. we have to speak about it. it's not going to be easy. it's going to be uncomfortable. but erasing it, not identifying it, and not talking about it, i definitely know will not help. >> stay with us. n the morning blocks heartburn all day and all night. prilosec otc prevents excess acid production that can cause heartburn. so don't fight heartburn, block it with prilosec otc. ordinary tissues burn when theo blows. so puffs plus lotion rescued his nose. with up to 50% more lotion, puffs bring soothing relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. america's #1 lotion tissue. (vo) purina one has the inside story onit starts inside the gut...

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