JACL Outraged by Charleston Killings
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Priscilla Ouchida, Executive Director
pouchida@jacl.org
Jeff Moy, VP of Public Affairs
jmoy@jacl.org
“Our hearts are with the families of the victims,” said Priscilla Ouchida, Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), in response to the tragic violence at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina where nine innocent people including the pastor were killed at a religious meeting.
Strong leads and alert work by law enforcement resulted in the arrest of a suspect who has been returned to South Carolina. “The horrific circumstances are shocking,” said Jeffrey Moy, JACL’s Vice President for Public Affairs. “Entering a church to commit grievous harm is unconscionable and it is especially heinous when race is a factor.”
Ouchida went on to observe that as a national civil rights organization, JACL welcomes involvement by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and determine whether the violence in Charleston constitutes a hate crime.
