The Monterey Park community took to the streets to welcome President Joe Biden on Tuesday, March 14, who was is in the neighborhood to visit families of victims of the January mass shooting and to promote gun control laws and a new executive order.
While leaders and gun control advocates crowded inside the Boys & Girls Club of the San Gabriel Valley, many others lined streets outside to catch a glimpse of the president’s motorcade, and take in a presidential visit in the wake of the Jan. 21 tragedy.
And for that visit, people expressed gratitude.
“He was very aware of the situation that happened here in Monterey Park,” said Bryun Sakaye, whose family spoke with Biden.
Sakaye’s mother-in-law, Maria Liang, owns Star Ballroom Dance Studio, the site of the Lunar New Year Eve’s shooting that claimed 11 lives.
Liang ran the studio with Ming Wei Ma, her dance and business partner of 13 years, who was killed in the shooting.
Liang’s brother was also injured in the bloodshed, she said.
“It was such a nice thing” for Biden to come out here and show his support for the Asian community, Sakaye said.
As early as 9 a.m., a small crowd started to gather near the Boys & Girls’ Club, where Biden was due to speak in the early afternoon.
People huddled under umbrellas of different colors and stood outside the police line. The varying colors provided a strong contrast with the grey and overcast sky.
Among those in the crowd was Joceyln Freitas, who brought her daughters, 7-year-old Hazel and 9-year-old Azalea, to catch a glimpse of the president.
As someone who has lived in the neighborhood for around seven years, Freitas found the shooting “really upsetting.”
“This is such a safe community. We really feel safe here. We feel very sad for the families,” she said, adding that Monterey Park has been a vibrant hub of activities, hosting events such as fireworks on July 4th, Halloween festival and Farmers’ Market.
“I think something like that (mass…
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