Memorial concert held for victims of Monterey Park mass shooting
Now nearly a month removed from the devastating mass shootings in Monterey Park which left 11 people dead and nine others wounded, the greater Los Angeles community continues to mourn and remember the victims.
In Arcadia Sunday evening, community members held a memorial concert to honor those affected by the tragic event in an effort to promote healing through music.
The event, hosted at the Arcadia Community Center, saw victims and mourners of both the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay mass shootings, which occurred within days of each other.
All of the attendees are on what they call a healing journey, including Shelly, who was at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio when the shooting occurred. She is still mourning the loss of her longtime dance partner, Yu Kao.
"We was dancing on the jive step and then suddenly the suspect was coming with, like, 'boom, boom,'" she said. "I thought it was Chinese fireworks."
Arcadia Councilwoman Eileen Wang, who hosted the event, hoped that by addressing the available mental health resources victims could begin to navigate through the tragedy.
"Let we as a people know, we are here. We are together," Wang said, hoping that something can be done sooner than later to prevent another similar incident. "We need all the officers to work together to make sure they get gun control. We need to make some change."
Local musicians played traditional Chinese music as well as modern songs, while community members hosted discussions on mental health and coping with trauma.
While events like this are helpful, Shelly says that the biggest factor is time.
"It going to be a long time to heal all this stuff," she said, noting that one day she can dance again without reliving the event.
