For many of us, the circumstances of Shayan’s tragic death are a painful reminder that, although we have come far throughout history in ending racism, bigotry and extremism still exist. We see it in such cruel and heinous attacks. We see it harm our children, our friends, and our neighbors. And we see it fuel an atmosphere in which innocent, peace-loving individuals fear for their safety simply because of who they are. As we grieve Shayan’s passing, we realize that we have a long road ahead of us in eliminating hatred and radicalism and building a more peaceful future.
Our organization’s sincere thoughts are with the family and friends of Shayan, who was a promising student at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. We mourn this heartbreaking loss and stand with members of the Orange County community to honor and remember Shayan’s life. This crime was a brutal act of violence against a member of our shared Iranian-American community. If it was indeed motivated by Shayan’s ethnic background or skin color, it was an attack against the universal values and principles we all hold dear – tolerance, respect, and dignity for all of humanity – and it should be prosecuted as a hate crime.