FilAm star Olivia Rodrigo, BTS urge gun control, stop to hate crimes
US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN with Filipino American award winning singer and song writer Olivia Rodrigo at the White House
LOS ANGELES – Multi-awarded Filipino American singer and composer Olivia Rodrigo has added her voice in the calls for stricter gun control and the campaign against hate crimes against Asian Americans.
Rodrigo made the call as she condemned the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two adults dead, according to published reports.
She told a Los Angeles crowd that she was “devastated” by the fatal shooting.
Meanwhile, the popular BTS, during a meeting with US President Joseph Biden Jr. at the White House, also condemned the mass shooting and joined calls for stricter gun control measures.
BTS also condemned the growing hate crimes against Asian Americans in the United States.
“This is an important month here in America. A lot of our Asian American friends have been subject to real discrimination,” Biden said in his meeting with the BTS
Speaking for BTS, RM thanked Biden “for your decision — like such as signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law.”
“We just want to be a little help and we truly appreciate the White House and the government’s trying to find solutions,” RM added.
“Hate only hides. When good people talk about it, and say how bad it is, it goes down. So thank you,” the US President added.
The FilAm singer-composer said: “I wish we would never have to worry about our safety or our lives at places that are dedicated to our learning and growing.”
Rodrigo spoke during her performance at the Greek Theater.
“And I’m so heartbroken that this is the reality that we’re living in — and we need stricter gun control laws in America,” she added.
Rodrigo’s comments come after numerous public figures, including Taylor Swift and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, spoke out against the violence.
At a show in Washington D.C. earlier this month, Rodrigo addressed the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade and spoke out in favor of abortion rights. “Our bodies should never be in the hands of politicians,” she said. “I hope we can raise our voices to protect our right to have a safe abortion, which is a right that so many people before us have worked so hard to get.”
