Perhaps no one’s life changed more in the year since the Monterey Park shooting spree than Brandon Tsay.
But while a tense few seconds assured his role in the world would never be the same, it took weeks and months of work for him — and others, behind the scenes — to solidify the status of “local hero” as the community emerged from the bloodshed.
“The journey has been quite chaotic, and to say the least, it’s been eventful,” said Tsay, the man who disarmed a mass shooter and likely prevented more slayings.
“I think that it’s been a 180（degree) change in my life where I’m usually not the center of attention,” Tsay said recently at a Community Remembrance Fair Event held at Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio. “but I’m now speaking out at several events and organizing my own programs, events like these, to really use my voice for good.”
Tsay wrestled a gun from Huu Can Tran on Jan 21, 2023, who had minutes earlier rampaged through the studio in Monterey Park and had walked into Lai Lai, which is run by Tsay’s family, with the intention to carry out another massacre.
Related: In year since Monterey Park mass shooting, California has passed a bevy of new gun laws
Overnight, the soft-spoken man became a national hero, the personal guest of President Joe Biden at the State of the Union, and a new face of hope in a nation struggling with how to deal with a relentless pattern of mass shootings.
He’s been the recipient of countless awards and honors, including a Medal of Courage from the Alhambra Police Department.
Tsay said he has been using his new found platform to help improve his community.
He has connected with several nonprofits and formed his program called Senior Safety and Health with the Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Centers. He has been speaking at different events to promote senior safety and health, as well as help older residents defend themselves with bystander training.
“I think I speak for everyone here when I say that San Gabriel Valley is like night and day now, where we have seen from the incident, people being reluctant to go out because they’re scared,” Tsay said. “They are in this negative connotation, where they perceive our community isn’t safe anymore.”
“But we’re trying to break that stigma and are reaching out to the others in the community who have been locked away indoors to say, ‘hey, it’s safe to come out again’,” he added. “We have a lot of new and inspiring people out there that are protecting our community from these dangerous threats.”
Among them is Cindy Wu, who serves on the Mountain View Board of Education in El Monte.
Upon her arrival at the makeshift memorial for the shooting victims at the Star Dance Studio parking lot a day after the tragedy, Wu was surprised to find that nearly half of the victims’ photos were missing.
During a chance encounter with a victim’s family, Wu discovered that language barrier prevented them from knowing about the candlelight vigil and accessing available resources.
So she embarked on a personal mission to find the victims’ families to ensure they feel “valued.” In the process, she connected with Eric Chen, a San Gabriel pastor, and Compassion in SGV, a volunteer organization that aims to stop AAPI hate.
Thanks to their hard work, framed photos for all 11 victims were completed in about a week and a half, Wu said. But they are not done yet. While contacting victims, Wu and Chen ended up with a massive Excel spreadsheet with all the names of people affected by the tragedy.
The two recognized there’s more they need to do for the group, which consists of many witnesses who are mentally scarred by the incident. For months, they kept themselves busy, running errands and finding resources for the group members.
“You have a whole larger group of people that really is traumatized in a culture environment that is not big on seeing a therapist, because you would look like you’re crazy if you see a therapist,” she said. “It just culturally is kind of a taboo, so they really need help and resources.”
Two months post-tragedy, Wu and Chen organized the first gathering for the support group. The members spent four hours together, opening up and sharing their experiences.
Following this, the attendees exchanged contact information, leading to the creation of a WeChat group, which includes survivor Lloyd Gock, she said.
“I am just doing this because I saw a need, I fulfilled it,” Wu said “And being able to relate to both American mainstream and also Chinese cultures, I know where the missing links are and what could be done.”
Chen, recognizing one of these missing links, took on the role of behind-the-scenes liaison during President Biden’s visit to Monterey Park in May. Using his bilingual ability, he ensured victims’ families and survivors were invited to meetings with the president.
Beyond helping the community heal and securing resources for the survivors, Chen said the important thing is “to make this a redemptive experience that brings the entire community together.”
Being a member of the dance community, Chen knows many of the deceased. He himself almost became a victim of the Monterey Park shooting.
He received an invitation for the Lunar New Year’s party at Star Ballroom Dance Studio on Jan. 21, 2023, the night of the shooting, but his girlfriend suggested hot pot in San Gabriel. This decision spared him from the tragedy.
Chen felt a responsibility to contribute more and offer assistance due to his survival, he said. In addition to sharing resources with survivors, Chen also officiated the funeral for one of the victims, Yu-Lun “Andy” Kao.
Chen noted that there are still survivors, especially some of the older Asian immigrants, who feel ashamed to seek help due to the stigma associated with mental health in their culture.
The next step is to destigmatize those negative connotations, he said.
“I think the most important thing that, hey, even though they endured something horrific, that something positive is gonna come from this,” Chen said. “And that’s the key to help the healing.”
