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There are so many layers. I think about my parents who immigrated here with so little money. In addition to poverty, they were treated poorly for their limited English, they had so many difficulties navigating a system they didn't know or understand, and they didn't have access to mental health services. My father drank a lot. My mother was so tired from working that she never read to me, told me she loved me, or even spoke kindly to me. The immigrant experience is so painful and full of trauma. There are so many layers that will never truly be peeled back.

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Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

A Half Moon Bay mushroom farm that was part of San Mateo County's deadliest mass shooting has a history of workplace violence and squalid living conditions, according to county officials, court documents and dramatic photos.

Farmworkers at California Terra Garden, many of whom lived on-site in ramshackle trailers and without running water, survived in a makeshift company town amid shipping containers and storage sheds. And they had lived through a previous shooting on the farm, also over a work dispute.

Seven months before Chunli Zhao allegedly gunned down eight co-workers this week, another California Terra Garden employee, Martin Medina, opened fire on a colleague, according to San Mateo County prosecutors. On Monday, hours before Zhao is suspected of shooting up the two farms, a judge ordered Medina to stand trial on an attempted murder charge and other counts in that earlier workplace shooting.

The revelations came amid a flurry of developments in Zhao's case. The 66-year-old Chinese citizen confessed to the shootings in a jailhouse interview with a television station saying he had been bullied for years and endured long work hours. An eyewitness described to The Chronicle the bloodshed at the second mushroom farm. A San Mateo County supervisor toured California Terra Garden, calling the living conditions "deplorable" and vowing to red-tag both properties and investigate conditions at the farms.

Zhao remains jailed without bail in Redwood City, behind bars in a detention facility that also houses one of his former co-workers. In an interview Thursday with NBC Bay Area, Zhao admitted that he committed the fatal shootings. Zhao told reporter Janelle Wang that he then drove to the sheriff's substation to surrender.

The shooting suspect said he endured years of bullying and long hours working on the farms. He said he believes he suffers from mental illness and wasn't in his right mind the day of the shootings, NBC reported. He also expressed remorse for the killings.

Zhao told Wang he has been in the U.S. for 11 years and has a green card. He said he bought the gun used in the killings in 2021 and didn't run into any obstacles when making the purchase.

Zhao said he lived with his wife in Half Moon Bay and has a 40-year-old daughter who lives in China, NBC reported.

A farmworker at Concord Farms, the second mushroom facility targeted, witnessed his co-worker get shot and spoke to The Chronicle about the chaotic moments. The employee, who asked not to be named, said he stood about 5 feet away from Marciano Martinez Jimenez when the gunman walked into Concord Farms.

The worker said they were both watering mushrooms when the gunman walked into their room, took three steps forward, walked out and then came back inside and shot Jimenez.

"I was so nervous," the worker said in Spanish, saying he tried to hide in a corner.

He said the gunman walked out and shot more victims in another room. The worker said he believed the gunman was targeting Jimenez.

Zhao started his rampage, prosecutors said, at his place of work - California Terra Garden. And it wasn't the first episode of gun violence on the property.

"I can confirm that there was a separate shooting incident involving our former employer approximately seven months ago," said Dave Oates, a crisis public relations agent operating as California Terra Garden's spokesperson. "This occurred after working hours. The suspect from this week's tragedy was not present at this other incident, according to witnesses."

The earlier incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. on July 1 in the area of the mushroom farm's living quarters. Medina got into an argument with a 34-year-old co-worker who lived on the property, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office. Both men were managers at the farm, and there had been ongoing tension over their work, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors allege that Medina began pounding on the co-worker's front door, screaming that he was going to kill the victim and his family. The co-worker was home with his family and told them to hide. Medina grabbed the door handle, while his co-worker pulled to keep it shut, prosecutors said.

The co-worker could see Medina through a window on the door raising a handgun and pointing it at him, prosecutors allege. Medina fired once and the bullet blasted through the glass pane, through the residence and into a trailer next door occupied by fellow employee Ye Tao Bing, prosecutors said. No one was injured that night, but Bing was one of seven people shot to death Monday during the mass shooting.

In the July incident, Medina walked away yelling that he would kill the victim, prosecutors allege. Residents called 911 and San Mateo County deputies found Medina walking his dog near the front area of the farm. He smelled of alcohol and denied the shooting, prosecutors said. They allege that he had cuts on his hand and blood was found on the outside of the victim's door.

Oates said violence was not common at the farm.

"Employees and families were offered grief counseling at that point, and (an) all-hands meeting was conducted to reiterate the no-firearms policy on the property," Oates said. "No other violent incidents of this or any other kind of occurred on the property."

Medina, 49, pleaded not guilty and remained in custody Thursday on $5 million bail.

On Thursday afternoon, San Mateo County Executive Officer Mike Callagy and Supervisor Ray Mueller, who represents Half Moon Bay, visited the two farms involved in Monday's shootings, and left shocked. Housing at California Terra Garden was "deplorable," Mueller said. He described uninsulated one-room storage sheds or container-like rooms with no running water and outdoor stoves connected to a propane tank for cooking food.

All of the structures are ground level, Mueller said. One farmworker told him she slept on the floor amid flooding during the most recent storms. He tweeted photos that showed a poorly insulated structure with a single mattress on the floor and partially open walls, the makeshift outdoor cooking setup and what appears to be a gray shipping container.

Mueller also posted a photo of Zhao's residence at the farm: a small, wooden shed with a yellowing door and clear tarp over the roof.

The supervisor's photos and recollections strike a direct contrast with the picture of worker accommodations painted by the company, which has denied that any workers were living in shipping containers at the farm. Oates, the company spokesman, described the farmworkers' housing - for which they paid $300 in monthly rent to the farm owner - as "comfortable" and "all equipped with kitchens, bathrooms and shower facilities in addition to standard living amenities."

Mueller said living conditions at the second shooting site, Concord Farms in Half Moon Bay were "moderately better" and less exposed to the elements but still problematic. He visited one-room units that are part of a larger indoor complex.

San Mateo County will red-tag both properties, Mueller said, and plans to investigate conditions at the farms. The county will also inspect other farms in the area and will put together a program to upgrade housing facilities where needed. He plans to advocate for the construction of more farmworker housing on the San Mateo County coast, like the nearby Moonridge development.

"Where people shouldn't be living, they're not going to be," Mueller said.

Drone footage of the California Terra Garden complex showed a cluster of shipping containers, mobile homes and RVs sitting adjacent to a row of agricultural buildings on the sprawling property about 100 yards off Highway 92. Residents appeared to drape plastic tarps on some of the roofs, and construct makeshift steps leading to their doors, one made of milk crates.

Piles of trash, including children's bikes and toys, lay scattered around the containers, along with two cars, a truck and several bicycles. One home had its own small, fenced-off garden patch.

Four hundred yards away, on the other side of the property, three buildings remain cordoned off with yellow police tape.

As county officials toured the complex on Thursday, Amairani Cortes, a friend of a former worker at the mushroom farm, walked up from the highway clutching red and yellow carnations. Speaking with reporters, she tore leaves from the stems with trembling hands.

"Growing produce, it's a part of life out here," she said, tears pooling in her eyes.

Raised in Half Moon Bay, Cortes said her parents have worked at farms up and down the coast, which made her feel a personal connection to the victims.

"What concerns me is management should have stepped in if there were arguments between co-workers," she added, pointing up the highway, toward another area behind a fruit stand where more vehicles had parked. Her friends had disputes and eventually moved out of their RV on the property.

"It could have been any one of us," she said.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Mallory Moench and Nanette Asimov contributed to this report. Matthias Gafni, Jessica Flores, Rachel Swan and Elena Kadvany are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com, jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com and elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni, @jesssmflores, @rachelswan, @ekadvany

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Half Moon Bay massacre: Suspect reportedly confesses to shootings from jail, as dark picture emerges of farm

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A Half Moon Bay mushroom farm that was part of San Mateo County's deadliest mass shooting has a history of workplace violence and squalid living conditions, according to county officials, court documents and dramatic photos. Farmworkers at California Terra Garden, many of whom lived on-site in ramshackle trailers and without running water, survived in a makeshift company town amid shipping containers and storage sheds.

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On January 23, seven immigrant farm workers were killed in a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, California, including five Chinese farmworkers and two Mexican farmworkers. This tragedy has caused tremendous fear, pain, and trauma in Asian, Latinx, and farmworker communities. Our hearts go out to the victims and their loved ones.

This fund is a collaborative effort by several Bay Area organizations. 100% of donations contributed will go to the victims and surviving families, many of whom have lost their homes, livelihood and are facing a myriad of unique challenges as a result of this horrific tragedy.

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On January 23, seven immigrant farm workers were killed in a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, California, including five Chinese farmworkers and two Mexican farmworkers. This tragedy has caused tremendous fear, pain, and trauma in Asian, Latinx, and farmworker communities. Our hearts go out to the victims and their loved ones.

This fund is a collaborative effort by several Bay Area organizations. 100% of donations contributed will go to the victims and surviving families, many of whom have lost their homes, livelihood and are facing a myriad of unique challenges as a result of this horrific tragedy.

Please use this link to access resources for victims and impacted communities.The list includes local organizations, mental health resources, and legal support.

Read more

Chinese for Affirmative Action

Raised $5,313 from 62 donations

Raised $7,697 from 110 donations

Raised $3,085 from 24 donations

Raised $2,385 from 9 donations

The Asian American Foundation

Raised $1,683 from 12 donations

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Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

Easy

Donate quickly and easily.

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Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

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Half Moon Bay Victims Fund, organized by Chinese for Affirmative Action

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On January 23, seven immigrant farm workers were killed in a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, California, including five Chinese farmworkers and two Mexican farmworkers. This tragedy has caused tremendous fear, pain, and trauma in Asian, Latinx, and farmworker communities. Our hearts go out to the victims and their loved ones.

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A processing tool for the Asian American community

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We created this guide to help the people in our communities envision and move toward liberation, safety, and healing without relying on prisons, police, and national security.

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Yellow Chair Collective - AAPI Therapists

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Yellow Chair Collective - AAPI Therapists

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We want to help you create a life that's in alignment with the things that are most important to you.

We believe that in order for therapy to be effective, it must take into account everything that makes you... you. The team at YCC will get to know you as the whole person you are, not just as a set of symptoms or challenges you're facing. We will work together to help you to gain new insight into your experiences, recognize and reframe the messages society or culture may have told you about who you are, and deepen your connection to yourself and those around you.

Here at YCC, we've created a space specifically for those seeking an inclusive therapist who embraces intersectionality and understands the complexities that make up one's identity: multiculturalism, race, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, and more. We offer culturally-sensitive and responsive therapy, welcome neurodivergent folks, and are LGBTQIA+ allied.

Working with us goes beyond just short-term solutions. We want to help you create the lasting change you are looking for.

It starts with your first appointment!

Your first appointment is your opportunity to get to know us.

You'll learn how we can help you and decide for yourself if we're a good fit.

Schedule an Appointment

Areas of Expertise

The Yellow Chair Collective team is made up of professionals who have received extensive training in methods meant to meet your specific needs. We specialize in multi-cultural and Asian American experiences. Our therapists are equipped to find balance for those that want to process the immigrant experience or would like to identify how to bridge the gap of generational culture.

Are we the right therapists for you?

We understand that choosing a therapist is a big decision, and we want to be sure you find the one that's right for you. Your first appointment is an opportunity to get to know your therapist. They will answer your questions, you'll learn about how they can help, and you can decide if they're a good fit. If you don't feel it's the right match, we'll work together to pair you with another therapist on our team whose style, expertise, and lived experience may be better suited to you.

Most of our therapists come from Asian / Asian American and multicultural backgrounds. Our practice is unique in this way, as most YCC therapists are able to understand you in ways that other therapists who do not specialize in multicultural/Asian American populations may have difficulty doing so. We understand there are a unique set of issues and variables that come with being multicultural. We get it. Let us be your safe space that also empowers you to navigate this difficult world we face.

Our team of compassionate therapists offer support and guidance every step of your journey

Copyright 2021 Yellow Chair Collective. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy

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Home - Yellow Chair Collective Online Therapy in Los Angeles, CA - 90404

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We want to help you create a life that's in alignment with the things that are most important to you. We believe that in order for therapy to be effective, it must take into account everything that makes you... you.

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"Destigmatizing mental health for Asian diaspora and children of immigrants."

Book: Permission to come home: reclaiming mental  health in Asian americans

See link below for book and authors other resources.

https://linktr.ee/asiansformentalhealth?fbclid=PAAaa1c3CV4MFlXqGgfWutxEcf_CnxiT-4FJEdLFuwT51krOFgZhwJN72xGfs

Authors Instagram: https://instagram.com/asiansformentalhealth?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Authors video processing the California shooting events
https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cn0PQl6j6o7/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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"For many immigrants, if you move here with trauma, you're going to do what it takes to get by. You cheat. You beat your wife. You gamble. You're a survivor and, like most survivors, you are a god-awful person. Watching Dao [Dr. David Dao who was dragged off the American Airlines flight], I thought of my own father watching his father being dragged out of his own home. I thought of Asians throughout history being dragged against their will, driven or chased out of their native homes, out of their adopted homes, out of their native country, out of their adopted country: ejected, evicted, exiled.

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"Compared to Americans of other racial and ethnic backgrounds, Asian Americans are least likely to get mental health treatment and three times less likely than their white counterparts, according to a 2015 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Reasons include language issues, a lack of culturally relevant and integrated care, cultural stigmas attached to seeking mental health assistance, cost and other systemic barriers. More than half of Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders 65 and older have limited English proficiency, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and community members are less likely to seek care out of fears of what neighbors might think or of bringing shame to their parents."

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‘No safe spaces’: For Asian Americans, California shootings add to growing mental health crisis

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Some advocates are worried about a growing mental health crisis as more Asian Americans fear violent attacks in their communities.

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Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund

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Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund

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Do you want to donate to help the families of the victims? Here is a way you are able to do so.

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At least 11 individuals killed and many more seriously injured in a shooting spree that occurred just blocks away from a joyous New Year festival where thousands of people gathered. Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific tragedy. 100% of donations contributed to the fund will go to the many individuals who are now suffering from this senseless violence.

Please use this link to access resources for Monterey Park Victims and Community Members:

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Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California

Raised $50,862 from 584 donations

Raised $27,989 from 549 donations

Raised $8,044 from 87 donations

Raised $6,354 from 112 donations

Asian Pacific Community Fund

Raised $5,385 from 58 donations

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Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

Easy

Donate quickly and easily.

Powerful

Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

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Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund, organized by Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California

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At least 11 individuals killed and many more seriously injured in a shooting spree that occurred just blocks away from a joyous New Year festival where thousands of people gathered. Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific tragedy.

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The 11 ways forward are really helpful and there are resources to some great links here.

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At a time when many of us have prepared to welcome abundance and prosperity, many of our community are feeling heartbroken, waking to the horrific news of yet more mass shootings experienced within Asian American communities in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay . Many in our communities are reeling from these events during Lunar New Year, at the height of a most celebrated time, particularly for Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese families.

At AAPIP, our hearts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this senseless act of violence. Our communities are feeling the heavy cumulative weight of this tragedy while still healing from an endless series of assaults that have targeted our communities, which have spiked dramatically since the start of the pandemic due to increased xenophobia and anti-Asian scapegoating. This violence was preventable, and we call for philanthropic responses to support the victims and families while simultaneously doubling down on support for mental health care and gun control.

As we at AAPIP process yet another mass shooting, in regions where AAPIP has chapters, we honor the 11 lives that were lost in Monterey Park and 7 lost in Half Moon Bay this Lunar New Year by offering ways for you to balance the heaviness of this moment while finding hope and healing for yourself and our communities during this time.

1. Attend to your personal needs, especially your emotional health. Here's what the American Counseling Association recommends in terms of coping in the aftermath of a shooting .

2. Attend a collective healing or community grief space (see Resources below).

3. Connect with a friend or loved one whom you haven't been in touch with recently. Tell them how much they mean to you.

4. Organize and hold a space at work to process what you are experiencing individually and as a collective.

5. Spark a conversation about how your institution is supporting Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) communities in its grantmaking.

6. Connect with your local AAPIP Chapter and advocate within your foundation to mobilize more resources to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

7. Educate others about the history of and nuances of the AA & NH/PI experience.

8. Learn about and share with others the examples of how communities of color have supported one another in times of crisis.

9. Give time and talent by volunteering with an AA & NH/PI serving nonprofit.

10. Support AA & NH/PI nonprofit communities through donations and mutual aid. Monterey Park Support Fund. Half Moon Bay Support Fund.

11. Advocate for and support policies which protect our communities, including stricter gun laws. 77% of Asian Americans agree that we need stricter gun laws, per this study .

Resources

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11 Ways Forward This Lunar New Year - AAPIP Website

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At a time when many of us have prepared to welcome abundance and prosperity, many of our community are feeling heartbroken, waking to the horrific news of yet more mass shootings experienced within Asian American communities in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay .

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Chanel Miller’s post really resonated with me.

“…Every time this happens I want the world to stop, to acknowledge that a hole has just been blown in the universe. It’s painful each time to step out and see all the ways that life goes on so seamlessly. It’s isolating to feel this pain and not have it reflected everywhere around me. It makes me question how much of my sadness is imagined and how much is valid.

But then I speak to a friend and know I’m not the only one feeling this. For the last few years I’ve been asking myself, “What can I do?” I’ve stopped pressuring myself to find a conclusive answer or resolution. The most important thing is to keep asking the question, because embedded in the asking is the hope that we still have agency to shape reality of the better.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnvrgi4u93L/

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You are loved, you are held, and you are not alone. You deserve to feel safe. You deserve to have joy. You deserve to be seen. On this day of all days - when so much is, again, uncertain, know this: we have each other.

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When the Monterey shooting happened and the identity of the attacker was unknown, I automatically assumed that they would be a white male. And when the identity was revealed, I dropped to the floor and told my partner "He's one of us." When I learned of Half Moon Bay, I cried because the deep pain of processing these identities was so overwhelming. I am so broken.

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Here's what resonated with me most about this statement: As our communities work toward healing, we must continue to invest in AAPI organizations engaged in culturally- and linguistically-relevant prevention and intervention efforts. To effectively support AAPI individuals, understanding the intersections and differences of cultures, providing language accessible services/resources, and options for culturally-sensitive mental health support are essential. Care without deeply comprehending context cannot fully serve the needs of our communities.

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Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence Website

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This Lunar New Year, a time meant for celebration and joy, our communities mourn the deaths and injury of the twenty victims of the January 21st mass shooting in Monterey Park, California. We are shocked and devastated by this horrific loss. Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims and with our AAPI communities as we grieve and process this tragedy.

There is an undeniable connection between mass shootings and femicide, some of the most extreme forms of gender-based violence (GBV). In the U.S., 60% of mass shooting events were either domestic violence attacks or perpetrated by those with a history of domestic violence. In relationships where there has been a history of intimate partner violence, homicide is the ultimate manifestation of power and control of one partner over the other. Identifying the correlation between guns, mass violence, and GBV brings us closer to addressing these problems at their roots.

As our communities work toward healing, we must continue to invest in AAPI organizations engaged in culturally- and linguistically-relevant prevention and intervention efforts. To effectively support AAPI individuals, understanding the intersections and differences of cultures, providing language accessible services/resources, and options for culturally-sensitive mental health support are essential. Care without deeply comprehending context cannot fully serve the needs of our communities.

To find resources and services in your area, please use our Directory of GBV Agencies Serving the AAPI Community and our AAPI In-Language Resource Library. For AAPI community members in Southern California, the Center for the Pacific Asian Family, Korean American Family Services and Little Tokyo Service Center provide local culturally-specific and in-language services. If you know of someone who may need support or someone to talk to, the 988 Lifeline uses Language Line Solutions to provide interpretations in 250+ languages. To contact us, please visit api-gbv.org or email info@api-gbv.org.
Read our Gun Violence and Domestic Violence (DV) in the AAPI Community fact sheet here.

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API-GBV's Statement on the Mass Shooting in Monterey Park - Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence Website

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This Lunar New Year, a time meant for celebration and joy, our communities mourn the deaths and injury of the twenty victims of the January 21st mass shooting in Monterey Park, California. We are shocked and devastated by this horrific loss.

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If you need emotional support, here is a resource to help you find a therapist near you. I've had many therapists, white male, white female, black female, but as a Korean American woman, finding a Korean American female therapsit around my age has been a game changer. There is so much I don't have to explain and so much that is understood.

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AMHC aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.