Massage Parlor Massacre: 8 Killed in Atlanta, Media Speculates About Anti-Asian Motive Plus: Columbus, Ohio, wants six months in jail for first-time sex customers, Texas' new social media bill is a mess, and more... Motive for fatal Atlanta shootings unclear. There's no indication that last night's fatal shooting spree at several Atlanta-area massage parlors was connected to conspiracy theories about sex trafficking at Asian massage businesses. Atlanta police say they showed up at one of the businesses in response to a call about a robbery in progress. The motive for the shooting, which left eight people dead, is still unclear, despite many in the media attributing it to anti-Asian racism. Seven women and one man were killed in the shootings; six of them were Asian and two were white, police report. One other man was injured as well. A suspect in police custody, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, is thought to be behind the shootings at the two massage parlors in northeast Atlanta (Gold Massage Spa and Aromatherapy Spa) and one (Young's Asian Massage) about 30 miles northwest of the city. Red Canary Song, a group devoted to Asian sex worker and migrant rights, notes that workers at Asian massage parlors and spas are frequent targets of violence from both customers and police. People speculating about possible motives for this horrific crime probably shouldn't overlook that fact in the rush to portray the shootings as stemming from anti-Asian racism tied to COVID-19. But as of this morning, we simply don't know what drove the Atlanta massage parlor shooter to commit these atrocities. The identities of the victims have also not yet been released. FREE MINDS Ohio city seeks six months in jail for people who pay for sex. Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, are trying to put a social justice spin on ratcheting up penalties for prostitution. City Council members say it's concern for people selling sex that is leading them to consider a new policy—but this policy would keep penalties for selling sex intact and continue to direct police resources to targeting sex work between consenting adults, increasing penalties for people who pay for sex. "The Council's proposed amendment institutes a penalty of up to $1,500 and 180 days in jail for a first offense," notes WOSU. "The second and third offenses include mandatory minimum fines of $550 and $800 respectively, as well as 10 and 15 days in jail." Ohio State University professor of women, gender, and sexuality studies Jennifer Suchland has been speaking out against the proposed changes. "When you add more criminalization to the sex trade, it both makes it harder to reach potential victims and worsens the conditions for those who rely on the sex trade for survival," Suchland said in a WOSU interview. FREE MARKETS Some good news on the economic front. "Federal Reserve officials, who are scheduled to release their latest economic projections at 2 p.m. ET, are likely to say they expect the labor market and inflation to rebound faster than they anticipated in December," reports the Wall Street Journal. "The central bank is broadly expected to reaffirm its commitment to ultralow interest rates and bond purchases for now." QUICK HITS   NEW w @jessemckinley: Cuomo aides circulated a letter trashing Lindsey Boylan within days of her tweets in December accusing him of harassment. The idea was for ex staffers, particularly women, to put their names on it. No one would. https://t.co/MGqGdlxGFf — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) March 16, 2021   • The Violence Against Women Act is up for an authorization vote. (Read more about the trouble with this Biden-driven legislation here.)  • Trying to protect internet user privacy is now being called an antitrust violation.  • Tennessee is trying (again) to limit residents' ability to ship in wine from other states.  • Texas' new social media bill is a mess.  Most Popular Stories from Reason.com Trump Never Told Georgia's Lead Election Investigator To 'Find the Fraud' The CDC Thinks 2-Year-Olds Should Wear Masks in Schools, Even If Everyone Else Is Vaccinated 743 Years and 3 Months. 117 Years. 51 Years. Why Are These Men's Sentences So Long? The War on Free Speech Is About To Get a Lot Uglier Biden Aims To Fund Future Spending Sprees With New Tax Hikes Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason, where she writes regularly on the intersections of sex, speech, tech, crime, politics, panic, and civil liberties. She is also co-founder of the libertarian feminist group Feminists for Liberty. Since starting at Reason in 2014, Brown has won multiple awards for her writing on the U.S. government’s war on sex. Brown’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, Playboy, Fox News, Politico, The Week, and numerous other publications. You can follow her on Twitter @ENBrown.  GET REASON MAGAZINE Reason is the magazine of "free minds and free markets," offering a refreshing alternative to the left-wing and right-wing echo chambers for independent-minded readers who love liberty. Subscribe today to save 65% off the cover price. 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