The CDC headquarters building with its logo and sign in front, located at the Edward R. Roybal Campus, with a modern glass facade and greenery around.
A logo with the words CDC Strong, a red rose in place of the letter O, and the date 08.08.2025.

STATEMENT ON THE AUGUST 8, 2025, ATTACK ON CDC

We call for the immediate resignation of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and OMB Director Russell Vought, one of the architects of Project 2025. The armed attack on CDC, which claimed the life of a heroic police officer and left CDC workers devastated and traumatized, reflects the realization of Vought’s directive:

“When [federal workers] wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work, because they are increasingly viewed as the villains . . . . We want to put them in trauma.”

Kennedy is directly responsible for the villainization of CDC’s workforce through his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust.

The ongoing destruction of our public health infrastructure has destroyed the systems meant to prevent tragedies like this from happening. Cuts to CDC’s Injury Center, including programs to reduce gun violence and support mental health, have put our country at greater risk.

We don't need thoughts and prayers. We need an administration that does not villainize federal workers who are just trying to do their job. We need a Health and Human Services Secretary who does not promote misinformation about science and vaccines.

To our public health colleagues, we are here for you, and we’re not letting this go.

Group of people protesting outdoors, holding signs about guns and firearms regulations. One woman in a green shirt holds a sign that reads, 'RESIGN STAND DOWN RFK!!! Please go away....' Another woman in a white shirt and hat holds a green sign that says, 'Regulate Guns NOT Women.' Others hold signs with messages like 'RFK MUST GO TOXIC RHETORIC KILLS.' Peaceful crowd gathered in a park with trees in the background.

Photo courtesy of Dan Whisenhunt, Decaturish

What to Do Now

Person holding a sign that says 'Stronger Together' at a rally or gathering with other people.

Photo courtesy of Dan Whisenhunt, Decaturish

Provide Financial Support

Participate in a Day of Service

  • We are working to organize a day of service in Officer Rose’s honor. Details TBD.

Care for Yourself

Care for Yourself

and then…

Raise Hell

A man with gray hair speaking into a microphone at a protest rally, holding a sign that says "Save the CDC," with several people holding protest signs in the background.

Photo courtesy of Dan Whisenhunt, Decaturish

Volunteer with Fired But Fighting

We need help! Get information about available volunteer opportunities here and sign up here.

Talk to the Media

MAKE AMERICA LISTEN.

Attend one of our media training sessions to ensure you present your best self. We can even help you draft talking points. Just reach out to info@firedbutfighting.org.

FEATURED MEDIA

We refuse to allow America to ignore this attack on our public health workers, which was deliberately fueled by spreading misinformation and vilifying federal servants who dedicate their careers to serving the American people.

  • Aug. 8 assault was an attack on CDC and on violence prevention

    PUBLIC HEALTH NEWSIRE

    A guest post submitted by over fifty former staff of CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention.

  • CDC shooter believed COVID vaccine made him suicidal, his father tells police

    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    “‘This shooting was the “physical embodiment of the narrative that has taken over, attacking science, and attacking our federal workers,” said Sarah Boim, a former CDC communications staffer who was fired this year during a wave of terminations.

  • Suspect identified in Atlanta shooting outside CDC: What to know

    THE HILL

    “…some groups criticized Kennedy, particularly over his stance on vaccine safety.”

  • ‘It’s terrifying’: CDC employees speak about shooting, lingering fears

    THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUION

    “[Dr. Elizabeth Soda], who works at the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, had just left her CDC office 30 minutes before the shooting. Now her colleagues were stuck and barricaded inside.

  • CDC staff rally for accountability after shooting

    11 ALIVE

    “Past and present workers of the CDC are calling for a change in heated rhetoric about public health.”

  • CDC shooting highlights anger, COVID-19 vaccine 'misinformation'

    FOX

    “Health experts say the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the rare risks, and misinformation on social media continues to fuel hesitancy.”

  • Gun safety, public health advocates push for action in wake of CDC shooting | Georgia Recorder

    GEORGIA RECORDER

    “Public health advocates say Kennedy’s rhetoric, policy decisions have fueled public mistrust of vaccines.”

  • CDC shooter blamed COVID vaccine for depression

    “…CDC and leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services must provide a ‘clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine misinformation.‘“

  • 'BradCast' 8/11/2025 (Guest: Aryn Melton Backus of 'Fired But Fighting' on RFK's war on public health)

    BRADCAST, IHEART RADIO

    “[Arym Melton Bauckus] charges, ‘Bobby Kennedy has been a major spreader of vaccine mis- and disinformation for decades. But going back to 2020 and the pandemic, he repeatedly spread lies about the COVID-19 vaccine. He called CDC a 'cesspool of corruption.' That has made a lot of people at CDC villainized.’"

  • CDC employees voice concerns about returning to work after shooting

    CHANNEL 2

    ”…Aryn Backus, a former federal employee, told Channel 2 Action News. “We just want to shed light that [Kennedy’s anti-vaccine] words have had consequences… a police officer died heroically protecting the people at the CDC.”

  • CDC workers react to deadly shooting: 'The line has now been officially crossed'

    GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

    “[Kennedy], along with others in this administration, have sown distrust among the American people, dehumanizing CDCers and pointing to us as villains,” said Abby Tighe, a founding member of Fired but Fighting,

  • More than 90 kids kept in daycare amid active shooter investigation at Emory, CDC

    “Tighe said she was preparing to pick up her 1-year-old son when she got the emergency alert on her phone. We ended up calling the school just to see if they were locked down. And that was about 5:05.”

  • Podcast: Federal health officials say press exploiting CDC shooting for ‘political gain’

    ATLANTA NEWS FIRST

    “Sarah Boim with Fired but Fighting, a group of dismissed CDC workers who are banding together to fight for public health, came on the podcast to talk about the shooting and all that has followed.”

  • Dear Decaturish — Silence is the loudest thing in the room

    DECATURISH

    What I expected, in a moment like this, was fear. What arrived instead was heat—anger that sits under the breastbone and won’t cool… Silence is a choice. In the wake of violence, it is the loudest thing in the room. And I am done pretending I can’t hear it.“

  • CDC employees are under attack, but these public servants choose compassion

    ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

    NSI“The science on vaccines continues to be transparent in the face of disinformation. Beyond vaccines, “good” includes literally millions of people who use their skills in medicine, law, politics, daily life, to bring the power of science and decency to everyone.”

  • CDC employees are under attack, but these public servants choose compassion

    ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

    “For years now, the CDC and the public health system have been under relentless attack, not just in the media or in the political space, but in ways that have taken a deep emotional toll on the public health professionals who have dedicated their careers to protecting us all.”

  • Aug. 8 assault was an attack on CDC and on violence prevention

    PUBLIC HEALTH NEWSIRE

    A guest post submitted by over fifty former staff of CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention.

  • CDC shooter believed COVID vaccine made him suicidal, his father tells police

    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    “‘This shooting was the “physical embodiment of the narrative that has taken over, attacking science, and attacking our federal workers,” said Sarah Boim, a former CDC communications staffer who was fired this year during a wave of terminations.

  • Suspect identified in Atlanta shooting outside CDC: What to know

    THE HILL

    “…some groups criticized Kennedy, particularly over his stance on vaccine safety.”

  • ‘It’s terrifying’: CDC employees speak about shooting, lingering fears

    THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUION

    “[Dr. Elizabeth Soda], who works at the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, had just left her CDC office 30 minutes before the shooting. Now her colleagues were stuck and barricaded inside.

  • CDC staff rally for accountability after shooting

    11 ALIVE

    “Past and present workers of the CDC are calling for a change in heated rhetoric about public health.”

  • CDC shooting highlights anger, COVID-19 vaccine 'misinformation'

    FOX

    “Health experts say the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the rare risks, and misinformation on social media continues to fuel hesitancy.”

  • Gun safety, public health advocates push for action in wake of CDC shooting | Georgia Recorder

    GEORGIA RECORDER

    “Public health advocates say Kennedy’s rhetoric, policy decisions have fueled public mistrust of vaccines.”

  • CDC shooter blamed COVID vaccine for depression

    “…CDC and leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services must provide a ‘clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine misinformation.‘“

  • 'BradCast' 8/11/2025 (Guest: Aryn Melton Backus of 'Fired But Fighting' on RFK's war on public health)

    BRADCAST, IHEART RADIO

    “[Arym Melton Bauckus] charges, ‘Bobby Kennedy has been a major spreader of vaccine mis- and disinformation for decades. But going back to 2020 and the pandemic, he repeatedly spread lies about the COVID-19 vaccine. He called CDC a 'cesspool of corruption.' That has made a lot of people at CDC villainized.’"

  • CDC employees voice concerns about returning to work after shooting

    CHANNEL 2

    ”…Aryn Backus, a former federal employee, told Channel 2 Action News. “We just want to shed light that [Kennedy’s anti-vaccine] words have had consequences… a police officer died heroically protecting the people at the CDC.”

  • CDC workers react to deadly shooting: 'The line has now been officially crossed'

    GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

    “[Kennedy], along with others in this administration, have sown distrust among the American people, dehumanizing CDCers and pointing to us as villains,” said Abby Tighe, a founding member of Fired but Fighting,

  • More than 90 kids kept in daycare amid active shooter investigation at Emory, CDC

    “Tighe said she was preparing to pick up her 1-year-old son when she got the emergency alert on her phone. We ended up calling the school just to see if they were locked down. And that was about 5:05.”

  • Podcast: Federal health officials say press exploiting CDC shooting for ‘political gain’

    ATLANTA NEWS FIRST

    “Sarah Boim with Fired but Fighting, a group of dismissed CDC workers who are banding together to fight for public health, came on the podcast to talk about the shooting and all that has followed.”

  • Dear Decaturish — Silence is the loudest thing in the room

    DECATURISH

    What I expected, in a moment like this, was fear. What arrived instead was heat—anger that sits under the breastbone and won’t cool… Silence is a choice. In the wake of violence, it is the loudest thing in the room. And I am done pretending I can’t hear it.“