I don't even know where to start about yesterday's events.
There are so many unanswered questions.
Obviously, this young man was extremely troubled. If you have a chance, read his "plays" (and I use this term loosely) and you get a good idea of what his mind operated like. His classmates thought he was strange, his professor tried to get him to get help, and I would love to know what his roommate thought of him.
As for how the university handled the situation, I have very mixed feelings about it. Yes, they had limited information to go with. Yes, they probably did what they considered the best thing at the time. HOWEVER - when the first shooting happened at 7:15 AM, they should have immediately shut down the campus. I've heard arguments all day long that they thought the shooter was gone, blah blah blah. Well, in my opinion, that is never a chance that they should've taken. They had no suspect in custody. They had no idea where the suspect was. And they should have shut the place down as soon as news of the shooting was confirmed. Think about how many lives they could've saved! And look - yeah, maybe it wasn't "convenient" or whatever to shut the campus down, but I really think they should have erred on the side of caution. One missed day of school, or dozens of lives? It hardly seems like a question that should be asked.
But you know, it's easy for me and all the stupid talking heads on TV to point fingers, demand resignations, and all that shit. I believe that the guy was on a mission - and if he hadn't done it at Tech, then he would've done it somewhere else like a mall, an elementary school, or something like that. He was on a mission.
Putting all blame of the administration aside, it's time to start the healing. It's time to put all the anger at "what they should've done" and turn it into support for the victims, the survivors, and their families as they begin the long road in front of them.
If there's one thing about Hokies, it's that they have a resilient spirit. And in the face of this tragedy, they will bond together and get through this stronger than ever.
But they will never, ever forget.
4 comments:
the real outrage is that, yeah--he was OBVIOUSLY disturbed. and no one did shit--because legally, there's nothing anyone could have done without "violating his civil rights."
what the f ever.
when things like this happen, i seriously start to wonder if my own days aren't numbered.
What a horrible situation. I can't imagine how the whole community must be feeling. My heart goes out to all of you.
There are things they could have done though, he was a student at a university, they have an obligation to other students. I used to live in that world and with some of those worries. I've worried about rumors that a student had a gun, that a student had a plan and it plain sucks. My heart goes out to those who had to wrestle with it as well as those who are now dealing with the consequences. What an unfathomable tragedy.
It is just so sad and just .... well sad.
More hugs!
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