Santa Fe. It has been called the “forgotten school shooting.” It came just three months after ours, and fell in the shadows of it. The families and community hurt and continue to heal. They deserve justice and to have their loved ones remembered and fought for.
The residents of Santa Fe, Texas, wanted the media to stay away. They wanted to heal in private. As the media shines light on the tragedy from one year ago, it’s important to remember those lost on 5/18/18.
Jared Conrad Black, Shana Fisher, Christian Riley Garcia, Aaron Kyle McLeod, Glenda Ann Perkins, Angelique Ramirez, Sabika Sheikh, Christopher Stone, Cynthia Tisdale & Kimberly Vaughan.
May their memories by a blessing.
In local news, Sybrina Martin, mother of gun violence victim, Trayvon Martin, is running for the Miami-Dade County Commission. She became an anti-gun violence activist after her son’s murder in 2012. It will mean a lot to have her on board in a county so riddled with gun violence.
It was also released today that Austin Eubanks, a survivor of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, was found dead at the age of 37. I didn’t know him. I didn’t know his story. I can only sympathize and empathize as part of the growing survivor network. The trauma, guilt and impact of surviving a school shooting have such long-lasting consequences that no one fully understands. May his memory be a blessing.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/austin-eubanks-columbine-dead_n_5ce132fae4b00e035b91d118
I find that on the anniversaries, I tend to be a home-body. I stayed in bed all day yesterday. I just didn’t really have the desire to go out and do anything. There wasn’t dance or hockey. The laundry and housework could wait. I wanted to have a lazy day. My husband felt that I was withdrawn. I didn’t even realize for most of the day that it was the anniversary of Santa Fe. I knew when the shooting was, but it was so close to ours and we were still so deep in it, that the date hadn’t been imprinted on my brain. I guess at some level, my body knew what day it was. I was sad or depressed. I didn’t cry or emote. I just wanted to be in my room, watching tv and crocheting. I don’t know if it’s the PTSD, or my exhaustion from a busy week. I just needed it.