Nation Reels After Gunman Massacres 20 Children at School in Connecticut
A 20-year-old man wearing combat gear and armed with semiautomatic pistols and a semiautomatic rifle killed 26 people — 20 of them children — in an attack in an elementary school in central Connecticut on Friday. Witnesses and officials described a horrific scene as the gunman, with brutal efficiency, chose his victims in two classrooms while other students dove under desks and hid in closets...
Almost five years later, what have we done to stop this madness?
Nothing.
And those of us trying to actually do something about it are met with not only contempt, but contention as well...
“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” John F. Kennedy.
They also ask us to, 'be the example,' or tell us 'that one man can make a difference,' or a great many quote-worthy sayings we are constantly bombarded with... The bottom line is that in the generation of DoSomething, we cannot.
By all accounts, the world we knew changed on December 14, 2012. The unimaginable- the unthinkable happened and we were all undoubtedly touched by this nightmare. Our sense of security had been shaken to its core- our children were no longer safe as we once presumed and in many ways we must all remain hyper-vigilant. Well, at least these were my thoughts. 12/14/12 was a Friday, and as I sat in my 3bedroom apartment overlooking the Empire State building I remember feeling somewhat imposed as yet another breaking news segment cut into my morning show. I work for myself and back then I took a break from my set-in-stone schedule and decided to stay home with the baby. Anthony was four at the time and for the most part I had stopped all life to care for my little guy. As I was standing in front of the television, I remember standing in disbelief for what seemed like hours, and by the time I was able to move, it had been hours.
There was a school shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. The kids targeted were 6 and 7 year old first graders, the news man stated. And I went numb...
Anthony by all accounts is my miracle and he's also the privilege I never thought I'd have. He was born on the 8th of June 2009 and weighed just 2lbs, 1 oz. Anthony wasn't set to arrive until sometime in August and the poor little guy's lungs were not fully developed. After about 2months of further incubation, he finally was strong enough to come home. Now, I wasn't in the picture at this time. Anthony had his biological parents, my baby sister Kelly and this guy named Stanley. On Anthony's second day home from the hospital, both he and my sister were abandoned by Stanley and my sister called me in a state of panic and I of course came running as I always had. At the time, Anthony grew to a full 4.6lbs and was still so fragile. To this day, the thought of him so small brings tears to my eyes. Hell, every time I was away from Kelly more than a few weeks I'd get all teary eyed and the thought of her imminent return or my return it'd be like Christmas... There is nothing I love more than my baby sister...
Anthony needed 24 hour care, and I was only happy to oblige. As the dreaded 2am and 4am feedings came around I'd have to fight Kelly to feed the baby- my baby's baby. It was also a nice break for Kelly. She was of course exhausted as any new mother would be. And I couldn't have been any happier! For the next few years, with the exception of a quick trip here and there I was the Manny, as Kelly called me. Anthony still had tubes coming out of him to ensure his breathing and if he or I moved a certain way that would some way or another interfere with his getting enough oxygen, an alarm would go off. Can you imagine, a baby with what can only be described as having a car alarm attached? You'd think it'd be funny but it was horrifying!
As the months rolled on and Anthony grew and grew and grew.. he eventually filled out into the most beautiful little guy you had ever seen. They say every baby is beautiful and I can assure you they are not! Anthony was the most beautiful baby you had ever seen, Kelly too. Kelly is.. Kelly was 12 years younger than me and I took ahold of her and never let go even back then. I was born in 1966, but have to admit my life truly began the day we brought her home in 1978.
was 1970 when we first came to Acton, Massachusetts. Acton was a a small New England town with a population of just 17,500. It then became 17,505 after we moved in.In 1978, or I should say.. prior to 1973 I was the youngest with two older mean, mean, mean sisters. I of course was the baby and being the baby was subjected to their cruelty and constant picking. We had Danny in 1973 and I was too young to care for him.. so I just remember playing with him now and then. My sister's took him and to be honest didn't really share him. It was also ok with me because it meant that they were too busy playing with Danny and that meant that they didn't have tie to bother me. But, in 1978.. just 5years later I had Kelly. Looking back it's kind of funny to see how we all paired up. The girls had Danny, and I had Kelly and all 5 of us kids had a blast.
To give you an idea of our home and where us Rinaldi's came from, allow me to offer you a history lesson as well. Acton was significant in history as it was pivotal in the American Revolution. In May 1774, the British Parliament passed a law which made it illegal for colonists to hold Town Meetings and were not allowed to manage their own affairs. In defiance of this law, the town of Acton in secret held their own Town Meetings where they elected their own officials and raised their own local militia. After which the Town of Acton sent a list of grievances to King George III on October 3, 1774. To this day, the day is still celebrated as Crown Resistance Day.
At the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, on April 19, 1775, a company of minutemen from Acton were called upon by Paul Revere to fight at the North Bridge in Concord as part of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Where the Acton Minutemen were led by Captain Isaac Davis. Most notably in history, it's in this battle that Captain Davis was heard saying, "I haven't a man who is afraid to go."
As the colonists advanced on the bridge, the men from Acton took to the front lines. At this point in time, the Acton Minutemen were the only troops to be completely outfitted with bayonettes which they did so with great pride in their opposition to the king. Upon the the exchange of musket fire, Captain Isaac Davis and Private James Hayward were killed in the line of fire and Private Abner Hosmer was mortally wounded. Thus, the history books tell us that Sir Isaac Davis was the first officer to die in the American Revolutionary War. Traditionally each year on Patriot's Day (the 3rd Monday in April), the Acton Minutemen lead a march from Acton Center to the Old North Bridge in Concord along side many of us prideful townspeople known today as the 'Isaac Davis Trail'
Immediately after the war, Acton was home to few farmers, manufacturers- including mills that were the first to manufacture pencils in the United States, technology and plastics companies. The population of Acton at this time stayed closely to about 2,000 residents and remained there until 1950 where it grew to about 3,500. At this point in time, Acton had only just begun to change and by 1974 the population rose to a whopping 17,000. This was largely caused by the growth in industry in suburban areas which was facilitated by the construction of Route 128 that made for a quick Hal hour commute into Boston. Fortunately for Acton due to its limited water supply, Acton didn't allow many industrial sites which then afforded Acton's farmland to turn into housing developments. By all accounts Acton, Massachusetts was the ideal place to raise a family.
Acton being fairly a new community that attracted a lot of new young professionals it was also the ideal place to start a company. Which is where we came in. In 1973, Mike Rinaldi formed Minuteman Trucking Company and in no time we quickly became a prominent family that ran the largest trucking company that had a strong hold of rubbish removal that expanded a good 45 minute radius.
Timeline for Sandy Hook Massacre.
9:34 a.m.: The first gunshots are heard. Witness later reports hearing about 15 shots.
9:35 a.m.: A parent arrives at school and notices nine children running down the sidewalk.
9:35:39 a.m.: First 911 call received. Caller says she saw shooter. Call is placed from school nurse's office.
9:35:56 a.m.: Newtown police are informed of shooting. Over the next minute, several officers head toward school.
9:36 a.m.: Unidentified witness arrives at school, sees front window shot out and hears gunfire. She and another woman take shelter behind a trash receptacle and call 911.
9:37:38 a.m.: State Police dispatch advises units of shooter, and units head to school.
9:39 a.m.: Newtown police officer arrives behind school. Seconds later, two more officers arrive and park in driveway. Gunshots are heard in background. Several more will arrive within next few minutes.
9:40 a.m.: Final gunshot is heard, believed to be Lanza's final suicide shot.
It was about 9:45 when the local news interrupted scheduled programming with the horrific news of the Sandy Hook massacre. I stood paralyzed/ frozen to the television until after 4pm. I could not move and I remember my pacing in a state of pain and upset. I knew I had to do something, but what. This is my curse by the way. It wasn't until I saw a news piece of a similar shooting in Dunblane Scotland.
Newtown, is a small New England town in Connecticut. It's a 96% faith based community and having been a part of the community and having had the pleasure of meeting many of the locals,
Looking back I'm not sure what all went wrong. Was it my dad and his always 'working' or my mom retiring in for a 'nap?' Or was it the priest, the neighbor, my sister Kathy, my brother Danny, or god knows what? There is always some reason and before I'm accused of placing blame and not accepting responsibility I will simply state that every action causes a reaction. For example, would Kelly be alive today had Brooke not lied, I can say without doubt yes. My job first and foremost was taking care of my baby sister, Kelly. So much in fact that although I was born in 1966, my life truly only had begun in 1978, when we took Kelly home. So, getting back on point, If we trace back, we can go we can probably blame all the wrong doing and upset on the previous generations.. my folks, and their horrible parents, or the generation before who were at least kind but struggled as a result of their being immigrants.
I'm the middle child of five brothers and sisters. Although I was born in 1966We grew up in an affluent New England town in Massachusetts called Acton.
Looking back we can actually trace the
hey've' been telling us and we had hoped that this violence would have stopped by now. Instead it's actually considered normal.
The day started Looking back to that fateful day, I remember being in my apartment in Manhattan.
Forrest Once Said.
‘Forrest once said that nothin’ could kill us, and we could never die. Back then I actually believed it, hell I know Forrest did, Because no matter what this world flung at him, he seemed to be able to just stand up, and keep on going. Gettin’ a little more bent, a little more twisted each time. But nobody leaves this world alive.’LAWLESS.
This was a line in the Tom Hardy, Shia LeBeauf, Jessica Chastain film, 'LAWLESS.' I was watching it again the other night because of two reasons... One, I love this brilliant cast. And two, I'm writing a screen-play and I want all three to be included. While watching, I couldn't help but notice how the public behaves towards one of it's beloved actors- one day they are adored and loved and the next they're scorned should they behave in a way the public doesn't like. Shia LeBeauf by every sense of the word is one of this generation's most brilliant actors. And it's upsetting to see how the public had turned on him. I'm also watching because there's no one cooler than Tom Hardy. And then there's Ms. Chastain. She too is brilliant, as she is beautiful. We had also recently connected regarding a PSA (Public Service Announcement) we had joined to help launch the "Lock It Up' campaign. It was first developed by the National Crime Prevention Council out of Washington on June 19, 2014. According to the NCPC, 1.4 million households have unlocked firearms that could easily fall into the wrong hands. Given today's problem with gun violence, and the many lives it claims each year, we believed that supporting this campaign would/could/ will save lives.
Durham, N. C. - 'Amy Pittman learned on her first day in jail to bottle up her grief.
As soon as she arrived, guards took her shoelaces so she wouldn't try to hang herself. Cry too much or scream too loud and she feared they would come back and take everything she had left- her clothes, a sheet, a plastic utensil.
But, how could she not? How could anyone not cry out.? Ten weeks before, Pittman was a single mom who worked overnight shifts as a gas station cashier to keep her three kids fed and clothed.
Now alone in a cinderblock cell, she was facing criminal charges for not doing enough to keep her children safe. She pictured her youngest child, Christian, age 9, in his coffin. Blue shirt neatly tucked. Blond hair parted to the side. Cold to the touch. Dead at the hands of his 12 year old brother, who had accidentally shot him in the back.
Children under the age of 12 die from gun accidents in the United States about once a week, on the average. Almost every death begins with the same circumstances: an unsecured and loaded gun.'
Nick Penzenstadler, Ryan J. Foley and Larry Fenn,
USA Today, and The Associated Press.
The problem here is not only the unlocked firearm, but that the same accidental shooting will have entirely different consequences from one state line to another.
Let me first take the opportunity to say that every care-giver must be held accountable if we are ever to stop this senseless loss of life. Let me also say if our children are to ever recover from the many ills plaguing our society, we must all join together.
'Where one man can fracture a society, I truly believe another can help it to heal. One man may have the voice, but spoken alone he/she falls on deaf ears. Now, if you are to add another, and then another you can then create a movement so vital for change, and change WE MUST.
No comments:
Post a Comment