"But the reality is, as horrible as what happened, it could have been worse. The reason it was not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do. They showed amazing courage by running toward gunfire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives. And it is a fact that because of their quick response getting on the scene, being able to respond to the gunman, and eliminate the gunman, they were able to save lives..."
I need to take a moment to gather my thoughts for this.
Really? REALLY? First of all, telling grieving families that things could have been worse has to be the most insensitive fucking thing I can think of. You had children covering themselves in the blood of friends so they could pretend to be dead, so they wouldn't get shot. You had children calling 911, hopelessly begging for them to send police, to send help. You had teachers die trying to save their students. You had a child get shot after police said to yell for help. You had parents pepper sprayed, tazered, cuffed, begging for the police to go in and save their families. A man had a heart attack after learning his wife was shot dead. These are 21 lives cut short. These are families, students, teachers, friends, a whole community with wounds that will never heal.
Meanwhile police were standing outside for an hour, while parents begged and screamed and cried for them to go inside. They could've been shot? They were armed, they had the vests, and if an unarmed, unprotected mother can run in to save her kids then law enforcement can do so much more. They stood outside while children were being slaughtered like animals, while they were smearing friends' blood on themselves to play dead, while they repeatedly called 911 for help.
This could have been worse? How? How can you know that 21 lives are lost, 19 of them children, and have the helium-filled balls to say it could have been worse? Law enforcement did nothing. They had no courage. They were cowards at best. They didn't run towards gunfire. They dragged their feet. They didn't go in there to save lives. They stood idly by while lives were lost.
And for only 2 minutes and 30 seconds of an 11 minute speech to be dedicated to this incident, while the rest is about praising law enforcement for their "amazing courage" and "quick response" to it, and about everything they've done and will do, is absolutely insanity.
Nobody should have to go through this. How many now are wondering when they'll be next? How many children are wondering when a shooter will walk through the doors? How many parents fear that when they send their kids to school, their kids might not make it back? How many teachers have to brace themselves everyday for the possibility that they may die trying to save their students?
Layla Salazar, 11
Nevaeh Bravo, 10
Jose Manuel Flores Jr., 10
Xavier Lopez, 10
Tess Marie Mata, 10
Rojelio Torres, 10
Eliahna “Ellie” Amyah Garcia, 9
Eliahna A. Torres, 10
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10
Jackie Cazares, 9
Uziyah Garcia, 10
Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10
Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10
Irma Garcia, 48
Eva Mireles, 44
Maranda Mathis, 11
Makenna Lee Elrod, 10
Amerie Jo Garza, 10
Alexandria “Lexi” Aniyah Rubio, 10
Alithia Ramirez, 10
But it could have been worse, right?