Lewistown is the 2nd largest city, in Maine. I never knew that, until today.
68) So many towns and cities across America have had mass-shootings. It's still not normal.
A colleague at work today, who is from the Caribbean, told me that once she retires she’s not sure how much longer she can live in America full time, given how little attention the Maine massacre has been given.
I’m not sure how to explain how this is still not normal despite, the AP US NEWS chronicling - A list of mass killings in the United States since January.
The list is long.
One of my most widely read stories was about a 1999 Columbine High School student, who eventually died twenty years later, as an indirect result of that massacre.
I came across Austin Eubanks' life-story exactly three years ago, and it inspired me to write. Much like Austin, I too was a 17 year old junior in high school in 1999. I thought it was really important to commemorate his life as well as pay my respects for the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School Massacre. Well, life got busy and I completely forgot about this draft after having only written little more than an outline of this piece.
Now it is 23 years later, instead of 20. And sadly this piece that was in my draft files for over three years is still just as relevant and current today as it was 3 years ago, 2 years ago, or even 1 year ago. In fact I thought that just one month after Austin Eubanks’ death, this piece would no longer be relevant to write about.
Clearly that was really naïve of me. That or just plain laziness on my part.
Columbine and its aftermath: "23 years later"
·Austin Eubanks (October 7, 1981 - May 19, 2019) died exactly three year ago to the day, in his home in Steamboat Colorado, presumably due to a drug-overdose. He was a graduate of Columbine High School, (Class of 2000), and is survived by his two children.
Here we are now, nearly 25 years later. And the AP US News has kept an extensive database record of ^“mass shootings*”^ since 2006.
Mass killing database: Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006
The death count from ^“mass shooters”^ since 2006 is now at 2,967.
The September 11, 2001 death count at *Ground Zero was 2,977
*What happened on the morning of September 11, 2001?
I don’t mean to write this stuff to depress people. Or to even depress myself. Nor am I writing asking for a kumbaya moment. I just think it’s important that we keep the memories of those that were lost, alive.
Peace out!
-JPJ
And to ask ourselves why this is still happening - 24 years later with more powerful weapons..
I’m an hour away from Lewiston and everything about this feels wrong.