It’s time to put down a few thoughts about the recent Omaha shooting. While I'd like to write a memorable, classic, purging piece, my mind just won't allow it. It's fried right now, an overdose of emotion, a lack of sleep, and new meds. Because my mind's such a mess, I’m going to jump around this topic a bit.
Most of you have probably heard, earlier this week a troubled 19 year old young man started shooting people at a mall department store in Omaha, NE. As is usually the case, when the rampage was over he turned the gun on himself. Nine people were killed, including the shooter. I’ve had a hard time writing, or even thinking about this issue, as it happened almost in my backyard.
First, the mall where this happened, Westroads Mall in Omaha, NE, was MY mall. Built in the late 1960s, at that time was the largest of its kind in the world. As a community we took a lot of pride in that, I grew up a mile from there, and spent countless hours in that mall. I put myself through college working at The Westroads. Over the years it became dated, as older malls do, and they went through several remodels. Newer malls got more attention, and the formerly packed parking lots at Westroads mall were rarely filled. A few years ago when Von Maur came in as an anchor and built their own addition, it was a breath of fresh air to the aging mall. A beautiful store, spacious and open, we were proud to have it at our mall. This really isn’t relevant to the shooting, but it plays a huge part in my emotional ties to the event.
As you would expect, the community is in shock. I’m in shock. The news bombardment has been brutal. Not just local news, in fact national news sources update more quickly than our local newspaper. No matter where we turn, it's there. TV, local radio, national news, blogs, water coolers, churches, support groups. It's overload. If it wasn't for my recent addition of Lithium, and the increased dosage that began last week I might have been in big trouble. Instead I'm absorbing the emotion and still functioning. There's times I'd like to cry, but the ability isn't there. I guess the Lithium is doing it's job. Maybe too well. This isn't to say I'm not affected, my head hasn't been this scattered in years. But at least I'm still functioning, albeit at a reduced level.
The night it happened there was a big concert in the community, headlined by Avril Lavigne. While it wasn’t appropriate to party seven hours after the shootings, the community was on grief overload and had to escape. My daughter had been looking forward to the show for a month, and I wasn’t going to disappoint her. The crowd at the show was wild, and I don’t think Lavigne was prepared for the crowd reaction. She was emotional, breaking down at one point. She was scooting off stage between songs, and it looked like her band was a little confused. At the end, she didn’t even do an encore. I understand she was emotional, but if there was ever a crowd that needed an escape and an outlet, it was that one. While I didn’t communicate this to my daughter about her favorite entertainer, I lost a lot of respect for Avril Lavigne after that show.
Most of you have probably heard, earlier this week a troubled 19 year old young man started shooting people at a mall department store in Omaha, NE. As is usually the case, when the rampage was over he turned the gun on himself. Nine people were killed, including the shooter. I’ve had a hard time writing, or even thinking about this issue, as it happened almost in my backyard.
First, the mall where this happened, Westroads Mall in Omaha, NE, was MY mall. Built in the late 1960s, at that time was the largest of its kind in the world. As a community we took a lot of pride in that, I grew up a mile from there, and spent countless hours in that mall. I put myself through college working at The Westroads. Over the years it became dated, as older malls do, and they went through several remodels. Newer malls got more attention, and the formerly packed parking lots at Westroads mall were rarely filled. A few years ago when Von Maur came in as an anchor and built their own addition, it was a breath of fresh air to the aging mall. A beautiful store, spacious and open, we were proud to have it at our mall. This really isn’t relevant to the shooting, but it plays a huge part in my emotional ties to the event.
As you would expect, the community is in shock. I’m in shock. The news bombardment has been brutal. Not just local news, in fact national news sources update more quickly than our local newspaper. No matter where we turn, it's there. TV, local radio, national news, blogs, water coolers, churches, support groups. It's overload. If it wasn't for my recent addition of Lithium, and the increased dosage that began last week I might have been in big trouble. Instead I'm absorbing the emotion and still functioning. There's times I'd like to cry, but the ability isn't there. I guess the Lithium is doing it's job. Maybe too well. This isn't to say I'm not affected, my head hasn't been this scattered in years. But at least I'm still functioning, albeit at a reduced level.
The night it happened there was a big concert in the community, headlined by Avril Lavigne. While it wasn’t appropriate to party seven hours after the shootings, the community was on grief overload and had to escape. My daughter had been looking forward to the show for a month, and I wasn’t going to disappoint her. The crowd at the show was wild, and I don’t think Lavigne was prepared for the crowd reaction. She was emotional, breaking down at one point. She was scooting off stage between songs, and it looked like her band was a little confused. At the end, she didn’t even do an encore. I understand she was emotional, but if there was ever a crowd that needed an escape and an outlet, it was that one. While I didn’t communicate this to my daughter about her favorite entertainer, I lost a lot of respect for Avril Lavigne after that show.
connie - Thanks for your comment. You're right, we need more mental health support. It sounds like several people stepped in and tried to help this boy, who knows why he snapped the way he did, or what would have made a difference in the outcome of his life.
Thanks for your concern, I'm hoping to be able to get some sleep this weekend.