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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Youngstown's Shooting Response

As you may have heard on your news channels Sunday and Monday last week there was a shooting off campus at an unsanctioned frat house in the early morning hours of 2/6/2011. Many students were wounded, one was critical, and another was killed. His name was Jamail Johnson and he was a business major here at YSU with one semester left to graduation.

For the last week I was trying to formulate my thoughts on this event to write in my blog. But all my words couldn't cover all that I was feeling. I've felt a lot of loss in m life and most of the time I just automatically turn to indifference. As I let myself drift into indifference I found that I could not.

Jamail was 25, very close to my age, probably desiring graduation as much as I do right now. Perhaps feeling similar about school. I know I've signed him into Lyden a few times before. He seemed like he was a happy guy, a nice guy, someone I'd be grateful to be friends with.

This past week, and the events inside of it, has made me become overly introspective about my own life. I keep finding myself zoning out and feeling lost in regard to my own direction.

Whenever I hear of a death of a stranger it makes me feel like I've some how missed out on that person. Especially a needless death caused by someone else. Not knowing Jamail is very sad to me. Even if I only knew him as a passerby, as someone I waved to when I saw them, at least I would know them.

Another thing that bothers me: A lot of news stories say this was a school shooting, that it happened in a class, they are wrong.

It was at a private house, with drunk students, and two people showed up with guns. There was a fight. This is what happens everywhere. Youngstown is not to blame for what happened. Youngstown has little to no crime compared to some 'good' university cities like Ohio State and Yale.

1 comment:

  1. ppl r stupid :(

    i'm glad you don't feel indifference.
    it's a good thing.

    ReplyDelete

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