Another shooting

[TechWife]

UNC Charlotte 

2 Dead 4 injured

Suspect in custody, believed to have acted alone.

They are still searching  & clearing campus buildings. 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/30/us/university-of-north-carolina-charlotte-shooting/index.html

[DawnM]

I have been watching it for a couple of hours now.

Our school counseling intern was on campus and interviewed.  She has been with us this year.

 

So many friends' kids there this year.

 

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by DawnM

[Caroline]

My best childhood friend (my first friend ever) teaches in their early college program there. She had already left. So scary. I just don’t know what to think anymore. 

[Chris in VA]

Oh no. 

I lived through the VA Tech shootings. I just get such a horrible fearful feeling when a campus shooting occurs. I hope they have good counselors in place. 

[umsami]

My cousin works in admissions there and has been on lockdown.  From what my Aunt tells me, she was still on lockdown in her office at 8 p.m., even though I thought the suspect had been caught?

[DawnM]

4 minutes ago, umsami said:

My cousin works in admissions there and has been on lockdown.  From what my Aunt tells me, she was still on lockdown in her office at 8 p.m., even though I thought the suspect had been caught?

 

For quite a while they thought there was a 2nd shooter.

[TechWife]

6 minutes ago, umsami said:

My cousin works in admissions there and has been on lockdown.  From what my Aunt tells me, she was still on lockdown in her office at 8 p.m., even though I thought the suspect had been caught?

Police are clearing the buildings individually & as they are cleared the people in them are allowed to leave to go to a specific family reunion area. They are saying it will take several hours. I think they are being very cautious, which is good for safety, hard for those waiting. 

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/breaking-shots-reported-near-kennedy-building-at-uncc/944969501

[Chris in VA]

3 minutes ago, TechWife said:

Police are clearing the buildings individually & as they are cleared the people in them are allowed to leave to go to a specific family reunion area. They are saying it will take several hours. I think they are being very cautious, which is good for safety, hard for those waiting. 

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/breaking-shots-reported-near-kennedy-building-at-uncc/944969501

Oh I would be a mess, waiting. It's hard to be so far away from dd as it is--I pray there is never violence of this sort at her campus! (Well duh, but I mean, it's just hard to be over here and not able to rush over to her should something happen, God forbid.)

 

[Valley Girl]

3 hours ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

It says so much that a school shooting of kids could receive a mere handful of comments on a board full of parents. To quote a wise guy, the next slogan should be “It’s time to make the unthinkable unthinkable again.”

Or perhaps they've reached a point where they believe that posting on a message board about it is as useful as the "thoughts and prayers" so many disparage as a response.

[Lady Florida.]

It was terrifying for a friend of mine whose son goes to school there. She said it was a weird feeling. It didn't feel real until she got the text from the school. 

3 hours ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

It says so much that a school shooting of kids could receive a mere handful of comments on a board full of parents. To quote a wise guy, the next slogan should be “It’s time to make the unthinkable unthinkable again.”

I heard about it from my friend above just before I went to bed last night and came here to see if there was a thread about it. I was surprised there wasn't (yet). And yes, I could have started one myself but since I was going to bed I didn't want to start a thread and then just leave. This morning I was surprised it wasn't a bigger thread. 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Lady Florida.

[DawnM]

Oh dear Lord.  One of the victims who died is the son of one our School Psychologists.  I am sick.

[Kassia]

@Indigo Blue I have a son who was in the room where a school shooting occurred.  He called us as soon as it was over to let us know he was safe before we saw it on the news.  It was (and still is) a surreal feeling to watch it all unfold knowing your own child is safe but hurting so much for the victims and their families. 

@DawnM I am so very sorry.  

[Lady Florida.]

Oh @DawnM I'm so sorry. This kind of thing always happens to other people. Until it doesn't. 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Lady Florida.

[TCB]

So sorry to hear about this. I hate to think of the fear and sorrow experienced by those students, staff and families! So sorry for those of you who are so directly affected!

[Pen]

6 hours ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

It says so much that a school shooting of kids could receive a mere handful of comments on a board full of parents. To quote a wise guy, the next slogan should be “It’s time to make the unthinkable unthinkable again.”

 

Are you talking about on here?

 I think reporting and other media attention should diminish.  That all the attention is part of what is driving the behavior.

I have read the thread and appreciated seeing the basic heads up since I have relatives in NC and this thread was first I knew about this.

I was deliberately not posting, not talking about it at grocery store

I had an NC relative on phone about it for an hour 

I don’t believe that a long thread here would contribute an iota toward ending such violence.

If you want to start a separate thread on teaching children non violence, I might participate.

[DawnM]

1 minute ago, Indigo Blue said:

Dawn, I guess you've heard about one of the students who apparently charged the gunman and stopped short the attack. He is one of the two who lost his life. I tell you, I'm just watching this and crying right now. There was no where to run or hide so he charged at him and disarmed him.

 

Yeah, I haven't had time to look at the news.  I wanted to find out which he was (not that it matters~ . they both lost their lives.)

[umsami]

One of the students killed was a hero and tackled the gunman.

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/01/719222196/unc-charlotte-shooting-victim-is-honored-as-a-hero-for-tackling-shooter?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20190501&fbclid=IwAR0qJ9b4RhhtfPWlngN829Pf23ZFBePFcRHaiZHJmN60cciu22KY0iFsmh8

 

"

Riley Howell, 21, who was killed in the shooting, "took the suspect off his feet," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney in a news conference. "Absolutely, Mr. Howell saved lives."

Howell "did exactly what we train people to do—you're either going to run, you're going to hide and shield, or you're going to take the fight to the assailant. Having no place to run and hide, he did the last," said Putney.

"But for his work the assailant may not have been disarmed. Unfortunately, he gave his life in the process. But his sacrifice saved lives," added the chief."

[DawnM]

Reed, the other student, was a student in our district, and his mother works in our district.  

[DawnM]

8 hours ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

It’s become too commonplace. It’s not that people don’t talk about it for fear of copycats, it’s that we’re becoming desensitized. I have no desire to start a thread on non violence, I know a long thread wouldn’t contribute an iota toward ending violence . I also know adding more guns won’t either. 

 

 

 

EVERY time I say anything about this particular shooting the response I get is, "It happens almost every day now" NOT, "This is so horrible.  I can't believe it!"

It kind of diminishes all of it, like, "Oh, it happened at your school, oh well, just another school to get shot up."  And it shows how desensitized we have become.

We are so short staffed of mental health professionals at the K-12 level and at the college level.  It is one of the reasons I marched in Raleigh.  It was our #1 request.  More mental health professionals.

I am a school counselor.  500 students.  And it was a lot even 20 years ago, before there were the numbers of mental health issues that are exponentially worse than even 20 years ago.

Edited May 2, 2019 by DawnM

[Kassia]

27 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

 

We are so short staffed of mental health professionals at the K-12 level and at the college level.  It is one of the reasons I marched in Raleigh.  It was our #1 request.  More mental health professionals.

 

 

I agree.  Counselors are stretched way too thin and this is hurting our students in many ways. 

[Pen]

10 hours ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

It’s become too commonplace. It’s not that people don’t talk about it for fear of copycats, it’s that we’re becoming desensitized. I have no desire to start a thread on non violence, I know a long thread wouldn’t contribute an iota toward ending violence . I also know adding more guns won’t either. 

 

 

 

I don’t feel desensitized.  

I feel overstressed.  PTSD triggered.  

At _______ the other day I was afraid there was about to be an active shooter. I removed place reference for fear of giving someone who might read this an idea for a new place to shoot up. Another stress. 

 

It might be more helpful to go on forums where young violent people congregate and post calming voice of reason threads.  

 

[Bootsie]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

 

I am a school counselor.  500 students.  And it was a lot even 20 years ago, before there were the numbers of mental health issues that are exponentially worse than even 20 years ago.

Is there any explanation of why the number of mental health issues are exponentially worse?  

I went to school in the 1970s.  We did not have a school counselor in elementary school.  We had a principal for about 600 students.  By the time I was in middle school we moved to a school that had K-9 at the same school with close to 1500 students on campus; there was a principal and an assistant principal (who handled mostly the elementary portion of the school).  There was a district nurse who served all of the schools in a 50 mile radius--thousands of students which included at least 10 high schools.  By eighth grade we got a part-time counselor who was shared with 2 other schools.  

By the time my kids were in school, there was a full time nurse and several counselors for a 600 student elementary school.  

[DawnM]

46 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

Is there any explanation of why the number of mental health issues are exponentially worse?  

I went to school in the 1970s.  We did not have a school counselor in elementary school.  We had a principal for about 600 students.  By the time I was in middle school we moved to a school that had K-9 at the same school with close to 1500 students on campus; there was a principal and an assistant principal (who handled mostly the elementary portion of the school).  There was a district nurse who served all of the schools in a 50 mile radius--thousands of students which included at least 10 high schools.  By eighth grade we got a part-time counselor who was shared with 2 other schools.  

By the time my kids were in school, there was a full time nurse and several counselors for a 600 student elementary school.  

 

ARGH!  I had a longer response typed out and I hit the wrong button.  

So many reasons and so many theories.  I don't think we have definitive answers necessarily.

But here are a few ideas:

Social anxiety, social media, fear of almost everything, mass media exposure to fears, school pressures, performance pressures in academics, breakdown of family supports, and on and on.

[Bootsie]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

 

ARGH!  I had a longer response typed out and I hit the wrong button.  

So many reasons and so many theories.  I don't think we have definitive answers necessarily.

But here are a few ideas:

Social anxiety, social media, fear of almost everything, mass media exposure to fears, school pressures, performance pressures in academics, breakdown of family supports, and on and on.

I wonder how helpful more counselors to treat the children suffering from these issues is and if there is a way to better address the issues themselves as a society.  Is there any comparison to what is happening in countries besides the US?  Looking at the hypotheses of what is leading to increased mental health concerns in children in the US would apply to most children worldwide.  Are the mental health issues in children increasing globally? 

[DawnM]

3 hours ago, Bootsie said:

I wonder how helpful more counselors to treat the children suffering from these issues is and if there is a way to better address the issues themselves as a society.  Is there any comparison to what is happening in countries besides the US?  Looking at the hypotheses of what is leading to increased mental health concerns in children in the US would apply to most children worldwide.  Are the mental health issues in children increasing globally? 

 

I don't have any statistics and don't have time to look stuff up right now.  I can tell you that other countries are dealing with more issues overall, and my friend, a psychologist, has been helping a program starting in China.   But they haven't really had it as much before, so a lot of diagnosing special needs, learning disabilities, etc.....is fairly new.

Of course there are ways we can better deal with this as a society, but will we?  That is the question.  A lot starts at home, and if home isn't a place of safety, support, and/or a place to teach residency,  we have a lot of problems.

But that is a simplified portion of what is going on.

Edited May 2, 2019 by DawnM

[TechWife]

The instructor in the class at UNC-C, an anthropologist, has written this blog post about the experience. It is well worth the time to read for his reflections on causes. Please respect his request for appropriate citation if you choose to cite him.

https://anthropology365.com/2019/05/02/the-story-of-a-mass-shooting-survivor-and-anthropologist/

[Catwoman]

On 5/1/2019 at 10:19 AM, DawnM said:

Oh dear Lord.  One of the victims who died is the son of one our School Psychologists.  I am sick.

 

Dawn, I just saw this. I’m so sorry. 😞

[TechWife]

I think the citation request isn’t about being taken out of context, but about academic integrity - giving credit where credit is due. Plagiarism continues to be a concern in academia. I could see him possibly developing his ideas and reflections through further research and academic writing. In any case, he certainly doesn’t want or need anyone trying to pass off his writing as their own.