1 post tagged “omaha mall shootings”

I walking through the library today a bit after 3PM. I call the library the laptop and coffee shack because I think that's why many students go there is because of the laptop availability and there's easy accessibility to snacks. Anyways, students were looking up from their laptops and their phones talking to one another. Normally students are fairly silent this time of year, studying or writing papers. There was a high pitched hum of conversation. Then there were people at the check out desk asking to have the large television by the coffee shop turned to Omaha television stations. As the desk clerk desperately tried to find the Omaha Stations she flipped by CNN and there was an exterior shot of the WestRoads Mall.  At that time they were reporting that there was one wounded person but that there might be more wounded or dead as more information was made available. They said they were taking the video from KETV in Omaha which is owned by Hearst-Argyle. The Omaha World Herald website was down for most the afternoon and I couldn't get on it.

One of my first thoughts was of someone I know that works at a store in the mall. I was hoping they weren't at work today. I found out they weren't because of their Facebook status. I was thinking about how dependent we are on technology for our interpersonal relationships as well as informational needs.

My second thought was that the Omaha media was working overtime today because Bush had been at an event earlier in the day at the OneWorld Community Health Centers a clinic located in South Omaha. The purpose of the visit was to highlight how centers like this were vital to providing health care for the uninsured. The story was buried and Bush got no love because of what happened at  the WestRoads Mall.

My third thought was I always went shopping there when I dated Rudy. It was  five minutes away from that mall. I liked that mall because it had an Old Navy and a Torrid. I had spent a great deal of time in there involved in retail therapy.

 I kept walking through campus because I had more errands to run. As I walked I heard snippets of conversation "It's on the front news page of Yahoo!". "My little sister isn't answering her phone and she works at Old Navy" "What the hell?"

When I got home I tried the OWH page and got nothing. I turned on the TV to find that all three of the Omaha stations were live. There was all sorts of speculation going on about the alleged shooter. There were interviews with people who were obviously terrified. The stations had reporters stationed outside of the home where the alleged shooter had been staying. Another station had a 'friend' of the alleged shooter on the phone who described the alleged shooter as a quiet nice person who might have been a bit suicidal and had some family issues because they didn't live with their family.

 One station even had the woman Debora who took the alleged shooter into her home because he was having 'issues' she looked upset. She detailed that he had been fired from his job at McDonald's earlier in the day and that she had spoken to him about that. She had told him to come home and talk it over with her. She told him they could work it out. He was despondent on the phone and told he was sorry for being such a burden.

The Omaha Media Watch Blog had a comprehensive critique of all of the Omaha station's coverage. When the OWH finally came back up the last line of this story upset me. I hope that the link to the original story is still good because the last line of the story mentions this has been the deadliest day in Nebraska's history since the day of Charles Starkweather. I realize that Charles Starkweather is part of  Nebraska culture but he didn't take an assault rifle into a mall around Christmas time. That crime although it changed the way many people looked at Nebraska doesn't have much in common with this one other than the teenaged angst behind it. Starkweather killed several people in their homes over a period of time. The state was in terror while he was out there.

There was no mention of the USBank robbery that occurred in Norfolk in 2002. That tragedy had five victims and had more in common because the crime was committed in a public retail space but that's about it. I think that comparing these crimes is pointless because they have nothing to do with one another. It also shows the media in general is so quick to compare.

There was also no mention of the other mall shootings that have occurred this year in Salt Lake City (five dead in February),  Kansas City (three dead in April) and I believe that there a recent one in Texas.

Anderson Cooper of CNN has been using clichés and telling folks 'Bloodshed at the Mall...a place that's impossible to secure but a place that all Americans will go" Their graphic reads "Terror at the Mall". CNN did have a reporter in Omaha covering President Bush's visit so they were able to get the satellite coverage going fairly quickly. CNN also had cell phone pictures and video of people being evacuated from their "I-Reporters".

There was some discussion of this incident on the Omaha! forums but not as many comments as the recent Bo Pelini hiring.

I wonder what the heck happened that we are consistently dealing with the carnage of unhappy teenage boys who have access to weapons? How many more of them are out there feeling this way? How many more of them will act out their violent fantasies? Is there some way we can, as a society help them? Is there something we can do for all of these unloved, troubled people? Obviously anti depressants aren't working. I think about this as the mother of a teenager. I think about this because I live and interact with a community of 18-24 year olds. I wonder what signs am I supposed to read? When do I take people to the counseling center? How do I handle a student who seems depressed or upset. I have thought about these things quite a bit since the Virgina Tech shootings. I went to a webinar about what to look for and how to handle it.  I'm still not sure what my personal responsibility should be as a classroom instructor. I am fortunate enough to know my students well but I am still frightened by the power an upset young person can wield over society.

This is such a shame because Nebraska is supposed to be a safe place to live. I am not sure I have any deep thoughts about it. I also think why the hell do they still let people buy assault rifles? All I can do is prayer for the families and hope that everyone I know is safe.