Sat, Nov 21, 2009
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Name:
shakaz0117
Comment: So sad. My sympathies to the families of the victims.
The Lord is on His way back!!
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Name:
ChocolateBrownGal
Comment: Tragedy. The magnitude of this incident goes far beyond race and ethnicity. I am saddened that any institution of learning would have to experience this. My prayers and thoughts are with every family, friend, & classmate in this community. I'm thankful everyday. We all should be thankful and grateful everyday.
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Name:
barnone
Comment: death, particularly that which ends so violently is always tragic. but as we focus on this tragedy it is imperative that we realize this is a sign of the times we are currently living in and overstand what creates these kinds of tragedies so that we can collectively work to create a world wherein this doesn't exist.
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Name:
NJBLKGUY
Comment: My condolensces to the families of the victims..
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Name:
sultry
Comment: this is so sos sad and my heart goes out to all of the families that lost loved ones to this person who took the lives of all these innocent people. i am still puzzled as to how do they know that it was only one lone gunman. this is so frightening to me. may God have mercy on whoever did it or had a hand in this soul. this was just not right. you should not take something that you cannot give back. Be safe today people and always keep your eyes open.
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Name:
fuzzygoss
Comment: AA-Advisor = Casualty of war>>>Kung Fu obviously new who he was looking for when he went to that classroom and lost his darn mind!>>>It's unfortunate, but it happens.>>>We don't talk about that pregnant woman gunned down in CNN/Hotel anymore>>>This was Columbine and CNN event two-fold.>>>People are sick and fearless.>>>This killing will only inspire other wackos to go ballistic "pun intended". >>>This is not a time to tell the President to step down. It's utter chaos. >>>Investigate and move forward after the funerals>>>IMO
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Name:
Teigh
Comment: The most profound comment that I have heard about the nature of this tragedy is that we are the only nation in the world where these kinds of things take place....
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Name:
Platinum
Comment: My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families.
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Name:
barnone
Comment: TEIGH> my point exactly, which is why i wrote what i did. why do these kinds of things happen in amerikkka? it's no coincidence. but amerikkka isn't ready to have this kind of honest discourse.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: Such a senseless event, and the coward took his own life which made me angry. This also happened in Russia a few years ago, some men took over a school and killed some children. But regardless, events like this have been on the news too much for me.
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Name:
StormyMonday
Comment: Student from suburban Augusta among first killed at Virginia Tech
Ryan Clark, 22, of Martinez, was a resident advisor and evidently rushed to see what was happening
By SAEED AHMED
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/17/07
A student from suburban Augusta was one of the first two people killed Monday in the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, authorities said.
Ryan Clark, 22, of Martinez in Columbia County, was a resident advisor at West Ambler Johnston dorm, where the first shooting was reported about 7:15 a.m.
Clark apparently rushed over to see what was going on when he came upon the gunman, a student who lives on the fourth floor of the dormitory told the New York Times.
Clark's family learned of his death from the Columbia County coroner. The coroner, Vernon Collins, said campus police informed him Monday afternoon that Clark was in the dorm when he was killed, but Collins didn't know how he died.
"I don't think she [the officer from the police department] knew much more about the injury or where in the dorm he was shot," Collins said. "I think she was trying to get as many police agencies and coroners notified so we in turn could let family members know."
Clark, who had been at the school since 2002, had completed his coursework and was set to walk across the graduation stage in May with bachelor's degrees in biology and English, his twin brother said Monday night.
He intended to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology with a focus in cognitive neuroscience.
He had been a resident advisor at the coed dormitory for two years, his brother, Bryan, said.
Known as 'Stack' around campus, Clark was also a member of the school marching band, the Marching Virginians, that performed at the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta last December.
The band's page on the college Web site has a picture of Clark participating in a food drive. "Stack enjoys making t-shirts ... and haggling with street vendors," his bio on the page said.
Collins, the coroner, said the student's mother, Letitie Clark, was "emotionally destroyed" by the news.
Clark's brother, Bryan, said his family's grief is compounded by what little information has yet surfaced about the deaths.
"Everything else we know at this point, we are learning from the news reports," he said.
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Name:
TGen
Comment: Yesterday was a strange one. Did anyone notice it was SNOWING in Virginia? There were floods throughout the country and down here in Georgia, the winds were VIOLENT, cars were swaying to and fro. I'm inclined to believe all this coupled with the WORST mass shooting in AMERICAN HISTORY is not a coincidence. Hmmm. But whatever the spiritual machinations were, my heart goes out to that community. Just wow.
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Name:
khufu
Comment: yesterday I made a comment "Chickens coming home to roost" about this shooting and some questioned why I said it: let me explain. In spite of what many believe or dis-believe, we as individuals and collectively are governed by spiritual laws/principles and one of those is the law of karma; reaping and sowing' "what goes around comes around"......the chicken coming home to roost.....This country and white folks in particular has a long history and tradition of committing "senseless" violence against other peoples around the world and here in this country.......well, it seems to be reckoning time....this is scriptural...while I of course feel for the innocent victims, I did not write the Biblical scripture that says: "The sins of the fathers shall visit the children." See, even today, in Iraq America is raginf violence against innocent people....you, if you are Black and a descendant of an African slave, are a product of the senseless violence committed by America, Europeans, YT...so....will this kind of senseless violence increase? Yep........until YT and America repents, stops and offer up some apologies to folks and try to repair some of the damage their foreparents did to Africans, Native AMericans, Asians, everybody in the freaking world has suffered at the hands of Yt throughout history.......seems the Bible ad other books are true...
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Name:
khufu
Comment: yesterday was Emancipation Day.....did you know that? Virginia is celebrating the 4oo year history of JAmestown...The Governor ov VA was in Asia yestersday......interesting.
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Name:
TGen
Comment: Just one more note, I'm reading now that questions are being raised about the response of university officials and campus police. I saw this coming a mile away and even said yesterday, "somebody's head is going to roll on this one." How these people can know they had not just a shooting, but a HOMICIDE, early in the morning and let classes continue as usual is striking and says a lot about how desensitized this nation has come to MURDER. So sad. If I were the police chief who looked oh so out to lunch in those press conferences yesterday, I'd be looking for another job. Same for the university president...
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Name:
barnone
Comment: KHUFU> talk on it! i felt ya yesterday and i feel ya today. it really baffles me how so many don't realize/understand the divine univeral law of relativity, cause and effect, karma...whatever you wish to call it. what you put out in the universe will eventually come back to visit you (you used broadly speaking)....maybe not directly you per se, but your seed. did not the kennedy children suffer for the sins of their father?
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Name:
PRDC
Comment: A sign of the times. What a sad thing to happen, but people just loo around you, its there. You have to learn and know how to treat people these days. Some just can't take alot. Our days are numbered and no one knows when that time will come. When I read about things like this happening, I always remember when Rev. Farrakkan gave a speak at the National Press Club in Washington, back in 2003 (I think), he spoke of a leeter he wrote to Bush and his administration about starting a war in Iraq and killing innocent people with bombs and everything. He stated that America is in for a rude awakening and its seem that we are experiencing it now. The letter was written 10/2001..go to the Final Call website and read this letter, he will scare the hell out of you. But to see tha what he wrote four to five years ago is coming to pass.
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Name:
TAZBABY
Comment: My Prayers for everyone impacted by this horrible incident. Its so incredibly sad.
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Name:
Dovelyone
Comment: Here's an example of where blood and death supercedes race. Bullets are color-blind. Bullets do the SAME damage to a person regardless of race. Of course prayers of comfort and peace are extended to all impacted by these tragic events.
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Name:
missgee
Comment: Regardness of the ethnicity of the victims this should never have happened,and if the security staff would have done their job after the first two people were killed there may not have been anymore unnecessary killings.
My Sympathies to the victims families.
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Name:
HarrisThomas
Comment: My heart aches and my soul weeps . . . I maintain that a total, national daily report of gun homocides could lead to changes in gun access. With regard to war, think tanks, U.S. Congress, military industry, and the president collude to take us to war. This group uses cost benefit analysis to determine the profitability of wary. War generates wealth for those who actively engage in it. The guns that the military industry constantly improve on for killing become commercialized and available to people who tout our constitutional right to bear arms. Since when do citizens need armor piercing bullets? to go hunting or protect their property? We may be under God's grace but our weaponry is outstripping our abilities to accept God's Grace and be humane.
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: It is true that America has committed atrocities all over the world and continues to do so. It is also true that you reap what you sow.
Evenso, my heart goes out to the youngsters who were lost in such early stages of their lives and in such a brutal way. It must be horrifying to love, nuture and raise a child up, see them doing well and know that someone had so little consideration for them that they would just point a gun and shoot - not caring that they were destroying a life and family in the process.
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Name:
ChocolateBrownGal
Comment: HarrisThomas...Excellent post. How many more of these incidents on our streets, homes, schools, malls, or any other public venue will it take for the gov't to take action and recognize that the freedom to bear arms is not a liberty worth defending/supporting.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: It is a travesty. I don't understand why the campus wasn't closed until the shooter was found. At the time the first shooting occurred, the majority of students were not yet on campus. How hard is it to put up road blocks and alert the media to announce that the school was closed until further notice. These fools sent out an email 2 HOURS after the first shooting!!! WTF?! First of all, I'm assuming that most students don't have blackberries or other PDA devices where they can get their emails outside of checking it on a computer, so that is just STUPID!!! Heads need to roll on this one if any student that was killed could have avoided being there if properly notified.
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Name:
GHank
Comment: Maybe....just maybe this is the thing that will make Americans serious about gun control. It's a shame that 32 students (mostly white) had to die before media pays attention whereas young black people die in the city streets everyday by gun violence and never gets any real attention.
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Name:
GHank
Comment: They just said that the shooter was identified. His name is Cho Seung Hui from S. Korea. Being that I was stationed over in S. Korea, it's starting to make a little sense. South Koreans are some high achieving mofo's. I heard he had broke up with his girlfriend, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got a C on one of his tests instead of an A or something like that and went off. And believe me, I am not making this up.
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Name:
sigmascribe
Comment: Teigh}This is not the only country these kind of things happen in. This country just has the coverage. Many other countries have things happen but their news is not allowed to cross the waters or even to be covered some times.
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Name:
Snicker
Comment: --->khufu you've made some good points! this is a horrible and senseless act but it's hardly the most horrific thing in american history, it's only the worst in american history when it comes back on white people.
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Name:
ricki
Comment: Can someone please tell me how the campus could have been shut down?? We're not talking about a high school i.e. Columbine. We're talking about a small town. The classroom buildings and dorms are situated on both sides of the campus. Even if there barricades put up around the campus to prevent people from getting in, what about the thousands of students who were already there? They locked down the dorm where the first 2 shootings occurred. If the shooter was already out of the building and realized police were already involved, who's to say he wouln't have shot people out in the open, or gone to another building? The first 2 shootings occured at 7:15 am. By the time police were alerted and found witnesses to get an account of what happened, it was 8 am, classes were already starting, and students were already walking about or probably eating breakfast in the cafeteria. I am thinking the University of Cincinnati where I went to school and the makeup of the campus. There's NO WAY everyone could be alerted in 30 minutes. And there was no email in the late 80s. I'm trying to be empathetic to the President and Chief of police, because for to say what they SHOULD have done, but we are not in their shoes. They will live the rest of their lives wondering what they could have done differently, and that's gut-renching enough. By the way, Diane Sawyer interviewed the President on GMA this morning, and he said he isn't stepping down. She also interviewed the twin brother and sister of the AA male that killed in the first shooting. She almost broke down afterwards.
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Name:
dcdouglass01
Comment: Years ago of course, we used to think only white folk were crazy like that. Then a couple of Black fools joined the group of crazies (remember the D.C. killers, the young man and his father figure). Now Asians can claim one of their own on the list. As far as shutting the school down, not possible because a college campus such as VA Tech is too sprawling. But if I were a student there, I would have appreciated an annoucement that a killer was on the loose. Then I could have made an individual or, if in a class, a group decision (secure the doors?) on what to do next. As it stands now, the president of the school and the primary security official will lose their jobs over this.
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Name:
Stephanie
Comment: This is truly, truly sad and my deepest sympathy to the families of everyone at VA Tech. Can you even imagine if you knew someone or had a child that was a student there? I wonder if the gunman felt some type of racial discrimination or something to make him snap? Its the strangest thing but suicide among Asians is very high. A lot of Asians don't cope with stress too well..so so sad...
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Name:
queeniebunz
Comment: >ricki - I'm with you on this one. I went to Univ of Md and the campus is huge. There is no way to shut it down that fast. How can they be expected to know that a nut would run around and shoot 50+ people? How can they be blamed for that? The Univ of Md has like 6+ entrances and many many roads. I am sure they could have shut them all down but then what about the folks already on campus? And, what about the fact that this dude walked past people in between the shootings and he didn't have a sign on that said "I just shot some people"? I think this is one of those things you just cannot really plan for, short of frisking everyone who comes on campus at every entrance. And that would include the walking entrances too because this dude lived on campus. What are you going to do - have metal detectors everywhere? The president should not have to step down. This is not his fault. This is the fault of a very disturbed young man and the laws that allowed him to buy these guns.
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: We don't hear anything about the young sister who was shot dead in front of crowds in the CNN Center a few weeks ago. Once the media disclosed that her ex had an extensive criminal record and had been practically living with her in her family's home, that was the end of that.
Another sister was shot and killed in Brooklyn by an ex who wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Like the aformentioned, this came on the heels of repeated phone calls, drop bys and so on. I say when there is a hint of this type of instability early on, think with your head (not your heart) and run.
Recent reports indicate that Cho killed his former girlfriend and a Resident Assistant who came to assist her before going on the rampage. Her crime: leaving him for another man.
Now, what did the other victims have to do with that? And people say this guy was crazy? I don't think so. He purposely obtained chains to lock the exits to some of the builings and had a lot of ammo. He was evil and had a clear intent to kill.
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: While we're on the subject of suicide, the numbers are increasing for young black males as well.
What has changed so much? They haven't to deal with the slavery, the reconstruction period, the Vietnam War, etc. Yet, they can't cope?
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Name:
nycGYRL888
Comment: My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the family & friends of the victims. This is such a sad and heartwrenching story. When one sends their child off to school this is the kind of madness that one least expects to happen. The world is a big scary place and just as this occured at VT, the same nonsense can occur anywhere (at school, at work, on the way to work, in the grocery store, at the gas stations...anywhere). This goes way beyond color lines.
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Name:
TGen
Comment: I'm amazed/ confused at those defending the PITIFUL response of universtiy officials and campus police. Sorry, it's the police's JOB to know what to do in emergency situations...that's what they get paid for! I can't wrap my mind around the idea that a MURDER could occur on campus and the place--however large--was not shut down or at least classes halted, i.e. all campus poilce disbursed to every building to inform the students/professors of the emergency. Nope, it sounds to me like these people had been desensitized to killings via Columbine, DC snipers, TV, etc. and failed to grasp the magnitude of someone being KILLED in their community...that is until the number of victims kept growing and growing and growing... But even if the police could've done no more, the lackluster performance of the chief during these press conferences would be enough to make me feel uneasy. I feel for him, but the reality is, he has looked uninformed and shown no confidence at all...nothing like the Black investigator who has spoken today. But I digress...
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Name:
ChocolateBrownGal
Comment: I'm re-posting my comment from the F4A page. Please take note & be strong family!
Many of today's campuses pride themselves as being part of the community at large, a blended community, where students and guests are welcome to explore and visit. Most campuses today are centered in towns and cities with open access to the public. Keep in mind there is no longer the traditional looking student. So it is very difficult to shut down a campus or keep out the public. It is close to impossible. Maybe a warning siren might have prevented the high number of loss, but there's only so much security that a campus can really provide. I've worked in college admin for years on several campuses so I know what I'm talking about. Furthermore, a great responsibility must be placed on the students who reside and attend these schools. For example, checking id's when entering dorms and parties, reporting incidents of abuse, violence and theft, even if it is your friend, being more vigilent of your surroundings, reporting strange behaviors. Please don't think I'm being insensitive. It's a reality. How many times have you or I opened the door for someone at the bank's cash machine, or allowed someone to enter with you at an office bldg. or apt. complex, simply because they "looked normal." Or buzzed someone in who buzzed your apt and stated they had the wrong apt. I have friend who does this all the time at work and I told him he needs to stop that shiiit b/c he's putting other people at risk. His response is that he has camera at his office door. WTF? So what about the rest of the people? But I digress. Send your children to college, but also tell them to be alert and aware and if you see something odd, report it.
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: You're not safe anywhere. When I come into the office every day, I pass a security guard who is always on a personal phone call. He even has an earphone for his cell. The devil could walk up in here and step right past him.
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Name:
jess
Comment: The NRA must be real happy today. My deepest condolences to the families and the VA Tech community.
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Name:
queeniebunz
Comment: TGen - and I reiterate that something like this cannot be fully prepared for. The dude looked like a nerdy engineering student here at Univ of Md where I work. No one would think that he has a gun. So I say again that nobody should be penalized for this but the gunman. On a large campus there is no real way to prevent something like this without a crystal ball! The only thing that could help is a PA system but on a campus that large I don't know if that is feasible!
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: It's easy to Monday Morning Quarterback. The president said that as soon as they found out about it, they immediately called the RA's to alert them and they sounded the "bell of whatever it was" on campus. It is impossible to close down a 2600 acre. This is a college campus w/college campus resources. Not only do they have to gather coordinate the campus security..they have to coordinate w/local law enforcement as well. Other than a news alert..it would've been impossible to inform the off-campus (15k) residents. Like I said, it easy to MMQtrback.
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Name:
arkansasgirl
Comment: Not trying to sound insensitive, but I'm sure it's diffcult to shut down a 20,000 student campus. How would you inform everyone? Yeah they sent out an email but I'm sure more students didn't get that email. I rarely checked my school email and when I did it was in the middle of the school day between classes. Over 11000 off campus students were arriving to campus who had on idea what was going on. One student said he arrived on campus after the second shooting. He had no idea what was going on when he saw police cars on the yard. I started thinking back to my college days. One year classes were cancelled because of snow. I was one of many students who didn't get the word till we already got dressed and headed out the door for class.
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Name:
BigSexy
Comment: This is very sad. We send our kids to school to try to make a better life for themselves. We must stay on our knees for all college students - well all students period. We have very sick people in this world who don't know how to deal with issues. They take it out on others instead of seeking counseling. My daughter starts college in April. Please be on your knees for our children. This is so sad. These kids will never get to see the fruits of their labor. The joy of strolling across that stage, degree in hand...
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Name:
BigSexy
Comment: Oh yeah, I do agree, the end is near! Let me have my house in order!
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Name:
FreeMswhite
Comment: not trying to be negative ya'll. but there were worse in US History. I can name two off hand. The Atlanta murders in 1902 when a white woman was said to have been fondled by a black man on peach tree street. Over 105 Black men were murdered in the streets. they kept that out of our history books. also the murders in fla. same situation but it was a rape in the early 1900 right outside of waldo county fla. over one hundered were murdered.
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Name:
ricki
Comment: Musbdherds, MMQ, Monday Morning Quarterback. I like that!
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Name:
Angel
Comment: The president also said he thought it would be better to allow folks to come to class and then close the buildings. Well guess what? They were trapped in the building with this fool. When I say that the school should have been shut down, I'm talking about having the radio/tv stations annuonce that the school is closed and have the main roads to the school closed. That's not too much to ask for. It won't keep all students out of harms way, but it would definitely cut down on off campus students coming in. The president said that they ASSUMED the gunman was no longer on campus. WTF?!? Why would you assume that unless somebody saw him drive his azz off. They didn't know where this fool was and sent an email 2 HOURS LATER!!!! Why not err on the side of caution and send the email out immediately while you're trying to figure out what's going on and cancel morning classes and announce the closing on radio/tv outlets. And if college kids are anything like they were when I was in school, you don't have to do much to keep them from coming to class.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: FreeMswhite - They are talking about incidents at schools. Did the things you mention happen at a school? Of course there have been worse things (OK Bombings, 9/11), including the things you mentioned.
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Name:
queeniebunz
Comment: >FreeMsWhite - everything isn't about race. Please stop w/that. This situation has nothing to do with Black Wall Street being destroyed or Rosewood or the situation you speak of. It has to do with a mentally disturbed boy who decided to kill people because his girlfriend dumped him. Last week was about race. This week it is about a bunch of kids who will never graduate and get married and have families and contribute to the world because of one disturbed young man. Every time you try and play the race card when everyone else is playing a different game, you weaken the cause so just stop, okay? You're playing spades at a poker table - it makes no sense...
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Name:
TGen
Comment: Angel, I sooo agree with you. I remember well 9/11/01. I was heading to school but before I could even park, I heard the radio stations on alert, informing that the school--one just as big as VTech btw--had been closed. Beyond that, a friend called to confirm that he too had been sent home from work. Within the hour, we--and I have to believe most of the city--had gotten word and were in front of our TV's watching that second plane fly into that building.
No, not "Monday Morning Quarterbacking," just doing what anyone does who doesn't want to see mistakes repeated--HONESTLY %*$ESSING WHAT HAPPENEND and what COULD HAVE happened and what SHOULD HAPPEN in the future to prevent the same from happening again.
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: Playing spades at a poker table? Now, I've heard everything. My, we do have a way with words.
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Name:
ricki
Comment: Angel, how long do you think it would've taken for them to alert every single radio station in the area? And in the age of CDs and Ipods, how many students do you think would have been listening? Again, it wouldn't have mattered WHAT they did, it wouldn't have prevented lives being lost. This fool shot 30 of the victims in one building. Like someone said, unless there could a PA system over the whole campus, it's just IMPOSSIBLE that everyone could have been alerted. It wasn't the Engineering building, it was the dorms, the bookstore, the cafeteria, the student union; they said it about 100 buildings on this campus. Again, I liken a college campus to a small town. As for the email system, they have a free service at my alma mater that sends email and other resources straight to your cell phone. Plus, most campuses are wireless now. If this had happened 20 years ago, believe me, it would've been more than 33 people killed..
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Name:
Angel
Comment: TGen - It would be one thing if this was the first time in 20 years that a school shooting occurred, but this happens all the time now, so there should be an action plan in place which includes alerting the media immediately to get the word out as quick as possible and shutting down access as much as possible. Blacksburg doesn't sound like a booming metropolis so something tells me that closing off the entrance roads to the school wouldn't have taken a thousand people to accomplish.
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Name:
ricki
Comment: And this didn't happen in NYC, one of the most progressive cities in the country; this happened in Blacksburg, VA., a small college town, on a college campus with campus police.
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: One of the hardest things for me to accept would be knowing that all the while I was loving and raising my child and preparing for his graduation, on a parrallel track, there was someone who would come into our lives and wreck havoc. No warning or anything, just take away something that was so dear to me.
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Name:
DOne
Comment: No matter where this would have occurred, the school wouldn't have been shut down. As with any murder scene, the police treated the original scene as an isolated incidence. Now, their response probably would have been different if someone had reported seeing a man walking around campsus with a gun. If a murder occurs in a building in a downtown area, they focus on the building, they don't close the entire downtown area, unless they have reason to believe they are dealing with spree killer. There was no for them to know they were dealing with a spree killer or mass murderer. 9/11 response can't be compared to this because the authorities knew that was a big event from the start. There was likely other murders all over the country last night in various cities. How many neighborhoods were put on a lockdown as a result I wonder? Probably very few. Since most murders are usually isoloated incidences it is almost impossible to be prepared for the crazy person who wants to shoot everyone in site.
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Name:
NJBLKGUY
Comment: Angel- I don't follow your logic. So, if that had closed the campus, as you suggest and if they had cancelled classes, what would have prevented the gunman (who was carrying 2 weapons) from shooting innocent people as he walked past them in the streets?
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Name:
DOne
Comment: gingerg, as a parent, its something that we have to accept. Personally, I believe Americans have a more difficult time dealing with death than other cultures. While I hate to think about it, but there is only one guarantee in this life and that's dealth and it could happen at any time and any number of ways for any of us and that include our children and unfortunately, one disadvanage of living in a proposed free society is that the uncertainty increases.
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Name:
SpecialK
Comment: queenie: I totally agree with you. The race card is one of the things that keep this country spinning out of control like it is. God is not going to judge us on our skin color but rather our character so no matter what the color is, we are all still God's children.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: ricki - I'm not saying that everyone would have heard it, but would you want to be the student that was sitting at home watching tv before class (or listening to the radio on the way to class) after the first shooting occurred, left the safety of your home and drove to campus and got shot sitting in class?! I'm sure that in this high tech society, there is a way to contact all media outlets at one time. Hell, at my job, we have the capability to send everyone a voicemail at one time at all offices across the country. It's not rocket science. And if classes were cancelled and doors locked, no one would've been in the building....I know you can't prevent a crazy person when they are on a mission, but I would want to at least know that folks tried their best to warn me. DOne - Where I live, if some nut is on the loose, 911 has the capability to send a voicemail to everyone in an area to alert them of a situation. Trust me. Sometimes I hate it because I live near a nursing home and it seems anytime some patient with dementia walks away from the home, they feel the need to warn everybody to look for them......I've gotten one of those missing old folks calls at 2am that pizzed me off!!! Anyway, I understand that ish happens, but for some reason it really just upsets me that 2 hours passed by between the 2 instances and most people came to school without a clue, so no one was at least given the choice to stay home.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: NJBLKGUY - My point is some of those folks would've stayed home. The first shooting happened before most off campus students were on their way to school. For the record, this is the SECOND shooting that occurred near this school. Back in August, they closed the campus down and cancelled classes when a prisoner overpowered a guard at the hospital and shot 2 people. Like I said, at the end of the day, a crazy person on a mission is a difficult thing to deal with but I would just want to know that folks will try their best to notify people.
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: TGen..anytime you talk about what "could've/would've/but didn't happen" it is considered MMQ'ing. That's not to suggest that what u had to say had no merit. Wars, Katrinas, Oklahoma bombings, Olympic bombings etc..there will always be a level or "what they should've done." They should've immediately closed down offices in close proximity to the yt house on 9/11. That didn't happen and I worked across the street. I applaud the president and police head who spoke in the midst of being almost taken to slaughter by some of the most ignorant, insensitive, self-righteous reporters on the scene. It was absolutely unbelievable. But, it was all in the name of "responsible journalism" and the "public's right to know." Angel you are still asking for a lot. You're asking those in Blacksburg, VA (Not DC, LA, Chi etc) to immediately coordinate w/campus enforcement, local law enforcement and now the media. It just sounds a bit lofty IMO. As of now, it seems to me that they handled it the best way they knew how w/the limited information available to them. Could they have done more..I'm sure the could've.
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Name:
NappyHeadedHoe
Comment: The ironic thing about this is that the Koreans come to the USA, open up stores on every corner in “da hood” & then barricade themselves behind 2 inch plexi-glass to protect themselves from the “dangerous” inhabitants of the neighborhood! Yet one of their own pre-meditated one of the worst mass murders in AmeriKKKas history! Remind them of they when they look at you like you’re the inferior one!
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Cho had exhibited some "abberant" behavior recently including setting a fire in a dorm and stalking some female students. Also, his creative writing was so disturbing that he was referred for counseling.
How about being shown the door? I would have to sue somebody.
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Name:
queeniebunz
Comment: >Nappy - they couldn't exist if we didn't shop in their stores. I don't and won't shop there because I don't enjoy being treated like a thief. If you do shop in their stores, you perpetuate the problem and really shouldn't be saying anything about it. Aside from that, you cannot blame every Korean for what one knucklehead did. Over the years I have had some very good Asian friends and I cringed as they did when my people called them "chinks" and all of that. It embarrassed me and hurt them. Just as I don't want people to always judge me based on my skin color we cannot do that to them either. It's not right. This knucklehead was a fool just as the 2 knuckleheaded black dudes were fools for shooting people in 2002. Just as the caucasian knucklehead was a fool in 1995 for the Oklahoma bombing and the knuckleheaded terrorists were fools in 9/11/01. What all of this means is that crazy/evil knows no color. Again, to bring race into this IS crazy. And, to think that because this nut wrote some crazy stories in his creative writing class would immediately lead to him shooting 50+ people is crazy too. Nobody could have predicted this, probably not even him. Somethings are inexplicable and we can try until we spin in circles to understand it but nonsense makes no sense by definition. At this point all we can do is pray for healing for the victims and their families/friends. There is really nothing else to do. Yes, they can maybe try and put some warning system put in place but that doesn't mean that someone aware of it won't try and get around it.
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Name:
ChocolateBrownGal
Comment: Sorry Angel...as I stated before (please see my post above^) it is impossible to shut down a campus particularly since if it is the middle of community and open for which people daily roam. Just yesterday we discussed on this very board how many of today's students rarely watch the news and what little news they do receive comes from the Daily Show or some other comedic news source. Many people read the news on the web before they pick up a paper. I can honestly say that when I was a college campus, I was often oblivious to stuff that was happening outside of the ivy walls. Students today are often consumed with student life or the news they read in the campus paper. This is not a criticism it's just a fact.
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Name:
Hokiegirl
Comment: I attended VT, please remember that this is a small town. It is very easy as musb said to MMQB on this case, but there was no way possible that everyone would have received notification that fast regarding the first incident, people that lived in the building didn't even know about the first incident. The police assumed it was a domestic dispute and treated it as such. They thought that he had left the state, which considering that WVA is only 20-30 mins away is not that hard to believe. Even if they had locked down the building because he was a student he would still have had access to everything. Someone with the mindset to kill will kill regardless.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: ChocolateBrownGal - I never said that EVERYONE would get the message or that they could keep everybody off campus if you shut down or use media outlets to notify folks. My point is--saying that everyone won't get it so let's just do nothing is crazy. Like I said, if they tried their best to get the word out, it would give more people (not all) an opportunity to make an informed decision. That's the best you can ask for.
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Name:
DOne
Comment: Angel, get the word out about what? they had 2 dead bodies, no idea who did it, no motive. They were treating it as a typical murder. Why would they have felt the need to alert everyone to get off campus? That implies that they should have anticipated it. It would be no difference if someone was found shot to death in any downtown apt building anywhere in the US; then 2 hours later walk into a busy department store and started shooting. However, do you think the police are going to put the word out that everyone should evacuate the downtown area based on the body back in the apt building. No. now if there was some note or some evidence that indicates that the person is going to go out immediately and start killing other people randomly, thats a different story.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: DOne - I hear what you're saying, but we are talking about students, the majority being below the age of 22. Parents don't expect you to treat their child like they are just a citizen in a city. Whether they like it or not, universities are somewhat surrogate parents, especially for those kids going to school away from home. At the least, it could have been conveyed that 2 people were shot ON CAMPUS and the gunman has not been apprehended so be aware of your surroundings on or near campus and then give updates as more is learned about the perpetrator. Therefore, someone could make a informed decision as to whether they want to go to campus or not. I graduated from college and I've also worked at a university in recruiting so I understand both sides. It can't ever hurt to err on the side of caution especially when you're dealing with kids.
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Name:
Marlin
Comment: hindsight is a beeeyatch....i am told i pay to much attention to quiet people, at times....introverts. we all toot our own horns as being the most intuitive, however I WOULD HAVE STAYED FAAAR AWAY FROM THIS KID. I recently saw a documentary about North and South Korea and there is no telling what this kid saw before he even stepped foot in the united states. these american kids probably threw him for a loop...probably thought...."I have been fighting to survice and eat and these kids have been doing THIS all this time?"......not all are grateful when they get here...some resent.
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