How to Respond to Yet Another Tragedy?
By Suzanne DeWitt Hall
How Can We Shine Local?
Another mass shooting in Maine breaks hearts, shatters a community, and sheds light on the epidemic of slaughter that echoed in Illinois and Texas shortly after. Maine local, Suzanne DeWitt Hall reports on the events asking, what can we do?
My office window was open to let in the leaf-scented October air last Friday. It was my birthday; the first since fulfilling a long-time dream of living in Maine. The sound of children playing drifted in with the warm breeze; an odd sound for that time of day on a non-holiday. But then, it wasn’t a normal weekday. The man who terrorized the nearby town of Waterville had not yet been caught, and schools and businesses were shut down for miles around in an effort to prevent the already horrible death toll from escalating.
My transmasculine husband and I escaped the toxic politics of Missouri and chose Maine as our home for a host of reasons. It had seasons; coastline, mountains and rivers; resourceful, friendly people; and largely progressive politics. Living here has been a literal breath of fresh air. This week’s violence affected Mainers in ways that are still unfolding. It’s unclear yet how many people in our small social circle have lost loved ones or otherwise been directly traumatized by it, but the shock is ubiquitous.
This kind of thing simply doesn’t happen here…
Suzanne DeWitt Hall (she/her)