As journalists who make current events our bread and butter, those of us in the newsroom like to think we stay reasonably informed on the big stuff happening — not just in our community but also around the country.
So you can imagine our surprise, and embarrassment, that day in our editor’s office we were planning coverage for the six-month anniversary of the Henry Pratt warehouse shooting and could not, even with our collective efforts, name the location of the mass shooting that occurred immediately after our own hometown tragedy.
It was a sheepish moment, for sure, but also an uncomfortable illustration of just how commonplace these tragedies have become. And as up-close as the Pratt shooting was for all of us on Feb. 15, there’s a likelihood this tragedy in Aurora, Illinois – not to be confused with Aurora, Colorado – has fallen off the radar with others across the country who, like us, have grown so desensitized to these increasingly frequent acts of violence.
Six months ago, the faces of our officials became a sign of strength on a national stage. We rallied. We held vigils. We created a song to highlight our pride. And many caring folks, who wanted to do more than offer their thoughts and prayers, donated half a million dollars for survivors of the five victims; with tens of thousands more donated for injured police officers.
“To say that Aurora came together after the Henry Pratt tragedy is an understatement,” said Dan Emerson, owner of the downtown restaurant, Gillerson’s Grubbery. “We were overwhelmed with the turnout of the fundraiser that we held for the victims and their families. Since then customers have continually mentioned how Aurora and especially downtown Aurora still feels like it is one big family.”
We did indeed become Aurora Strong. But are we a community changed?
There’s no doubt the Aurora Police Department and particularly the five wounded officers, some of who will forever carry the physical if not emotional scars from Feb. 15, were greatly impacted. As were many other first responders called upon that day to put their training into action to stop a disgruntled employee intent on massive lethal harm.
More than a few law enforcement officials I’ve talked to since that day, including injured Officer Marco Gomez, talk with pride about the bond that has only grown stronger within the department. And that mutual respect has crossed into other departments and jurisdictions, as well.
For example, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain noted that while his department has always enjoyed a good relationship with the APD, there’s nothing like going into a life and death situation “shoulder to shoulder” to build cohesiveness and bring that all-important “street level camaraderie to a higher level of respect.”
There’s also no question the APD now enjoys a better relationship with the public, which had waned over the last few years in the aftermath of so many negative national headlines about police shootings. A Community Oriented Policing sergeant told me recently that no matter where he goes, when people find out he is with Aurora, they thank him profusely and want to extend their appreciation to everyone in the department.
Even previous critics can’t dispute that the way first responders handled the call that went out on that cold Friday afternoon in February showed they were remarkably prepared. Yet, according to experts, their knowledge and training has only increased.
Mike Fagel, a field trainer for the National Center for Biomedical Research, which is a consortium partner with the Department of Homeland Security, describes Aurora fire and police as “well-oiled” before this event, as were other neighboring departments such as Naperville, Elgin and Kane County.
“But every situation gives you a level of information you did not have before,” the Sugar Grove man noted, which allows these first responders to “add to their tool box” and find even more ways to work as a team.
The general public, he said, is also more “dialed in,” which has kept him busier on a local level, offering training to public and private groups on how they can better prepare for an active assailant, including handling termination meetings.
Aurora, he said, has become “hyper-vigilant.”
That’s certainly true at Rush Copley Medical Center. Although the Aurora hospital has been putting more focus on emergency preparedness over the last couple of years, “workplace safety is now a component of our strategic planning,” said John Diederich, who is not only chief operating officer at Rush Copley and chairman of the Aurora Community Foundation, he was also at the 2017 Las Vegas concert on Oct. 1, 2017, when a shooter opened fire, killing 58 people and injuring more than 500.
All of which puts Diederich in an excellent position to talk about another big change he’s seen after Pratt: How this community that came together in grief learned how better to communicate and work with each other.
“We don’t have to mention Pratt anymore,” Diederich said of the increased networking since the shooting. “We just know we can pick up the phone and call whoever we need. Now we see so much more cooperation as we work together on issues. There’s more open and honest discussions… we know we have each other’s backs.”
Still, just as time diminishes grief, it can also erase a sense of urgency.
The general public classes that the sheriff’s office held after Feb. 15 on how to respond to an active assailant were initially packed, noted Hain, with 40 or more in each session. But it dwindled quickly and by the end of May there were only a few showing up.
And, he added, while there was an uptick in requests for stand-by assistance from the sheriff’s department for employee terminations, that too has dropped off.
“These shootings can happen at any minute and in any place,” he pointed out. “And complacency can be our own worst enemy when it comes to safety.”
These feelings were mirrored by the Rev. Dan Haas, pastor of Aurora Community Church and faith-based leader, who sees this disturbing increase in mass shootings nationwide as a “spiritual problem” that has led to bottled-up “anger and rage inside too many people.”
And he also sees a community, churches included, that has still not done enough to address this issue, which must involve a mental health component.
“While it’s encouraging that law enforcement is more well versed in active shooter drills, by that point you have someone with a gun walking around trying to kill people,” said Haas. “We’ve got to move that timeline back … to reconnect with each other so we’re not so unaware” when those red flags are waving.
Speaking of being aware, experts insist the first line of defense must be you and me. And that means being constantly aware of our surroundings. That means, whether we’re walking into a sports stadium, a Target or a doctor’s office, to know the closest exit and closest cover. And for heaven’s sake, get your eyes off your phone so you know what’s going on around you.
Whether we are six months out or six years, they say, Pratt needs to be at the front of everyone’s mind, not at the back of it.
Just so you know, the day after the Pratt mass shooting, four people were shot and killed in Clinton, Mississippi, in a hostage situation fueled by what police said was a domestic dispute and what one witness described as a “war zone.”
According to a recent Time magazine article, there have been 258 mass shootings in America so far this year, an alarming number that was starkly illustrated on the cover with a list of all those locations.
Sadly, it took me more than a few moments to locate our city in this maze of black and white. Which again reminded me that when unspeakable violence hits close to home, it’s easy to forget we are but one of many.
“Because this tragedy struck in our own backyard,” said Aurora resident Arjune Earskines, “we now understand the importance of being physically, mentally and emotionally prepared at all times.”
