Today was an inspiring day. Very sad, yet inspiring. Blue skies over Times Square. Sunshine. Birds flying above the giant TV screens. The second anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre. At noon, in front of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, I met up with 31 other people to protest easy access to guns in America. 32 of us formed two lines. We were all dressed in black, wearing orange and burgundy ribbons (the school colors for Virginia Tech). One at a time, we each read the name of a victim from a piece of paper we were given.
When my turn came, I read, "Jeremy Herbstritt, age 27, a masters student in civil engineering form Bellafonte, Pennsylvania."
Then, I lay down on the sidewalk. I closed my eyes and listened to the names of the other victims being read, trying to imagine what their lives must have been like, and how their families must be feeling today. Students, professors, even a Holocaust survivor, all with so much to look forward to...
After all the names were read, we lay there in silence for three minutes, the amount of time it took for the Virginia Tech shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, to purchase his gun.
Three minutes. As long as it takes to buy a pack of gum.
The dealer ran a background check during those three minutes, which failed to reveal that Cho had a history of mental illness.
The event was organized by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, assisted by Protest Easy Guns and Million Mom March.
There was great media coverage: CNN, Fox News, and some local stations. There were several speakers at the beginning, including, Jackie Hilly, Executive Director of NYAGV, Helen Rosenthal from Protest Easy Guns, Gloria Cruz, head of the Bronx chapter of MMM, NY State Senator, Eric Schneiderman, and Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer (see photo).
The most moving moment for me was hearing the tragic stories of two moms from the Bronx, who had lost their sons to gun violence. Both young men were going about their daily lives, minding their own business, and they ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in the middle of gunshots intended for someone else. As she spoke of her son being murdered at a neighborhood party, one of the moms had tears rolling down her cheeks.
I didn't know what to say. What can you say, except, "I'm so sorry, " which always feels inadequate.
In both cases, the killers were never brought to justice, because no one in the neighborhood wanted to snitch.
The other mom told me, "There is no justice, and there is no closure. Even if the killer went to jail. He'll get out after 5 to 10 years, and it won't bring my son back."
Both of these moms are coping by working at a grassroots level to change things for the better in their communities.
What could me more inspiring than that?
It's hard to find the right words to say. I was lucky enough to see A Line In the Sand when you performed it in NYC. I am so proud to know a woman who stands up and speaks out. For so many people it takes a personal tragedy before they have the courage to speak. You have fused these events with your artistic talent in a way that can really reach other people. Your girls are so lucky to have parents like you and Michael, who are dedicated to changing so many lives.
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