87 school shootings since Newtown

The horrific shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School on October 24, last Friday, raises the number of school shootings since Newtown to 87. That's 87 school shootings in less than 2 years. Not particularly encouraging.

According to CNN.com, the shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, a popular freshman, was recently named the school's homecoming prince.

Earlier that day, Fryberg texted a selfie with a gun to his ex-girlfriend, and he sent texts to several of his friends and to his cousin inviting them to sit at the same table with him for lunch in the cafeteria.

He used a family member's gun to shoot  Zoe Galasso, 14, Gia Soriano, 14, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, Andrew Fryberg, 15, and Nate Hatch, 14, and finally himself.

Zoe Galasso died and Jaylen Fryberg at the scene.  Gia Soriano died in the hospital, Sunday night. Shaylee Chuckulnaskit and Andrew Fryberg are in critical condition. Nate Hatch is in satisfactory condition.

The fact that Fryberg was popular and not an outsider or a victim of bullying doesn't fit the standard profile of a school shooter. Neither does his targeting his friends and family.

What is more disturbing to me is that once again, the shooter's gun was taken from a family member in his home. Washington State does not have child access prevention laws, which would hold the adult gun owner criminally liable, who did not properly store and lock up his gun. Approximately half the states have child access prevention laws. New York does not. Read here about the efforts being made to pass Nicholas's Bill: The Child Access Prevention or Safe Storage Act.

It is my great hope that one day in the not too distant future, all 50 states will have child access prevention laws.

Here is a good article by Gail Thomas (NY Times) about gun laws and the upcoming mid-term elections.

A LINE IN THE SAND goes home to San Diego

On March 14, I had the pleasure of going to San Diego to speak at Career Day at my old high school, La Jolla Country Day. I spoke to 500 Upper School students from the same stage in the amphitheater, where I received my diploma many years ago. I told them that even as early as 9th grade, I knew that I wanted to be an actor and to do theater, and I recommended they follow their passions. Then, I spoke to several small groups of seniors about "the business" and the particular path I have taken in it. I trust that I gave them some inspiration to carry with them into the future.

On March 17th, bright and early, I gave two back to back performances of A LINE IN THE SAND, for the students and faculty in The Four Flowers Theater, a lovely, state of the art theater, that was once the gym where my classmates played basketball and volleyball, and where my theater friends and I performed our annual musical: GUYS AND DOLLS, WHERE'S CHARLEY?, WEST SIDE STORY, AND FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Great memories.

It was wonderful to come back and perform there for the students, faculty, former classmates and teachers, including Will Erickson, who was my Drama teacher, and Alice Schilling, who was my French teacher. John Tessmer, who was a year ahead of my at La Jolla Country Day and who was in several plays with me, also came to see the show. I had family members and close family friends there too, which added even more warmth to the experience.

After the performances, I sat in on two different freshman English classes taught by Mr. Pritzker. I asked the students if they thought a shooting could happen there. At first they said no, but then they conceded that if someone really wanted to shoot up the school, they would find a way to get on campus. Then, I asked them if there was bullying at the school. They told me that they didn't have much physical bullying, but a few of them told me that they've said things to people that may have unintentionally hurt their feelings. One student said that even if you call each other names in a joking way on a regular basis, there could come a day, when one of you is really struggling on the inside, and it's no longer funny. Just like that it can become hurtful. We talked about how powerful words are.

Then, I was treated to a pizza lunch in the faculty lounge with a group of teachers. One science teacher, asked me why I was performing a play this disturbing, first thing on a Monday morning. He felt it was too upsetting for his senior students, who came to his class immediately following the performance. I told him that they are graduating and becoming adults and citizens of the world. It's important for them to hear the truth about what is happening in America. The Upper School director, Greg Martin, an English teacher, and a History teacher defended the play, reminding the science teacher that theater has the power to reach students in a unique, emotional way, to instruct, and even transform. It was an spirited debate!

After lunch, I taught the Play Production class, which was regularly taught by Scott Feldsher, who coincidentally produced one of my brother's plays in the 1980s with his theater company, Sledgehammer. I did an interview exercise with them. I had the students divide up into pairs and interview each other for 5 minutes. Borrowing from the great, Anna Deveare Smith, I gave each pair one of 3 questions:  What are the circumstances of your birth? Have you ever been accused of something you didn't do? Have you ever come close to death? These kind of questions tend to allow people to tell a good story and talk for a while. The students then got up in front of the class, one at a time, and performed a portion of what their partner had told them during the 5 minute interview, using their words (as much as they could remember) and their physical gestures. They had a lot of fun and learned something new about each other's lives.

It was a great day! A true full circle moment.

(left to right) John Tessmer, Alice Schilling, Adina Taubman, Will Erickson, Greg Martin

Mr. Pritzker's freshman English class

Students interview each other in Scott Feldsher's Play Production class

Griffin performs for his classmates

Adina and the Play Production class

Scott Feldsher and Adina 

Columbine: 14 years later (Part 1) Has anything changed?

Today, marks the 14th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. Has anything changed? Are our children safer? There have been over 100 school shootings since Columbine (some involve multiple fatalities, some involve single fatalities or injuries). In the wake of the Aurora and Newtown massacres, Colorado and Connecticut have stepped up and passed new gun control legislation that serves as a model for the federal government, who most cowardly and shamefully, this past Wednesday, failed to pass a bi-partisan bill for expanded background checks. Apparently, there is no death toll, no massacre count, that will ever reach the hearts of these senators. They are only concerned with re-election, and their campaigns are funded by NRA money. 

Gaby Giffords said it best in a great op-ed piece this week: "If we cannot make our communities safer with the Congress we have now, we will use every means available to make sure we have a different Congress, one that puts communities’ interests ahead of the gun lobby’s. To do nothing while others are in danger is not the American way."

This seems like our best and only option to pass sensible gun laws.

Here is another excellent article by Joe Nocera in the NY Times today. It's about Katie Lyles, a student at Columbine on the day of the massacre, who ran to safety to a nearby house in the neighborhood. Today, she is an art teacher at an elementary in Littleton, Colorado, not far from Columbine. This past Wednesday, she was in Washington, D.C. lobbying for the background checks bill with the National Education Association. She is very disappointed, but she says,  "You can't give up just because you lose one battle."

Today, I attended a rally at City Hall organized by One Million Moms for Gun Control. I am the Coalition Coordinator for the Manhattan chapter. 1MM4GC is picking up the baton from Million Moms March that started in 2000. 1MM4GC was founded on Facebook by Shannon Watts, a mother of five from Indiana, the day after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. The goal of the rally was both to celebrate Governor Cuomo's success last week in passing the NY Safe Act, which is the strongest gun control legislation in the nation, and to encourage President Obama to move forward with his gun control plan.

We met at Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn Heights this morning. It was great to see so many women that I've come to know through various gun control organizations and events over the past 14 years. Donna Dees Thomases, who founded and organized the Million Moms March in D.C. in 2000 and Edie Smith, Nancy Regalado, and Barbara Holt from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. I met some new moms from the 1MM4GC Manhattan Chapter: Erika, Rochelle, and Zoe. There were some moms from my daughters' school as well. It was wonderful to see so many children holding up signs with messages demanding change to make their lives safer.

Then, we all lined up and headed for the Brooklyn Bridge. I took lots of photos. It was quite a sight to see hundreds of people marching over the bridge. It was my first time walking across. This was the perfect way to do it. The view was incredible. Lady Liberty had her arm raised in solidarity with our chants of "Gun Control Now!" When we got to the Manhattan side of the bridge, people were holding  up their signs, and the cars heading to Brooklyn began to honk in support.

Next, we walked to the south end of City Hall Park for the rally. There were some very powerful speakers including, Shannon Watts, Councilwoman Letitia James, Jackie Rowe-Adams (Harlem Mothers SAVE), and Rabbi Joshua Davidson of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester. Police Commissioner Kelly was there too. For the finale Elizabeth Mitchell, Susan Lori-Parks, and others sang "This  Little Light of Mine."

The overall message was that the epidemic of gun violence in America is our collective responsibility, and that we need to work together to take action NOW to stop it.

It was an inspiring day. I am fired up for the march on Washington, D.C. this Saturday!

Heartbreaking and A Call to Action

On December 14th, America woke up from our sleep.  20 first graders and 6 adults were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. 

On April 20th, 1999, we woke up briefly after Columbine, but then we went back to sleep. I had hoped that Columbine was a line in the sand that would stop us in our tracks, but we kept going. We've had more than 100 shootings since. Note: The statistics vary. For fatal mass school shootings with mulitple fatalities, it's between 60 and 70, since Columbine. For school shootings with either one fatality or just injuries, or suicides--it's over 100. One study said around 300). Either way, it's more than any other country in the world, and it's shameful.

Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut, just 100 miles from where I live in New York City. Right before Christmas. I feel so sad and angry. Will Obama finally do something, now that a more serious national dialogue has begun? We could forget quickly when teenagers were slaughtered, but now there is heartbreak and outrage because these victims were 6 and 7 years old. Babies. Obama waited four years to take any action. Now that he's been re-elected, and he has nothing to lose, he says ready to do something. Maybe.

Yesterday, he went on "Meet The Press" and said that he can't do it alone. The American people must demand stricter gun laws from their members of Congress or nothing will change. Obama makes an important point.

What are we willing to do?

What am I willing to do?

I became involved with gun violence prevention, particularly school massacre prevention, after Columbine. Columbine was my wake up call. It was not the first school shooting in America, but at the time it was the largest death count. So it got a lot of media attention. People stopped for a minute, paused from their daily concerns and challenges, and thought about those 12 students and a teacher who were shot and killed by their classmates, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. President Clinton went to Littleton, Colorado to meet with the victims' families and the survivors. There was talk of stricter gun control laws. Tom Mauser, whose son, Daniel, was murdered at Columbine, took action in Colorado. He worked to close the gun show loophole that allowed the Klebold and Harris to buy their guns without going through a background check. Tom was successful in lobbying to pass Amendment 22 in the Colorado State Legislature in 2000, also known as The Colorado Background Checks at Gun Shows Act. Here are 2 excellent articles about Tom Mauser.

Tom was one of 60 people I interviewed in Littleton, Colorado in the year following the massacre at Columbine. We have stayed in touch since then. He came to see a performance of A LINE IN THE SAND in Boulder, Colorado in 2009. I consider him a friend and an inspiration to everyone who has lost a loved one to gun violence.

I wrote the play as a response to Columbine, which I hoped would help high school students, parents, educators, and anyone else wanting to prevent future massacres to create a dialogue around the many issues raised by Columbine: easy access to guns, bullying, cliques, parenting, violence in the media, etc. 

Performing the play in high schools has been incredibly rewarding for me. I have witnessed thoughtful and provocative discussions from students and educators. The longer I do this work, the more I can sense a greater awareness of these issues in the schools and a greater effort by some school administrators to do something positive for change. That is progress. And progress matters. Prevention would be better, but progress is a start.

Aside from my work in the schools, I have been involved in the New York City gun control activist community since Columbine. I have met so many amazing, profoundly strong people, many of them mothers who lost children to gun violence. They have turned unbearable pain into action. I participated in the Million Mom's March in 2000, organized by the wonderful, Donna Dees Thomases. I have attended rallies, lie-ins, press conferences, fund raisers, etc. I never cease to be inspired by these incredible people to do whatever I can to keep on fighting for change.

The fight must continue. It is more important than ever. I hope, as many people in the media have suggested, that this is a tipping point for America. Can we really stand by and do nothing while children are senselessly slaughtered?

Even if we stopped selling guns tomorrow, Americans would still own more than 300 million of them. The NRA believes having more guns is the solution. At his press conference last week, Wayne La Pierre said the best way to prevent further school massacres is to put armed guards in every school in this country.

This is what we are up against.

I have signed petitions demanding stricter gun laws. I have written to my Congressmen and women. Obama needs our help. If we support him, we can reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban, we can eliminate high capacity ammunition clips, and we can insist on background checks for all gun sales. 

We are better than this.

R.I.P.

Charlotte Bacon, 6 
Daniel Barden, 7
Rachel Davino, 29
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Dawn Hochsprung, 47
Madeleine F. Hsu, 6 
Catherine V. Hubbard, 6 
Chase Kowalski, 7  
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli , 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6 
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6 
Jessica Rekos, 6 
Avielle Richman, 6
Lauren Rousseau, 30
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Benjamin Wheeler, 6 
Allison N. Wyatt, 6

Noah Pozner

The slog / press conference in NYC

Gail Collins recently wrote a wonderful Op-ed piece called "Guns and the Slog" about the slow steady long term work that gun control activists are committed to for change. I attended a press conference at City Hall today. In the wake of the Aurora movie theater massacre, Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy(L.I.) are introducing a new bill this week that will attempt to ban online and mail order sales of ammunition by requiring that buyers present photo identification.

The Aurora shooter bought 6,000 bullets on the internet to use in his planned killing spree. The bill would also require ammunition dealers to alert authorities when someone buys more than 1,000 rounds. "It's time to close the loophole that is allowing killers, the deranged, the insane, and even terrorists to buy ammunition online," Lautenberg said. Ms. McCarthy said, "This is just common sense," and that it won't "infringe on anyone's right to the Second Amendment."

Other speakers included Dan Gross, President of The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Jackie Hilly, President of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, Carole Stiller, President of Million Mom's March NJ, and Nico Bocour, project director for Ceasefire NJ.

I stood behind the podium with the speakers and a group of members from Million Mom March. I wore a t-shirt from the 2000 march on Washington. Donna Dees Thomases was there too. She organized the march. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces from the New York and New Jersey gun control movement. I met Dan Gross for the first time and his assistant, Heather. These people and their long term commitment to changing this country for the better inspire me! Keep on slogging.

Here We Go Again

Front page of The New York Times today, a photo of a teenage girl embracing her younger brother, after a student opened fire at Chardon High School outside of Cleveland, Ohio. It's been nearly 13 years since Columbine and the senseless violence continues. Our schools continue to be unsafe. T.J. Lane, a sophomore at a nearby alternative high school for "troubled" students has been identified as the shooter. His lawyer said, "By all accounts, T.J. is a fairly quiet and good kid." According, to a student in the cafeteria of Chardon High, where the shootings took place, T. J. was targeting a specific group of students.

Mike Trivisonno, a local radio host, was on the air for seven hours yesterday taking calls from people in the community, discussing what factors might have contributed to the shootings. The usual topics came up: bullying, social media, gun laws, and parenting. Mr. Trivisonno said, " It could happen anywhere and does."

He's right, it's happened over 100 times since Columbine. Discussions like the one Mr. Trivisonno had on the radio are helpful, but until we take some action, and until we are will to change our behavior, mothers will keep losing their children, and the turmoil of adolescence will continue to be resolved with violence.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Peace,

Adina

12 Years later, Does Columbine still resonate for us?

12 Years ago today, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado,Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves. They wounded 24 others.

The Brady Campaign posted on Facebook an article about how Colorado newspapers did not run an article on their front pages about the anniversary.

Has Columbine lost its relevance?

I don't think so. There have been over 80 school shootings in high schools and universities in the U.S. since April 20, 1999. And just two weeks ago, 11 students were shot and killed in an elementary school in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. 18 students were injured. America continues to export its violence to the rest of the world.

As long as there continues to be gun violence in schools, Columbine is relevant and its lessons must be remembered.

We need stronger gun laws.
We much close the gun show loophole in every state.
Parents need to take the time to talk to their children and to know what's going on in their lives.
We need to limit violent media.
We need to stop the senseless teasing and bullying that goes on in schools and on the internet.
Students must reach out to outsiders, include rather than exclude, and build kinder school communities.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the 13 victims. May you continue to heal and find joy.

To the 13 victims, wherever you are, I hope you have found the peace you deserve.

I, along with so many others, continue to work toward making a kinder, less violent world.


Cassie Bernall
Steven Curnow
Corey Depooter
Kelly Fleming
Matt Kechter
Daniel Mauser
Daniel Rohrbough
Rachel Scott
Isaiah Shoels
John Tomlin
Lauren Townsend
Kyle Velasquez
Dave Sanders

Honoring our Journeys

This past Sunday, I had the great privilege of being asked to speak at the 26th Annual New York Crime Victims' Candle Light Vigil. The theme of the day was Honoring our Journeys. It was sponsored by The Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims and The Office of the New York State Attorney General. I have been attending meetings of The Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims for the past few months. They asked me to do a reading of "The Solace Stone", a parable about an old Chinese grandfather, who each morning climbs to the top of a nearby hill and picks up a small stone, then he walks down the hill and drop the pebble on the other side of a stream near his home. One stone at a time he will move the hill that blocks out the sunlight.

Then, I was asked to tie in the theme of the story with my experiences interviewing members of the Columbine community in 1999-2000. I talked about what I saw on TV that day, how I was moved to go out to Colorado and interview people about the shootings, all the questions I had. I talked about how it was a hate crime. That the killers, Harris and Klebold, were bullied, and they then terrorized their classmates before killing them, called them names, etc. I talked about the fact that they were able to get their guns so easily from an 18 year old friend, who went to a gun show for them and from and another dealer, who was an acquaintance of their co-worker at a local pizza place. I talked about prevention. There have been over 80 school shootings in high schools and colleges since Columbine. Finally, I talked about prevention, about my work in the high schools talking with kids about bullying, cliques, violence in the media, the easy access to guns, how they can build a kinder community, reach out to outsiders, etc.

I read out the names of the 13 Columbine victims because after almost 12 years, they have been forgotten by the general public for the most part. We move onto other tragedies.

I closed with the following words:

How do we find the strength to keep moving another pebble each day? We find strength and inspiration in each other. We work together. We have faith and we persevere. We come together on days like today to remember and honor our lost loved ones and our journeys towards healing. Each of you is an inspiration and a source of light. It's an honor to be with you today. I wish you all the best on your journey.

In addition to myself, there were many other speakers, including the District Attorney of New York and a number of survivors, who had either lost a loved one or had been victims of crimes themselves. There was a wonderful choir that sang inspirational songs like, "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "We Shall Overcome".

I was sitting in the front row next to the commissioner of the NYC Department of Corrections, and I looked up and there was Theresa Sareo speaking to the crowd. She told her story of being struck by a drunk driver on a corner in Manhattan, resulting in her right leg being severed from the hip down. She now has a metal prosthetic leg. As she told her story and how she was helped by victims services counselors, she stood there looking beautiful and strong. She began to sing "Hallelujah" with a gorgeous, soulful voice and tears ran down my cheeks. I think it was the fact that she didn't seem to have an ounce of self pity. She is a courageous survivor.

Another inspirational speaker was Nicola Briggs. When a man on the #4 subway train exposed himself and rubbed up against her, she confronted him, and with the help of other passengers and the conductor, she made sure he was immediately arrested once the train stopped. Someone videotaped this incident, and it became a YouTube sensation. Nicola has become a role model for young women to stand up and speak out if they are being violated.

The program concluded with the lighting of candles to remember the lives of lost loved ones. This ceremony was led by Vilma Torres, director of Safe Horizon, a wonderful organization that provides support and advocacy for victims of crime and abuse. Vilma was on the post show discussion panel for the 2007 Midtown International Theatre Festival production of "A Line in the Sand". After the candles were lit, members of the audience were invited to say the name of the person they lost aloud. It was very moving.

After the program finished, there was an information fair, and I got to hand out my promotional packets and speak with people about my play. I met some educators who seemed quite interested in it. At the very end of the day, Vida Toppin, an elderly woman who's son was mudered, came over to say hello to me and give me a hug. She was another speaker on my 2007 MITF discussion panel. It was wonderful to see her and her lovely, big smile again.

All in all, it was an incredible day of inspiration and courage. Thank you to everyone at The Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims for including me: especially Susan, Vilma, Donna, and Beverly. You all did an amazing job!

The United Solo Festival

I performed A LINE IN THE SAND at The United Solo Theatre Festival on November 16th. It was exciting to do the show at Theatre Row on 42nd Street, just a few blocks from all the Broadway theaters. I performed in the Studio Theatre, 65 seats. We had a good house. A couple of educators came. Several friends who'd seen it before came back to see it again. My long time acting teacher, Suzanne Shepherd, also came to see it. During the post show discussion, she congratulated me for my commitment to such an important topic, and she said that the play shows that our society is poison.

My friend, Edie Smith, former president of the the NYC branch of the Million Moms' March, co-lead the discussion with me. We discussed with the audience the degree of progress we've made with gun control laws since Columbine. It hasn't been much. We also discussed bullying in high schools.

A special treat was seeing my set designer, Lea Umberger. She was in town, and she came in during the tech rehearsal to help us with a few changes to the power point presentation.

All in all it was a very good experience. I felt very focused up on the stage. My acting is deepening with the years.

Columbine: 11 years later

Well, it's not a major decade marker like last year, but to the family and friends of the 13 victims every anniversary of this horrible tragedy is painful and significant. My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

Let us remember the victims:

Cassie Bernall
Steven Curnow
Corey Depooter
Kelly Fleming
Matt Kechter
Daniel Mauser
Daniel Rohrbough
Coach Dave Sanders
Rachel Scott
Isaiah Shoels
John Tomlin
Lauren Townsend
Kyle Velasquez

Let us also remember the 23 injured students and those that made it out of the library and alive and their families.

Especially the ones that I interviewed:

Richard Castaldo and his mother, Connie Michalik
Sean Graves and his mother, Natalie
Lance Kirklin and his father, Mike
Crystal Woodman and her mother, Cindy
Lindsay Elmore

3rd Anniversary of Virginia Tech shootings

Today, for the 3rd year in a row. I went to the Lie-in in Times Square to protest the easy availability of guns, and to honor the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings.

32 of us wore black and sashes with the orange and maroon colors of Virginia Tech. We each read a name of one of the 32 victims and then lay down on the ground. I held a strip of white paper and read, "Lauren McCain, age 20, a freshman in International Studies from Hampton, Virginia." Then, I lay down on top of two garbage bags, sandwiched in between two other protesters. I looked up and the cloudy sky and the huge building above me, and then I closed my eyes to appear dead. The names continued to be read, until all 32 were completed and everyone was on the ground. We lay there in silence for 3 minutes, which is as long as it takes for a person to purchase a gun without a proper background check.

Lauren McCain was also planning on majoring in German. She mentioned two heroes on her MySpace page: Jesus Christ and her brother, Joel. She loved all music, except Country. She liked Sci-Fi movies. Her friend, Matt Croushorn, said, "She was a really nice person. She was smart. She was fun to talk to."

Several people spoke about the urgent need to create laws to stop the easy access to guns. Megan Meadows spoke first. She spoke eloquently about her friend, Reema Samaha, one of the 32 victims at Virginia Tech. Next up was Jackie Hilly, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. She spoke about the need for passing legislation to require background checks on gun sales at gun shows, and she mentioned that her organization is pressing New York State to pass “microstamping” legislation that would help police in effectively tracing guns recovered in crimes. Then, NY City public advocate, Bill Belasio, spoke, echoing the need for tougher gun laws. And finally Michelle Schimel, member of the State Assembly from Long Island and sponsor of the microstamping bill, spoke passionately to the crowd, pleading for support to get the bill through.