Vegas the strong
A look at the 2017 Las Vegas shooting memorial
October 26, 2018
As of fall 2018, the memorial for the 2017 Las Vegas shooting has been nearly complete with many volunteers building this moving garden in the bustling heat of the Mojave.
Last October 1st, fifty nine men and women were shot and killed at the Route 91 Harvest Festival including two off duty officers. The man responsible was found dead inside of his room in the Mandalay Bay Resort and casino.
Currently the finishing touches have been made to the memorial, where family or friends of the fifty nine victims may add a painted stone or other pieces of sentimental value to the display.
“It was a community effort that was made with love.” Said one of the volunteer’s, an elderly woman.
Many had contributed to the memorial, not just the locals but those out of state and over the internet had aided in funding the creation. The families of the fifty nine victims can look for a little shrine of each individual where they may leave said objects.
One of the women at the memorial, Niece of 58 year old victim Denise Cohen and half sister of the author, Casey Cooney said: “I just hope that he and MGM rot in hell. They didn’t give a damn about the victim’s or the families!”
What seems to be the main centerpieces of the memorial consist of stone angel wings, a fountain, and a heart shaped garden plot in the center of it all with a vast array of colorful flowers and trees surrounding the whole memorial.
John Jiler • Dec 8, 2018 at 6:48 pm
THE NOTORIOUS NINETEEN
Dear Editor;
Autumn is deepening, and seniors are thinking harder and harder about their next step. For many of us, your generation is the hope of the future. The Parkland high school shootings galvanized young people across the nation to passionately advocate for common sense gun laws. Now, as your attention turns to college, we want to turn our admiration into action.
With the help of the Brady Center, the new Gabby Giffords consortium, Everytown for Gun Safety and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, we’ve reached out to high school journalists across the country with our list of the NOTORIOUS NINETEEN—the states with dangerous, inadequate gun laws. Many of them condone the open carry of weapons on college campuses; others simply turn a blind eye to the potential for gun violence in their state. Our mission has been to make these places known to high school seniors. We’re encouraging them NOT to apply to college in…
ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, IDAHO, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NORTH DAKOTA, OKLAHOMA, TEXAS, UTAH, WEST VIRGINIA, or WYOMING.
Sadly, your state is on this list. You’re no doubt very proud of the place you live, and you should be. But the gun violence epidemic in this country has taken too many lives, and things must change. You can be part of that change, by encouraging your elected officials and your families and your friends to think about some serious questions. Should teenagers be able to order AR-15s through the mail? Should people with a history of mental illness be allowed easy access to guns? If you feel the answer to these questions is “no,” we all have a lot of work to do!
Thank you for considering the publication of this letter in your newspaper. Good luck with your own decision about college, and have a safe and prosperous senior year!
Best,
John Jiler,
Coordinator,
Committee for Scholastic Action On Guns