Commentary
-
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
In the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde Texas that left 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers dead, Joe Biden visited the school and promised Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez that the school would be razed and rebuilt. And it’ll almost certainly happen – there’s a federal grant process that helps schools that have experienced mass shootings get taken down.
It’s become the de facto response to these shootings – the tangible outcome that, one imagines, legislators hope will bring some healing to the communities that have suffered such imaginable losses. Take down the school. Take away the constant reminder of what happened here. And, perhaps, take away some measure of the pain, if that’s even possible. I don’t know that it is.
Four years after the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut, where 20 children ages six and seven and six teachers were massacred, the school was rebuilt, and the now-fourth graders who had been kindergarteners during the attack returned.
Columbine High School, the site of the 1999 slaying, reopened four months later, but the library where the majority of the deaths occurred was rebuilt and renamed the Hope Library.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida, where 16 students and 3 staff members were killed, took down building 12, where most of the victims were killed. It was later replaced with a new building.
At Robb Elementary, the question of whether the building should be demolished is complicated by the fact that for many in Uvalde, the school is a symbol of the history of the town’s Mexican-American residents. The school dates back to a time when Mexican American children were segregated from their white counterparts, who mostly lived on the town’s east side and sent to schools there. Residents worked for decades to improve conditions at Robb Elementary, and some are understandably conflicted.
Should buildings where school shootings have taken place be razed to the ground and rebuilt? It does seem like the right response to minimize the emotional triggers that students and staff may associate with their learning environment, for sure. To ask those children and teachers to ever again step foot into a building where they experienced such horror is unthinkable.
But the fact that legislation had to be created around this situation, as if it weren’t an outlier, but rather a certain eventuality? That’s the problem. That’s what we should be focusing on.
And so I’ll close with this: Take down the schools. Rebuild them into wonderful places that bring to mind hope, connection, education, and the future. But for god’s sake, don’t let those efforts distract from what really needs to be done, and because it bears repeating, what really needs to be done is reducing access to military-grade weapons. Enough with the half-measures already. Just enough.
-
Why I doubt Trump will be convicted in hush money case
Donald Trump is the first former president to face trial on criminal charges. In the first of potentially four trials, Trump entered a plea of not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. These charges stem from a $130,000 payment made to the adult actress and stripper Stormy Daniels, which aimed to keep her…
-
Political comedy has a role to play in Gaza
Political comedians in the U.S. have sometimes struggled to cover the war in Gaza, which has been defined by tremendous human suffering and high political polarization, none of which seems particularly funny. Comedian Ramy Youssef attempted to tackle some of those issues in an opening monologue of a recent “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) episode. Straight…
-
Republicans don’t care about female voters
Women make up the largest demographic among registered voters in America and consistently participate in elections, with over 68% turning out to vote in the 2020 presidential election. Some political analysts suggest that with the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade, abortion has become a key issue among voters, benefiting Democratic candidates. However, in the…
-
Birth control disinformation confuses young women on social media
A new social media trend may be responsible for spreading online disinformation about women’s birth control. Influencers and content creators have been publishing content that critics say is not only wrong but also potentially dangerous for young women and girls. Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid confronts that disinformation and tries to clarify the pros…
-
A grim reminder of some of Trump’s most disturbing statements
While mobilizing support for U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in Ohio, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump warned of dire consequences if he —Trump — were to lose the election. This wasn’t the first instance where the former president delivered a rally speech to threaten violence or warn of a doomsday scenario should Biden secure…
Latest Opinions
-
Argentina asks to join NATO as Milei looks to enhance security, strengthen ties
-
Utah students protest 'furries,' school admin deny problem
-
Trump’s ‘hush money’ trial: Legal experts debate name coined by media.
-
Black Chicagoans feel neglected as millions funneled to migrant crisis
-
Congress wants to curtail ‘judge shopping.’ Can it act before the election?
Popular Opinions
-
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.