5/6 - Mass shooting in Dallas Outlets

[underwaterrhymes]

@@@

www.reuters.com/world/us/police-responding-shooting-texas-mall-texas-multiple-injured-2023-05-06/


Do not go to Twitter. There are unedited videos of some of the people who were killed, including children.




How does this end? How do we fix this?

[jlt19]

I honestly don’t think it will end or can be fixed. At least in our lifetimes. I think it’s only going to get worse, along with climate change, until we’re the first chapter of a YA dystopian novel.

[lilac05]

A friend was there. Thankfully she was safe in a nearby store, but still incredibly scary.

That makes my second friend who has been at a mall during a shooting where they had to be barricaded into the back room of a store.

I’m equally heartbroken and angry. We don’t have to live like this.

[mlkgls]

I’ve typed and deleted, but honestly I just don’t know what to do, to try to make a difference anymore. I’ve written my representatives, I vote, I donate, and I automatically look for my exits now. This latest one is practically in my backyard. We’ve been able to hear the sirens and news helicopters since this afternoon.

[lostrn]

May 6, 2023 21:12:29 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

I honestly don’t think it will end or can be fixed. At least in our lifetimes. I think it’s only going to get worse, along with climate change, until we’re the first chapter of a YA dystopian novel.

This is the way I feel as well

[goldengirlz]

From The New York Times article:

“Representative Keith Self, who represents Allen, Texas, said on CNN that critics who are calling for more than “thoughts and prayers” after Saturday’s shooting “don’t believe in almighty God, who is absolutely in control of our lives” and instead said the country’s lack of “mental health institutions” is to blame.”

www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/us/allen-mall-texas-shooting.html

The reason things will never get better is because we are a shithole country.

[basilosaurus]

It ends when America gets their brain straight about guns which is never.

[abs]

May 6, 2023 21:12:29 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

I honestly don’t think it will end or can be fixed. At least in our lifetimes. I think it’s only going to get worse, along with climate change, until we’re the first chapter of a YA dystopian novel.

Yep. I just see it getting worse and worse. Nothing will change. I hate it and feel sick.

[estrellita]

Just want to reiterate extreme caution on Twitter. I didn't see the video, but there was a still from it that I scrolled by. I moved past it quickly, but it was pretty bad.

I've given up hope a long time ago that anything will change. There are too many guns, and too many angry people. That combo has been out of control. Gun nuts say it's mental health issues, but do nothing about that, while also giving more and more access to guns. Every time a shooting happens, these people dig their heels in further and instead of caring about people dying over and over, they cling to their guns and refuse to even consider letting them go. I don't know how to get through to these people that won't even entertain SOME sort of regulations because "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" but nothing about "well regulated". It's so frustrating and sad.

ETA: I turned off media previews on my Twitter, I suggest doing that if you're on there and don't want to come across any of the pics or videos.

[neverfstop]

I saw the headline "shooting at tx outlet mall" as I ate dinner last night about 3 miles from an outlet mall & instantly panicked until I saw it was in Dallas.

It feels so hopeless sometimes.....Most American want common sense gun reform, so it's just the GOP that's blocking any meaningful action. I keep coming back to the fact that our politics are so corrupt (by money & capitalism). From SCOTUS to gerrymandering to education/book bans to refusing to do anything about the environment to the amount of poverty/homelessness we choose to allow in the richest country on earth....it all goes back to power+money.

Corporations aren't people and money isn't free speech. i hate this country sometimes. It feels like we area already living in a failed state - between the COVID response, Jan 6th, police violence, gun violence, climate denial, abortion bans, and the authoritarian trends.

[abs]

May 7, 2023 6:13:40 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

I saw the headline "shooting at tx outlet mall" as I ate dinner last night about 3 miles from an outlet mall & instantly panicked until I saw it was in Dallas.

It feels so hopeless sometimes.....Most American want common sense gun reform, so it's just the GOP that's blocking any meaningful action. I keep coming back to the fact that our politics are so corrupt (by money & capitalism). From SCOTUS to gerrymandering to education/book bans to refusing to do anything about the environment to the amount of poverty/homelessness we choose to allow in the richest country on earth....it all goes back to power+money.

Corporations aren't people and money isn't free speech. i hate this country sometimes. It feels like we area already living in a failed state - between the COVID response, Jan 6th, police violence, gun violence, climate denial, abortion bans, and the authoritarian trends.

Do most Americans want that though?  I don't know.  I am getting jaded.   It seems like a large group of people think the problem is not enough guns and not enough God.  Unfortunately for me, those people are in charge here in Texas.  You are right though that it comes down to power, money, and corruption.  I just don't understand.  The second amendment was written back in the day of muskets.  Every other right has been changed over the years.  Why is THIS one the one the GOP won't even talk about?

[rubytue]

May 7, 2023 7:16:19 GMT -5 abs said:

May 7, 2023 6:13:40 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

I saw the headline "shooting at tx outlet mall" as I ate dinner last night about 3 miles from an outlet mall & instantly panicked until I saw it was in Dallas.

It feels so hopeless sometimes.....Most American want common sense gun reform, so it's just the GOP that's blocking any meaningful action. I keep coming back to the fact that our politics are so corrupt (by money & capitalism). From SCOTUS to gerrymandering to education/book bans to refusing to do anything about the environment to the amount of poverty/homelessness we choose to allow in the richest country on earth....it all goes back to power+money.

Corporations aren't people and money isn't free speech. i hate this country sometimes. It feels like we area already living in a failed state - between the COVID response, Jan 6th, police violence, gun violence, climate denial, abortion bans, and the authoritarian trends.

Do most Americans want that though?  I don't know.  I am getting jaded.   It seems like a large group of people think the problem is not enough guns and not enough God.  Unfortunately for me, those people are in charge here in Texas.  You are right though that it comes down to power, money, and corruption.  I just don't understand.  The second amendment was written back in the day of muskets.  Every other right has been changed over the years.  Why is THIS one the one the GOP won't even talk about?

news.gallup.com/poll/1645/guns.aspx

About 60%. It’s a very loud, very vocal minority that has succeeded in making people think they are the majority. Like they’ve done with so much other stuff. 

[neverfstop]

There is broad support for a number of very specific issues that continually fail to be passed. These measures would make a meaningful differnce.
REMEMBER - republicans supported an assault weapons ban

[neverfstop]

Sorry the pix are so big...but look how much polling is changing in favor of regulation and against gun rights

[ssmjlm]

It won’t end until the gun supporters lose their own to gun violence. If that even gives them common sense.

DH and I were just talking about how we used to give our kid more leash in stores, but now, I feel like I need her nearby anywhere.

[mlkgls]

ssmjlm, even that I don’t think would give them pause, especially in Texas. They don’t want to admit mass shooting incidents are a gun problem, not people problem. The majority of people in power didn’t come of age in an era where they were every day occurrences.

[NewOrleans]

May 7, 2023 8:45:54 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

It won’t end until the gun supporters lose their own to gun violence. If that even gives them common sense.

The father of a girl murdered in Parkland literally blames not enough school suspensions/discipline and Democrats, and was a speaker at the RNC against gun legislation.

www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-parkland-fathers-20190213-story.html

[nothingcontroversial]

All of these mall shootings (and the Tinley Park Lane Bryant shooting) in the past 20 years or so are one reason (gas prices and the environment being other reasons) why I reflect before I casually go for a trip to the mall. I ask myself if I really want to get shot buying hand soaps at Bath and Body Works or clearance bin underwear from Lane Bryant.

[Deleted]

May 7, 2023 9:26:47 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

May 7, 2023 8:45:54 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

It won’t end until the gun supporters lose their own to gun violence. If that even gives them common sense.

The father of a girl murdered in Parkland literally blames not enough school suspensions/discipline and Democrats, and was a speaker at the RNC against gun legislation.

www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-parkland-fathers-20190213-story.html

There is a growing narrative among a lot of teachers that kids’ behavior is out of control and there aren’t enough consequences.

From what I’ve seen at C’s school and heard from my husband (who teaches at the same school) the school is definitely very hesitant to suspend kids, and tries to offer behavioral support instead of traditional punishments — all of which I agree with! The problem is the school isn’t funded sufficiently to provide the necessary level of support to all the kids who need it. Which obviously makes teachers’ jobs that much harder because they are expected to cover the shortfall. This definitely fuels a narrative of “kids aren’t held accountable for their bad behavior anymore.”

[wildrice]

May 7, 2023 8:45:54 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

It won’t end until the gun supporters lose their own to gun violence. If that even gives them common sense.

DH and I were just talking about how we used to give our kid more leash in stores, but now, I feel like I need her nearby anywhere.

Yeah, I used to think this until some Republicans were shot at a baseball game a few years ago and their response was "if we were armed this wouldn't have happened!". It is truly impossible to get through to them. 

I don't have a whole lot of hope. 

[Bad Dingo]

It's interesting that they haven't released his information yet, that I'm aware of. So I'm assuming that means he's white and probably connected to the police or military in some way. They need some time to get their good guy with a gun narrative shored up.

[NewOrleans]

May 7, 2023 9:43:23 GMT -5 @villainv said:

May 7, 2023 9:26:47 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

The father of a girl murdered in Parkland literally blames not enough school suspensions/discipline and Democrats, and was a speaker at the RNC against gun legislation.

www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-parkland-fathers-20190213-story.html

There is a growing narrative among a lot of teachers that kids’ behavior is out of control and there aren’t enough consequences.

From what I’ve seen at C’s school and heard from my husband (who teaches at the same school) the school is definitely very hesitant to suspend kids, and tries to offer behavioral support instead of traditional punishments — all of which I agree with! The problem is the school isn’t funded sufficiently to provide the necessary level of support to all the kids who need it. Which obviously makes teachers’ jobs that much harder because they are expected to cover the shortfall. This definitely fuels a narrative of “kids aren’t held accountable for their bad behavior anymore.”

I do believe that’s true 100%.  I also believe it has nothing to do with school shootings and certainly not Parkland where the murderer had been expelled and also was older than HS age.

[Deleted]

May 7, 2023 10:59:22 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

May 7, 2023 9:43:23 GMT -5 @villainv said:

There is a growing narrative among a lot of teachers that kids’ behavior is out of control and there aren’t enough consequences.

From what I’ve seen at C’s school and heard from my husband (who teaches at the same school) the school is definitely very hesitant to suspend kids, and tries to offer behavioral support instead of traditional punishments — all of which I agree with! The problem is the school isn’t funded sufficiently to provide the necessary level of support to all the kids who need it. Which obviously makes teachers’ jobs that much harder because they are expected to cover the shortfall. This definitely fuels a narrative of “kids aren’t held accountable for their bad behavior anymore.”

I do believe that’s true 100%.  I also believe it has nothing to do with school shootings and certainly not Parkland where the murderer had been expelled and also was older than HS age.

Exactly. It’s being pushed as part of the whole “our society is falling apart because there isn’t enough Jesus, kids are too coddled, woke culture, etc” story.

[goldengirlz]

May 7, 2023 8:45:54 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

It won’t end until the gun supporters lose their own to gun violence. If that even gives them common sense.

DH and I were just talking about how we used to give our kid more leash in stores, but now, I feel like I need her nearby anywhere.

If you really believe that gun supporters have never lost loved ones to gun violence, then you must believe the gun-rights talking point that guns can somehow stop you from being a victim.

The worst states for gun violence have the loosest gun laws.

ETA: Apologies for coming in a bit hot. But we’ve seen over and over and over again that for gun-nuts, losing a loved one to gun violence just makes them double down on the importance of having guns to protect themselves — and blaming everything EXCEPT guns. It’s not because they’ve been unscathed.

This article interviews a number of gun supporters who have lost loved ones and still want guns: www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/285829d5-3732-4bba-8d7d-91f8ff547d66

[goldengirlz]

Personally, I think our national obsession with guns is related to some sort of our worst cultural traits as a society:

-our obsession with self-reliance and mistrust of government institutions
-racism and xenophobia (i.e. the fear of the “other” coming to get us — with “us” being white property owners)
-the elevation of property rights over human rights
-toxic masculinity
-our belief that capitalism can solve our problems rather than investing in a better social safety net
-property owners wanting to protect their outsized share of the pie and the wealth inequality (and desperation) that that breeds

Just go back and read the discussion last week about crime in cities. When the prevailing narrative (which is repeated constantly in the media) is that danger lurks around every corner — whether property crime or violent crime, no distinction — and the police have been “defunded,” then is it any wonder that local subreddits are filled with comments suggesting people get a weapon to protect themselves? And because that perception of “danger” reeks of racism and classism, we’re primed to view every knock on the door as someone about to attempt a home invasion rather than an everyday neighborhood interaction. Add in the idea that owning a gun makes you feel powerful in a society where we’re all increasingly powerless, and you’ve got gun (and American) culture in a nutshell.

So it’ll never change until we fix what’s fundamentally broken in our society. If we refuse to let go of the idea that we need guns, then it’ll continue to be way too easy for people who shouldn’t have guns to get their hands on them.

[erbear]

May 7, 2023 9:43:23 GMT -5 @villainv said:

May 7, 2023 9:26:47 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

The father of a girl murdered in Parkland literally blames not enough school suspensions/discipline and Democrats, and was a speaker at the RNC against gun legislation.

www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-parkland-fathers-20190213-story.html

There is a growing narrative among a lot of teachers that kids’ behavior is out of control and there aren’t enough consequences.

From what I’ve seen at C’s school and heard from my husband (who teaches at the same school) the school is definitely very hesitant to suspend kids, and tries to offer behavioral support instead of traditional punishments — all of which I agree with! The problem is the school isn’t funded sufficiently to provide the necessary level of support to all the kids who need it. Which obviously makes teachers’ jobs that much harder because they are expected to cover the shortfall. This definitely fuels a narrative of “kids aren’t held accountable for their bad behavior anymore.”

@@@

It has also become increasingly hard to hold kids accountable for their behavior because parents come at teachers and schools when we try. Discipline is definitely a growing issue in schools these days — my job on that front is much harder than it was in recent years.

[neverfstop]

7 dead after Range Rover plows into people in front of a Texas shelter that was housing migrant
www.cnn.com/2023/05/07/us/brownsville-texas-car-crash-accident/index.html

Bad weekend in Texas....I just have to tie this all back to the loneliness epidemic, back to the hate and fear spread by Fox news, back the the rich & powerful being willing to do anything to retain power. IT IS ALL REALTED.

[livinitup]

I don’t have a solution that hasn’t been suggested and dismissed by assault weapon enthusiasts. A few years ago, there was some good reporting on a mom, a regular person, whose young child died by an accidental discharge of a weapon in her home. She still kept loaded weapons in her home and car even though she had another young child. She was adamant that her surviving son was safer with guns around than not. When asked something like “If you knew, before he died, that the gun would kill your son- would you remove the guns from your home/car?” She said absolutely not. Even dead, from an accidental discharge from the gun, he was safer with the guns around. And so is her other child.

A part of me broke the day I read that mom saying that.

[Deleted]

May 7, 2023 13:36:33 GMT -5 erbear said:

May 7, 2023 9:43:23 GMT -5 @villainv said:

There is a growing narrative among a lot of teachers that kids’ behavior is out of control and there aren’t enough consequences.

From what I’ve seen at C’s school and heard from my husband (who teaches at the same school) the school is definitely very hesitant to suspend kids, and tries to offer behavioral support instead of traditional punishments — all of which I agree with! The problem is the school isn’t funded sufficiently to provide the necessary level of support to all the kids who need it. Which obviously makes teachers’ jobs that much harder because they are expected to cover the shortfall. This definitely fuels a narrative of “kids aren’t held accountable for their bad behavior anymore.”

@@@

It has also become increasingly hard to hold kids accountable for their behavior because parents come at teachers and schools when we try. Discipline is definitely a growing issue in schools these days — my job on that front is much harder than it was in recent years.

This is getting off-topic…but I wonder what effective discipline in schools actually looks like. When I was a kid, it meant suspension and expulsion, which was applied disproportionately to minorities, and was actively harmful to many kids. Are suspension an expulsion good tools if we could ever separate out the bias? Are there better forms of discipline that actually have a positive effect on behavior?

[ECB]

May 7, 2023 14:33:33 GMT -5 livinitup said:

I don’t have a solution that hasn’t been suggested and dismissed by assault weapon enthusiasts. A few years ago, there was some good reporting on a mom, a regular person, whose young child died by an accidental discharge of a weapon in her home. She still kept loaded weapons in her home and car even though she had another young child. She was adamant that her surviving son was safer with guns around than not. When asked something like “If you knew, before he died, that the gun would kill your son- would you remove the guns from your home/car?” She said absolutely not. Even dead, from an accidental discharge from the gun, he was safer with the guns around. And so is her other child.

A part of me broke the day I read that mom saying that.

JFC