ENOUGH.

Being so close to the Borderline Bar and Grill shooting (less than 4 miles from me) and in the midst of the Woosley fires, it has been an unbearable time for Southern California. I live just outside of the evacuation zone so we were okay, but others we know were not so fortunate.

Tragedy brings people together, but why can’t we always be a united force? The day after the shooting I felt I needed to do something, but I did not know what I could do or what impact I could have. I found out about some local blood drives so I waited in line for 7 hours at a school in Thousand Oaks, California to donate blood for the victims of the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting. Unfortunately, they had to stop the line just before me at hour 7 of waiting in line so I was not able to donate after all. I wasn’t mad or angry that the Blood truck ran out of time after I waited so long. The 7 hours spent there was well worth it.

I met some selfless people in line and built a connection with people I would have otherwise never met. I was overcome with tears seeing the line to donate grow and grow even though the potential donors were told they would not be able to get to them today for their blood donations, but people still stayed. Why? We couldn’t leave! We felt power in numbers. We felt we were a community. We felt helpless so we tried to be helpful.

We often see that tragedy brings goodness. While in line, we were greeted with pizza from Dominos and Little Caesar’s and more, Starbucks, Shave It, Costco cookies, Nothing Bunt Cakes, BJ’s, volunteers passing out fruit and candy and water, and more. People just wanted to help. They thanked us for being there and they, too, felt they needed to help in some way. That is what we forget too often, that we can always be of help. Not only in tragedy. But always.

Not many blogs ago, I posted on the anniversary of the Las Vegas shootout. It is horrific that we still go through scenarios like this and truly ENOUGH is ENOUGH. My heart aches for the innocent lives that were taken away too soon on November 6, 2018. As my newfound friends and I waited in line, I saw smoke from afar. We all panicked as we know that fires in Southern California in October and November are just bad news with our Santa Ana winds and the lack of rain that we have. Who would have thought that the plumbs of smoke we witnessed would turn into the disaster that ensued?

The shooter, Ian David Long, posted rants before the massacre on his Facebook account stating that he hopes “they call me insane…wouldn’t that just be a big ball of irony? Yea, I’m insane, but the only thing you people do after these shootings is ‘hopes and prayers’…or ‘keep you in my thoughts’ … every time … and wonder why these keep happening ….”

Ian David Long got just want he wanted. We all did what he suspected.

• “He must be insane.”
• “Our prayers are with all those that lost loved ones.”
• “You are all in my thoughts and prayers.”

What will it take for this hatred to NOT win? Is it better mental health care? More funds put in to monitor these questionable individuals better? More free and unintimidating counseling? Teaching courses at schools how to deal with indifference, bullies, depression, etc? We can no longer pray it away. What is the answer?