A weekend overnight shooting is being classified as a "mass shooting," as two people were left dead and another ten were injured. The following is from the Cedar Rapids Police Department:
"Cedar Rapids Police are investigating a shooting at Taboo Nightclub and Lounge, 415 Third Street SE that occurred at 1:27a.m. on Sunday, April, 10, 2022. Two individuals are confirmed dead and approximately ten more are injured and receiving medical attention at multiple local hospitals. Cedar Rapids Police were on routine downtown patrol when the shooting occurred and were able to respond immediately. The scene is secure and there is no threat to public safety. Police are currently interviewing witnesses and Crime Scene Investigators are on-site.
Anyone present at the time of the shooting or with knowledge of the incident is encouraged to contact Cedar Rapids Police at 319-286-5491 or Linn County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-272-7463."
On Monday's Morning Show, I'll be speaking with Cedar Rapids' Mayor, Tiffany O'Donnell. In a statement release Sunday, she said:
“Our hearts are with those impacted by the incident last night. This is not Cedar Rapids. This is not who we are. I want to thank our police officers for their swift response last night and their hard work every day keeping us safe. The Cedar Rapids Police Department is working hard to bring the person or persons responsible to justice. As citizens, we can take an active role in heading off these incidents before they happen. This means respecting one another, resolving issues peacefully, and holding ourselves and each other accountable. Together we can build the safe and welcoming community we want for Cedar Rapids.”
I'm a nearly lifelong resident of Cedar Rapids, and I'm proud of my city. Statistics may differ from the perception, but a wise man once told me, "Perception is reality." We now have the reputation as a violent city. Mayor O'Donnell is correct in that this is NOT what our community is about. The attention of our community...ALL of the attention of our community...needs to be focused on the gun violence occurring in our city.
But this is not about gun control; this is about our society recreating a society where families become neighborhoods and are surrounded by churches and a community that involves our families; this is about schools teaching students the hard skills they need to become future leaders in commerce and community and not becoming leaders in grievance and "justice"; this is about our parents reclaiming their roles as leaders in the household and being the first governing body the child knows.
If we are to honestly reclaim our society from the proposition that being soft with our children's discipline will create a "just" society. Tell me: What is just about two dead and ten injured and a community scared of the violence being perpetrated mostly by younger people with no guidance, no civic responsibility, and no accountability to the greater community? Right now, the only "just" thing is for anyone who knows anything about what happened to tell their stories to the police so that we can arrest, try and convict the people responsible for this murderous rampage. For tomorrow, the only "just" thing is for us to begin to turn back inward; into our homes, groups of friends, churches with true leaders in the pulpit and schools with real leaders and educators in our schools.The only way we can stop this slow spin into true peril is to swim upstream and reverse the course.