What You Can Do to Help Parkland Post-Shooting

Photo // Cristian Newman on Unsplash

This is my third attempt to write about the Parkland, Florida shooting. Each time I pen a few sentences I run dry of syllables. I do not have the words to express my shock, grief, and anger over what happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Nor can I properly express my disgust with myself, American society, and our government.

I will spare you a trade on gun control laws. I will exempt you a rant on my America’s, and my personal, lack of surprise in relation to such a horrendous event. I will skip a diatribe on the uselessness of politicians' “thoughts and prayers” and their utter complacency in the face of civilian deaths. I will bite my tongue until my mouth fills with blood to stop from cursing the National Rifle Association’s name and their disgusting, demeaning, and horrific tactics to strangle gun control legislation. 

My venemous complaints and cries of heartache will only ease my own pain and my hurt is nothing compared to that of victims’ friends, families, and the survivors of mass shootings. Actually, fuck that, any shooting.

You know what I will do with my bitterness? I will take this energy and sink it in to important actions, events, and organizations that fight against loose gun control laws that allow events like Parkland from happening. I recommend you do the same.

Here just a few ways you can help:

Take the time to donate blood

One Blood, a national blood center, put out a call for O blood in Florida on Thursday, February 15th.

Donate to the Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund via Go Fund Me

According to NBC, you can rest easy knowing this fund is backed by a legitimate non-profit: the Broward Education Foundation. No need to worry about scammers. Your money will go to the victims.

Donate to Every Town for Gun Safety

An organization that fights to end gun violence in America; includes Mom’s Demand Action.

stay educated

Read "How to Reduce Mass Shooting Deaths? Experts Rank Gun Laws,” by Margot Sanger-Katz and Quoctrung Bui or ”How to Reduce Shootings,” by Nicholas Kristof. Or honestly, any news at all.

Both of these The New York Times articles talks about how to reduce gun control and offer a slew of facts and statistics on the matter.

Learn about the victims

Over the past few days, many have told me they are avoiding the news because they know it will make them upset or sad. I get it, I hesitated to find news on the Parkland shooting, too. But I implore you to take the time to learn about the event and the victims. We especially forget victims in the face of a tragedy. It’s a coping mechanism. Doing so allows us to dehumanize, and thus numb ourselves to, the horrific event. But we cannot keep moving past these shootings, we cannot keep ignoring their effects. Let’s pay respect to the victims and their families. Lets remember.