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Woman in the Middle | December 4, 2015If I hopped in my car, I could be at the site of what is being called “the latest mass shooting” in fifteen minutes. Any incident like this is horrible. But, when it happens in your own back yard it takes on a new tinge of, well, horror. The folks who were killed were local government employees. I was a local government employee.
Here in inland So Cal, it is not unusual that those of us who have spent our professional lives working for local government have worked for more than one jurisdiction. This is due to a number of factors including two major recessions (the one in the early 90s and the most recent one), desire for career advancement, wanting to get away from a yucky boss, etc… Because most of us local government types really want to avoid commuting into Orange and Los Angeles Counties, we also tend to stick close to home, if at al possible. Folks I used to work with work all over the place in the inland So Cal region.
When I heard the shooting was at a party for people who worked in the environmental health department of San Bernardino, I was doubly shocked. I worked in planning, and we often dealt with people in environmental health. Knowing what a small world we live in here in inland So Cal, I had a premonition that I would end up knowing someone who was shot or killed.
This wasn’t a psychic moment. This was a moment of understanding that one of these increasingly common mass shootings had happened shockingly close to home. Well, sure enough, on Facebook yesterday morning it was mentioned that someone who used to work at Riverside County had recently, like two months ago, gone to work over in San Bernardino County and he was killed in the shooting. The last time I dealt with him it was many, many years ago and he was primarily someone I knew of, not knew personally, but it still hits way too close to home.
When you see the photos of the people who died on Wednesday, the thing I would like you to notice is what a diverse group of people they are. They are people of all kinds of back grounds from all over world. I think that is one of the wonderful things about So Cal in general and our area in particular. The thing that tied them together was where they worked.
I don’t feel particularly eloquent today. All I can say to end this is I hope nothing like this happens near your home. I hope nothing like this happens again.
I’m sorry to hear that you knew someone who was killed yesterday. This situation actually happened in the areas where I both work and live. I had to be on lockdown both at home and at work, and co-workers of mine had to be escorted to work because the police roadblocks prevented them from getting to work, or knew of people who were on the property when the situation occurred and had to get evacuated to a local church. I hope no one I know was killed too. I didn’t know the media showed photos of the victims. I am sorry to hear that you knew someone who was killed. It burns me up that people use mass shootings to become famous or for their cause.
I know so many people who were affected by this Wednesday. So sorry you have to be on lock down. How scary!
I agree that this latest shooting’s location in San Bernardino seems to make the whole thing doubly horrifying! It is surreal to be watching CNN’s coverage and see “my” San Bernardino Mountains in the background. It is so sad and tragic that this kind of thing has to happen anywhere. My heart goes out to the victims and the families.
Who would have thought that the next mass shooting would be at the holiday party for a county environmental health department? I am so glad I am not working right now in an office. IT would be hard not to be looking at my coworkers with a different feeling….