By: Mitchell Pinsky

Mitchell Pinsky
Wed, 28 Feb 2018 02:45:53 +0000

I am a future Ohio State student and resident of a community that neighbors Parkland, Florida. The tragedy has sent shockwaves of sorrow and dismay throughout the South Florida community. Simply put, since this tragedy, sadness abounds. On the afternoon of February 14, we were all preparing for the end of another day as news about an active shooting spread throughout my classroom via social media with the massacre occurring just 11 miles south at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS. People on social media were receiving and sharing videos of the nightmare our friends were going through in real time long before they were available to the news media. Across our social medias, we saw videos of terrified students screaming and hiding as the sound of gunshots echoed in their hallways, and videos depicting wounded and dead bodies. We watched in disbelief only to be hit with the reality of it as we headed home to sounds of helicopters flying above and news of those who were lost.

Our state is now trying to pass legislation that would arm teachers. Many of us students in the South Florida community are very much opposed to this idea and I am glad to see research done by Professor Bryan Warnick that supports our position. Numerous student-led initiatives have been formed in hope for change and fear-free schools, including a letter-writing campaign called 535 Letters for Change that me and 6 other friends started.

Mitchell Pinsky
Public Affairs ’22