Colorado Vigil For Uvalde Comes As Vigilance Increases
DENVER (CBS4) - While Robb Elementary School is more than 900 miles away from Denver, that community's pain is being felt in this community. On Thursday, several people gathered in front of the Colorado State Capitol for a vigil honoring the lives of those killed in the Uvalde school shooting on Tuesday.
The shooting left 19 children and two teachers dead.
"I'm here because I'm sick and tired of monsters going into schools, and shooting innocent children," said Madison Christen, who attended the vigil and is studying to be a teacher.
The Colorado community is all too familiar with this type of tragedy.
"I am alumni of Columbine High School, and although I wasn't there during the shooting, I've seen the aftereffects of it," said Kimberly Bauer. "There's always going to be a wound."
The shooting at Robb Elementary is now being considered one of the deadliest in the nation's history, and these shootings are taking a toll. Anytime there's a mass shooting, Safe2Tell Colorado sees an increase in overall tips coming in, from reports of threats to the safety of others.
Safe2Tell is a statewide tip line that gives people an anonymous way to report any threats to their safety or the safety of someone else.
"Tips can rise with any mass shooting, but particular when it's a school situation and when it's close to proximity to Colorado," Safe2Tell Director Stacey Jenkins said.
After the 2018 Parkland shooting, Safe2Tell saw a 70% increase in overall tips, and in 2019, after the STEM School Highlands Ranch Shooting, the organization saw a 42% increase in reports. Jenkins said they also see an increase in tips coming in at the end of the school year.
"We attribute that to hyper vigilance, people are aware and more willing to report things that they've heard that cause concern," said Jenkins.
On Thursday night, the people in this community hope their vigilance might help protect children in other communities, so that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again.
"It's OK to grieve. It's OK to be sad, but we need to turn that grief into action because our kids deserve better than this," said Emmy Adams, one of the organizers of Thursday's vigil.
Reports to Safe2Tell can be submitted by calling 1-877-542-SAFE (7233), online or through their mobile app.
MORE RESOURCES:
- Colorado Crisis Services: 844-493-8255/text TALK to 38255
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255
- The Trevor Project: 866-488-7386/ text STAT to 678678
