The students who managed to escape the deadly shooting that took place in a school in Florida criticized President Donald Trump because of his comments on the dramatic event. They claim that his response has been needlessly divisive.
Responding to the attack, Donald Trump blamed it on many people. He accused the Democrats of not having passed any gun control measures during the short period when they controlled the congress with a majority in the Senate.
He also blamed it on the FBI by saying they have spent too much time focusing on the apparent Russian intervention in the 2016 elections that gave Trump the victory, and because of that the FBI.
“You’re the president. You’re supposed to bring this nation together, not divide us,” said 17-year-old David Hogg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida.
‘How dare you’
Trump is being accused of using the massive shooting, which took place at a Florida school last February 14, to divide the nation. Responding to one of his tweets, student David Hogg asked the president how he dared to say such things. After long hours of criticism, the White House has announced on Sunday that the president would hold a “listening session” with some of the students next Wednesday.
The day after he will meet state and local security officials. The White House didn’t specify which students would meet the president.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio highlighted a Democratic bill in the Florida legislature to allow courts to prevent citizens from having guns, at least temporarily, if they are considered a threat to themselves or others. As well, Republican Governor Rick Scott went to a prayer vigil at the First Church Coral Springs, located just a few blocks away from the school. A legislative package is expected to be announced by Scott alongside GOP leaders, later this week.
“Now is the time to get on the right side of this, because this is not something that we are going to let sweep under the carpet,” said Emma Gonzalez, one of the survivors of the shooting that took away the lives of 17 students.
Students demand gun control
This shocking incident is undoubtedly putting more pressure on the national and regional leaders to establish gun control to prevent other massacres like this one from ever happening again.
Students of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida intend to become the face of a movement that demands tighter gun regulations. They aim to visit the state capitol, located in Tallahassee, to request immediate actions. Anti-gun violence demonstrations are also on the agenda in Washington and other cities. They will take place on March 24.
Additionally, the organizers of movements such as Women’s March, the anti-Trump, and female empowerment demonstrations are also calling for a 17-minute walkout by teachers and students next March 14. It will take place all over the U.S territory. On April 20, the Network for Public Education is calling for a day of walkouts, sit-ins and other demonstrations on school campuses.
The Network for Public Education is an advocacy organization. They selected April 20, because that day is the anniversary of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, where 12 students and one teacher were murdered.
Who is the responsible for the 17 deaths?
Apparently, the suspect in the Florida shooting is a 19-year-old boy named Nikolas Cruz. He was diagnosed a developmentally delayed person when he was 3 and had disciplinarily issues since he was in middle school. Four years ago, when he was in 8th grade, Cruz had to be transferred to a special school for children with emotional and behavioral issues. When he was in 10th grade, he was again transferred. This time to Stoneman Douglas. Last year, Nikolas was expelled.
In 2016, he posted a video on Snapchat where he could be seen cutting himself. Because of that, he and his mother, Lynda Cruz, where visited by an investigator from the Florida Department of Children and Families on September 28, 2016. In the report, it is said that Cruz wrote a racial epithet against African-Americans and a Nazi symbol on his book bag. The report shows that Cruz was on medication because he suffered from depression.
He told his mother he was planning to buy a gun, but his mother couldn’t tell why back then. Lynda Cruz said that his son was depressed because of a recent breakup. Apparently, his girlfriend was cheating on him. The investigator noted that Lynda always tried to help his son and supported him through his therapy and medication.
A crisis counselor told the investigator that he didn’t believe Cruz was a real threat to himself or others, and that why his case was closed. The investigator concluded that Cruz needed support from his mother and counselors, but no other services were in need.
Source: ABC