Lafayette, Louisiana -- home of the Ragin’ Cajuns, it is one of the most exciting places to see when visiting Louisiana. From the moment you enter, you are hit with its rich culture, which is why Lafayette is so unique. Another reason this area is so different is because it has a very homey feel, while simultaneously keeping the college life of the University of Lafayette alive. For example, when big chain restaurants move in and take over the area, they end up doing worse than expected. It is the mom-and-pop stores and restaurants that take over the city and continue to do well, which makes Lafayette one of a kind. Needless to say, Lafayette is one giant family, and when tragedies such as, the Grand Theatre shooting occur, the whole city suffers.
On Thursday, July 23rd, it was anything but a casual day. 58-year-old John Russell Houser open-fired his pistol in the Grand Theatre’s showing of Trainwreck, killing two, Mayci Breaux and Jillian Johnson, and injuring nine others. After, he turned the gun on shot himself. Moments later when the news broke out, the city immediately lost all life and shut down. Everyone in Lafayette checked on his and her relatives and close friends to make sure they were not involved, but even with the majority confirming that friends and family were okay, the city mourned the loss of those two ladies.
The people in Lafayette are what makes this city so wonderful. It seems as though everyone is connected in some way or another, and because of that, this senseless act of violence took a real toll on the city. Just walking through my usual spots, I have seen a drastic change in the mood of the people. They are disgusted, but they are even more distraught that something so violent could happen in their hometown. This is something that no one expects to happen in their own territory. There is much talk about how to prevent another incident like this, but all this talk does not take away the pain or memory of what has already happened.
Now that it has been days since the shooting, the city of Lafayette is slowly coming around. People are reaching out to the families of the victims just to let them know that they are not alone. People are showing their willingness to go out of their way to help with the pain. Businesses have made clothing and jewelry in order to help support the families with the cost of funerals, and just about every sign on the street and car has Lafayette Strong plastered on them. Helping these families and showing compassion is what helped all of us through the terrifying thought that this tragedy could happen anywhere, and at any time. It could happen again.
Lafayette will continue to grow and get stronger from this, but we will never forget what has happened to us. People will be affected by this for the rest of their lives, and more precautions will have to be taken -- this city will never be the same. When our people are taken from us, the city may slow down or stop momentarily, but I strongly believe we will come back stronger and more united, vowing to never allow something like this to happen again.
