When Stephen Paddock decided to open fire at a Las Vegas, ultimately killing 58 people, I was stunned. When Adam Lanza entered Sandy Hook elementary and ruthlessly murdered 20 students and six staff members, I was shocked and dejected. But you never think it's going to be you. For some odd reason, we like to pretend as if we are immune to something as catastrophic as a mass shooting. I personally never thought in a million years that I'd be effected by something of this magnitude.
Then it happened. On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz took his AR-15 to Majory Stoneman Douglas High School and killed 17 students and staff members. Yes, all acts of violence are painful, but there's something extra you feel when it happens where you grew up. It's different when you see your friends directly grieving about people they were friends with, and when you have to text or call your friends who go to that school to make sure that they are fine.
With that being said, I'd first like to apologize to the families and friends who lost loved ones that day. I'm sorry that we allowed this to happen, that this was even a possibility. No student, teacher, or staff member should ever enter a school wondering if it'll be their last. Even as I sit here writing this from across the country in Los Angeles, I can feel your pain, the anguish, the sorrow, and the anger you are feeling.
Even in light of such a devastating tragedy, how we as a community have rallied around the students of Douglas makes me more proud than ever to say that I grew up in South Florida. When Emma Gonzalez and her classmates called out Congress to take action, then went on a nationally televised program and challenged established politicians, it reaffirmed my belief that the #NeverAgain movement has arrived, and is here to stay. When I see students from schools that are both close and far from Douglas marching to show their support, I see a unified community that will do anything and everything possible to make sure this never happens again anywhere.
To the students who are fighting day in and day out for change, people will call you crazy, disrespectful, and will ask you to "tone it down". Don't ever give in. After all, we are where we are today because those who came before us never quit. We're sons, daughters, and grandchildren of generations of immigrants who had to scratch, claw, and fight for everything they have today. And when you feel as though there's nothing you can do, remember Peter Wang and the way he held the door open so others could escape. Remember Coach Aaron Feis, who used his body to shield students. Remember the students who had their futures taken away from them that day. Don't ever stop pushing for change because South Florida will be with you here the rest of the way, supporting and fighting with you until we see a safer United States.
