I know this is a tough topic, but I am genuinely curious about the people who oppose the release of the video yesterday.
I heard Whoopi Goldberg on The View today say the release was horrible and shouldn’t have been done. I couldn’t disagree more. I have a lot of specific reasons why I think the release was important and don’t want to drive thoughts my way so I’ll come back later and tell you my thinking. But do you agree or disagree with releasing the video as the media outlets did? Or do you have no idea what I’m talking about?
Yes, and it needs to be the #1 training tool for law enforcement on NOT what to do in a school shooting. Every one of those officers should be fired, immediately.
There are different types of releases. I think the families should have had the first chance to view it and set up the terms of doing so. Then I think it should have been a release by request to law enforcement and other safety agencies with a nondisclosure so that it didn’t get passed to the press or posted on Youtube (although I’m sure it would have anyway).
One thing that stuck with me is that they say the Highland Park shooter watched this type of video for “fun”. I think we need to further study what releasing these videos does to people that fetishize guns and violence.
My daughter was mentally harmed by watching the Parkland shooting. She was watching it in real time while at school. It was not something she was actively looking for. More of something she couldn’t avoid finding. While kids will find anything they want if they go searching, it needs to be a bit more “protected” from casual observers.
The release of videos like this aren’t responsible for mass shootings.
Music lyrics and videos games aren’t responsible for mass shootings.
Violent movies aren’t responsible for mass shootings.
Mental illness isn’t responsible for mass shootings.
The Uvalde video will be viewed in other countries. Other countries have violent music lyrics, violent video games and violent movies. Other countries have mental illness.
No other industrialized first world country has the gun violence we have.
I don’t watch videos, but I have seen a still image with a headline and a little bit of something on a TV at the gym before I can turn my head. What I saw looked like a computer rendering of the scenario, not raw footage. It looked more like a video game. Is that the video in question?
If it’s raw footage, it should most definitely not be released to the general public. The computerized version is a little grayer. My gut feeling says no - not to the general public. It feels disrespectful to the victims. Release it to all law enforcement and active shooter training companies so that they may use it in a positive manner, but it has no place on the news, Facebook, etc. for everyone to gawk at. I can’t image being a family member or a survivor having that pop up everywhere on the news, social media, etc.
I absolutely 100% agree with you. Yes, if we want to stop mass shootings we need to stop people that fetishize weapons and violence from obtaining guns so easily. However, when people who can obtain guns easily get off on videos like Uvalde (as the Highland Park shooter did), I question putting them out. It ultimately isn’t going to stop the number of mass shootings we have, but I for one don’t want someone with plans to study it to see how much more horrific they can be in their endeavors. Some of the recent mass shooters have idolized and studied those that came before them. They seek to do “bigger and better”. There is an entire subculture online. This is why many in the media will not say the shooter’s name but focus on the victims instead.
I don’t think anything good comes from releasing it publically. Perhaps for police training, but not publically. I think most people would be really shocked to know how brief and incomplete most officer training is.
If as a country we are unmoved by nearly continuous catastrophic shootings of innocent people, and especially children , why would video matter? If we were going to make Congress watch, perhaps.
I think in the interest of transparency it is good to release the video. It has been appropriately edited to remove the sounds of children and it doesn’t show children being shot. What it does show clearly is the inadequate and irresponsible police response. I think this response is important for the general public to see if they so choose. Everywhere that I have seen the video shown there has been a warning so those that don’t choose to watch should be able to avoid it. Honestly, hopefully this puts pressure on police officers and departments to ensure they are prepared to react appropriately in future situations. Having it out there for everyone to see certainly drives home their failure to act. Many of these officers had gone through active shooter training. Those on the scene in the first minutes greatly outnumbered the shooter and had assault weapons on them. They should have actually confronted the shooter. Hopefully this video can be used by departments to improve that training. Hopefully the public, after seeing the video, will push to ensure those that are supposed to protect us are up for the job.
I was infuriated watching the video. I can’t even imagine what the families are going through seeing how many chances these people had and missed in getting this shooter, from even before he got into the building. It is so very sad.
Those police officers that “hung out” in the hallway need to hang their heads in shame. At one point one of the officers strolls across the end of the hallway, where he would be exposed if the shooter was actually threatening them, and gets some hand sanitizer to clean his hands. It’s like he’s just calmly cleaning up after using the bathroom or something. I can’t wrap my head around their response.
The responding officers knew what to do - active shooter training is based on what happened at Columbine and Uvalde police have been through training multiple times including as recently as March.
Despite knowing what they were supposed to do, they still stood around not doing it for over an hour.
Maybe for other police officers and departments who might respond similarly, seeing the degree of public outrage and shaming the Uvalde police are experiencing will push them to do what training failed to accomplish - get them to actually follow their training and do their jobs.
So yes, I’m in favor of public disclosure of the videos. Politicians and law enforcement had almost 2 months to share with the families and failed to do so, and that is on them, not the media.
It really was mind boggling to see this video. I just don’t get the lack of response. I think the first responders and possibly their families may be experiencing backlash on this. I hope there is no harassment of their families, especially their children. I would not be surprised if there are mental health crises, even some suicide coming behind this incident. Shame and accusations of cowardice are powerful blows to anyone.
Having said that I feel so much for the grieving families. I cannot even imagine.
Correct me if I have the facts wrong, but I think I heard that a group of state legislators asked to see the video before the parents. They all signed NDA’s promising not to show the video to anyone else, but apparently one of them leaked it.
If that’s how it went down, then it should be relatively easy to find the guilty party?
Thanks, all, for your thoughts and keeping it respectful.
As a Central Texan, maybe I’ve heard more than the typical cc poster, but this “investigation” has been a cluster from Day One. Remember we were told that the shooter got in the door because a teacher had propped the door open? That day I said it made no sense that she went inside to call 911 about a shooter but left the door propped open. Day Two, Gov. Abbott commented on how much worse it could have been if not for the quick action of the officers. Within days, he said he was “misled” and walked it back. Even the leaked video released yesterday feels like an exercise in CYA. The mayor blames the leak on the DPS, and the families suspect the DA.
No one has any credibility so the best thing that could have happened is to release the full video, a primary document, IMO. Even in a press conference yesterday, city officials said that that wasn’t the video they were going to release to the families. Why not? What would be different? Again, at this point I don’t trust anyone affiliated with this investigation.
As a Latina, I’m also suspicious that officials are trying to run out the clock, hoping people will tire of the story. I am really glad that some of the families went to Capitol Hill to lobby for answers, though none of the people who agreed to meet with them were from Texas. I really feared that because so many of the victims were brown that they’d get treated with the disrespect with which they are in fact being treated, but at least the story hasn’t died. It’s been more than seven weeks so there’s been plenty of time to release this video. We still haven’t seen body-cam video or heard 911 calls. The families of Uvalde are expected to send their kids back to school next month; can you imagine?
I do hate that not all the families were on board with the release and how traumatizing this must be for them. I watched yesterday’s press conference with the families in DC and am so glad that they are taking all the Texas politicos to task. Check the Twitter accounts of the key state officials … crickets on this issue.
I just watched an interview with the reporter about the contents of the video and the decision to release it. He has had it since last week. If you want to watch it …
