Tragedy in Montreal
I was intending to write some stories about my life over the past few weeks but after the incident that happened this afternoon, I've decided to put aside the details of my own humble life for more pressing issue this entry.
As many of you, even around the globe, may have already heard, a gunman open fired at Dawson's College this afternoon. A little bit to my surprise, this event has affected me quite profoundly.
I was in a computer lab course when I got a call from my Aunt on my cell phone. Of course I could not answer in the middle of a lecture but I called her back during the 10 minute break. The first thing she asked me after 'hello' was 'where are you?'. 'A strange question', I thought, but I said that I was at school in the middle of class, to the relief of my Aunt and Grandmother. My Aunt then proceeded to tell me what happened. I didn't quite understand what she was talking about and went back to the lecture, wondering what this clip of news was all about. I noticed that during the second half of class, my colleagues were googling up the newsradio sites instead of following the lecture. After class, one student explained to the teacher what had happened. She googled up some news to see herself, and then I saw the headlines on the big projector screen connected to the teacher's computer. That's when it sunk in.
Once I learned what the situation was, I got feelings in the pit of my stomach that were similar to the time when I heard about 9/11 (I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news). Feelings of pain and sympathy for those directly affected by the tragedy, and feelings of vulnerability that this sort of terrible thing can victimize innocent people in a random fashion. I could have easily been in the Atwater area this afternoon, as I pass through there all the time. Cameron could have been there, since Dawson's is right next to his own school, Concordia University. My friends and family, people I'm close to, could have been there. The gunman opened fire outside of the college, inside the busy cafeteria, as well as at the Alexis Nihon mall across the street (a favourite hangout of my Aunt's).
The next thing that hit me was how this was so similar to the Ecole Polytechnique massacre that occured in 1989. The news reporters apparently don't want us to forget this parallel tragedy either. This historic massacre happened at my school. A guy decided that he hated feminists because he believed he wasn't admitted into our school due to reverse sexism. He ended up killing 14 people on school grounds, all females, in 20 minutes (don't quote me on the stats). I'm forced to remember the stories that my director told me once. He was there when it happened. He, a grown man, locked himself in his office, alone, for 4 hours (read his story firsthand in the comments). I couldn't say I know how it felt but I can just imagine. The students and teachers at Dawson's college apparently did the same, shutting themselves in classrooms and pushing desks against the doors to block the entryway.
My colleagues were affected to different degrees. Some took the news quite lightly and continued with their day. Others were in tears, particularly one colleague who has a daughter in another CEGEP (college) in Montreal. Her daughter has a friend at Dawson's who was right next to the gunman. She also witnessed her classmates burst into tears when they heard the news, those that had friends and family at Dawson's, some that they couldn't contact. I can only imagine.
The one question that's been pressing on my mind all afternoon and evening is why ?!?. What motive could he have had to randomly open fire a semi-automatic in a room full of 16 to 19 year-olds? He didn't yell out "I hate feminists!" like the Ecole Polytechnique gunman did. He only said "get the fuck away!" when the cops approached him with their own fingers on the trigger. It just seems so random. That just plain scares me.
This story is all over the news right now, making international news as well as local. I'm glad (well, moreso relieved) to see that I am not the only one affected by this event. Apparently it takes a sad and tragic event for people to support eachother, but I appreciate seeing that the rest of the world cares, too.
As many of you, even around the globe, may have already heard, a gunman open fired at Dawson's College this afternoon. A little bit to my surprise, this event has affected me quite profoundly.
I was in a computer lab course when I got a call from my Aunt on my cell phone. Of course I could not answer in the middle of a lecture but I called her back during the 10 minute break. The first thing she asked me after 'hello' was 'where are you?'. 'A strange question', I thought, but I said that I was at school in the middle of class, to the relief of my Aunt and Grandmother. My Aunt then proceeded to tell me what happened. I didn't quite understand what she was talking about and went back to the lecture, wondering what this clip of news was all about. I noticed that during the second half of class, my colleagues were googling up the newsradio sites instead of following the lecture. After class, one student explained to the teacher what had happened. She googled up some news to see herself, and then I saw the headlines on the big projector screen connected to the teacher's computer. That's when it sunk in.
Once I learned what the situation was, I got feelings in the pit of my stomach that were similar to the time when I heard about 9/11 (I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news). Feelings of pain and sympathy for those directly affected by the tragedy, and feelings of vulnerability that this sort of terrible thing can victimize innocent people in a random fashion. I could have easily been in the Atwater area this afternoon, as I pass through there all the time. Cameron could have been there, since Dawson's is right next to his own school, Concordia University. My friends and family, people I'm close to, could have been there. The gunman opened fire outside of the college, inside the busy cafeteria, as well as at the Alexis Nihon mall across the street (a favourite hangout of my Aunt's).
The next thing that hit me was how this was so similar to the Ecole Polytechnique massacre that occured in 1989. The news reporters apparently don't want us to forget this parallel tragedy either. This historic massacre happened at my school. A guy decided that he hated feminists because he believed he wasn't admitted into our school due to reverse sexism. He ended up killing 14 people on school grounds, all females, in 20 minutes (don't quote me on the stats). I'm forced to remember the stories that my director told me once. He was there when it happened. He, a grown man, locked himself in his office, alone, for 4 hours (read his story firsthand in the comments). I couldn't say I know how it felt but I can just imagine. The students and teachers at Dawson's college apparently did the same, shutting themselves in classrooms and pushing desks against the doors to block the entryway.
My colleagues were affected to different degrees. Some took the news quite lightly and continued with their day. Others were in tears, particularly one colleague who has a daughter in another CEGEP (college) in Montreal. Her daughter has a friend at Dawson's who was right next to the gunman. She also witnessed her classmates burst into tears when they heard the news, those that had friends and family at Dawson's, some that they couldn't contact. I can only imagine.
The one question that's been pressing on my mind all afternoon and evening is why ?!?. What motive could he have had to randomly open fire a semi-automatic in a room full of 16 to 19 year-olds? He didn't yell out "I hate feminists!" like the Ecole Polytechnique gunman did. He only said "get the fuck away!" when the cops approached him with their own fingers on the trigger. It just seems so random. That just plain scares me.
This story is all over the news right now, making international news as well as local. I'm glad (well, moreso relieved) to see that I am not the only one affected by this event. Apparently it takes a sad and tragic event for people to support eachother, but I appreciate seeing that the rest of the world cares, too.
posted by Susan Tam at 9/13/2006
4 Comments:
Comment je me suis retrouvé pris au piège dans mon bureau ? Au fait, au moment de la fusillade, j’étais en train d’aller chercher un café au 2ième étage quand , soudain j’ai entendu 2 ou 3 coups de feu ! Au début, comme c’était la fin de session je pensais que c’étaient les étudiants qui se défoulaient . Soudain, trois étudiants hurlaient en sauvantt, «Sauvez-vous, il y a des tueurs qui tirent sur tous le monde ! »…Là j’ai compris que c’est très sérieux. Mon reflexe a été de remonter dans mon Labo au 6ième pour alerter les étudiants. Tout s’est passé très vite, et la panique. L’alarme de l’École était déclenché, certains croyaient que c’est un incendie. Rien n’a été annoncé par le service de sécurité dont la ligne téléphonique était engagé toute la soirée du 6 décembre. Ensuite, je suis entré dans mon bureau prendre les clefs de voiture. Au moment, où j’allais sortir du département, j’étais le dernier, des étudiants couraient dans le couloir du 6ième en me disant cachez-vous, les tueurs sont arrivés au 5ième étage ! Alors, mon reflexe a été de retourner dans mon bureau, en prenant soin de barrer la porte d’entrée du département.
Je m’étais donc refugié dans mon bureau environ 4 heures (mais qui semblaient beaucoup plus à cause de l’angoisse). En plus, j’étais isolé du monde extérieur car toutes les lignes téléphoniques étaient engagées, je ne pouvais même pas communiquer avec ma femme, qui elle était aussi inquiète car elle entendait les nouvelles à la radio et Télé. Au bout de plus de 4 heures, je ne pouvais plus rester dans mon bureau. Et j’ai décidé de prendre le risque et de sortir par l’escalier de secours. À ce moment, on pensait qu’il y avait plusieurs tueurs à l’École. Mais en sortant, je rasais les murs du 6ième étage pour atteindre l’escalier de secours. Arrivé au 5ième étage, je tombe nez à nez , avec un policier armé (heureusement qu’il avait le sang froid, et ne m’a pas tiré dessus ) qui m’a ordonné de rester les mains en l’air et de sortir par la porte de secours….C’était pour moi un véritable cauchemar qui va me hanter toute la vie.
Pour Dawson :
Hier, j’étais à la réunion de la commission de la recherché quand le directeur de la recherché et d’innovation nous a appris cet évènement. C’était comme s’il venait d’appuyer sur la cassette de la tragédie du 6 décembre…cela a réouvert la plaie non encore cicatrisée.
What can one say after such a tragedy.Atwater st. will never feel the same to me.My heart goes out to the parents of the victims,even though I knew you and your sister were safe,the "what if"keeps playing over and over in my mind
creepy, very creepy.... the day of the shooting, as i was walking though the polytechnique doors from the new building, i suddenly felt sad and thought about the december 6 incident. i was in the cafeteria and i looked at all the people there, and thought, "whoa! what a catastrophe it must have been." i was very surprised when i got up to the 6th floor to see some friends where they had told me what had just happened at Dawson. after the news settled in, i realized just how creepy that day was. i feel very sad for the young girl that died and to all the hurt and traumatized people. there is a lot of discussion on this topic in other dicussion boards, and some people are downright insensitive. how can you be insensitive when an event this tragic happened so close to you? now, i'm afraid to go downtown.
Things like this are so hard to believe, especially with Dawson touching almost all of English speaking Montreal. James went to Dawson, his sister went to Dawson, two co-workers went to Dawson. I also regularly use the bus stop on the east side of the school.
I mean, you can't live your life constantly thinking "what if?", but hell, sheer random violence is scary. What was the point of all this???
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