Columbine

DOJ Report Confirms Early Findings by Attorney Thomas J. Henry in Uvalde Shooting Lawsuit

Retrieved on: 
Friday, January 19, 2024

SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 18 months after the tragic school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has released a 575-page report detailing critical failures by law enforcement and other officials responding to the massacre.

Key Points: 
  • The report and its findings reflect those made by Thomas J. Henry and his law firm early on in their own investigation of the tragedy.
  • Thomas J. Henry took immediate action to gather and preserve evidence concerning the shooting as he represents six victims and families who survived or lost loved ones to the shooting.
  • "Much of our discovery process has focused on the various factors and failures that allowed this massacre to occur," said Thomas J. Henry.
  • Thomas J. Henry also represents several victims of the mass shooting at Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church that occurred November 5, 2017.

Boerne ISD Selects SparkCognition's AI Solution to Advance Campus Safety

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 1, 2023

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SparkCognition, a global leader in B2B artificial intelligence (AI) software solutions, today announced that Boerne Independent School District (ISD) deployed the company's computer vision solution to assist with situational awareness for scenarios that could compromise campus safety.

Key Points: 
  • AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SparkCognition, a global leader in B2B artificial intelligence (AI) software solutions, today announced that Boerne Independent School District (ISD) deployed the company's computer vision solution to assist with situational awareness for scenarios that could compromise campus safety.
  • Located in Boerne, TX, Boerne ISD is a PK-12 school district with over 10,000 students across 12 campuses.
  • "At Boerne ISD, we remain committed to the safety and well-being of our students, educators, and staff," said Rick Goodrich, Chief of Safety and Security at Boerne ISD.
  • Visual AI Advisor has been contracted on over 147,000 cameras across 16 countries, and features 125+ pre-built use cases for safety, security, operational efficiency, quality control, and situational awareness.

Arapahoe Libraries Partners with M&C Communications for Strategic Public Relations Support

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Englewood, CO, July 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- M&C Communications, a leading public relations agency, is pleased to announce its recent collaboration with Arapahoe Libraries, a renowned library system serving various cities and unincorporated areas within Arapahoe County.

Key Points: 
  • Englewood, CO, July 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- M&C Communications, a leading public relations agency, is pleased to announce its recent collaboration with Arapahoe Libraries, a renowned library system serving various cities and unincorporated areas within Arapahoe County.
  • Recognizing the importance of effective public relations, Arapahoe Libraries has enlisted the expertise of M&C Communications to elevate its communication strategies and strengthen its connection with the public.
  • "We are thrilled to be working with M&C Communications to elevate our public relations efforts," said Jessica Sidner, Director of Marketing and Community Relations at Arapahoe Libraries.
  • “Arapahoe Libraries is known for valuing integrity, inclusion, learning, and fun,” said Diane Mulligan, President of M&C Communications.

Konica Minolta Awarded Platinum Honors from Campus Security & Life Safety

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Ramsey, NJ, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. ( Konica Minolta ), today announced it received the Platinum Award in the Screening Equipment category of the 2023 Secure Campus Awards for its REACT - Visible Weapon Detection (School Security Solution).

Key Points: 
  • Ramsey, NJ, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. ( Konica Minolta ), today announced it received the Platinum Award in the Screening Equipment category of the 2023 Secure Campus Awards for its REACT - Visible Weapon Detection (School Security Solution).
  • The Secure Campus Awards, presented by Campus Security & Life Safety, honor the outstanding achievements of security industry manufacturers whose products and services are considered particularly noteworthy in their ability to improve campus security.
  • According to the Washington Post School Shootings Database , there have been 380 school shootings since 1999 (data as of May 1, 2023).
  • “We are particularly proud of this recognition from Campus Life & Security,” stated Vijay Raghavan, Senior Vice President, Digital Transformation and Emerging Businesses, Konica Minolta.

White power movements in US history have often relied on veterans -- and not on lone wolves

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 25, 2023

For decades, the white power movement has gained steady momentum in the U.S. Kathleen Belew is an expert on the history of the white power movement and its current impact on American society and politics.

Key Points: 
  • For decades, the white power movement has gained steady momentum in the U.S. Kathleen Belew is an expert on the history of the white power movement and its current impact on American society and politics.
  • Her book “Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America” examines how the aftermath of the Vietnam War led to the birth of the white power movement.

What is the white power movement?

    • The white power movement is an array of activists that is, in all ways but race, remarkably diverse.
    • Since the late 1970s, it has convened people of a wide variety of belief systems, including Klansmen, neo-Nazis, white separatists, proponents of white supremacist religious theologies, and, starting in the late 1980s, racist skinheads and militia movement members.

How has the legacy of US warfare fueled white power groups?

    • In each example, these groups also adopt elements of military activity, like uniforms, weapons and the latest military tactics.
    • Groups like the Ku Klux Klan have been able to use this postwar opportunity for their own purposes: recruitment and radicalization.

When and why did the white power movement emerge in the US?

    • The white power movement came together in the late 1970s around a shared narrative of the Vietnam War.
    • This disaffection allowed for the white power movement to recruit in two different ways: narrative force – the story that was used to hold these activists together; and contextual force – the social grievances many of them had in common.

What role do women play in the white supremacist movement?

    • But this is a movement that has relied in extraordinarily heavy ways on women.
    • Women have been tasked with normalizing and legitimating violence, orchestrating recruitment and maintaining the relationships that allow this movement to operate as a social network.
    • Take, for instance, the Aryan Nations World Congress, a 1983 meeting in which the white power movement declared war on the United States.

Where do US veterans fit in?

    • Veterans have tactical training, munitions expertise and weapons training that the white power movement wants because it is trying to wage war on the American government – in fact, this movement has directed recruitment specifically aimed at veterans and active-duty troops.
    • While very few veterans returning from war join white power groups, the groups still feature an enormous percentage of people who are veterans or active duty – or falsely claim to be.

How can the US address its lack of care toward veterans?

    • Before the fall of Kabul in Afghanistan, my undergraduate students at Northwestern and the University of Chicago had been at war for their entire living memory.
    • And yet that war has not featured prominently even in the list of the top five or 10 crises facing our nation.
    • We don’t reckon with the massive impact the people who serve in our armed forces shoulder for the nation.

What are you working on now that people might not be aware of?

    • There were mass shootings at schools and elsewhere before Columbine.
    • But Columbine really marks the moment when mass shootings became normalized.

North Carolina school shooting prevented after students "Say Something" to get help

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Students "say something," preventing a credible school shooting plot.

Key Points: 
  • Students "say something," preventing a credible school shooting plot.
  • Extensive research, including a federal report on Averting Targeted School Violence , proves that by learning the warning signs and getting help, violence can effectively be prevented.
  • "Lives are saved when students and community members know the warning signs, speak up, and get help.
  • SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

Mass Shooting Victims and Survivors From More Than 12 Communities Urge Senate to Pass S. 736 - the Federal Assault Weapons Ban - in Landmark Event

Retrieved on: 
Monday, September 19, 2022

Pass the Ban is organized by March Fourth , a non-partisan, grassroots community organization formed shortly after the Highland Park, Ill. parade shooting on July 4.

Key Points: 
  • Pass the Ban is organized by March Fourth , a non-partisan, grassroots community organization formed shortly after the Highland Park, Ill. parade shooting on July 4.
  • Enough is enoughthe time has come for the Senate to finally listen to the majority of Americans who want an assault weapons ban.
  • If passed, S. 736 would ban semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices which are commonly used to carry out mass shootings.
  • "We first went to D.C. to demand the House pass the assault weapons ban less than two months after our children were massacred.

Pivotal Moments Media announces partnership with Rachel's Challenge to strengthen mental health

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

PMM recently announced it signed social media and indie music sensation Auti as an ambassador for youth suicide prevention and mental health.

Key Points: 
  • PMM recently announced it signed social media and indie music sensation Auti as an ambassador for youth suicide prevention and mental health.
  • "We know that positive connections improve self-worth and improve mental health, including reducing youth suicide" said Kristi Krings, Rachel's Challenge CEO.
  • Pivotal Moments Media recognizes that many people do not get the information and education to identify and cope with mental health issues early enough.
  • Recent health reports indicate that we live in an unprecedented mental health crisis, and our youth are especially affected ( HHS ).

New Action-Adventure Novel by Kerry McDonald Questions What It Means to be a Hero

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 18, 2022

JAMUL, Calif., Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Author Kerry McDonald's new novel, Jim Lord, is a slow-burn action-adventure exploring themes of heroism, shame, and redemption through the eyes of an armed resource officer who fails to protect his students in a moment of fear. A modern retelling of Joseph Conrad's classic Lord Jim, McDonald continues to question what it means to be a hero, and what man is willing to sacrifice to become one.

Key Points: 
  • A modern retelling of Joseph Conrad's classic Lord Jim, McDonald continues to question what it means to be a hero, and what man is willing to sacrifice to become one.
  • "Many of us dream of becoming a hero," says McDonald.
  • "But whathappens if that moment comes, and the split-second decision that we make is absolutely the wrong one?"
  • Conrad's original novel, considered to be one of the 100 best books of the 20th Century, equates heroism to sacrifice.

Shooter Detection Systems to Showcase Gunshot Detection Solutions to the ASIS Community at the Georgia World Congress Center

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 15, 2022

ROWLEY, Mass., Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com (NASDAQ: ALRM) company, returns to the Global Security Exchange (GSX) show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, September 12-14, 2022. SDS will feature indoor gunshot detection solutions at the show and introduce security end users and consultants to the first ever GSX host location Emergency Operations Tour featuring the installation of the Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System at the GWCC.

Key Points: 
  • Indoor gunshot detection installation and Emergency Operations Center tours; Active Shooter Expert, and gunshot detection on exhibit at the Global Security Exchange September 12-14, 2022
    ROWLEY, Mass., Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com (NASDAQ: ALRM) company, returns to the Global Security Exchange (GSX) show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, September 12-14, 2022.
  • GSX attendees can visit SDS' booth #3125 in the Exposition Hall to learn more about their indoor gunshot detection system, Guardian.
  • SDS will also provide security end users and consultants exclusive access to Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) tours featuring their installation of the Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System.
  • Here attendees will receive an in-depth look behind the scenes at how they are using SDS' gunshot detection system to protect staff and visitors.