Aurora, Colorado Tragedy

We at ML Information Group, are so saddened by the events in Aurora, Colorado.  Our deepest sympathies go the the victims, their families and friends.  The tragedy hit me on many levels: as a parent, sister, daughter and simply a human being.  I also know that this will be something that will become part of my business life as well.

In our profession we teach promoters and event managers how to prepare for and try to prevent negative incidents at entertainment events.  The reality is a dedicated, irrational and deranged person may find their way around the best safety precautions.  We cannot allow this one person keep us from living our lives.  Police and professional security after thoughtful analysis will help venues such as movie theaters become safer.  It will include better training of employees and possibly additional technology.  The authorities that I have worked with over the years and who currently advise me are dedicated people, who in the course of their careers, have placed themselves in harms way to protect others.  The Aurora First Responders were there within 90 seconds of the first phone calls.  As always, those brave people rush to the events, as others are fleeing.  We thank them for their heroic service.  Can you imagine what it must be like for those police and EMTs dealing with the horrific crime scene?

There is one thing that I wish would change in the reporting by media after an event like this.  These evil crazies chose soft targets trying to create the most victims in order to achieve the most media coverage.  They want to become the most "famous" person in history.  I wish the media would refrain from flashing the perpetrator's picture over and over again and over again.  Obviously, they need to id the person, but maybe, if we could not allow ourselves to make this person's primary goal come to fruition so completely, it might help, just a tiny bit. There are very few people, who have access to a TV or mobile media, who could not identify this man's picture as the monster who killed all those people.

 For example, CNN, has the perpetrator's picture on, in some size, on air 100 percent of the time, except during commercials.  I refuse to watch their coverage, because of it.  Focus on the heroes and the victims, whose lives were taken away so cruelly.  I'm know that I'm tilting at windmills here but I hate bad guys getting what they want.