What Highland Park really looked like
*WARNING; GRAPHIC PHOTO BELOW*
Morton Grove’s carnival being dismantled after the Highland Park shooting.
Someone will know.
No victims were facing the camera in the gruesome photo from the Highland Park massacre, included below. But people close to them will know who they are, or were.
I felt deep remorse to violate their privacy in such an awful fashion even before doing so. It is horrifying me now, and may keep me from sleeping well for a long time.
I expect some people will excoriate me for publishing this photo. Maybe I have it coming.
But I hope there is a greater good at hand.
We hear about such atrocious mass shootings, and for many of us, it’s very real. But for others, it may not be. We need the shock. We need to fix this.
The photo is unusual in its effectiveness. Most of the other photos you’ve seen are symbolic: Empty strollers, abandoned backpacks, fleeing spectators. This photo is real, and it speaks the lie to people who imagine real death as clean as it looks in Grand Theft Auto or Deadpool. To those who say gun proliferation is not a big deal.
The photos of Antietam’s dead woke a nation to the consuming horror that was the American Civil War. It happened again in the world wars. Battlefield photos may have actually led to the end of the Vietnam War, and are exposing truth in Ukraine.
Photos shocked us into appreciating how polio and thalidomide and racism were damaging children.
I think that for many years, we have needed to face what a culture of hatred equipped with high-powered firearms and ammunition is doing to innocent Americans. But we squint at the horror.
An entire region was shut out of the July 4th holiday Monday, and the name Highland Park may be associated with violence for decades. For most of us, we won’t have much more than that to ponder when this tragedy comes to mind years from now.
But the heartbreak of mortal injury will live on in the affected families. And now those of us who have seen this photo will remember it in a very personal way.
I believe that publishing this photo may be a sin. But the much greater sin is the crime it depicts. And standing by as that crime is replicated, that’s a sin, too.
The real outrage, and anguish, is not about words and pictures. It’s about what really happens to real people.
I have permission to use the photo from a second party. I don’t know who shot it. I’ve purposely avoided finding out. It’s not a matter of credit but of responsibility. I don’t want anyone else but me to suffer because of this publication.
I’m not receiving any remuneration from today’s newsletter. I don’t own the photo. If the photographer wants to send it elsewhere, that’s entirely up to them.
I sought out the opinions of several professionals, in media and social work, law enforcement and faith, asking whether this photo should be published. The consensus: It’s time.
It’s a picture of who we are. We need to change.
I support publishing this photo. I was there. Two blocks downstream of the mayhem. Thankfully. Wearing my patriotic "Home of the Brave" t shirt and, ironically, my Ballots not Bullets button given to me by 10th Dems. Attending this celebration and trying to extract some remnant of pride in this country only to find myself running for cover from an as-yet unknown threat. The kids knew what to do because they've been trained in active shooter drills. I followed. I mean WTF? Yes, we must display the grotesque, ugly horror. Make it real, relevant and personal. Show the same leadership of Emmett Till's mother. Put terror on display until we just can't take it anymore. Because we just can't take this anymore. We are a sick country. And only we can make ourselves well. There is no cavalry coming. The political class is failing us. I'll stop here.
Sadly, I agree. So often the raw carnage gets whitewashed. While the stories of the tragedies are moving, a picture is worth a thousand words. If photos of the horrific scenes nationwide don't stir conscientious people to rise up to demand removal of weapons of war from everyday America, nothing will. 20M assault rifles are in private hands and the numbers are growing exponentially. Their sole purpose is human death. The 2nd Amendment has been perverted. If the Court and members of Congress want to hang their hat on defending originalism, then let's go back to single shot muskets and handguns where an expert may fire two shots a minute. We need thoughtful, independent minded, courageous representatives, not the best money can buy. VOTE.