PublicSource | News for a better Pittsburgh (https://www.publicsource.org/category/public-safety/page/2/)
Saturday, a day when 11 people were shot dead at the Squirrel Hill synagogue, was also Samantha's wedding day.
PublicSource emailed the following question to all 51 candidates who will appear on the Allegheny County ballots on Tuesday:
Following the mass shooting in Squirrel Hill, what legislation do you plan to introduce or support to keep Pennsylvania residents safe from gun violence?
I am reeling from the horrifying attack on our Jewish community this past Saturday during Shabbat services at Tree of Life synagogue, home of Tree of Light, New Light and Dor Hadash congregations.
City Councilman Corey O’Connor said now is the time for Pittsburgh to take bold action on gun control, even if it means confronting lawsuits and the ire of a Republican-controlled state Legislature and powerful gun rights groups like the National Rifle Association. “We will fight this. Pittsburgh will take a stand,” O'Connor said, holding back tears at a council meeting three days after a heavily armed man killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue. “And we will get sued... You want to fight?
Compelling personal stories
told by the people living them. I might have been half joking when I told my family I wanted a genetic-spit test instead of a cake to celebrate my 46th birthday. But what better way to face a midlife crisis than to discover new mysteries lurking inside my DNA? Then 11 people died a spitting distance from my living room at the Tree of Life synagogue, and I now believe genetic introspection may be a key for us all, as a society, to come to terms with what we really are. I come from a city on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, and it was a winding journey that took me to my home now in Squirrel Hill.
Thousands of people poured into the streets of Squirrel Hill for a protest to oppose President Donald Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Trump came to pay tribute to the slain victims of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting and visit some of the wounded in local hospitals. However, with some people blaming some of the nation’s recent violent acts on Trump’s rhetoric, many in Pittsburgh said Trump is not welcome, including some of the victims’ families. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald reportedly asked Trump to postpone his trip and did not agree to join Trump on his visit. The ‘Safety Through Solidarity’ protest started in Squirrel Hill while the ‘Stand Together in Solidarity’ protest started in Oakland.
Students could hear the unmistakable sound of gunshots.
“To think that that attack happened because of that, because they were welcoming refugees...”
Rev. Vincent Kolb said he was in shock when he heard news of the shooting, though the surprise quickly wore off, “given the escalation of rhetoric that has been xenophobic, misogynistic and racially inspired.”
“People are grieving, but everyone is so determined to show the world that they’re not afraid to live.”
