Preparing Orcas for an incident like Newtown | Letter

Published 4:34 pm Monday, January 7, 2013

I write this letter as an individual, as a concerned citizen of Orcas who has lived here for the past 26 years, and as a grandfather of three Orcas children who have only recently moved off island.

When I first read the news of the shootings in Newtown, Conn. the morning of Dec. 14, I was struck by townspeople who were quoted as saying, “We never dreamed something like this could happen here” and “I thought Newtown was the safest place in the whole country.” In the space of only 10 minutes, that illusion was shattered.

Many aspects of how a community could act to minimize the risks of a repeat of Newtown will be determined on the local level. As I write this letter, I see that our sheriff and his deputies held an “Active Shooter” training exercise at the Orcas School campus on Dec. 27.

I’m wondering what could we do as a community to lower the risks of a Newtown tragedy ever occurring here on Orcas. One way we can do this is to gather with the intention to reach a consensus on what actions we can take. Fortunately, Orcas has successful examples of consensus-based action, most notably the recommendations for funding improvements for the Orcas schools. A similar process was used in the creation of our Stage on the Green in Eastsound.

So this is an invitation to you. I have organized four sessions spread over a week’s time – 15 hours total time commitment. The goal is to reach a consensus on what changes to local practices and attitudes we can make in order to lower the risk of such an event occurring on Orcas Island and draft a statement of that consensus to be published and shared with the community.

Attendance must be for ALL FOUR sessions:  Sat., Jan. 26 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tues., Jan. 29 6:30 pm to 9 p.m., Thurs., Jan. 31 6:30 p.m. To 9 p.m., Sat., Feb. 2 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. In the Lundeen Room, Orcas Senior Center. To register, call 376-5377 or email fklein@orcasonline.com using “consensus” as a subject line.

Fred Klein

Orcas Island