After the mass shootings, the feeling is growing that there are no safe places in the US

David Shapiro and his wife took their two young children to the Independence Day parade in their Chicago suburb and they got a place in front of a boutique winery.

The parade for children had already finished in Highland Park, which included about 50 little ones on bikes, scooters, and trikes. The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band played on top of a flatbed trailer.

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Suddenly there was a noise that worried Shapiro. Boom, boom, boom, boom.

And people up ahead started running toward him, yelling that someone had a gun.

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“It was chaos” Shapiro recounted. “People didn’t know where the shots were coming from.”

For many, the attack, in which at least seven people died and more than 30 were injured, only confirms the feeling that there is no safe place in america. That any place, any event, can be dangerous, if not deadly, even though most gun violence is a personal matter.

Highland Park is one of the safest cities in the United States and the 4th of July parades are one of the most traditional celebrations in the country.

However, the fear of outbreaks of violence is such that many people wonder if it is worth attending large gatherings or are they always on guard, looking askance, even in the most everyday activities, in the grocery store, school or a cinema.

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Life during the short parade was festive, according to Vivian Visconti, a 19-year-old who helped organize the event and led the children’s parade.

People smiled and waved their arms.

“It was fun, although it was hot”, Visconti recounted, remembering the passage through Central Avenue, the commercial street, full of boutiques, cafes and restaurants. On both sides of the street, people sat on blankets or portable chairs and drank refreshments.

It took the boys on bikes and trikes no more than 20 minutes to cover the coursewhich ended at the foot of a hill, near a park, where there was an inflatable house for the little ones to play.

“We must be one of the few groups that completed the courseVisconti said.

The young woman climbed the hill and returned to the top, where she ended up near the Shapiro family. It was 10:20 in the morning when she heard some noise, according to her account.

“I thought they were blank bullets, part of the celebrations,” express. “But a friend looked at me and said, ‘no, it’s shots.'”

She and her friend ran out.

Like most of those present, they did not see the person who was shooting, who had climbed a fire escape to the roof of some shops. The man continued to shoot, injuring or killing people who fell to the ground. Several people who were bleeding were dragged away by relatives or friends.

Not far from Visconti, 16-year-old Yonatan Garfinkle knew he had to get out of there fast. He saw that a Jeep belonging to a friend’s father was passing by and he got in as best he could. There were already about 15 people in the vehicle.

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The parade began on St. John’s Avenue, near a garage and the train station. He drove a short distance north and then turned onto Central Avenue.

Greg Gilberg, 45, was in a float with his wife, ready to go around the curve, when he saw people running. He couldn’t hear the shots properly., but he knew immediately that he had to escape. They went to the place where they had left their bicycle, got on it and left. Gilberg pedaled as fast as he could.

Passing through the library Highland ParkGilberg said he saw dozens of people who took refuge there.

Richard Isenberg and his wife watched the parade on Central Avenue. He realized that someone was shooting and that person was nearby.

They ran out and came to some large dumpsters. They saw that an individual left his children in the containers. The man asked the Isenbergs if they could keep an eye on them while he went to find other relatives.

The couple returned to Central Avenue on Tuesday to look for their car, which had been left there.

The wife, who did not want to give her name, covered her ears and closed her eyes.

I keep hearing the shots he explained.

In the midst of the confusion, the attacker, disguised as a woman, blended into the crowd and for a while avoided being caught.

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Howard Diamond, 45, attends the parade with his family every year.

He was sitting with his wife, nine-year-old son and other family members when he heard the shots less than two blocks away.. Someone said they were fireworks. But he immediately realized that they were shots and that he had to go.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” she yelled.

He returned to the site on Tuesday and saw an abandoned blue toy car. He said it was from his nephew. She hoped to retrieve his cell phone, but was told that she couldn’t do it right now because the area was cordoned off. It was a crime scene.

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The Shapiros didn’t know which way to go when they escaped. He decided to go to his house, which was not far away. Shapiro, 47, He grabbed his daughter by the arm and ran off. They left the baby’s stroller and the chairs they had brought. That night, the couple’s 4-year-old son woke up screaming, Shapiro said as he returned to the parade site Tuesday to pick up the things they had left behind.

“He is too young to understand what happened. But he knows it was a bad thing,” Shapiro said. “And that’s terrible.”

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.