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Florida Shooting Prompts “Never Again” Movement

UCentral UCentralFebruary 20, 2018 5:00 pm
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, center, speaks during a news conference near Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where a former student is suspected of killing at least 17 people Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. The shooting at a South Florida high school sent students rushing into the streets as SWAT team members swarmed in and locked down the building. Police were warn- ing that the shooter was still at large even as ambulances converged on the scene and emergency workers appeared to be treating those possibly wounded. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Surviving students of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school shooting in Parkland, Florida are calling for action and stricter gun laws in their new movement they call “Never Again”, after 17 people were killed Feb. 14 by a former student.
Teachers and students were first confused by the fire alarm that sounded that afternoon because the school had already done a fire drill earlier in the day. Confusion turned to shock and terror as they began to hear gunfire, prompting a lockdown while authorities rushed to respond.
Many students have taken to social media and news outlets to get the word out that gun violence, especially at schools, must end.


The social media movement started by surviving students of Parkland is called ‘Never Again’ and has gone viral with some students even tweeting President Donald Trump on Twitter, calling for stricter gun laws.
Over a hundred students from Parkland and surrounding areas in Florida are traveling to Tallahassee on Feb. 20 and 21 to address state senators and representatives about gun control.
The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, 19, had been expelled from high school and had a history of violence with multiple reports of animal cruelty. Neighbors reported having frequently made calls to the authorities for strange and violent behavior while Cruz was living with his adoptive mother.
Cruz was arrested without incident, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and will reportedly plead guilty to avoid the death penalty his motive, however, was not clear.
Cruz made several disturbing social media posts prior to the shooting indicating that a violent incident could be possible but the posts were not reported.
“This kid exhibited every single known red flag, from killing animals to having a cache of weapons to disruptive behavior to saying he wanted to be a school shooter,” Howard Finkelstein, the Broward County public defender, told the New York Times.
Authorities are urging people who see such posts on social media to report suspicious or alarming activity.


The University of Central Oklahoma’s Emergency Management department is hosting training for faculty, staff and students to help prepare for an active shooter situation on campus.
“We have what’s called ALICE training and it’s an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. We try to offer that training every semester for faculty, staff and students, it doesn’t matter who you are,” said Norman Nieves, UCO’s director of Emergency Management.
Nieves said that the training goes deeper into the run, hide, fight method. There are two forms of the training, one is an hour-long lecture and the other is a three-hour long lecture combined with practical exercises.
The hour-long lecture will be held March 2 in Liberal Arts Room 130 at 1:30 p.m. and is free for faculty, staff and students.
Nieves said that the department can provide the training at any time for any organization on campus that asks for it, but that the department will possibly be putting the training on again towards the end of March.

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