Columbine: Who is responsible? Why?

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Columbine

• Who is Responsible?

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HATE! Im full of hate and I Love it
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April 20th,1999

• Eric Harris and Dylan Klebolds day started out
  as normal at 615 in bowling class. They werent
  seen again until 1110 a.m. when they arrived at
  Columbine High School and set out to make
  history.
• The boys then put two 20lb homemade propane
  bombs in the cafeteria and set them to detonate
  at 1117am, the time when they figured there
  would be the most students in there,
  approximately 488 students.
• At 1119 after the bombs had not detonated, they
  placed two bombs in their cars and entered the
  school heavily armed.

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• From the top of the stairs they fired their first
  shots killing 2 students and injuring 5 as they
  worked their way towards the cafeteria.
• At 1121 a.m. somebody called in an explosion in
  a field at Elmhurst Drive and Wadsworth
  Boulevard. The boys had placed the bomb there as
  a diversion.
• 1123 a.m. the first 911 call came in to the
  dispatch from the school librarian. (add in link)
  
• After reaching the cafeteria, which had already
  been evacuated by teacher Dave Sanders, Klebold
  injured another student. Meanwhile, Harris was
  outside exchanging shots with the first officer
  on the scene.
• They then made their way to the library, killing
  Dave Sanders as he was trying to evacuate more
  students.

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• 9. At 1129 they entered the library and, within
  7 ½ minutes, injured 12 students and murdered 10
  more.
• They left the library, walked down the halls
  continuing to destroy the school with bombs and
  sporadic gun fire.
• At approximately 1144 a.m. they re-entered the
  cafeteria and shot at one of the 20 lb propane
  bombs but were unsuccessful in their attempts to
  detonate it. They did however set off the
  sprinklers with a different bomb.
• Klebold and Harris returned to the library , shot
  out the windows towards police and paramedics.
  They ended the massacre by taking their own
  lives.

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Behavior prior to action

• Eric parents house where most of the boys
  interaction happened in the basement, a middle
  class suburb community in Littleton, CO.

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Erics Parents Wayne and KathyFamily included
an older brother Kevin
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Dylan Klebolds parents house worth ¼ million
dollars with a swimming pool, basketball and
tennis courts, in Deer Creek Canyon.
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Dylans parents Tom and Sue Klebold
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After searching the boys lockers and houses
journals were discovered

• Eric Harriss Journal

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"I swear -- like I'm an outcast, everyone is
conspiring against me...". -D.Klebold

• About 26.5 hours from now the judgement will
  begin. Difficult but not impossible, necessary,
  nervewracking fun. What fun is life without a
  little death? It's interesting, when i'm in my
  human form, knowing i'm going to die. Everything
  has a touch of triviality to it."

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Mental Illness and Gun Control
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Dylan was a gifted child and involved in Chips
Challenging High Intellectual Potential Students
Fact People are so unawarewell, Ignorance is
bliss I guessthat would explain my depression
- Dylan
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• There is no evidence that has been found
  to suggest that Dylan was on any kind of
  medication but through his journal writings it is
  obvious he was in a depressed state. He also did
  some drinking, which is something common in
  depressed people. One of his nicknames even
  (which Eric refers to him as multiple times in
  his journal) was VoDKa it was his profile name
  online.

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Eric Harris

• Eric Harris was 18 years old, and was to the
  outside world a seemingly normal guy,

and yet, he was the master mind behind the entire
event
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Gun Control
Eric and Dylan were heavily armed on that violent
day in April.
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PeerPressure
What can it really do?
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The two killers complemented each other. Cool,
calculating Harris calmed down Klebold when he
got hot-tempered. At the same time, Klebold's
fits of rage served as the stimulation Harris
needed. (Cullen, 1)
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Effects of bullying and cliques
Self Doubt
Sorrow
Aggression
Depression
Fear
Anger
Hate
Helplessness
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Desensitization to Violence
The modern entertainment media landscape could
accurately be described as an effective
systematic violence desensitization tool
-Nicholas Carnagey, an Iowa State psychology
instructor (Iowa, 1)
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Violence in Television and online
Violence is all around us and hard to ignore. The
more you view violence, the less you react and
the more you expect to see. The average teen
watches 104 hours and 24 minutes per month of
television and 11 hours and 32 minutes online per
month, (mostly watching online video) according
to the Nielsen study (Nielsen, 1)
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Music
Repeated exposure to violent lyrics may
contribute to the development of an aggressive
personality and could indirectly create a more
hostile social environment, although the authors
say it is possible that the effects of violent
songs may last only a fairly short time. Dr.
Anderson, APA online (Andersen, 1)
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Video Game Violence
"My love for a computer game called Doom.
Doom is such a big part of my life and no one I
know can recreate environments in Doom as good as
me. I know almost anything there is to know about
that game, so I believe that separates me from
the rest of the world... Doom is so burned into
my head my thoughts usually have something to do
with the game... the fact is I love that game and
if others tell me, "hey it's just a game" I say
"hey, I don't care a journal entry by Eric
Harris

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• Aftermath on School and Community

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West Entrance Columbine High School

• The easiest period in a crisis situation is
  actually the battle itself. The most difficult is
  the period of indecision -- whether to fight or
  run away. And the most dangerous period is the
  aftermath. It is then, with all his resources
  spent and his guard down, that an individual must
  watch out for dulled reactions and faulty
  judgment Richard M. Nixon

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Cafeteria
In the Cafeteria, chairs are destroyed from
partial detonation of a propane bomb that Eric
and Dylan attempted to detonate. Sources say that
if the propane bomb were to detonate completely
then Eric and Dylans plan of dropping the
library on the cafeteria more then likely would
have been achieved. (Cited in A Columbine Site)
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Halls and Library
One of the more horrific scenes was the stairs
before the blood stained carpet was removed. The
library entrance is left with bullet holes and a
ribbon placed by mourning students who returned
to see the school. The library was left
demolished by gun fire. These pictures are
showing the damage and mess from the spray of
bullets through out the library where most of the
victims were killed.
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Aftermath
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Taking Back Columbine
Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A
healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead,
forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way
to remember. We change the memory of our past
into a hope for our future.-- Lewis B. Smedes
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THE LIVES TO BE REMEMBERED...
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Lauren Townsend was born January, 17th 1981. She
loved sports, and was the captain of her high
school volleyball team. Lauren had three
siblings, and loved to travel with them. She
visited Puerto Rico with her family during the
summer of 1998. Lauren loved animals, and was
planning to be a biologist. She was an honor
student and the 1999 class valedictorian. Lauren
was in the library of Columbine High School at
the time of the shooting. She was hiding under a
desk with two friends when she was shot multiple
times by Dylan Klebold. She died from her
injuries on the floor of the library. Lauren was
buried in Littleton Cemetery.
Kyle Velasquez was born May 5th 1982. He loved
helping his dad around the house, and doing
chores with his mom. Although shy, Kyle was a
very friendly and loving young man, and is
remembered by many for his kindness. He loved to
work with computers, and spent a lot of time at
the library. Kyle wanted to be a firefighter, or
to join the Navy after high school. Kyle was in
his usual place in the Columbine library, working
at a computer, when the shooters walked in. He
was not able to hide himself in time. Kyle was
killed instantly by Dylan Klebold. He was the
first student to be shot in the library.
John Tomlin was born on September 1st, 1982. He
was very active in his church youth group and
loved to help out his family whenever needed.
John was a huge fan of Chevy trucks and spent
most of his free time fixing up his old pickup.
Johns girlfriend remembers him as being
genuinely sweet and always up for a laugh. He
always wanted to do something new with his truck
and was super proud of how it had turned out so
far. On April 20th, John was in the library of
Columbine High when the shooting began. He hid
under a table giving comfort to another scared
student, but was shot and killed while hiding.
John was buried in Wisconsin where he was raised.
Daniel Mauser was born on June 25th, 1983. He was
an excellent student and was known for his
dedication to his studies, especially math and
science. Daniel loved hiking with his family,
swimming, watching movies, and playing on his
computer. His friends and family remember him as
loving and generous, and very close to parents
and his sister. Daniel was active in his church,
participated in track, and also joined the debate
team. Daniel was in the library at Columbine at
the time of the shooting, and was shot while
hiding under a table.
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Rachel Scott was born August 5th, 1981. Rachel
was very well liked by her classmates, and was an
active member of her church. She loved acting and
often participated in school plays and other
drama events. Rachel also enjoyed photography and
art. Her family remembers her as being very
strong willed with a desire to help others,
especially in faith. Rachel was sitting in the
grass outside the high school when she was shot
multiple times by the gunmen. Witnesses say one
of the shooters then returned to shot her again.
Rachels family has continued her memory with a
nationwide support group called Rachels
Challenge.
Daniel Rohrbough was born on March 2nd, 1984. He
was known for being a hard worker, and went every
day after school to help his father at his shop.
Danny also loved to work on his grandfathers
farm during the summer. His friends remember him
as being a great guy. Dannys death became one of
the most controversial subjects during the
Columbine investigation. Danny and two other
students were outside of the high school walking
on the sidewalk when they were shot. Many
witnesses saw the shooters fire at Danny, but
later accounts stated the possibility that law
enforcement officers may have hit him in the
crossfire into the library. Dannys parents were
not immediately told of his death until after
seeing his picture on the news.
Isaiah Shoels was born on August 4th 1980. He was
very competitive on the Columbine football team,
and was part of the wrestling team as well.
Isaiah was well liked for his generosity and
humor. Many students remember him as being
someone that everyone liked to hang out with.
Isaiah really enjoyed music and wanted to be a
record producer after college. Isaiah was in the
library with two of his friends when he was
singled out by the killers, who proceeded to make
racial remarks before killing him. Isaiahs
funeral service was filled with well known
speakers and musicians.
Corey Depooter was born on March 3, 1982. Corey
was most well known for his love of the outdoors.
He enjoyed fishing more than anything else. His
friends remember him as being very comical and
always able to make a poor situation lighter
somehow. Corey was very serious about his
schoolwork and wanted to join the Marines as soon
as he was finished with high school. Corey was in
the library with his two best friends when he was
shot by the two gunmen. Corey was buried in
Littleton at the Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.
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Kelly Fleming was born January 6th. 1983.
Although she was known for being a fairly shy
young lady, Kelly was very well liked at
Columbine. Kelly loved to write stories and to
read books. Her family remembers her love of
Halloween and spooky stories, but also remembers
how all of Kellys writings had happy endings.
Kelly also loved music and had hoped to write
songs. She was in the library at a table with few
other girls, one of which was Lauren Townsend.
The shooters moved from table to table, taunting
the students and firing at them. Kelly was killed
while hiding. She shared a memorial service with
fellow student victim Danny Mauser.
Steve Curnow was born on August 28th 1984. Steve
was a very happy and energetic young man and is
remembered for his love of soccer. He played
actively on a team, and also was a referee for a
team that his father coached. Steve loved sci-fi
and was a huge fan of Star Wars. He planned to
join the Navy after high school. Steve was in the
library using a computer when the shooters came
in. He hid under the table but was shot by the
gunmen, and killed. Steve was buried in Denver,
Colorado.
Matthew Kechter was born on February 19th, 1983.
He was always an honor student and was most well
known for his dedication to the Columbine
football team. Matt was very well liked by his
classmates, and his team thought of him as a
great role model. Matt always put his family
first, and spent a lot of time with his little
brother. He planned to go to Colorado State
University to play football after high school.
Matt was in the library hiding with Isaiah Shoels
and a few other students when he was shot by the
gunmen. He died of his injuries before help could
arrive.
Cassie Burnall was born on November 6th, 1981.
Cassie was a very well liked student and was very
active in her church and her youth group. She
loved the outdoors, and often went hiking with
her family. Cassie loved animals and helping
other people. Cassie was in the Columbine
Library hiding under a table with two other girls
when she was shot and killed.
Dave Sanders was born on October 22nd, 1951. Dave
taught business and computer classes at
Columbine High School, and was also the coach for
basketball and softball. Coach Sanders loved
spending time with his family, and was very
dedicated to his job. He was thought of as a hero
after helping many students escape danger during
the shooting. Dave was assisting students leaving
the building when he was shot from behind. He was
alive for three hours, being helped by students,
but died from injuries before help could arrive.
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For the rest of my life, I will be haunted by
the horror and anguish Dylan caused. I cannot
look at a child in a grocery store or on the
street without thinking about how my sons
schoolmates spent the last moments of their
lives. Dylan changed everything I believed about
myself, about God, about family, and about
love.
-Susan Klebold
We continue to be profoundly saddened by the
suffering of so many that has resulted from the
acts of our son. We loved our son dearly, and
search our souls daily for some glimmer of a
reason why he would have done such a horrible
thing. What he did was unforgivable and beyond
our capacity to understand. The passage of time
has yet to lessen the pain. We are thankful to
those who have kept us in their thoughts and
prayers.
-Wayne and Kathy Harris
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Mark Taylor, a 17 year old student was shot
multiple times outside the school, and was
trampled by classmates. He later wrote a book
about his experiences, to help him to work
through his pain. Bryan Anderson, also 17, was
the first to be shot in the school, because he
was wearing a white hat. He was able to hide out
the rest of the shooting. Bryan was able to move
on with semi normal life and now owns his own
trucking company. But that day still lingers with
him, and Bryan does not like libraries or
helicopters. Nicole Nowen, 16 at the time, was
shot under a table in the library, while hiding
with a friend. Her friend was killed, and she was
asked are you still breathing? by the gunman.
She played dead, and was able to get out alive.
She now works for an outreach group helping the
victims of traumatic events. Evan Todd, who was
15, was held at gunpoint by Dylan Klebold and
questioned as to if him, was a jock. Evan pleaded
for his life, and Dylan let him go. Evan was
injured, but returned to school that year, and
planned to become a police officer. The family
of victim Rachel Scott formed Rachels Challenge,
a program dedicated to speaking to students and
faculty nationwide in hopes of promoting a
healthy school environment, compassion, kindness,
and counseling, in honor of their daughter. In
the years following the Columbine massacre,
Rachels Challenge grew into a major corporation
and became hugely successful in changing the
lives of many young people across the nation.
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ControversialIssues of the Columbine Shootings

• Society? Governments? Western culture?

• Gun control?

MENTAL ILLNESS?
Media and entertainment?
everyone?
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Whos to blame?http//www.youtube.com/watch?vP27
cnBizD7U Excerpt from Bowling for
Columbine-Michael Moore interviews Marilyn
Manson
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Global/Cultural InfluenceWhat impact does a
nations conduct in its relationships with
other societies have on the CHOICES and
ACTIONS of individuals within that nation?
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Lockheed Martins F-117Nighthawk

• Intercontinental Ballistic Peacekeeper ICBM
  Missile

-Lockheed Martin, whereEric Harriss father
works, manufactures missiles, and rockets for the
U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps
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• Documentary film maker,
• Michael Moore,
• INTERVIEWS
  
• Evan McCollum,
• Lockheed Martins Public Relations Representative

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• MOORE
• So you dont think our kids
• will say to themselves
• Dad goes off to the factory
• every day
• andhe built missiles.
• These are weapons of mass destruction.
• Whats the difference
• between that mass destruction
• and the mass destruction over at Columbine High
  School?

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• McCollum I dont see that specific connection
  because the missiles youre talking about
  were built and designed to defend us from
  somebody else who would be aggressors.

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Societies and countries and governments do things
that annoy one another, but we have to learn to
deal with that annoyance,or that anger, or
that frustration in appropriate ways

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• We dont get irritated at somebody
• and just because were mad at them,
• drop a bomb,
• or shoot at them,
• or file a missile at them.

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Case history of U.S. foreign policy before,
during, and after the lives of Dylan Klebold
(9-11-1981 to 4-20-1999), and Eric Harris
(4-9-1981 to 4-20-1999)

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http//www.youtube.com/watch?v-EpbfWnOQrI Here
is URL for video if you are interested. We were
having technical difficulties adding this to our
powerpoint.

• Movie Clip
• From
• Bowling for Columbine

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we ask our children

• to practice
• ANGER MANAGEMENT,
  
• NON-VIOLENT
  COMMUNICATION,
  
• 
  and CONFLICT RESOLUTION,

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Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and
off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it
must be an inseparable part of our very
being.-Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi

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