Columbine Cancels Classes On The Tragic 16th Anniversary

It’s been sixteen years since Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris reigned terror upon an unsuspecting Colombine High School and changed a community forever.  The two, dressed as members of the Trenchcoat Mafia, painfully reminded America of our own homegrown-terror threat posed by white supremacy groups.

• (The perpetrators were a) sinister circle of teenagers who flirted with the edges of the US’s extreme right-wing.
• They were said to wear confederate flags on their clothes, a symbol claimed by white supremacists.
• Other reports say that they celebrated Adolf Hitler’s birthday – the day of the shootings – and would speak German to each other.

Today, the number of White Supremacy groups is on the rise.

There are currently 939 active hate groups in the U.S. In 2000, there were 602. The numbers are rising and over 50 percent of them are white supremacist.  Colorado is currently home to 17 hate groups, according to the SPLC’s Hate Map. These include the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and The Creativity Movement — both white supremacist organizations.

The horrors of the 1999 tragedy will never be forgotten by the residents of Littleton, Colorado and Columbine Students. 

Principal K.C. Somers sent a letter to the Columbine High School community earlier this month that said the school would continue the tradition of not holding classes on April 20.

“Out of respect and remembrance for the 13 loved ones who were lost in 1999, as well as the countless individuals impacted by this terrible incident, we will continue to honor the tradition of not holding classes on April 20 for the foreseeable future,” Somers wrote.

Since nothing has changed with our gun laws, the possibility of another horrific tragedy always looms on the horizon. At least closing the school on the anniversary will discourage copycat criminals from gaining similar notoriety.

By: VegasJessie

A resident of Las Vegas Nevada, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma as a Political Science major. Very motivated to get people to participate in the electoral process.