Hi John,
On Valentine's Day five years ago, a gunman murdered 14 high school students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
You may not know this, but that three-story building has been locked up behind a chain-link fence, untouched since that day. It's been kept standing to serve as evidence to prosecute the shooter and investigate the law enforcement officers that failed to act. Few people have been inside it -- but last week, I had the heartbreaking honor of being invited to tour the site of the tragedy.
The halls are littered with abandoned Valentine's Day gifts: wilted roses, deflated balloons. Textbooks and laptops still lie open on desks. In one room, a chess board is set up for a game that will never be finished.
We were guided by the families of the students who were killed. They walked us through minute by minute of the devastation that happened that day. We saw the broken glass and the bullet holes and their children's blood on the floor.
It was an experience that will transform the rest of my life.
I immediately contacted House leadership and told them they had to get down there. House leadership, Senate leadership, the White House, even Republicans -- they all need to take this tour and hear from these families.
No more playing politics. These families -- and countless others across the country -- are grieving every day. It's time for us to shut our mouths and listen.
Our tour group was bipartisan and we’re starting to have the right conversations. That’s a step in the right direction. I believe this experience will change the way we interact and collaborate with each other to protect our kids.
I'm not gonna quit until we step up, stop the shootings, and make sure all parents can breathe easy when they send their kids to school.
Peace and love,
Jamaal
