TULALIP RESERVATION, Wash. – John McCoy stood near Interstate 5 on Tuesday and reflected about what it meant to the reservation nearby.
“It was a curtain, definitely a curtain,” said the state senator and tribal leader, about how the road was viewed for years.
The highway was a geographic, and figurative, dividing line between the Tulalips and the rest of Snohomish County.
McCoy says that has changed as time evolved, but old fears have been re-ignited in the wake of the Marysville-Pilchuck shootings.
Shooter Jaylen Fryberg was raised by a well-respected Tulalip family, and according to McCoy, was being groomed to be a leader on the reservation.
“That’s what makes it really hurt. We felt he was on the right track and doing all the right things. So where did we go wrong, where did we go wrong,” said McCoy, who is close with Fryberg’s family and says they are still trying to process the tragedy.
Another tribal member, Andrew Gobin, wrote in The Herald of Everett that he knew Fryberg.
“This is not about gun control,” wrote Gobin. “This is not about how a community failed a young man, and it’s not about using his troubles to solve everyone’s problems.”
Yet, tensions are still high. On Tuesday, police were called to a high school on the reservation after a report of a threat. Police say the threat was unfounded, but stayed at the school for a majority of the day.
McCoy says he still sees hope that the event will not renew old beliefs.
“In times of stress like this, people say things. And you have to reassure them things will be okay and it will be like it’s been for the last few years,” he said. “It appears to me that the framework we’ve put together is holding solid. And everybody is talking about the community. Tulalip and Marysville are one community – the community.”
Walmart got taken to task by the blog Jezebel for hawking a “Fat Girl” category of Halloween costumes. The social media firestorm about adults so childishly ridiculing un-skinny women was heartening for those of us who were wondering what is next—a “Diabetes Department?”
A costume that really says ‘HOW! Can you possibly not see the racism here?’ Source: Walmart.com
Walmart was slow to react, much slower than Twitter, but they finally took the “Fat Girl” section down (technically, it redirects to “plus size”) and came up with an appropriate Twitter auto-reply.
Customer: “Congrats on your ‘Fat Girl Costumes’ section. Always keepin it classy, eh @Walmart?”
New Auto-reply: “This never should have been on our site. It is unacceptable, and we apologize.”
Notice the straightforward nature of the apology. No claim of tradition involving ridicule of fat people, especially girls or women, and no claim that those being ridiculed should understand it as an “honor.” No hedging that they didn’t mean to poke fun at females with medical problems that cause the look being ridiculed.
The betting window is open on what they’ll say about the “Native American” costumes. Making an issue of the body type of girls and women is bad, and those involved ought to be ashamed. Does it ever occur to the same people that Indians are neither Pocahottie nor Tonto, and the endless bombardment with stereotypes might be bad for them as well?
Ridicule of fat people is a socially acceptable prejudice that ought not to be accepted. But from Walmart to the antics of the fans at FedEx Field, Indians have caricature put in their non-warpainted faces every day. Sambo and the Frito Bandido were retired years ago, and the Fat Girls insult disappeared instantly.
Chief Wahoo lives on, and the most popular sport in the U.S. tolerates a team name that is a racial slur. Mockery of fat people is not the last socially acceptable prejudice, and a Twitter storm of righteous indignation just proved that. Mockery of American Indians is.
Consultation, accountability and transparency were the call-to-arms at the National Indian Education Convention held earlier this month in Anchorage, Alaska. This year’s conference, entitled “Building Education Through the Generations,” saw unprecedented attention from the federal government, including visits from Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs; the director of the Bureau of Indian Education, Dr. Charles “Monty” Russell; and Bill Mendoza, Director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs.
Among the highlights of the convention was a speech by Senator Jon Tester of Montana in which he announced the introduction of new, comprehensive Indian education legislation that will improve Native education from early childhood education through post secondary, including bolstering language immersion programs, resources for teacher recruitment and retention in Native school districts, as well as streamlined and simplified funding applications, among other initiatives.
“Senator Tester has been listening and loudly heard the call of our educators,” said NIEA Executive Director Ahniwake Rose (Cherokee/Muscogee). “He came all the way to Anchorage to announce this new legislation, which is the first time a sitting chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has acknowledged our membership in recent memory. This legislation is extraordinary for its wide-ranging scope of improvements to our schools.”
Senator Jon Tester speaks at the NIEA Convention in Alaska. (Julia Mitchell)
Also unique at this year’s conference were the “townhalls” hosted by the Bureau of Indian Education head Dr. Charles “Monty” Roessel (Navajo), who was appointed to the post in December 2013 by Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. To underscore the importance of education to the BIA, Washburn’s chief of staff was also in attendance.
The townhalls served as a dialogue between Dr. Roessel, the BIA, and the NIEA membership that provided an opportunity for educators to voice their concerns and frustrations, as well as their successes and hopes for their schools and students for the coming years. Some of their requests included increased transparency and accountability in reforming Indian education; inclusion in planning and decision-making for their school districts; and additional, on-going consultations with the tribes in regards to the performance of the BIE schools.
“The tribes are in the best position to determine what’s best for our children,” said Rose. “We know that the BIE schools are underperforming and we are looking to strengthen our partnership with the agency to improve outcomes for all Indian students.”
Mendoza attended the convention to announce a new Native youth initiative which includes comprehensive funding for “wrap-around” services for tribal students.
“The fact that the DOE, the BIE and Tester are reaching out to us is huge, and it was great to have them at NIEA to engage at a national level,” said Rose. “We’re at a moment for Indian education. For the first time in 40 years, we have a U.S. President that has publicly addressed and supported Indian education. We have government agencies that are focusing in a way that has never happened before. So we want to build on this momentum to create a true turning point for our kids.”
Navajo Nation’s Department of Dine Education Booth at the NIEA Convention in Anchorage. (Julia Mitchell)
Rose also said that among the most important priorities of the tribes is the ability to operate all title funds as they see fit on their lands. As the demand for education continues to increase, she added that Indian education should also encompass a worldview, which recognizes a global economy and the importance of a skilled and educated workforce in Native communities.
“Look at the natural resources located on our lands,” said Rose. “There is an enormous potential for educating our youth to harness the potential income from those lands in a way that the tribes can manage themselves, without having to rely on outsiders or be taken advantage of. We can’t afford to fail again.”
During his speech to the general assembly of this year’s convention, Senator Tester explicitly noted that community involvement with the inclusion of administrators, teachers and parents in collaboration with the government agencies are critical to improved outcomes in Indian education.
“I have no doubt that there is great promise in Indian education—and we have a responsibility to future generations of Indian Country to make the most of that promise. Not with cookie-cutter curriculums or endless bureaucratic red tape, but with community-driven solutions that teach our children not only to think, but think critically,” Tester told the audience. “No two tribes are identical, so it only makes sense that tribes need the flexibility to customize resources to fit the needs of their youth. Let’s work together to develop these solutions that improve the lives of Native children and young adults.”
MARYSVILLE, Wash, – As parents arrived at Marysville-Pilchuck High School Tuesday, they shared hugs and their heartache.
Paula Dalcour was one of the hundreds of parents who attended a Tuesday night meeting.
“This is the third city I have lived in where there was a school shooting,” said Dalcour.
The shooting that happened on campus Friday proved painful for Dalcour’s 10th grader.
“My son went to middle school with some of the kids so it is difficult for him,” she said.
Jaylen Fryberg is accused of shooting five classmates and killing two of them before taking his own life. The 15-year-old was a member of the Tulalip tribe.
Tulalip tribe Chairman Herman Williams Sr. admitted it has been difficult to talk about what happened.
“I’m really traumatized by this. I backed away and had my Vice Chairman speak for me,” said Williams. “Now I have to get out and really carry out my duties.”
Williams said he plans to reach out to the families with a connection to the tragedy.
Police are pressing on with their investigation.
“I truly never have been more proud or more heartbroken than this past Friday,” said Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith.
Chief Smith said 125 law enforcement professionals arrived at the shooting scene within minutes.
There were two standing ovations during the meeting, one for first responders and one for teachers.
Parents were able to ask questions and were given a list of tips on how to talk with their kids.
Classes are scheduled to resume at Marysville Pilchuck High on Monday. Superintendent, Dr. Becky Berg, said it will not be business as usual. The school is still examining how to approach the difficult day, but a decision was made to close the cafeteria where the shooting happened.
Twenty-five minutes after Friday’s shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, two air ambulances hovered near the campus, prepared to transport the critically wounded to the region’s highest-rated trauma hospital.
Alan Berner / The Seattle Times After the Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting, an empty Airlift NW helicopter leaves Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett at 12:30 p.m. But at 1:35 p.m. the crew was called back to transport one of the victims to Harborview.
Twenty-five minutes after Friday’s shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, two air ambulances hovered near the campus, prepared to transport the critically wounded to the region’s highest-rated trauma hospital.
But Snohomish County emergency medical officials canceled the Airlift Northwest choppers before they could carry patients to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.
Instead, four wounded students were taken by ground ambulance to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett — geographically closer than Harborview, but less equipped to handle critical trauma cases, particularly involving juvenile or pediatric victims.
Now, some wonder at the decision.
“We were ready,” said Dr. Eileen Bulger, chief of trauma at Harborview Medical Center. “We were very ready. We had operating rooms available.”
Neurosurgeons and pediatric intensivists were on standby at Harborview, the only Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center in the state.
Providence is rated as a Level 2 trauma center for adults, but has a Level 3 rating for patients under the age of 18, according to the state Department of Health.
It wasn’t until 2:45 p.m. — more than four hours after the shooting — that a wounded boy flown by Airlift Northwest landed at Harborview. A second boy was taken to the Seattle hospital by ground ambulance.
Bulger has contacted a colleague at Providence, requesting a debriefingin the next week or two on why the decision was made to transport all the patients to the Everett hospital.
“There were many people who expressed some concern about the transport of the patients and where they should go,” Bulger told The Seattle Times on Monday. “I’m awaiting more information before I can express a concern.”
Five students were shot by 15-year-old freshman Jaylen Fryberg.
Zoe Galasso, 15, died at the school from a gunshot wound to the head, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday. A second girl, Gia Soriano, 14, died Sunday night at Providence.
Three remain hospitalized.
Dr. Joanne Roberts, Providence Regional Medical Center’s chief medical officer, said Monday that she doesn’t know what happened at the shooting scene that resulted in the victims being taken first to Providence.
“I wasn’t part of the decision-making at the scene at all,” she said. “What I understood is that decision-making was the call of the on-scene EMS (emergency medical services) manager.”
Dr. Eric Cooper, a Providence Medical Center emergency-room physician, is also medical program director for Snohomish County Emergency Medical Services. In that role, he declined to comment on why the Airlift Northwest helicopters were not used.
“Sure, I can understand the question,” said Cooper, adding that the information “would need to come out of our public information officer.”
Cooper oversees overall emergency medical services’ (EMS) operations and response among multiple jurisdictions across the county.
Cooper said an information officer would respond with answers to The Times’ questions Monday afternoon, but none did.
Airlift Northwest’s Executive Director Chris Martin said two helicopters were sent to Marysville-Pilchuck at 10:44 a.m., minutes after the shootings, at the request of SNOPAC 911, Snohomish County’s 911 system.
Harborview is owned by King County but is managed by the University of Washington and is a part of UW Medicine. Airlift Northwest is a nonprofit managed by UW Medicine.
Both helicopters, one dispatched from Bellingham and the other from Seattle, were turned back by SNOPAC 911, Snohomish County’s 911 system, Martin said.
Between the first helicopter request, made by SNOPAC at 10:44 a.m., and 2:45 p.m., when one helicopter finally delivered one of the teens to Harborview, Airlift Northwest made four flights in response to calls for help for the shooting victims.
Two flights were turned away near Marysville-Pilchuck High School, and the third flight was turned away after being called to Providence Everett, Martin said. That flight was later called back to the hospital to transport one of the teens to Harborview.
“In a situation like this, we would absolutely believe that we would be transporting patients. We were surprised when three of our four helicopters came back empty,” said Martin. “We all just thought it was so odd. Why didn’t they use us?”
Martin said using Airlift Northwest would have been a much faster way to get the patients to Harborview or even Providence.
“Once we have them on board, it would take us 20 minutes to get from Everett or Marysville to Harborview. We fly 155 miles an hour,” said Martin.
However, the distance from Marysville-Pilchuck to Providence is only about 7½ miles, which may have factored into the decision to take the patients there by ground ambulance.
The job of a helicopter medical crew is to stabilize patients, care for them in the air and get them to an emergency room.
“The whole goal is to get them quickly and efficiently to a hospital with a higher level of care within 30 minutes,” said Martin. “I think we all thought we were going to take them to Harborview.”
By Friday afternoon, Harborview admitted Hatch and Andrew Fryberg, who was the more seriously hurt.
“The reason he came to us was that he needed pediatric intensive-care services,” Bulger said.
The American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma classifies trauma centers in a rating system of 1 to 4, with Level 1 offering the highest level of care.
A Level 1 trauma center “provides the highest level of care, around-the-clock for injured patients from resuscitation through rehabilitation. Emergency physicians, surgeons, surgical specialists, nurses, anesthesiologists and other professionals are always in house and available to provide immediate care,” according to the Harborview website.
Providence moved up the rankings from a Level 3 to a Level 2 center in October 2013, according to the state Department of Health.
Providence Regional is the only medical center in Snohomish County with a Level 2 rating for treating adult trauma patients, according to the hospital’s website. “Around-the-clock general surgeons, adult and pediatric medical hospitalists, and intensivists are on site with additional standby access to all key specialties, including anesthesia, neurosurgery and orthopedics,” the website notes.
In a statement released the evening of the shooting, Providence said 20 physicians — two heart surgeons, two neurosurgeons, one chest surgeon, two trauma surgeons, a vascular surgeon and 12 ER physicians — cared for the victims.
“Providence caregivers were prepared for this emergency due to planning and regular drills,” the hospital said.
The family of Gia Soriano praised Providence after her death was announced Sunday night.
“Thank you to Providence for their excellent care — bar none — from beginning to end,” the family wrote in a statement.
After hearing her staff’s concerns that two of the wounded teens were not brought to Harborview on Friday, Bulger said she considered contacting Dr. Elizabeth Stuebing, a doctor at Providence who is also the quality-improvement chair at the North Region EMS and Trauma Care Council, that very day.
But, said Bulger, she wanted to give medical staff at Providence a little space while they handled the emergency. She contacted Stuebing on Saturday asking that an incident debriefing be organized quickly to “help to look at the decision making at the scene.”
When reached on Monday, Roberts, from Providence, and Donn Moyer, spokesman for the Department of Health, said incident debriefings are common after significant events.
But, says Bugler, it’s fairly rare to hold an incident debriefing involving two EMS and trauma regions.
The Department of Health has organized the state into eight EMS and Trauma Care regions. Snohomish County is in the North; Harborview is part of the Central region.
According to the North Region EMS and Trauma Care Council website, “the trauma system represents local interests, and establishes the development of the trauma system as a grass-roots effort.”
Brandon Bethers, 20, wears his Marysville Pilchuck High School baseball jersey as he views the growing memorial, Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at the school in Marysville, Wash. On Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, student Jayson Fryberg opened fire in the school cafeteria, killing a fellow student and injuring others before taking his own life. A third student died Sunday night of her injuries.The school will be closed all week. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
By GENE JOHNSON, The Associated Press
MARYSVILLE, Wash. —Among the balloons and flowers tied to the chain-link fence outside Marysville-Pilchuck High School are these: a white wrestling shoe; a youth football team photo, with one player encased in a red-marker heart; and a candle covered with a plastic cup bearing the name “Jaylen.”
They are all tributes to Jaylen Fryberg, the popular 15-year-old freshman who texted five friends to invite them to lunch Friday and then gunned them down at a table in the school’s cafeteria.
Two girls died in the attack, and three other students — including two of Fryberg’s cousins — were gravely wounded. Fryberg died after shooting himself.
While families or friends of shooting victims sometimes express sympathy or forgiveness for the perpetrators, the notion of a mass shooter being memorialized alongside his victims is unusual, experts say. It speaks to the unique grief this community is feeling, even in a nation where such horrors are becoming ever more common.
“Usually there’s so much anger and frustration and bewilderment in the aftermath, and generally the shooter is not someone who was this loved over time,” said Carolyn Reinach Wolf, a mental health attorney who studies mass shootings. “This is a very different response. Some of that is a credit to the community: People are able to get past the grief of the victims and see that the shooter’s family is grieving and horrified just as much.”
Fryberg, a football player who was named a prince on the school’s homecoming court one week before the killings, was a member of a prominent Tulalip Indian Tribes family. He seemed happy, although he was also upset about a girl, friends said. His Twitter feed was recently full of vague, anguished postings, such as “It won’t last … It’ll never last,” and “I should have listened. … You were right … The whole time you were right.”
On Friday, he pulled out a handgun in the cafeteria and started shooting. The victims were Zoe R. Galasso, 14, who died at the scene; Gia Soriano, 14, who died at a hospital Sunday night; Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, who is in critical condition; and his cousins, Nate Hatch, 14, and Andrew Fryberg, 15.
Andrew Fryberg also remained in critical condition. Hatch, who was shot in the jaw, is the only victim who has shown improvement. He was upgraded to satisfactory condition Monday in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he posted a message of forgiveness on Twitter.
“I love you and I forgive you jaylen rest in peace,” he wrote. A friend confirmed the feed’s authenticity to The Associated Press.
Wolf said she urges parents, teachers and others to look for changes in children that could indicate something is wrong — such as Fryberg’s Twitter postings.
“I’m very big on training people to watch for the change, watch for the red flags,” she said. “Yes, he was popular, but there came a time when something changed. If people are educated to look for those, these are things they can do intervene.”
Dan Gross, president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said the Marysville shooting fit a pattern: In two-thirds of school shootings nationally, the attacker used a gun from their own home or from a relative. Authorities have confirmed the gun was legally owned by one of Fryberg’s relatives; it’s not clear how he got it.
“There’s a fine line between suicide and school shooting,” Gross said. “We’ve talked to many parents whose kids took their own lives who say to us there were no warning signs. But there’s a risk just by being an adolescent and going through a breakup or other kind of crisis — you have what’s often a fleeting thought of suicide, and access to a weapon that’s at your disposal to make it happen.”
The Snohomish County medical examiner on Monday ruled Fryberg’s death a suicide. There had been some question over whether he might have shot himself accidentally as a teacher tried to intervene, but Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary said there was no physical contact between the teacher and the gunman.
At the memorial outside the school Monday, a group of mourners hugged each other tightly at 10:39 a.m. — the minute the shooting was reported Friday. Flowers and signs were zip-tied to a chain-link fence lined with red and white balloons, reflecting the school’s colors. Many referenced the victims and said they would be missed.
“Jaylen where do I begin, you were my brother my best friend love you bro,” read one message scrawled on a balloon.
“Jaylen, I will never forget you and your beautiful smile,” read another.
Rows of plastic cups covered candles for each of the students — Fryberg included.
Snohomish County Crime and Community is hosting a community event on October 27th, 2014, at 4:00 PM, at Comeford Park, Marysville, WA: Paint the Town Red & White – Together We Unite. This event is open to the entire community. Kickoff will begin at 4:00PM. City of Marysville representative Jim Ballew will address volunteers with regard to important safety considerations.
Donations of plastic rectangle tablecloths will be accepted – to create waterproof bows. These bows will be tied and placed along state, 3rd and 4th.
The primary purpose of this ribbon tying event is to show community unity and support via profound placement of primary MPHS colors: red and white. During this sensitive time it is vital that as a community the residents of Tulalip and Marysville unite strongly, showing our kids that We Love Them All. Placement of these lasting bows will remind all who view them that this community is tied together, united, together we persevere.
Washington, DC – On behalf of all Native education stakeholders and Native students, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) offers its sympathies and is deeply saddened by the tragedy that struck the Marysville-Pilchuck High School and the Tulalip tribes. As the largest Native education organization in the country, please know that thousands of parents, students, and education stakeholders are keeping the Native and non-Native children, parents, and community members in their thoughts and prayers.
The NIEA Board shared its sympathies, by stating:
Our most sincere prayers and condolences are extended to the Marysville-Pilchuck High School and Tulalip tribal community during the recent tragedy that struck countless students and families. As our communities grieve and work to heal, stories of compassion and friendship are already illustrating that out of tragedy, community ties create strength and resolve.
NIEA admires the local bonds between classmates, schools, and tribes. As tragedy struck, we appreciate that local school districts, like the Oak Harbor High School, joined church services and supported the ability of Marysville-Pilchuck High School to become league champions in football. Simple acts of kindness like these, as well as support from local tribal communities, create a solid foundation for unity and healing. NIEA will strengthen our partnerships with local tribes and school districts in the coming weeks to analyze how support services can be enhanced as we all work together to move forward from this pain.
NIEA is firm in our resolve to support parents, teachers, and educators who are steadfast in their service to our diverse students, tribes, and communities. In the spirit of our Ancestors, we are grateful for the many blessings being shared among the families and communities as we stand together to heal those affected. As such, know that NIEA remains steadfast to creating equal access to comprehensive educational opportunities for our Native students, especially after tragedies such as these.
Students support each during MSD community meeting, Sunday, October 26,2014, at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
In the aftermath of the tragic event on October 24, students of Marysville Pilchuck High School gather with friends and family
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
MARYSVILLE – Pictures taken from yesterday’s Marysville School District’s community meeting at Marysville Pilchuck High School show Marysville/Tulalip community’s grief.
Both communities joined together to discuss Friday’s tragic event and begin the healing process.
Speakers included Marysville School District Superintendent Dr. Becky Berg, Dr. Tom Albright, Tulalip Councilwoman Deborah Parker, Tulalip tribal member and MPHS wrestling coach Tony Hatch, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, Marysville Chief of Police Rick Smith, Pastor Andrew Munoz of Marysville Grove Church and Shari Lovre.
Following opening remarks from guest speakers students were able to meet separately with their peers and counselors. Mental health counselors and other specialists were on hand during the meeting to offer support to anyone who needed it. Parents were also meet separately to discuss concerns and ask questions.
During the event Tulalip tribal member Tony Hatch addressed the community asking for continued prayers for the families grieving, “We are really damaged right now. We’ve got families all over Tulalip and families all over Marysville who are grieving really hard right now. We can never understand why this may have happened, and we can’t understand that.”
Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith address Marysville-Pilchuck students, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014, during MSD community meeting.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
Students support each during MSD community meeting, Sunday, October 26,2014, at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
