Grieving people gather

Young and old seek solace, answers at public services

By Christopher Anderson and Kristin Dizon
Camera Staff Writers

Across the metro area, people gathered in grief the day after the Columbine High School slayings.

In churches, at parks, in schools. With bowed heads, brimming eyes and binding embraces.

They sought collective catharsis for their sorrow and bewilderment, though many had no personal ties to the Littleton high school that will always be associated with the harsh specter of adolescent violence.

Across the street from the state Capitol, more than 2,500 people gathered at Denver's Civic Center Park. Stretched across a 20-yard wall were messages of prayer and support, as well as peace signs, flowers and homemade cards with drawings of broken hearts.

"You will never be forgotten. We love your young hearts. God Bless," read one handwritten elegy.

Mayor Wellington Webb said he didn't know how to stop such tragedies. He asked those assembled to hug the person on each side and then go home and hug their children or someone else's child, "because some kids are not receiving the love that they need."

Loud clapping rang out when Webb said there were no boundaries between metro-area cities.

"We all grieve and mourn their loss," he said. "If your kids hurt, our kids hurt."

Others emphasized the need to prevent legislation that makes it easier for children to obtain guns.

We don't need more guns," said the Rev. Patrick Demmer, to more applause. "It's time to stop playing politics with the lives of our children."

At other gatherings, many lamented that it took so many lives cut short to bring people together. The agonizing question of why two teenage boys went on a killing spree in their school surfaced again and again.

An open microphone at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church on South Boulder Road in Boulder served as a forum for seeking hope and resilience in the face of tragedy. More than 100 people came together for an interfaith service there, including many teenagers who cradled their heads in their hands and held onto one another for support.

"It's hard to believe people could do this to other people, especially at this young age," said Adam Dickinson, 14. "What didn't they get that drove them to do this?"

Staring out at the unfamiliar faces, he told the full church that his last thought before going to bed Tuesday night was, what if I'm next?

Calae Sentes, a junior at Centaurus High in Lafayette, said she felt numb when she heard the news, then panicked.

"I know it's hard for all of us, but this is a wake-up call," she said. "This can happen anywhere, no matter how secure our schools or how good our reputation."

As rain drummed on the church roof, many said they understood the pain of being ostracized from firsthand experience. The two youths suspected in the mass killings had reportedly felt like outcasts and were seeking revenge against those who had treated them poorly.

"I thought my life was terrible. I hated junior high and high school," said the Rev. Dan Hoeger, who was bullied by a popular neighborhood kid when he was younger. "I know what happened with these kids. When they started hating, they stopped living."

A boy who looked no older than 10 said, "I know what it's like to be an outcast. Depending on the way I dressed, people treated me differently."

One female student said she had heard threats of violence that were all too common at her school. She said kids had threatened to kill administrators, bomb the school or set it afire. She never took that kind of sentiment seriously, until Tuesday.

"I was so scared that I went home and I hid in my room, and I isolated myself for awhile just thinking about it," she said.

Many called for everyone to welcome those who are different with a simple hello or a smile, and to make everyone feel included.

"I used to be the same way as the kids who did this," said one Centaurus student.

Another girl asked students to smile at everyone in school until it became common.

"It was scary coming to school today, and I hated being afraid," she said. "We shouldn't ever have to live in fear like this."