The nightmare of the Virginia Tech survivors
Blacksburg (Virginia). He first replies with a smile. He speaks calmly about what he just went through. He almost apologizes for not having heard the shooting which left 33 people dead and horrified his country yesterday. He lives in the dorm in the Virginia Tech campus where Cho Seung-hui, a 23-year old student, started his massacre on April 16 2007. Just a few doors down from where Emily Hilscher and Ryan Clark were killed the day before. “I live on the floor where the kid started shooting”, Andre Cayne says. “But I was sleeping. The police woke me up around 8.00 am and told me to leave as soon as possible” While telling his story, the 19-year old African-American freshman from Richmond (VA) starts fighting against tears. “I realize how lucky I am to be alive, he says. Ryan Clark, my dorm’s adviser was not as lucky as I am. I really liked this guy”. Stories like Andre Cayne’s one whirl and echo each other in the empty and cavernous buildings of Virginia Tech. Miguel Ruiz, Mr Cayne’s roommate, says the massacre did not sink in yet. He wants to go back home to Atlanta to reflect on the blood-soaked tragedy that hit his school so hard. On the green campus, one can literally hear the eerie and heavy silence. “It is really weird. It is usually very lively on weekdays”, says Chad, a student who is watching students go by from behind his sunglasses. The massacre of 32 people had a deep impact on the tight-knit Virginia Tech Community. 26,000 students study in this large school crouched in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Roanoke, the closest big town, is already 40 miles away from here. Here, in Hokies country, people are proud to identify with and to wear maroon and orange, the colors of the university. But on the day following the worst mass shooting in modern US history, wearing maroon and orange is much more than pride. It is a statement. “We lost our innocence”. Bobbie Fellinger, 20, does not understand what drove Cho Seung-hui to kill 27 students and 5 teachers before committing suicide. This afternoon, Ms Fellinger is taking part in the rally to remember the victims of the shooting. She is heading toward the football field. The gigantic stadium had to be opened in the last minute to accommodate scores of people who could not find a seat inside the convention center, where president George Bush is attending the memorial convocation. In a somber tone, the president starts by telling the students says he came to Blacksburg with his heart “full of sorrow” “It’s impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering”, the president says to a quiet crowd. “Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they’re gone - and they leave behind grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation”. In front of the convention centre, a man is carrying a large cross with “Jesus” written over it. Blacksburg lies right in the middle of the Bible Belt, the most religious area in the States. The man’s name is Joey Lyons. He is a youth pastor in neighboring Christiansburg. “I am here to give a message of hope and forgiveness”, he says leaning wearily on his cross. “If our community keeps the faith, she will recover” Jean-Cosme Delaloye / Blacksburg A similar version of this story was published on April 18 in 24heures and Tribune de Genève in Switzerland CommentsYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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