 Welcome to the inaugural newsletter of Survivors Empowered.
Eight years ago, we were shocked and unmoored by the devastating murder of our daughter in the Aurora, Colorado, mass shooting that so irrevocably changed our lives.
Since then, piece by piece, we have been rebuilding, and a key part of our journey, both mental and physical, has been reaching out to other survivors who have needlessly lost loved ones in the growing tally of mass shootings that have occurred since Aurora.
Coronavirus has changed some of what we are now doing, but our mission remains the same: to help families bridge the loneliness, anger, horror and grief of seeing the precious lives of their loved ones ended by gun violence.
Until just recently, we’ve been using our RV as both our home and a vehicle for rapidly responding to mass shootings and offering our loving support to any and all who need it. For now, we are temporarily “grounded,” but still involved via writing, speaking and “zooming.”
This newsletter is meant to keep you informed about our travels, whether physical or virtual, what we and others are doing to combat gun violence, and how you and others can call for help, or offer it.
We hope you will subscribe, let us know what you’d like to see next and continue with us as allies.
In loving solidarity,
Sandy and Lonnie Phillips |
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Maria Pettolina was nervous when she took the stand to testify on national television about her crime scene findings after the massacre in Aurora, Colorado. When she looked into the courtroom, though, she was fortified by a smiling face – Sandy Phillips was sending encouragement, and Maria has never forgotten.
Later, she had the opportunity to talk with Lonnie and Sandy. She remembers her eyes brimming with tears when Sandy said she had done a great job, and that her testimony had made them proud. It was the first time Maria had ever met a victim’s family. They began getting together for meals, leading to what has become a lasting and very special relationship.
In 2012, Maria had only been a CSI for three years, and in Colorado for six months. Now, she’s Dr. Maria Pettolina, and educates other CSIs about best practices. But the memories are still fresh – in fact, unforgettable. She and Nick Carroll, who worked the scene with her, spent nine days onsite and the balance of the month packaging evidence.
It was a singularly affecting case. She considers her colleagues who worked with her among her best friends today. Of the people who died, Maria says, “It could have been my sister. My niece.” And horrifically, “there was not a single safe place.” Maria has written about the post-traumatic stress that can accompany her work. One of her recent publications: “
Published in October 2019, Tragedy in Aurora: The Culture of Mass Shootings in America, is Tom Diaz's account of the death of Lonnie and Sandy Phillips' daughter, Jessi, and the political polarization and stagnation behind the country's failure to enact common-sense policies to stem gun violence.