I pulled up to Von Maur and was overwhelmed by the large number of signs, teddy bears, and flowers outside the door that leads to the parking lot. It has snowed several times since the shooting, and the snow is mixed between the many memorials people have left. Here are a couple of photos:
I read many of the cards and letters. Some were from fellow retail workers who realized it could have been them. Some were from relatives and those were heartbreaking. Many were from people who never met the victims, but wanted to express their support in some fashion. As I reached the end of the memorial outside, a woman walked up, placed a sign down on the steps, and then she dropped to her knees to pray. As I left, I saw many parents bringing their children to visit the memorial. I suspect they wanted to show their children how a community rallies to overcome such tragedies.Von Maur hasn't reopened their doors since the shooting, but the word out yesterday is that they are planning to reopen on Thursday. I'd heard that people had also left many cards and letters inside the mall on the closed gates of Van Maur so I went inside to read those too. On the various different floors, the gates were nearly covered in paper snowflakes people made and wrote their sentiments upon.
Turns out that a man emailed a local radio station with the idea of covering Von Maur with snowflakes of support. His idea caught on and the gates (and walls) on both floors are covered. In fact, people are beginning to lay snowflakes on the ground and in some spots the snowflakes are three and four deep. It's like a blizzard of love and support.
One particular scene moved me greatly. It depicts eight teddy bears sitting side by side in honor of the eight victims.
As I was reading some of the things people said, a man walked out of a nearby restaurant and placed a full page advertisement out for all to see. It was an ad from Von Maur thanking the Omaha community for its support.
Similar spontaneous acts of support could be seen everywhere. People wore serious expressions on their faces and in the seriousness I sensed a spirit of determination. In fact, just being in the mall was an act of defiance against the gunman and his actions. Visiting the place where fellow citizens fell became sacred ground that people seemed willing to protect. One sign read, "Reopen, Rebuild, Restore." Another said, "Evil shall not win."I don't know anybody who died in the shooting, but I've taken the time to read about each of the victims. I felt like I owed it to them since we live in the same city. I suspect others feel the same way and because of their defiant attitudes and their desire to reach out to the families who lost loved ones, I suspect Omaha and the Von Maur store in Omaha are going to be just fine after we finish our period of grieving.
However, the families who lost loved ones will never be the same.
