Tag Archive for: vbstrong

#VBStrong

This blog post is not about architecture or interior design or any other design or business topic. It is about our community. Our community here in Virginia Beach.

Last Friday, May 31, 2019, our community was attacked in the latest instance of tragic and horrific murders. A lone shooter entered Building 2 down at the city and municipal complex and began shooting. He took the lives of 12 innocent souls.

Friday evening, when I heard the news, I was immediately shocked and scared. I felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. The names had not been released at that time and I began thinking of the many people that we deal with in our industry that work in that very building. We talk, communicate, visit, and have meetings there nearly every week. Many of those employees have become great business colleagues over the many years.

As it turned out, we didn’t personally know any of the victims. However, I’m sure that doesn’t apply to many of our consultants on the civil engineering side that deal with those individuals in Public Works more frequently. It’s just traumatizing to think about this sort of violence taking place so close to home in our very own neighborhood.

My thoughts then turned to our own staff. So often we are in that building meeting with zoning or the planning department or others. Many times we are taking drawings to the city to submit for review to obtain permits. That could have very well been the case on that dark Friday. Thankfully, it was not.

We may never understand what causes any individual to create such unmentionable chaos. This blog post is not about politics. It is simply an opportunity to remember those that were lost. And until we begin facing the fact that our nation is hurting and until we address the heart I don’t believe that we can avoid these types of violent actions in our country. Change is within ourselves and that’s where we need to begin.

God bless those that serve us daily, those that have lost their lives and their families and their loved ones and their close colleagues.

I agree with what so many people have said already, this incident will not define us!

#VBStrong

The city has set up a contribution fund to support the victims’ families. Click here to be redirected and make a contribution.