Michael J. Lenstra
Reprinted from the Disc Jockey News
www.discjockeynews.com
 |
| Michael J. Lenstra |
January, 2013 - As a DJ I like to feel that our community is somewhat making a difference, whether it’s by
enhancing someone’s special event by entertaining their guests and creating a
memorable moment or by offering our talents and/or our equipment for a special
cause. As a community of difference makers, the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut,
is both inconceivable and unimaginable to us.
However, I think we can relate to
the great people that rushed to the aid of the victims within moments after the
first shots rang out. People like the first wave of law officers that arrived.
“I have no doubt that because of law enforcement’s quick response many lives
were saved,” said Connecticut State Trooper spokesman Lt. Paul Vance. “I wish
we could have saved more.” Or the more than six dozen doctors and nurses that
assembled in a matter of 30 minutes at nearby Danbury Hospital in anticipation
of treating the wounded only to be disheartened to realize that after the
initial three victims no more would be coming.
Other heroes included the group of volunteer firefighters who provided a
safe haven for the children at the local fire station as they escaped from the
school. Another notable figure was school neighbor and retired psychologist
Gene Rosen, who discovered a half dozen small children at the end of his
driveway just moments after the tragedy, although at the time he was not yet
aware of the situation. “We can’t go back to school,” one of the children
explained to him. “Our teacher is dead . . . .”
Rosen took them in, gave them juice and some stuffed animals, and made
arrangements to reunite them with their parents.
In the days that followed that heinous act of violence, more random acts
of kindness followed. Local resident Michael Craigin, a former special education
teacher and volunteer firefighter, felt the need to do something to help so he
gathered up his bulldog Truman, parked his SUV at a local donut shop, and
erected a small sign that read “My bulldog gives hugs.” More than 100 passersby stopped to take advantage
of the offer. Truman was not the only canine offering support. A team of golden
retrievers–the Comfort Dogs, as they are known—and their handlers were sent by
the Lutheran Church Charities from as far away as Indiana and Illinois to be
there to offer support and an ear to scratch.
Another need was
filled when employees from nearby Panera Bread stores volunteered to work behind
the counter and in the kitchen at Newtown so that their company colleagues
could attend memorial services for the victims.
Help was not contained to the local area. Writer Tom Cavanaugh from Los
Angeles called the local coffee shop and donated $125 for 100 cups of coffee to
be given away just to make a difference. The
store’s owner, Peter Leone, thought it was such a good idea that he offered
free coffee to everyone for the day. And the Wahlert Foundation in Dubuque,
Iowa, along with other volunteers, teamed up with the monks of Trappist Caskets
to offer free caskets to the families of the young victims.
The entertainment world was also quick to react in their
own way. Many celebrities tweeted out their messages of support. Radio
stations, both in the area around Newtown and nationwide, pulled songs like Ke$ha’s
“Die Young” and Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” due to titles or lyrics
that were deemed inappropriate, swapping them for classic inspirational songs
like Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings,” Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven,”
and even USA For Africa’s “We Are The World.” The studio behind the new Tom
Cruise movie “Jack Reacher” delayed their premiere, as did the new Billy
Crystal movie “Parental Guidance.” TV shows like “Haven” and “Family Guy”
pulled their new episodes, and the Discovery series “American Guns” was
canceled outright, as the networks felt the content in these shows could be
viewed as insensitive so close to the shooting.
And maybe that word—sensitivity—is
the way I as a DJ can make the biggest impact. Maybe a second look at some of
the songs in my playlists or requests that I get might be in order over the next
few weeks while the memories of that terrible day are still in people’s minds.
Even an upbeat song like David Sanborn’s “Bang Bang,” with no connection to the
events, might nonetheless need to take a little vacation simply to avoid an
awkward introduction. Alice Coopers “Schools Out” might be another song to
avoid at those end-of-the-year school dances.
The way I see it, for every one of these tragedies that occurs
at the hands of a single person or two, thousands of other people show up
almost instantaneously to offer help and support. Although they may not be the
ones who the media focuses on, these people may be more representative of who
we truly are as Americans rather than the perpetrators of these horrific
crimes.
Michael J. Lenstra
is a twenty-one year veteran of the Mobile Disc Jockey Industry, a full time
entertainer, and owner of Alexxus Entertainment in Dubuque, IA and a monthlu columnist for the Disc Jockey News, a monthly national trade magazine based in Gey Eagle, MN
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