I have several close friends in Boulder Colorado and live only an hour from the city itself. When news of the shooting was brought to light on March 22nd I immediately reached out to my friends to see if they were okay.
The events that transpired in the King Soopers shooting were unnecessary, horrific, and heartbreaking in every way possible.
Some people lost their families that day. Others lost their friends, and some, such as John Mackenzie lost his wife and the love of his life, Lynn Murray.
John expressed his grief when he said, “I haven’t worked since that day and I probably won’t for a long time to come... The stresses of this aren’t just psychological – they’re physical. I feel like I’ve aged 20 years in 2 months. I don’t even feel like I’m human anymore.”
John has been journaling about his experience and is now attempting to get answers from the non-profits who have been raising money after the shooting. John is doing this by starting a group called Stand Up Bolder which advocates for the state to audit non-profits, create a specific fund for victims, and ensure that the money is being properly distributed.
According to John, he has received around $40,000 from a victim's assistance organization tied to the Colorado Healing Fund which is the leading non-profit collecting funds for victims of the Boulder shooting.
Jordan Finegan, the executive director of the fund made a statement saying that the group has raised $4.3 million since the shooting happened. According to Jordan, over $700,000 has been distributed to the families of the 10 victims.
John wants the state to get the money to the people who desperately need it. He claims that the Colorado Healing Fund is holding on to the victim's funds.
John is also questioning Community Foundation Boulder County who raised over a million after the shooting. The CEO of the foundation, Tatiana Hernandez, said that the money was raised to benefit three groups. The victims' families, those impacted by the shooting, and the Boulder community.
According to John, all fundraising needs to go directly to the victims involved. He concluded his interview by saying that there are numerous charities in the United States that do the right thing by giving all of the money to the victims and allowing them to move on with their lives.
What are your thoughts? Should all of the money raised go directly to the victims, or should it be distributed amongst others as well?
Sources
https://www.standupbolder.com/