May 25, 2022 -- The City of Highland Park extends its deepest condolences to the victims and families of yesterday's shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX. Flags have been lowered to half-staff in honor of the lives lost and in solidarity with the grieving families, friends, and community whose world has been forever changed by this senseless shooting.
There are no words of comfort or sympathy that can assuage the grief of families mourning the loss of their children. There are no words of commendation to lessen the pain of the loved ones of the teachers who were killed while courageously defending their students. There are no words of assurance to ease the anxiety of the children who survived and who will carry with them forever the memory of their friends and the horror of their deaths. We as a nation are marked by every loss of innocent life to violence.
Though Highland Park is far from Uvalde, this grief and anxiety touch our community, too. The City of Highland Park Police Department continues to partner with both North Shore School District 112 and Township High School District 113 to provide the highest levels of school safety. Highland Park Police Officers proactively work with students and staff to provide education on a variety of safety issues. The City will continue to work diligently to ensure that our community is safe, and encourages parents to speak with children about the many ways in which our community works to protect them each and every day.
Gun violence is responsible for the deaths of more than 100 Americans each day, and puts hundreds more Americans, including law enforcement, in danger. As a City, Highland Park reaffirms its commitment to public safety, and to supporting common-sense reforms that will end gun violence and build safer communities.