Remembering Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Music Festival

Hannah Ahlers

Heather Alvarado

Dorene Anderson

Carrie Barnette

Jack Beaton

Steve Berger

Candice Bowers

Denise Burditus

Sandy Casey

Andrea Castilla

Denise Cohen

Austin Davis

Thomas Day Jr.

Christiana Duarte

Stacee Etcheber

Brian Fraser

Keri Galvan

Dana Gardner

Angela Gomez

Rocio Guillen Rocha

Charleston Hartfield

Chris Hazencomb

Jennifer Topaz Irvine

Teresa Nicol Kimura

Jessica Klymchuk

Carly Kreibaum

Rhonda LeRocque

Victor Link

Jordan McIldoon

Kelsey Meadows

Calla-Marie Medig

James “Sonny” Melton

Patricia Mestas

Austin Meyer

Adrian Murfitt

Rachael Parker

Jenny Parks

Carrie Parsons

Lisa Patterson

John Phippen

Melissa Ramirez

Jordyn Rivera

Quinton Robbins

Cameron Robinson

Tara Roe

Lisa Romero-Muniz

Chris Roybal

Brett Schwanbeck

Bailey Schweitzer

Laura Shipp

Erick Silva

Susan Smith

Brennan Stewart

Derrick “Bo” Taylor

Neysa Tonks

Michelle Vo

Kurt von Tillow

Bill Wolfe

Las Vegas Five Year Remembrance

Dean G. Kilpatrick, Ph. D.

National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center Director

Today, we remember the tragedy of 01 October, 2017 when 58 people were senselessly murdered at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. Over 400 others were physically injured, and two people later died as a result of their injuries. Many others were the target of gunfire but escaped, leaving them terrified that they would be injured or killed. The entire community of Las Vegas and Clark County was devastated, and the psychological, physical, financial, and social impact of this senseless mass violence crime reverberated across Las Vegas, our Nation, and around the world. In addition to being the largest mass shooting in U.S. history, this tragedy was compounded by lack of certainty about why the perpetrator did what he did, thereby leaving many survivors with unanswered questions.

Immediately and through today, #VegasStrong has become much more than a hashtag. It is a powerful statement that help, hope, and healing can occur in the aftermath of mass violence. 

This has been demonstrated through the important work of the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center. Executive Director, Tenille Pereira, a member of the NMVVRC Resiliency Center Director’s Forum, and her team work tirelessly providing direct and virtual services to thousands of victims and survivors of Route 91. Lets also not forget the ongoing, always sage guidance that our Center receives from our founding Stakeholders Forum member, Elynne Greene, Manager of Victim Services & Human Trafficking at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, who was a first responder on 01 October. These are just two of the many examples, that help to make #VegasStronger five years later!

On October 1, 2017, the NMVVRC, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, opened our doors for the first time. The next morning, I recall our heavy hearts and immense sadness when we learned about the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Although we were not yet fully operational, I remember that some members of our team immediately reached out to colleagues in Las Vegas, offering support and resources to help a devastated community.

This remains who we are and what we do. The NMVVRC is here every day to help communities with their mass violence readiness, response, recovery, and resilience efforts, with a strong focus on victim/survivor services and mental/behavioral health.

Perhaps most important, we must all remember. By remembering victims, survivors, and first responders in Las Vegas, we honor the meaningfulness of their individual lives and their personal heroism on that awful evening. By remembering those who were present or who lost loved ones that night, we salute their remarkable strength and resilience notwithstanding the challenges they faced and continue to face. By remembering what we know about the long-term effects of mass violence, we recognize that many victims/survivors/first responders are still suffering and need help.

We must also reflect on George Santayana’s famous statement that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Then we must recommit our individual energies, and collective resolve, to make sure that this tragedy and those it affected are never forgotten. We also owe them our best efforts to address the crisis of mass violence so that our society is not condemned to repeat it.

 

"The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center is a place of healing and support dedicated to serving as a multi-agency resource and referral center for residents, visitors, and responders affected by the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

The Center is managed by Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, and is staffed by knowledgeable and caring professionals to help people access resources to help them build strength and resiliency in the aftermath of this incident.

Services that are available include victim advocacy and support, case management, counseling and spiritual care referrals, technical assistance with applying for online services including FBI Victim Assistance services and more.

Free civil legal services are available including legal consultations and possible legal representation for issues involving insurance matters, medical billing problems, debt collection, housing and evictions, family law matters and more."