Dear Santa Fe,
Your tight-knit city changed forever last Friday. Evil paid a visit to your high school and took 10
beautiful souls, adding you as the latest member of a fraternity that also has felt your pain and
sadness when someone chose to violently resolve whatever issues resided in their hearts.
Columbine. Las Vegas. Blacksburg. Newtown. Orlando. The list could go on.
In the midst of your heartache, your city is now swarmed with media. One can’t go more than
two blocks and not see a satellite truck or an overanxious reporter wanting your time. Ceaseless
cameras have interrupted your world at a time where seniors should be focused on graduation,
families should be planning summer vacations and the Indians baseball team applauded
for an outstanding season.
You want your city back. You want the time to grieve in private and celebrate the lives that
were taken away from your community. The healing process is in its initial stages but you’d
prefer if the media would take their cameras and questions and leave you alone.
Last Friday morning was the darkest moment of the 29 years I have been in journalism.
My relationship with your city has been built on celebrating the achievements of your athletic
program. I have always looked forward to arriving to Santa Fe, where I have been welcomed
with open arms and a friendly style that defines your city.
As a journalist, I wanted to know why this had happened
and desired to give a level of dignity and compassion to an
unspeakable act that no reporter wishes to cover.
I’ve heard about the pushy journalists who have shown
little respect to the feelings of those who have been permanantly
scarred. The pain and grief is already overwhelming
yet to have the media turning your city into the center of
the news world has become just as unbearable.
You want your city back. We at The Post Newspaper understand
that.
While our presence has been in Santa Fe, we, as a newspaper,
agreed on Friday morning that we would keep our
distance and respect your feelings as you begin to process
the tragedy and begin to start asking the hard questions
as to why your city had to be added to this unmeasureably
painful list. Our job is cover the story but our responsibility
as human beings exceeds that. We may all come from different
cities in Galveston County but we are joined at the
hip.
Your pain is our pain and in one of the darkest moments
in the history of this area, the unity and support displayed
by Galveston County has reminded us not only how fragile
our world is, but it also showed the love and compassion
that flows among those of us who either were raised in this
area or call it home.
We are here for you, Santa Fe. However, we also are
aware of when to let you free. Long after the major cable
channels and other news outlets are off to cover the next
big story, The Post Newspaper will still be here by your
side.
You are loved, Santa Fe. Always know that.
Santa Fe Strong,
Brandon C. Williams
