AURORA, Colo. — They gathered in unity on Tuesday for
the first time, 18 victims or family members of those killed or wounded
in the July 20 movie massacre asking what happened to the $5 million
raised in the name of their loved ones.
“We’ve come to speak in one voice,” began Tom Teves, who
took the role of informal leader of the group crammed onto a tiny stage
Tuesday. His son, 24-year-old Alex Teves, was one of the 12 killed when
a gunman opened fire in a packed Aurora theater showing “The Dark
Knight Rises.” Fifty-eight others were
wounded.His voice rising in anger and then breaking in grief, Teves said at the news conference that the families wanted to know why they — those touched by the tragedy the most — were not included in the process of deciding how the millions of dollars raised would be distributed. “The victims have no voice at all,” he said, accusing those calculating need of being slow and disorganized at best, unresponsive and callous at worst.
“Put the politics aside and stand on the side of good,”
Teves he pleaded, noting that his son’s picture and story, along with
those of other victims, were used in fundraising efforts.
“We’re humbled by the generosity of the American public.
I am certain that the public intended 100% go to the families of
victims,” he said. “Nobody’s trying to get rich. There’s not enough
money in the federal government to pay for what we lost.”
“I’m sorry for their pain, and I’m sorry this has to
contribute to it,” said Cheryl Haggstrom, executive director of a
Denver-area foundation called Community First, which is holding the
donations. “We’re working as hard as we can.”
Haggstrom said that, until last week, family members of
victims had not asked her foundation about becoming involved with the
efforts of the 7/20 Recovery Committee. She said the committee was
trying to find a way to get them involved.
The committee comprises about 30 different entities,
including Aurora city officials, the district attorney’s office, school
officials, mental health representatives, and a victims advocacy group.
It meets regularly to decide how best to split up the money.
Feeling shut out of committee decisions has infuriated
some families. “Don’t handle us. Let us be involved,” demanded Deidra
Brooks, whose stepson, 18-year-old Jarell Scott, was shot and wounded.
Brooks said no one but victims and their families could
fully understand what their needs are. She said her stepson cannot
work, and cannot be left alone. He will not sleep with his back to a
window or door. He panics at the sound of a car backfiring and she must
be careful not to approach him from behind if she wants to give him a
hug.
Teves also wondered about all of those who were in the
theater that night but not wounded. Aren’t they victims, too? He said
his son’s girlfriend escaped injury but was nonetheless “broken inside.”
Haggstrom explained that
immediately after the shooting, her foundation was flooded with calls
from people wanting to help, as was Gov. John Hickenlooper’s
office. On July 21, the governor’s office and Community First
co-founded the Aurora Victims Relief Fund. Donations could be made
through the online arm of her foundation, called GivingFirst.org. As of
last week, the fund had grown to more than $5 million, she said.
So far, each of the 70 families of those killed or
wounded received a $5,000 check last week for immediate needs, totaling
$350,000, Haggstrom said. An additional $100,000 was taken from the fund
and divided between 10 community nonprofits to help victims, she said.
The remainder is being held until the 7/20 Recovery Committee can best
decide how it should used. The first disbursements were made through a
group called Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance.
Haggstrom says each check came with a letter explaining that the $5,000 was just the beginning.
At the news conference
Chantel Blunk, whose husband, Jonathan, was killed, said she was turned
down when she asked the organization for additional money to bring her
two young children with her when she flew to Colorado from her home in
Reno, Nev., to attend a court hearing for James E. Holmes,
the man charged in the mass shooting. She said her 4-year-old daughter
has nightmares if separated from her, but the organization said there
was no money for the extra plane tickets.
Officials with the organization could not be reached for comment.
Joshua Nowlan, shot in the left calf and right arm, came
to the news conference with a crutch and his arm in a cast. “I may be
injured but I’m still alive,” he said.
Still, there is one thing he needs to do. He wants to go back to the
theater where he was shot and watch a movie. “I won’t be fully healed
until I do.”Source : http://www.coptalkradio.com/_blog/News/post/Aurora_Shooting_What_Happened_To_$5_Million_Donated_To_Victims/
