AURORA | For the 10th year, the day set aside to honor victims, their families and survivors of the Aurora theater shooting is July 26, offering the region a wide range of events and opportunities focusing on healing and community.
This month marks the 13th anniversary of the massacre that left a dozen people dead and 70 others wounded during a midnight movie screening at Century 16 in Aurora.
“The event is filled with meaningful, deeply human stories that highlight the many forms resilience can take,” said event spokesperson Michelle Ellis.
The 7/20 Memorial Foundation commemorations has become an Aurora tradition, drawing well-wishes from across the nation.
Toting a deadly arsenal and decked out in military-grade armor, James Holmes, a lone gunman, sneaked into the back of an Aurora movie theater, indiscriminately blasting rounds from an assault rifle and shotgun into a terrified crowd. The rampage spanned just 72 seconds, but it left 12 moviegoers dead, dozens more wounded and a community forever changed.
Beyond the carnage and suffering, the massacre stripped Aurora of its anonymity. Like Virginia Tech before it and Newtown after, Aurora post-July 20 is “one of those places,” forever bound to the American gun violence that shocks the world with increasing frequency.
Joining this unenviable club recently are the towns of Uvalde, Texas and Highland Park, Illinois and more.
Despite the association with the mass shooting, however, the city’s former mayor said the city has grown to accept and build on the tragedy of the shooting. The city has incorporated its fate into a new role as a leader in healing and moving past such disasters, local memorial foundation volunteers say.
Former Mayor Steve Hogan said the theater shooting absolutely enveloped Aurora, but it’s never defined it.
While Aurora will for at least generations be harnessed to the tragedy, it’s absorbed the distinction but moved on in what some say is a healing process for communities struck by such tragedies.
Each year, as July 20 rolls around, the memories are stirred.
“My thoughts are with the families of those killed in this massacre, and with the survivors who will carry their pain and trauma for life,” said former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who heads the Giffords foundation. “Even more than a decade later, my heart aches for those who were taken from us too soon.”
She called out Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, whose daughter Jessi Redfield Ghawi was killed during the theater shooting, and also state Sen. Tom Sullivan, whose son Alex was also killed.
“Because of their courage, Colorado has seen remarkable wins for gun safety and lives have undoubtedly been saved,” Giffords said, referring to changes in state gun reform laws linked to both those families’ efforts.
“Jessi’s Law works to counteract Colorado’s deeply misguided gun industry immunity laws that have prevented shooting survivors and their families from seeking justice in civil court.,” she said “In many cases, these immunity laws financially punished families who sought accountability by saddling them with the gun industry’s legal fees if the case was dismissed — but Jessi’s Law has opened new doors to families demanding justice.”
Aurora Democratic Congressperson Jason Crow said the nation is moving too slowly to protect future gun-violence victims, and what progress that has been made since the Aurora theater shooting is at risk.
“Twelve lives were stolen. Dozens more were wounded. Families, friendships, and futures were shattered,” Crow said in a statement. “And yet, in the years since, we’ve seen the same tragedy repeat itself again and again, from Boulder to Colorado Springs, from Uvalde to Buffalo. The Trump administration is launching a coordinated effort to dismantle the very agency that regulates the gun industry.
Crow referred to cuts in the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearm agency that police and other critics say will allow gun dealers to destroy records early, weakening background checks, and making it harder for law enforcement to trace crime guns.
On Saturday, the focus will be on those who were killed, maimed or staggered during and after the 2012 theater shooting.
The July 26 events will take place from 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at and near the Water-wise Garden, southeast of the Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway.
The day kicks off with DJ Sinna-G and stretching and mindfulness by Yoga Six at 7:30 AM, followed by the 5th annual “The Hero’s Journey” 5K Run/Walk at 8 AM, led by Zack Golditch, a survivor, former NFL player, and current firefighter.
From 10:30 a.m. to 11 AM, attendees can participate in yoga in the garden and enjoy guided garden tours.
At 11 AM, the Day of Resilience Festival annual fundraiser begins, featuring live music, wellness booths, food trucks, and live chalk art.
The festival runs until 3 PM.
From late morning through the afternoon, local breweries will provide beer tasting and a variety of food trucks will offer a wide range of fare.
For details and to register for the 5-K race or to get wrist-bands for the beer tasting, go do 7-20memorial.org.