AURORA | Amanda Gaspari had to wait several days before she could find the courage to climb the dusty hill near the intersection of Sable Boulevard and East Centrepoint Drive on July 26.
On a blazing afternoon at the makeshift memorial set up across the street from the Century Aurora 16 theater, Gaspari dodged groups of well-wishers as she pushed the stroller holding her 11-month-old son Michael along the rough ground. A few feet away, a throng surrounded the Rev. Jesse Jackson as he led a prayer over the 12 wooden crosses set up for those who lost their lives on July 20. Photographers and cameramen lingered at the edge of the memorial.
For Gaspari, an Aurora resident who’s lived in the city for 25 years, the site had a sacred feel. Less than a week after the shooting that killed 12 and injured 58, Gaspari said she hoped the memorial would become a permanent fixture.
“Absolutely,” she said in response to a question about keeping the memorial intact. “This is in the headlines now, but people will move on and people will find other disasters to talk about. It’s not fair that these people should be forgotten,” Gaspari added as she wiped away tears, “I hope that some good can come of this.”
As the city still reels under the weight of tragedy, specific answers to questions regarding the memorials that have sprung up around the city remain unclear, as does the ultimate fate of the 3,400-seat Century 16 multiplex that’s still cordoned off by police tape. City officials say that in the immediate wake of the tragedy, the future of the Sable site and other memorials across the city remain undecided.
In addition to the growing site on Sable and Centrepoint, a memorial first set up on the edge of the fountain at the Aurora Municipal Center before the memorial vigil on July 22 has continued to draw visitors and contributions. City workers set up a tarp over the fountain to protect the candles, written tributes, stuffed animals and other tokens of tribute left on the edge of the stone fountain.
“This is really early in terms of knowing what’s going to be happening with any permanent memorial,” said city spokeswoman Julie Patterson. “It’s too early to know what’s going to be happening down the road.
Patterson said that the city has been in contact with Michael Sheldon & Associates LLC, the Greenwood Village-based firm that currently owns the Sable site. City officials have also been in touch with other local and national communities hit by tragedy. That includes input from the community surrounding Columbine High School, where a permanent memorial to the 1999 shootings was eventually erected in Clement Park, across the street from the high school.
“We were told to just leave it alone,” Patterson said. “There were expressions of concern that we’ve heard from other communities … concerns about disturbing the site.”
As far as the theater itself, owner Cinemark issued a statement that read, “Cinemark is deeply saddened about this tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and loved ones, our employees, and the Aurora community … We are grateful for the quick and professional reaction of all local law enforcement and emergency responders,” the company continued. “Cinemark is working closely with the Aurora Police Department and local law enforcement.”
Absent was any specific plan regarding the future of the theater. As she pushed the stroller away from the growing memorial on July 26, Gaspari was at a loss for a solid plan of action regarding the theater visible across the street. Still, even if the theater were to reopen, Gaspari said she was sure about one thing.
“I don’t think I would ever go there,” she said.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com or 720-449-9707