SAN DIEGO — The deadly shooting at the Chabad of Poway have left many people in the community with questions. Some are wondering how a person can have so much hate and others are just trying to figure out the words to say to their kids.
On Tuesday, News 8 and Poway Unified School District teamed up for a town hall called “A Conversation on Healing.”
The event was open to any member of the community and was held at Rancho Bernardo High School.
The goal of Tuesday’s town hall was to hear from community members and to create a productive conversation and dialogue to begin the healing process.
The conversation spanned from being more accepting of other cultures to talking to kids about disasters. Much of the evening, however, was focused on what is happening inside local schools with some expressing concern over how the latest shooting was handled by teachers and staff.
One student at Tuesday’s town hall asked for advice on how students can be more proactive.
District officials said while there are drills and policies in place to handle these situations, it is an ongoing, ever changing process.
The event was moderated by News 8’s Barbara-Lee Edwards, Steve Price and Kyle Kraska and featured a panel made up of religious leaders, students and crisis counselors.
Expert Tammy Gillies from the Anti-Defamation League, who was one of the panelists from the town hall, joined News 8 Wednesday morning to continue the conversation on healing and how the community can come together to help one another.
The full list on panel members include:
- Dr. Benjamin Maxwell, Rady Children’s Hospital child psychiatrist, and medical director; clinical professor UC San Diego, specialist on mental health, social media, media
- Tammy Gillies, Anti-Defamation League Regional Director
- Jake Schwartz, Student Board Member, Westview
- Dave LeMaster, Principal of Rancho Bernardo High School
- Fran Hjalmarson, Poway Unified School District Counselor/Crisis Team Leader
- Dr. Susan Writer, Aurora Behavioral Health
- Rabbi Bresinger Chabad of Poway
- John Ettore, Senior Pastor The Gathering Place Church
- Dr. Jag Lathan, Executive Director of Equity for San Diego County Office of Education
A Conversation on Healing in wake of Poway Chabad shooting
