Hm.

[ciroccoj]

I did not know this. I knew that December 6 was an official day (National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women), and noted the half-mast flags downtown, but did not know there was actually a government website dedicated to today. Interesting.

For us observing the day this year took the form of me telling the boys what happened December 6, and why we remember it. Not the most cheerful bedtime story ever, but it's not the most cheerful topic in the world either.

For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a link to a news release. Basically fifteen years ago a nutjob gunned down 14 women at l'École Polytechnique in Montreal, because they were usurping men's places in society by studying to be engineers. L&O fans who find this oddly familiar, yes, that's the real headline that the season 10 premiere Gunshow ripped from, except that in that case the women were in medicine.

Missed my mom a lot today. December 6 always reminds me of her, because she so vividly told of her fear for ninja_kat's safety that night. My mom was working in the airport, and the only news she got was that 14 female science students at a Montreal university had been killed. And she had no way of getting away and calling ninja_kat, who was in science at a different school in Montreal, to see if she was OK.

It also makes me think of the women who died that day, and the mothers and fathers who worried about them and never got the comforting news that it wasn't their school, their branch of science, their daughter or their daughter's friend.

***
Victims of the Montreal Massacre at l'École Polytechnique on December 6, 1989

Geneviève Bergeron

Hélène Colgan

Nathalie Croteau

Barbara Daigneault

Anne-Marie Edward

Maud Haviernick

Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz

Maryse Laganière

Maryse Leclair

Anne-Marie Lemay

Sonia Pelletier

Michèle Richard

Annie St-Arneault

Annie Turcotte

Comments

[leaper182.livejournal.com]

Wow. Interesting that they had ripped something that happened in 1989 for an episode that premiered in the 2000 season. Then again, maybe they were floundering around for story ideas.

This reminded me of something related to Kent University, but I can't for the life of me remember what happened at Kent. I'm sure that students died -- they tend to die at universities, it seems (uh-oh! Leaper's still at a university! She should flee for her wheel as fast as her little legs can carry her!). But other than that, I'm drawing a blank...

::lights a candle for the victims::

Poor ladies...

[ninja-kat.livejournal.com]

Yes, Dec 6th reminds me of a lot of things too - you and your mother key among them.

I remember all of the girls on the female side of the dorm clustering, sitting together in the hallways - in shock. Listening to the radio together. And watching girl after girl get up to answer her phone when relatives called to see if she was okay.

I remember vividly that yours was the only phone call that I got. And how relieved you sounded and how touched I was that you and your mom thought of me.

I remember many other things about the aftermath in the days following and how it felt to write exams that year. But, I treasure the memory of you and your mom being worried about me.

::sniff::

I miss her. But, I am so glad that I still have you.

::Big hugs::