Littleton Shooting 4

i am 17. i’m just like any other teenager. i get up every morning
go to school, i come home every night. nothing special, nothing
extravagant.

i’m no better than anyone else, i’m no less than anyone else. i
have the same hopes, the same fears, the same questions, and the
same daydreams. there are people like me in every state, in
every city, in every school, and in every class room.

this morning 15 students, just like me, got up, got dressed, and
went to school. some, like me, were running late, some early,
some worried about that test they had first period, some were
daydreaming about the cute boy that had the locker right next to
theirs, some were thinking about the friend they had gotten in a
fight with the night before, some were giggling with each other
about the substitute with the big bright red wig.

but not one of these students, just like me, was worried about
walking into that school, the school they walk into every other
Monday through friday for nine months out of the year, and
being shot at. but there is a difference between these 15 students
and me, i came home after school, I will be able to go on that
date friday, and pass that test, i will be able to graduate, and i am
still alive.

i asked God, “why? why do bad things happen?” and as much as
i wanted a straight forward answer from Him, i didn’t get one.
and i know i won’t. but i did get something else. i got a feeling
deep down in my heart that says, “this shouldn’t happen. and i
can do something about it.” i have the ability to change the
world. God said that with faith, I can move mountains and i have
some mountains to move.

i have no idea how to solve this problem. i have no idea what has
gone wrong in the heads of so many of my peers, and i don’t
know how to stop it. but i am sure going to try.

today i was saddened by what happened. i was scared, and i was
confused. But most of all, i was ashamed. i am ashamed. i am
ashamed of my generation, of my classmates, of my friends, and
of myself. these shootings were done by kids my own age. kids
that you pass on the street, kids with friends, and kids
with families. the kids that died are the same. these kids that
were killed are innocent victims. they did not deserve to die and
nothing can ever come close to making what happened
justifiable. those that ignore this, as i have, for the past however
many years, are those that i am ashamed of. what has to happen?
does it have to happen to your family, to your kids, to your
friends to your life to open your eyes? are you going to wait
still? because I refuse. i refuse to watch this happen anymore. i
refuse to be a victim.

I don’t know how i am supposed to change the world, but i will. i
am not going to stand by any longer and watch my generation
flush society down the toilet. the streets aren’t safe, parks aren’t
safe, homes aren’t safe, and now schools aren’t safe. there is
something wrong with this picture. and I feel sorry for those that
don’t see it. but most of all I pity those that do but choose to
ignore it.

I am making a vow to myself to stand up against it, to make a
difference, and I pray I am not alone. My name is Jayson Martin
from Littleton, Colorado, I would like for anyone who reads this
to please write their name down. I would like to send prayers out
to my friends who were in Columbine HS I would like everyone
to please say a prayer for the safety of everyone who was
involved in this terrible tragedy. It is something that has hurt me
today as well as my friends, I’m grateful for my safety and their
safety.

Please Forward this to as many people as you can, let us all
come together and pray that this tragedy ends soon. Thank you.

**Copy this letter, add your name and forward it to as many
people as you know. Thank you.

1. Jayson L. Martin Littleton, Colorado
2. Michelle R. Evans Aurora, Colorado
3. Brooke A. Bayer Greeley and Littleton, Colorado