A Sandy Hook mom's emotional response to Las Vegas puts mass shootings in context.
Nelba Márquez-Greene lost her daughter nearly five years ago.
Nelba Márquez-Greene knows what it's like to lose a loved one in a mass shooting. On Dec. 14, 2012, her 6-year-old daughter Ana Márquez-Greene was shot and killed during the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
Ever since, Márquez-Greene and her husband, Jimmy Greene, have been tireless advocates for gun safety. They've called on Congress to take action to mitigate future mass shootings — only to have their concerns brushed off. Time and again, they've watched Congress stand idly by each time a mass shooting took place.
Jimmy Greene and Nelba Márquez-Greene at a news conference in 2013. Photo by Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images.
Waking up to news of the Las Vegas shooting that left at least 50 dead and hundreds injured, Márquez-Greene shared on Twitter what the families of the victims are going through.
Nearing the fifth anniversary of her daughter's murder, Márquez-Greene gave her followers a glimpse into what the worst day of her life was like. There is nothing that prepares you to lose a loved one in such a senseless (yet preventable) act of brutality. Márquez-Greene's words help put the entire ordeal in context for the rest of us.
"I don't know what to say besides this is on every congressperson who said in '13: There is simply nothing we could do," she tweeted. "You don’t recover from this — as a mother, brother, father. You manage. But there is no recovery. I am heartbroken."
You don’t recover from this- as a mother, brother, father. You manage. But there is no recovery. I am heartbroken. #LasVegas #Newtown— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506941509
"Today you got 50+ new reasons I take a knee. My heart, my prayers, my ACTIONS are with the victim families."
Today you got 50 + new reasons I take a knee. My heart, my prayers, my ACTIONS are with the victim families. #LasVegas #Newtown— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506942058
She slammed Congress for "the level of trauma" citizens are forced to endure in the wake of a mass shooting, when legislators fail to enact laws that would protect citizens from gun violence.
Their lack of courage and/or ability to take meaningful action on issues that most matter: healthcare, violence, climate, etc is outrageous— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506943005
"As a mom who had to bury a child — I could care less about perp color. But how come we never talk about angry White men w/guns?" she chided. "How come we only want to talk when it fits our own narrative?"
How come we only want to talk when it fits our own narrative? Please. Help mothers keep children safe from gunviolence. #lasvegas #Newtown— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506943533
"Help mothers keep children safe from gunviolence," she pleaded, calling out people who allow the shooter's skin color or religious beliefs to be the determining factor in whether or not they decide to take action — as well as those who prioritize "fake acts of patriotism over people, pain & real acts of courage."
In America we value guns, flags & fake acts of patriotism over people, pain & real acts of courage. #LasVegas #TakeAKnee #EndGunViolence— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506944508
"I just don't want any more moms to live like I do," she said, calling attention to the kind of gun violence we don't talk nearly enough about: the everyday shooting deaths that happen all around the country.
Is this what we are saying to American citizens they have to accept as normal? 91 people per day? #Newtown #LasVegas— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506943732
I will also say this: I lost Ana in Newtown which means even though we aren’t white I had the sympathy of the world. #Newtown #LasVegas— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506943882
"I know so many mothers navigating this world of grief and trauma blindly because their kids died in urban centers & there is no sympathy," she tweeted. "Gun violence and grief hurt in EVERY zip code. In every color. Grieving mothers need your help."
Guess what folks? Gun violence and grief hurt in EVERY zip code. In every color. Grieving mothers need your help. #LasVegas #Newtown— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506944002
Guess what folks? Gun violence and grief hurt in EVERY zip code. In every color. Grieving mothers need your help. #LasVegas #Newtown— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506944002
Perhaps the most powerful message, however, was the final tweet of the group, which showed 6-year-old Ana, full of life, cheerfully singing along at a piano, along with a message for Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama: "As a final thought & reminder to @MooreSenate & congress, this is the little girl u said I should’ve prayed 'harder' for."
As a final thought & reminder to @MooreSenate & congress, this is the little girl u said I should’ve prayed “harder… https://t.co/pO3eXgVQ2L— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT) 1506947155
Every time there's a mass shooting and Congress chooses not to act, they dishonor all the victims who have come before.
Senator Chris Murphy (Democrat-Connecticut) was a member of the House of Representatives when the Sandy Hook shooting occurred, representing Newtown. He's been one of the biggest proponents of gun safety measures in years' past, even once speaking for nearly 15 hours on the Senate floor to push for action.
Following the Las Vegas shooting, his office released a statement. It reads, in part:
"This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren't public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference. It's time for Congress to get off its ass and do something."
For grieving parents like Márquez-Green, for victims like little Ana, and for all of us who deserve to live in a country free from fear of being gunned down in a mass shooting, let's hope they do.
Jimmy Greene and Nelba Márquez-Greene embrace after a news conference in 2013. Photo by Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images.
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