Just returned back to Portland after spending the weekend in Bend covering the elementary school tragedy. Had to be sure to visit Silver Rail Elementary School before I left. I expected to see a big memorial of flowers left by the community. I didn't expect to see floral shrines at every entrance I passed around the school's campus.
I spent about an hour observing, mostly on the south side of the school where the tragedy took place, watching people of all ages, languages and cultures leave bouquets, stuffed animals, handwritten messages and trinkets. Some played melodic bells and other calming instruments, including one made of glass that you simply held up to the wind. Some kids played in the police tape. A church from Idaho arrived with certified therapy golden retrievers.
And people just kept showing up with more. More flowers. More stuffed animals. More handwritten messages. The piles grew and grew.