Cohousing-L Mailing List: ShadowLake Village Cohousers affected by Virginia Tech Shooting

[Raines Cohen (rc3-coho-L]

When I heard about the shooter-on-the-loose at Virginia Tech this  
morning and a "lockdown" on campus, I emailed ShadowLake Village  
Cohousing resident John Imbur, who does cohousing.org web production  
and Cohousing magazine delivery work (including the "paperboy"  
distribution job I used to do). I visited the community last month  
and remembered how close it was to campus, how Blacksburg is a small,  
relatively-isolated town, and I knew that some ShadowLake folks work  
there.

John hadn't heard about the shooting yet, but got word out on the  
community's internal email list.

The initial response came back: "We are under lock-down.  There is a  
shooter lose on campus.

Classes have been cancelled people who are here are asked to stay inside
behind locked doors

People off campus are asked to stay off campus."

We've since learned that one community member works in Norris Hall  
where the gunman was "going on a rampage" but she was evacuated by  
policemen to Randolph Hall, next door, where another community member  
works.  "Both are locked down here and are safe," the second member  
wrote.

This warning went out on the list from one member: "Do not come to  
campus today.  I am not sure of the number yet, but there is more  
than one death and a number of casualties, including my boss whose  
office is in Norris."

John added: "right now downtown is in lock-down and unless they catch  
the guy, people will likely be advised not to come to Blacksburg."

And as of 1:15 PM Eastern from John:

"everything is seems to be resolved,
but really horrific... at least 20 dead and the same with serious
gunshot wounds.  The whole campus was under lockdown and we don't who
are why this tragedy occurred.

At least one of my neighbors at SLV worked in one of the buildings the
rampage occurred and apparently her boss was one of the people killed.
I believe the shooter has been apprehended or killed... there is some
confusion whether the person that was the shooter was acting alone or
not."

Please join me in sending prayers/healing energy/good thoughts/ 
support to ShadowLake and Virginia Tech and Greater Blacksburg.

I know other cohousing communities have been directly affected by  
tragedy before... including one of the school counselors at Columbine  
High. Check the list archives for stories of how community helped in  
recovery.

Raines (very sensitive to issues of security-through-community)
at Berkeley (CA) Cohousing
- Where a yummy chocolate-with-strawberries fresh-baked birthday cake  
last night after common dinner honored both a neighbor and a cat. The  
person was between and 11 and 12 times as old as the cat, but I don't  
know what that is in cat years.
- Where a loft room is available for rent, starting 5/1, in a 2BR  
cottage you'd be sharing with a 4-year-old and his mom; details and  
Open House info will be posted this week at East Bay Cohousing:  
http://www.ebcoho.org/