One-Year Anniversary of Umpqua Community College Shooting

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Merkley and Senator Peters for their courtesy to speak for a few minutes.

In a few days, it will be exactly 1 year since the tragic shooting that took nine innocent lives and left nine more injured at Umpqua Community College, outside of Roseburg, OR. Senator Merkley and I will be there in a few days. We understand that for the families and the friends of those lost or injured--the students, faculty, and staff-- this time is going to be a painful reminder of an extraordinarily difficult day.

Senator Merkley and I are so proud of that community. We call it ``UCC Strong.'' Yet we want to remember those individuals whose lives were ripped away that day and all in the community who have been suffering. Oregonians everywhere have had these victims and their families in their thoughts, and those thoughts are going to be uppermost throughout Oregon in the days ahead.

Senator Merkley and I have spent a lot of time in Roseburg over the last few months. Folks there will tell you they do all they can to go forward, but the trauma doesn't really disappear. Whether it is a walk past Snyder Hall or the sight of a student running on campus, the painful memories just keep rushing back.
As the school presses on, there are a lot of exciting developments on the campus. There is a new college president hard at work. The school just opened its doors to the new Bonnie J. Ford Health, Nursing, and Science Center, with state-of-the-art classrooms. Extraordinary resilience is being seen at UCC and Roseburg, but this is going to be a very difficult few days as we reflect on this horrendous shooting. Of course, the sad reality is that the shooting takes place on a long list of such shootings--horrible mass shootings targeting the innocent.

Families and across the country scarred by the shootings share a sorrowful bond.

I know that Roseburg and the movement we know as UCC Strong and the whole State of Oregon have come together over this last year to support the families, the victims, and those who were injured. Over the next few days, Senator Merkley and I are going to dedicate and redouble our efforts to do all that we possibly can to reach out again to folks in Roseburg and be supportive and do everything we can as Senators, honored to represent Oregon in the U.S. Senate, to prevent more shootings such as the horrible one that took place at UCC in Oregon.

I yield the floor to my colleague Senator Merkley.

I very much appreciate the chance to work with him and our delegation
on this.

I yield the floor.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source