It was an attack nothing short of demonic. On a typical Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas, an 18-year-old gunman, wearing body armor, crashed his car in a ditch near the Robb Elementary School, then entered the building and proceeded to rob 19 students and two teachers of their lives.
The senseless and cowardly act of terrorism came less than two weeks after a racially-motivated shooting in a Buffalo, NY, grocery store that saw 10 people murdered. It was the 214th mass shooting to rock Americans to the core, making us all wonder when it this madness stop?
Now brands and agencies are addressing the horror. Ad Age obtained an internal memo from Interpublic Group of Cos. CEO Philippe Krakowsky who addressed the tragic events.
“Many of the details regarding that tragedy have yet to emerge, but it’s nonetheless a reminder of the toxic effects of gun violence, seemingly compounded by the mental health crisis that so many societies are facing in the wake of the pandemic… There are no words to express the sympathy we all feel for the families impacted by this utterly horrifying assault on children in one of the places where they should be safest.”=
“Yet, despite heightened awareness and a stated openness to change, it’s difficult to look at recent events, in which violence has been persistently targeted at marginalized communities, and not be reminded of how much-unfinished work remains ahead, for all of us.”.
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Krakowsky also mentioned the Buffalo shooting:
“Sadly, in recent years, such violence has been steadily increasing. Not only against Black and Brown people, but also Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the LGBTQ+ population, immigrants, and the Jewish community,” Krakowsky noted. “The attack in Buffalo was the 198th mass shooting in the United States this year. That’s almost 10 such incidents every week, which is both mind-numbing and dispiriting.”
After talking about his immigrant roots, Krakowksy ended his memo by encouraging IPG employees to reach out to Channing Martin, IPG’s chief diversity and social impact officer. Krakowsky concluded that IPG will be making a donation to the George Floyd Memorial Foundation as well as “a local organization” that is helping the families in Uvalde, Texas.
Reel 360 News’ hearts go out to all the victims and families of these cowardly crimes.
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