Christchurch 2019

lifecameos

Violent earthquakes in 2011
ploughed, ripped up Christchurch
shredded its core eight years ago.
People reeled on its rubbled streets
as buildings disintegrated, vast
slabs of masonry crashed down.
Citizens regain their equilibrium,
rebuilt, still rebuild their homes,
city amenities as recovery continues.

Yesterday fascist hate attacked this
recovering city slaying many in two
mosques, shattering the heart of a
whole city grieving for the dead and
wounded who came here as refugees.

Schools, businesses, locked down
four hours till 6 pm, police cars,
ambulances thronging the streets,
citizens told to stay inside. Worshippers
gradually let out of the mosques.

All orchestrated by a citizen of
another country choosing a
foreign city for his target.

Christchurch earthquake 22 February 2011

Murder accused is Australian.

Many Muslims here arrived as
refugees and asylum seekers.

Christchurch 2019

20 thoughts on “Christchurch 2019”

  1. J & D > Thank you for sharing thoughts from (relatively) close to the events. What we find almost as shocking as the evil deeds themselves, is that many have chosen to not only look at the video made by the attacker, but to share it. Doing so, they share responsibility for fanning the flames of violent hatred throughout the world, and for copycat acts.

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    1. We find it shocking here too. Our relevant security people here are shutting down websites that display the message but are finding that as fast as they close sites out from NZ, other sites pop up to show it. Facebook, Google etc have been appalling slow to do so. Of course as experts point out, this is making those social media websites a fortune in advertising, they do not want to close anything down.

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  2. After I read the article yesterday I remembered the earthquake but I wasn’t sure what year it was..that adds even more unfairness to all this . And why did he come to NZ ? He could of gone anywhere. Can a person come over on a boat from Australia ? So his bags aren’t checked carefully? In our news here A judge in Connetticut just allowed suits to open up against the gun companies..which will slow down the making and transportation of them…That was connected to the school with all the little kids and teachers that were killed by a gunman. Hopefully other courts will open up to these suits around the world and put these companies into jeopardy. Fine with me.

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    1. This Australian has been visiting friends in Dunedin on and off over the last two years, staying in one place which was raided by the police. He was able to buy his guns here, so our gun licensing system is going to be tightened up a lot, all political parties are going to be in agreement. Our gun lobby is crying foul already. Serve them right.

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      1. I agree …they are always looking for loopholes. So he’s been planning this for a while..Weird. Do you have the conservative talk show hosts that seem to spur these People into this way of thinking? We do…and it’s mostly for greed …keeping their names out there…writing books…and when they get cornered they say their shows are for just entertainment. Drives me crazy sometimes. Our first ammendment is being horribly abused by these people.

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      2. We do have a range of views but none of them have had the nerve to spout anti Muslim stuff here. We do take in a lot of refugees for our size, and it would be counterproductive for them to do so.

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      3. I know this one too..for some reason Minnesota especially in Minneapolis has a Huge population of Somalians . There are all kinds of problems..as a normal person If I say something out loud I can be slammed as racist..which at that moment I thought was strange because I was talking about how congested a street corner was . (there was a small mosque there as well) One day I was zoning out …ended up looking at a women’s skirt..and got yelled at for doing it..when she asked me why I was staring at her ..I said stupidly how I loved all the colors in her skirt ..How pretty it was.I even said stupidly that as a printmaker I loved printing colors like that. She calmed down and we went our separate ways….See how weird it has gotten. Another time I was stuck in a waiting room with about 7 Somalian kids..and the nurse kept coming out asking if I was o.k. and I saidI was fine… I was having a blast..and I was..2 year old- up to 10…then when the mom (27 years old) told me (with another baby in her arms) she was on the bridge that dropped into the Mississippi and only stopped the van by ramming it into the median I thought all those lovely kids would of lost a new baby and their mom just like that…It was eye opening. or this story…Last year we had a freak snow storm dropped 3 feet in one day…I got stuck where I print..I spent almost an hour digging myself out and the white folks kept driving by…I was in tears…I just needed another person to push or drive and I push…and then out of the blue ..two young Somalian guys showed up stayed an hour helping me dig out and move the car out of that mess. I think still to this day believe they were driving around helping people ..They wouldn’t accept anything except a handshake and thank-you. I was so grateful ..and at the same time I wondered why people like me just drove by.. funny so about a month ago two kids car was stuck and I went out and helped them ( I’m 60!) I was out shoveling..then out of the blue another person showed up and we did it…It felt good to see them drive away. I think this is what fear mongering does ..it isolates people when they are in trouble . I’m rambling…Sorry…

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      5. Exactly.I talked to my brother about it Sunday…He felt that all this anger and fear is actually hurting everyone to the core of their beings. This man has been stewing in it and look what he did …I think we need to start talking about

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  3. chrishancock789 says:

    It’s so unbelievable that people have so much anger, hate, and disregard for others. Thank you for sharing your poem. Know that the pain and confusion you express are felt all around the world and while that is only of a little consolation, maybe people will finally start getting the idea that hate cannot be allowed to grow as it seems to be.

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    1. Thank you very much. Much support from other countries is appearing in our news media here, it helps to know we are not alone. Our gun lobby, tiny though it is already getting upset at the Prime Minister’s talk of tightening laws around gun ownership. So far they seem to be outnumbered.

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  4. Your poetry is entering the world of politics. People who call themselves Christian, Islam, Hindu or Jewish. They are being played. Hatred becomes divisive, which leads to divide and conquer. People do not need religions to find God. People have religions for other people. Not God.

    The earthquake devastation. One thing. People dying, from it? Yes, sorry for them. The Masonic signs are hung all over Christchurch, if one cares to look? That is the secret glue that hold that society, together. From England to America and beyond. Their God is Baphomet. Mestopheles of old. Maybe this is the religion they should target? The whole of that is predicated on hatred. Using cat’s paws for the dirty deeds … Cheers Jamie

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  5. Maybe? It is the mindset though. Anyone may kill, with whatever is at hand. Guns do not do it. People do. If only the police have guns? It becomes a police state … wait a minute? “More dangerous than standing armies, are the bankers” ~ T. Jefferson. Cheers Jamie.

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