Highland Park officials are being slammed over a suggested language guide they released ahead of the one-year anniversary of the July 4 shooting that killed seven people and injured dozens more.
The guide released for the Chicago suburb follows recommendations from the DOJ’s Office for Victims of Crime and includes suggestions like scrapping the phrases ‘Highland Park Strong’ and ‘mass shooting.’
‘It’s important to think very carefully about the way you’re referring to the Highland Park shooting and the time since,’ the city’s website states.
‘The words we choose can have inadvertent and unintentional consequences. As with other instances, the principle of “impact” vs. “intent” applies here,’ it reads.
Some have already said they believe the guide ‘missed the mark,’ including one resident who told a local outlet: ‘I think it’s hard to apply expert opinion to individual feelings and experiences.’
Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch said the guide is ‘not a mandate by any means’
Law enforcement escorts a family away from the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois
According to city leaders, the guide is meant to focus on healing and compassionate language that still acknowledges the tragedy
According to city leaders, the guide is meant to focus on healing and compassionate language that still acknowledges the tragedy.
The core principle for the guide – like similar suggestions put out by the DOJ – is ‘do not harm’ language that asks users to carefully consider their verbiage.
The guide has not been well received, however, as some ‘don’t appreciate being told how to speak about what happened,’ the Chicago Tribune reported.
One thing many appear to take issue with is the original suggestion to move away from the use of the rallying slogan: ‘Highland Park Strong.’
The phrase was echoed throughout the city and the country in the days and weeks after the mass shooting – another term the guide suggests users discontinue.
Now, city leaders recommend using ‘Together Highland Park Unidos,’ which they say will put an emphasis on ‘collaboration and cooperation.’
The Tribune reported that the new phrase is more accepting of all who are still recovering, whether they feel strong or not.
Another suggestion includes not using the word ‘anniversary’ to mark the occasion.
‘This is not an anniversary,’ Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch said, ‘it’s not anything to celebrate.’
Neukirch also told the Tribune that ‘this is just a suggested guidance. It’s not a mandate by any means.’
Seven were killed and dozens were injured during the mass shooting on July 4, 2022
One thing many appear to take issue with is the original suggestion to move away from the use of the rallying slogan: ‘Highland Park Strong’
Now, city leaders recommend using ‘Together Highland Park Unidos,’ which they say will put an emphasis on ‘collaboration and cooperation’
Members of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team Unit investigate in downtown Highland Park
Another issue presented with the guide is how many residents were informed of its existence.
Several residents told local outlets they received the guide through an email or text message with no warning.
Some said they wished the city had given them the option to opt-in to receiving the guide or have just pointed residents to their webpage altogether.
Resident Maggie Schmieder – a survivor of the mass shooting – said she believes the rollout was not done in the best possible way, saying they ‘missed the mark.’
‘Everyone is going to come away with a different feeling, and they’re in a different place on the journey of healing and recovery,’ Schmieder said.
She added that she gives leaders credit for attempting to lead with good intentions.
It is ‘really easy to quickly judge and offer backlash and criticism,’ she said.
The city has since responded to the backlash by removing certain guidance, including the choice not to use ‘mass shooting.’
Additionally, the city had a section with ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ regarding the shooting which some people shared concerns over.
‘There was healthy discussion about what should be that suggested guidance as it pertained to the description of the incident,’ Neukirch said in an interview.
‘And so we ended up striking that provision that suggested people say ‘shooting’ versus “mass shooting.” Mass shooting tends to focus on the perpetrator … (and) we don’t want to focus on him. But we recognize that every time an incident like this happens, it’s a mass shooting,’ the City Manager continued.
The language guide comes less than one year since a heavily-armed gunman opened fire on the crowd at the Fourth of July parade in the Chicago-suburb
The accused shooter, Robert Crimo, has since been indicted on 117 counts, including seven counts of first-degree murder
In total, seven people were killed, including both parents of a two-year-old boy who was found in the street covered in blood
The language guide comes less than one year since a heavily-armed gunman opened fire on the crowd at the Fourth of July parade in the Chicago-suburb.
In total, seven people were killed, including both parents of a two-year-old boy who was found in the street covered in blood.
The accused shooter, Robert Crimo, has since been indicted on 117 counts, including seven counts of first-degree murder.
He remains jailed at the Lake County Correctional Facility in Illinois as he awaits trial.
