2 Years After July 4 Shooting, Highland Park Remembers and Honors Victims

The town of Highland Park, Illinois, population 30,000, is one of countless communities across the country struggling to recover from mass tragedy.

On July 4, the second anniversary of the shooting that left seven dead, the city seeks to balance what it means to respect and remember the victims and their families while reclaiming Independence Day traditions for the community.

“Really, every action that we take, we take a trauma-informed approach, which means we want to be sensitive to the victims, the loved ones, the injured people who are here, the people who have just been traumatized by this horrible tragedy that we’ve endured,” said Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch.

Working closely with the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, Neukirch says the city has created a formal resilience division, with a dedicated licensed social worker to provide trauma-informed training to government employees and counseling resources to citizens.

“We have a person who is dedicated to helping victims and the community at large,” Neukirch said. “We get a significant amount of feedback. So I hope people, especially victims, feel loved and supported. I hope they know there are services available to them 24 hours a day.”

Instead of a traditional parade last year, the city honored those killed with a memorial ceremony and community march.

“Experiencing gun violence in our community has lasting impacts on all of us,” Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said in her speech last year. “We are all survivors.”

Related article: Highland Park, Illinois Community Honors Victims of Deadly July 4 Shooting

This year, the city will again hold a commemoration ceremony, as well as its Independence Day parade, which Neukirch said will feel familiar and festive.

Dr. Tali Raviv, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, suggests “resuming, as best you can, modified routines and rituals and things that provide stability and create opportunities for community.”

“If people want to talk to others about their feelings and have a moment of silence, I think that’s wonderful,” said Dr. Constance Abruzzese, assistant professor of medical psychology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Psychologists like Raviv and Abruzzese say the more people can plan their day—whether they want to be surrounded by crowds, specific places, or even certain images—the more important it is.

“We want to be very careful not to force or saturate people with images of the tragedy or with too much information about the tragedy,” Dr. Abruzzese said.

“For many victims of trauma, particularly gun violence, loud noises can be a very difficult emotional trigger. [the city] “We chose, for example, not to do fireworks, but to do a real drone flight,” Dr. Raviv said.

Beyond the drone flight, the Highland Park parade will have a modified parade route, as well as crisis counselors and therapy dogs on site.

“I’m looking forward to a peaceful celebration,” Neukirch said. “We know there will be mixed feelings. And we really want to be there to support the community.”