kennethson’s Twitter Archive—№ 23,088

It was disturbing to see notable people in my timeline unrelated to the area tweeting about something that kept me cowering in a basement. Even worse was seeing those tweets stop, and the world keep going on with everything else while I couldn’t move on to anything else.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 4 Retweets ❤️ 6 Favorites 2018 Mar 2 Mood -4 🙁

…in reply to @kennethson
This is probably going to be a thread later, but I need to eat.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood 0

…in reply to @kennethson
The worst part was not knowing. For the first half hour we had no idea if there was even a real incident. We knew there were reports of shots fired and to stay clear of the area. Two of my colleagues had just left to get a coffee when the alert came over the PA then ran back.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood -6 🙁

…in reply to @kennethson
I’m proud to say that even in our early ignorance, my colleagues & I quickly and carefully prepared for actions we might need to take in response to the likely influx of traffic. Even when we got the second alert: suspect at large; shelter in place, there was so much unknown.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +1 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
We didn’t know whether the shooter was on campus still, or what had happened at Campbell, and we still didn’t have much direction about what, if anything we should do. We became absorbed in monitoring servers and traffic and trying to find more information wherever we could.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +1 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
And of course, watching Google and the state and national media, knowing that as soon as the story hit, we might be busy. Our systems held up pretty well for the most part, but that’s probably a story for another time.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +1 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
From the start I knew I was safe. For all that we complain about it, there is almost no threat — natural or human — that originates outside the basement of our concrete/asbestos monstrosity that can really affect us. But that’s about all I knew.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood -3 🙁

…in reply to @kennethson
I think I was one of the first people on our team to blast widely to family what was happening and that I was safe. Turns out my timing was good. @MJ3719 had already heard. Even then, that wasn’t until the 2nd alert and the 1st public statement.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +3 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
Kate knew right away, being a student, but lucky she was at home today, her 1 class already cancelled. Soon we start hearing about lockdowns in Mt. Pleasant schools and city/county facilities. A little while later I get the notice of Midland Schools locking down, 30+ miles away.
On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +5 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
It disgusts me that my 7 year-old has had to go through active shooter drills. I was hoping the lock down didn’t go that far for her, but also that they didn’t get too detailed about what was going on. I didn’t want her to be ignorant and afraid like me.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +2 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
Time wore on, and we did the things we needed to do, keeping CMU’s web presence up and running as best we could. We couldn’t go anywhere for lunch, but luckily had a bunch of extra cornbread mix and a waffle maker leftover from our chili taste off earlier in the week.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 1 Favorite 2018 Mar 2 Mood +6 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
We played some games at lunch, but were far from focused on them. I wasn’t the only one just sort of drifting through the rest of the day. There was no way I was getting any regular work done, but there was nothing to do. We drifted between offices to cubes, looking for more info
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +1 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
We find out that Mt. Pleasant schools will release kids to parents showing ID. We hear that PD is going building to building and escorting people out. Our directors meet and decide people can leave if they want and will get walked out to their cars. Few do at first.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +3 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
About 4:30, the bulk of our team leaves. My one coworker has already been called by his son’s school twice. I stick around with the last 8-ish folks. I’m in no hurry to leave, and the longer I wait, the more chance the suspect is caught before I leave.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood -2 🙁

…in reply to @kennethson
About 5:00 the rest of us decide to leave. We all walk our OP out to her truck and then each other to the other lot and our cars. We’re all constantly looking all around. I know there’s not much risk, but I want to know. Prob nothing I’d be able to do anyway, but I want to know.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood -1 🙁

…in reply to @kennethson
Then driving home I’m still constantly looking all around. Even with every mile almost certainly taking me even further from any danger I had been in, I want to know. Besides, it would be stupid for him to be anywhere near M-20, but I want to know.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood -2 🙁

…in reply to @kennethson
I have never seen so much of that stretch of road, or rather the fields and woods along it. I want to know.
Permalink On twitter.com 2018 Mar 2 Mood +1 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
I get home, and I hug my kids, not sure if I’ve ever felt happier to do so. But I still don’t know. I don’t know how this is going to turn out; the shooter’s still at large. I don’t know what this is going to mean for life at CMU.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 1 Favorite 2018 Mar 2 Mood +2 🙂

…in reply to @kennethson
I don’t know why we let this happen in this country, how we allow ourselves to be terrorized this way. I don’t know how I’m going to sort this all out in my head. I don’t know what I can do to spare other this experience, or worse. But I know I need to do something.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 3 Favorites 2018 Mar 2 Mood -5 🙁