The tragedy that occurred on December 14 hit us hard. This was our state. Members of SGRA live in Newtown. And many of us had connections to that community. We have avoided being involved in the questioning about what took place, but in doing so we now find that SGRA is being criticized for our refusal to do so. We feel we must put this issue to rest, so this will be our one and only statement on the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
SGRA has – and always will – encourage people to ask questions and seek answers they feel they deserve, even in the wake of terrible events like this. There are many theories circulating, most of which are simply disgusting and misguided, but some of which do merit closer consideration. With that said the search for answers must always take place with a necessary respect of the need to balance a public’s right to know with individuals rights to grieve. From an outsider’s perspective it is easy for many to theorize and speculate, but that task is not as simple when the connections, proximity, and time are so close to you. There are issues which the public certainly deserves clarification on, but the public is the last in a long line (which includes the family members, parents of Sandy Hook students, and direct relatives) to be informed, and that chain must be respected.
One of the first things we teach anyone involved in SGRA is that without proper investigation, initial judgment and conclusions are unreliable at best. This lesson applies to an issue as serious as this, and so the same approach must be taken. There are things that do stand out about this. There are questions which must be addressed. And there is a lot of misinformation happening on both the official sides. Asking questions and demanding answers is good, but proper investigations take time and that must be understood. Despite what people sitting behind a computer screen or microphone may think, three weeks is not enough time to conduct an investigation of this magnitude. The fact that this is taking time is not conspiracy. It is not government suppression of information. It is the way things must happen in order for facts to be developed and answers to be provided.
Finally, it is the decision of SGRA as of now not to pursue our own research into this event. This does not mean we are ignoring or that at some point we may not take time to consider the questions, but for now this event is simply too recent and too close for us to be involved with. To those who have sent the criticizing emails, this is our choice and this is how it will stand. If it bothers you that we have chosen not to be involved in this, so be it, but we will not respond to any further messages about this event.
