3/23/2005: The day after in Red Lake
"This is, without doubt, the darkest hour in the history of our tribe.. there's not a soul that will go untouched by the tragic loss that we've experienced here."
-- Floyd Jourdain Jr., Chairman, Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians
A fund has been established for relatives of the victims of this tragedy. Donations or care packages may be sent to:
Red Lake Tribal Council
C/O Leah Perkins
P.O. Box 574
Red Lake, MN 56671
There wasn't a lot more news Tuesday about what happened in northern Minnesota - the facts were already in and they haven't changed. The killer is dead so there can only be futile investigations and theories into what caused it all.. but nobody will ever really know.
There have been a few reports alluding to the poverty in the area, and Jeff Weise's father's suicide and mother's hospitalization have also been mentioned here and there. But as expected, most headline stories are about body count, Columbine reminders, and neo-nazi affiliations - the sensational stuff - accompanied by a photo of Weise at nine years old. I found the information about the fund for the families on only one news report.
But again, looking deeper, you'll find more:
"Knowledgeable about politics and history, Weise spoke well and occasionally made the honor roll at Red Lake High School"
"A couple of his friends had said he was suicidal.. they were watching a movie once when he said, 'That would be cool if I shot up the school'.. they didn't think anything of it"
"He got terrorized a lot.. he was called names and people thought he was weird"
Excuses? Causes? Reasons? It doesn't matter - it's over and can't be undone - but it might matter next time, if caught before next time happens.. and I'm sad to say I believe it will.
And then there are these.. Weise was reported as posting on a nazi site under the nicks NativeNazi and Todesengel (angel of death):
"By the way, I'm being blamed for a threat on the school I attend because someone said they were going to shoot up the school on 4/20, Hitler's birthday, and just because I claim being a National Socialist, guess whom they've pinned?" (April 19)
"I dont much care for jail, Ive never been there and I dont plan on it"
"Once I commit myself to something, I stay until the end"
He was possibly quite talented: he's been reported as constantly writing and drawing. That talent was obviously misguided, perhaps overlooked, and is now lost. He was likely angry and disillusioned.. he'd basically lost both parents, suddenly and violently. He'd been suspended or expelled from school, and lived with his grandfather - a liked and respected tribal policeman, aka an undisputed authority figure whose position in the community likely came with built-in expectations for the teenager. Chances are Weise didn't feel he could live up to of what was expected of him, so he didn't bother trying.
Weise was also reported as having written lengthy in-character posts for an interactive web fiction board. I found the posts those reports refer to here - they are elaborate, very dark and very violent, but with much creative thought behind them - however, they show new entries and edits dated March 22.. I don't know what to make of that. Hacked? Mistaken identity? Either way, there is as of this writing at least one very nasty addition by someone that goes way beyond bad taste and is totally uncalled for.
