The 35th year anniversary of the school shooting
January 17, 2024, marks the 35th Year anniversary of the tragic school shooting at the Cleveland School in Stockton, California. Members of the community met at the Central United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall to commemorate the anniversary of that day in 1989.
We pause to give thanks for the camaraderie that fuels the CSR-Brady group in continuing the fight for a world free of gun violence.
Background
March 10, 2013 marked the day we officially became Cleveland School Remembers (CSR). It is hard to imagine how time has flown and how the group has evolved.
CSR was founded by teachers and staff who are survivors of the tragic shooting on the campus of Cleveland Elementary School on January 17, 1989—the first school mass shooting in the modern era in the U.S. Another school shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012 triggered painful memories, and the group met for support. And from that meeting, it was decided that it was time to initiate change.
What began as a group of friends seeking and giving support for each other has evolved into an organized effort to research and support legislation to prevent gun violence; evolving still, CSR’s work extends to support social justice—two causes that seem to be inextricably linked more often than not.
Membership in the CSR-Brady Chapter now includes not just teacher and staff survivors from the Cleveland School shooting of January 17, 1989. In our group is a student survivor from that tragic day and other individuals who care about the safety, equity, and well-being of the community and society as a whole.
March 10, 2021, marked the unveiling of a new logo. The long-time logo, of five young green trees symbolizing the five young lives of children lost in the Cleveland School shooting on January 17, 1989, has also evolved. The five children: Thuy Tran, Rathanar Or, Oeun Lim, Sokhim An and Ram Chun remain forever in our hearts.
After some thought, we settled on a new logo depicting another layer of the group’s evolution—a partnership with Brady.
In August 2016, CSR became an affiliate of Brady-United Against Gun Violence—an organization named after James “Jim” Brady (then Press Secretary), who was permanently disabled during the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Brady works across Congress, courts, and communities, on Capitol Hill, and in statehouses across the country to ensure common sense gun laws are enacted and enforced. CSR joined Brady on August 8, 2016.
Moving Forward
After the 35th Year Vigil, we feel a renewed drive to stay the course for the cause. We welcome your participation!
Please Contact us, participate in our monthly meetings, and consider joining our group. The standing schedule is the first Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. in Stockton. Details will be provided once you’ve joined.
Contact us at: info@clevelandschoolremembers.org