There is a nice little town called Murrysville. Something really, really horrible happened there. I live nearby and I am sick of people pontificating about it who have never been there. I have been there, literally many thousands of times. Hell, I had a house about a mile from the border of the school district. I still live less than twelve miles from there.
I wanted to post, to respond to this tragedy right away. But I could not. It was too painful, too immediate. I wanted to tell everyone, just calm down, don't let CNN define what happened. Don't let the corporate owned, bullshit, sensationalist media hijack this narrative, once again. This is where I live. I wanted someone else to write this, but nobody did. Yet. So I suppose I will do it.
I knew, as soon as I heard of this tragedy, that the gun nuts would be rejoicing. “Hey, it was done with a knife!” And sure enough, it happened. A lot. I will not even dignify that repulsive response here. It is NOT the time.
I just want to tell you about where I live. It is really beautiful. Until ugly stuff happens.
Murrysville is in Westmoreland County. Its geography is key to understanding it. Murrysville is defined by Route 22. For years, they promised to expand the road from a three lane highway (with alternate passing lanes in each direction, complicated by the hilly geography). They are FINALLY almost done with that. So what does that have to do with anything? Everything. You see, Pittsburgh is in Allegheny County and Murrysville is just across the border, in Westmoreland County. Property taxes are different, by a factor of about two to one (actually, it's a lot more than that, but let's not quibble).
Murrysville is actually a quaint little town, located in the larger Franklin Regional School District. So I just want to specify here, when I refer to “Murrysville”, I am referring to the area, not the town. That is the convention here.
Anyway, the Parkway East, the main commuter route from Pittsburgh to the eastern (and most populous suburbs) ends in Monroeville. And right splat after that, you are on Route 22 (unless you get on the PA Turnpike, be prepared to surrender an arm or leg, or a child with a lot of seniority among the siblings). And really close to that, there is Murrysville.
So, Murrysville is relatively convenient to Pittsburgh, but with low property taxes. Oh, and the sales tax is one percent lower, too. You may think that doesn't matter, until you buy a big ticket item, like a car or an appliance (and yes, they do check, especially if you use a credit card).
You see what I am getting at here. Murrysville is pretty rich, compared to the surrounding area. Hell, it's rich compared to most areas. These are the people I envied, growing up. I did not attend Franklin Regional, I was over a bit, to the south. But all of the schools around here are similar.
Back when I attended high school, it was pretty much lily white. My graduating class was over one thousand. There were no African Americans at all in my class. Oh, a couple of Jews and Asians. That's it.
My school was a lot like Franklin. Like I said, all of the ones around here are. My school was pretty well equipped, for its day. It had a lot of amenities. A huge football stadium (de rigueur in western PA), with lighting for night games, a concession stand, a broadcast booth for reporters and TV coverage, a dedicated locker room for the football team, etc. Also, a baseball field, a slew of tennis courts, an indoor Olympic-sized pool, several gymnasiums (including, of course, our regulation basketball court). A huge auditorium (really a theatre, with all the amenities). A planetarium. A huge, honking planetarium. Another auditorium (smaller, of course). I could go on and on. Let's just say that the suburban, lily-white schools are well equipped. Oh, we had a school nurse, of course, and a school PSYCHOLOGIST! (And a huge greenhouse for the horticulture classes and a RIFLE RANGE).
This happened here. The people that I envied. I aspired to be like them, I even bought a house as close as I could afford. How? How in the hell?
I was born here. I love it. The rolling foothills leading to the Allegheny Mountains. The water. So much water. Not just three rivers, we have more. They all feed into the others. As you head east from Murrysville, on route 22, you will see the ridges. The ridges of the Alleghenies. So, so beautiful. If you go west on 22, it becomes the Parkway. And then you are in Pittsburgh. You want to see something really cool? Go to Pittsburgh. I swear. How can a city which is famous for being ugly be so beautiful?
I have not felt like this since 9/11. Since the plane crashed up in Somerset County. Beautiful, wonderful Somerset County, scarred forever.
I have no explanation. This makes no sense. Please, do not try to “explain” it to me, at least for a day or two.
You have empathy. Everyone here is so grateful.
But we have agony.