We see horrible things happen in the news and online all the time but an attack on innocent people close in Toronto can rock our sense of safety and security, one that we have been privileged to feel as Canadians for a long time.

 

On Monday, April 23, 2018,   10 people were killed and 15 others injured after a van drove down the sidewalk on Yonge Street between Finch and Sheppard in Toronto.  The driver was apprehended by a single officer shortly after at Yonge and Sheppard and has been identified as 25-year-old Alek Minassian, and appears to be from Richmond Hill.  A motive for the horrific attack is not yet clear. So how do you make sense of an act like this? The reality is that you can’t but you can find the light in the good people.  Like Mr. Rogers said “find the helpers”.

 

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”- Mr. Rogers

 

 

Today we recognize the first responders, the police, EMS and Fire who treated victims and apprehended the driver.   We recognize the bystanders who held hands and comforted the injured.  Twitter is full of messages of love and hope for the families of the victims  and residents of Toronto.

Filed under: Attack, Life, Terrorist, Toronto