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Seven years ago today, the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in American history happened in Las Vegas. Known as the 1 October Massacre. Ultimately, 60 innocent people lost their lives.
It happened at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in the newly created Las Vegas Village, a 15-acre outdoor performance area on the Las Vegas Strip, across from the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.
FYI: What we now call Las Vegas Boulevard was once Route 91, or the L. A. Highway, before the creation of Interstate 15.
Where Are We Now
The Las Vegas Village was cleared and has never been used since. The land was recently sold to the Three Affiliated Tribes of Central North Dakota. MGM Resorts, who owned the land, cut out two acres before the sale to donate to the 1 October Memorial.
Getting it Right
This is an essential project for the Las Vegas community and the world who grieved with us, so it’s important to get it right. Thanks to MGM, we have the land (yes, I actually said something nice about MGM), and it’s where it needs to be.
The closest thing we currently have as a memorial is the “Healing Garden,” four miles away, near downtown Las Vegas.
As some demanded, it doesn’t need to take up the entire block. That is not necessary. What is necessary is that it memorializes all who died because of the massacre. The memorial is set to honor 58 victims—the people who died on site. Two other people need to be included and are being left out because they died from their injuries later.
Apparently, there is some unofficial death clock for massacres. You aren’t counted if you die after that allotted time and place. Thats wrong. Let’s do the honorable thing. Count all sixty.
Warning: This is where the sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows part of the post ends. If you don’t want to read the curmudgeon side of my thoughts, skip to the bottom. You have been warned!
The Vegas Way
You would think that building a memorial like this would be easy. They think it should be ready by the tenth Anniversary. However, we must remember this is Las Vegas, and nothing is as it seems.
To get anything of purpose done in this town, you must grease some palms and inject political greed into the project, no matter the cause. Greed is what has always made Nevada operate.
According to Jan Jones-Blackhurst, Chair of the Vegas Strong Fund, “It’s going to take foundation money, public money, state money, maybe federal money. I think having the community be a part of it really brings the heart to the memorial,”
Of course, it will take government money. Jan Jones knows everything takes someone else’s money. She was Las Vegas mayor for two terms and then tried her hand at becoming governor twice, losing by large numbers both times.
Remembering Jan Jones (Blackhurst)
Long-time locals will remember Jan Jones for her fumbling during the Rio Resort fire code debacle. She was an executive at Caesars Entertainment when it was discovered that Caesars was trying to remodel one of the towers of the Rio Resort, using a permit issued to change one light fixture. She told the media it was okay because she had the correct permit papers on her desk. So, as long as she knew where the permits were, what was the problem?
Then, upon third-party investigation, the floor drawings used by the contractors, showing where all the doors, windows, and walls are, differed from those on file in the County recorder’s office. The plans on file would be the plans the fire department would depend on if they had to go there to fight a fire. She didn’t know why that would be a problem. Think about that for a second.
Coincidentally, the inspector who approved the permits and knew the plans were inaccurate was conveniently out of the country, enjoying a well-paid vacation, making him unavailable to answer any media questions. They never officially said who paid for that well-timed vacation.
The $30 Million Question
At the memorial’s groundbreaking, Jan spoke about the need for money, pleading for the public to come forward and, as a community, give from their hearts to get this done. The need is about $10 million.
It’s not a problem. It’s a worthy cause. But first Jan, I need a question answered. This is the same question we have been asking for seven years. You want us to raise $10 million to help build the memorial. How about you first tell us what happened to the original $30 million?
Seven years ago, a government grifter named Steve Sisolak was the chairman of the Clark County Commission. Almost immediately after the tragic event, he started a GoFundMe, stating that it was meant to help with recovery and other expenses. It was a worthy cause and an easy sell. It raised over $30 million, then “POOF” the money vanished.
To add insult to injury, right after this, Sisolak became governor just in time to shut the State down during COVID-19. He enjoyed playing Nevada’s “Pandemic God” and supposedly made millions from it. For example, he only allowed businesses that were clients of his wife’s marketing company to be the first ones to open!
Conclusion
I’m glad the memorial will finally be built where it needed to be built in the first place. The plans and the ideas went through all the hands that were out for the project. Makign sure the right people got a piece of the action. That’s how the world works now.
The biggest hurdle has been cleared: getting to the groundbreaking. If everything stays on track, it will open in time for the Tenth Anniversary.
I don’t see any real reason it should not open by then. Many wonderful people and organizations made it happen, and that’s the nice part. Everyone in this community played a part in its recovery, and that will never be forgotten.
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