Clearly, Jared Loughner was mentally ill, and pled guilty to these crimes. He is being treated in a mental hospital where he will serve the remainder of his days, as his life sentences have no possibility of parole.

What have we as a community learned from this horrendous mass shooting, right here in our midst? Almost all of us knew someone in that shooting. I was personally acquainted with Gabby, having worked on her campaigns. I knew her Outreach Director Gabe Zimmerman, who was struck down on that sidewalk. I knew aide Pam Simon, who was also shot but recovered. I know now Ron Barber who was shot twice that day, and who as her District Director stepped up to the plate and ran for Congress in CD 8 and CD 2 upon Gabby’s endorsement and request. My professor husband knew Gabby as well, and had taught Suzi Hileman who was shot and injured that day. She was the neighbor who had taken nine-year old Christina Taylor-Green to that Congress on your Corner event, and Christina died that day.

Clearly Loughner was ill, but why didn’t people notice enough? Pima Community College had expelled him due to mental problems but he didn’t get counseling help which he clearly needed. He was living with his parents, Randy and Amy Loughner, but they couldn’t or didn’t get help for him as he was over 18 years old. And where did he (an unemployed 22 year old) get the hundreds of dollars to pay for the Glock 9 gun and the two magazine clips he was captured with? I had worked as a board member for 3 years with Amy who manages Agua Caliente Park out east in Pima County. And I have also worked for a year with Gabe’s mother Emily Nottingham on the Casitas on Broadway board. Two mothers, two shattered lives.

Yes, we as a community have grieved over the past 2 years — a huge outpouring of sympathy and support at all the memorials — at Gabby’s former Swan/Pima office, at that Safeway on Oracle (where a permanent stone memorial was erected by the store), and at University Medical Center where most of the injured were taken to. Generous donations were made for the victims to help them recover, and to various foundations to help children & students in the names of the deceased.

Cactus garden by Wright Elem. School students at memorial outside of Congresswoman Giffords’ former district office at Pima/Swan, taken by Carolyn Classen

Now there are Beyond Tucson annual events to commemorate, heal, and move beyond the pain & horror of that day. Now people ring bells at 10:10 a.m.on January 8th when the shooting occurred, and now the politicians talk about gun control especially for firearms with a capacity to be used for mass killing. Also now there are multi-faith services in Tucson bringing together people of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Baha’i faiths.

Since then there have been attempts at more civility in public discourse, and two foundations created expressly for that purpose. We all remember January 8, 2011 and hopefully we will remember to watch out for danger signals in isolated, depressed young men, to lobby for better mental health services, and more effective gun control to prevent criminals and mentally sick from obtaining firearms.

Hopefully we have become better people after this mass shooting of January 8, 2011. And if you have any creative ideas about what type of permanent memorial should be erected, click here for my previous post about the January 8th Memorial Foundation.

It’s the 3 year anniversary of when I started blogging here for the online Tucsoncitizen.com. It was June 18, 2009 when I wrote up a blog article entitled “Is Lani’s Luau international cuisine?” (link), as I was wondering how varied the food & ethnic culture was at Lani’s, my favorite Hawaiian restaurant in Tucson. For those of you who don’t know it, Lani’s is located at the NW corner of Harrison & Golf Links, 2532 S. Harrison Rd., phone 520- 886- LUAU (5828).

As for my 1001 blog articles, it’s amazing that I’ve managed to write so many, as it is now at the stage that I don’t remember all the topics I’ve chosen to feature in my blogsite — focusing mostly on community events/issues/groups.

And which one has been my most popular post? Sadly my farewell article on the late Gabe Zimmerman, Congresswoman Gabrielle “Gabby” Gifford’s slain aide, whom I knew.

I do have a chronological listing by categories for myself, but the most useful is the “Search the Citizen” box on the Tucsoncitizen.com front page. If you want to know when I wrote about a certain person or topic, just type it in. It’s been very helpful, even for me to locate previous articles. And because the tags below each article are so powerful, you can usually find our articles via Google as well. And I do have a long listing of archives on my blogsite (left column) starting in the hot summer month of June 2009, followed by each month up to June 2012.

So after being a “My Tucson” guest columnist at the original Tucson Citizen afternoon newspaper in 2008, I can now write on my resume that I’ve blogged for 3 years at Tucsoncitizen.com. Some of my blogs have been re-printed in Oasis, the only Japanese magazine in Arizona (published in Phoenix by editor George Nakamura). And I may be free lancing articles for a new magazine to debut this summer, “Tucson Woman” edited by Linda Ray, of Tucson’s Birthday fame.

Stay tuned, keep reading, and happy blogging!

“Carolyn’s Community” aka Carolyn Classen

My photo taken at Tucsoncitizen.com Dec.2010 holiday party

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

She had served n the U.S. Congress since January 2007, was re-elected twice. As most of you know by now she was shot in Tucson once in the head at close range by mass shooter Jared Lee Loughner on January 8, 2011, over a year ago. She has been recovering in Houston, Texas where her astronaut husband Capt.(ret.) Mark Kelly lives, sharing custody of his two daughters from his previous marriage.

She faced three tough campaigns for her CD 8 race in the general elections: against former LD 30 House Rep. Randy Graf in 2006, former LD 30 State Senate President Tim Bee in 2008, and newcomer Jesse Kelly in 2010. And she also had a contentious Democratic primary race in 2006 against former TV newscaster Patty Weiss, and four others (William Johnson, Jeff Latas, Alex Rodriguez, Francine Shacter). She ran unopposed in the Democratic CD 8 primaries of 2008 and 2010.

Her closest race margin was with Kelly in November, 2010 (winning by 4,156 votes). Read my previous blog about that race “How did Giffords win?” (click here).

Gabby served one and a half terms in the Arizona State Senate (2003 to 2005), and also one term in the State House (2001 – 2003), representing mid-town Tucson in LD 28, prior to Congress. I knew her then as well, and worked as a volunteer on her Congressional campaigns for 2006 and 2008. So I knew Gabby professionally through the Pima County Democratic Party and as a campaign volunteer, and later as I covered her campaign for the TucsonCitizen.com in 2010. And of course I knew the late Gabe Zimmerman, who worked as a field organizer on her first 2006 campaign and later as the constituent outreach director in her Tucson District Office. (30 year old Zimmerman was killed in the Tucson Tragedy mass shooting on 1/8/11).

There is a bumper sticker “Gabrielle Giffords continues to inspire” which was placed at the Tucson three impromptu memorials that sprang up after the shooting. It was a testament of her courage and inspirational fight back to health, which is still ongoing (and the reason for her resignation). Because the Glock 9mm bullet entered the left side of her brain, Gabby’s right leg, right arm/hand, and speech were affected by the injury, and she now is working in rehab with her aphasia –speech & language difficulties — and reduced physical mobility. Prior to this shooting, Gabby was an avid hiker, and rode horses, a bicycle, and a motorcycle.

But I know what a healthy, friendly, strong-willed individual she was as a politician and community activist, and I know she will work tirelessly now at age 41 to recover fully from her injury. She took a bullet in the line of duty as a U.S. Congresswoman and should be praised for her courage and resiliency, and hard work for over 10 years as a state & federal legislator.

Good luck Gabby and our prayers are with you as you recuperate, and find a new mission in life.

Remember the first moment you heard/read online that CD 8 Congresswoman “Gabby” Giffords had been shot in the head (credit to blogger “3 Sonorans” for his fast blog here at Tucsoncitizen.com, minutes after the shooting).

Remember when you realized that 19 persons including a 9 year old child had been shot & injured at that Safeway in NW Tucson.

Remember the pain when you realized that you personally knew someone who died (for me, Gabe Zimmerman, Gabby’s community outreach aide). Remember the grief thereafter for such a senseless killing.

Remember anxiously waitng for news from UMC of the condition of the injured.

Remember going to that Safeway to pay your respects to the six fallen on the sidewalk.

Remember going to the UMC memorial to light candles, and to the Congresswoman’s office to place flowers, pray for healing and peace of mind.

Remember President Barack Obama’s speech on January 12, 2011 at McKale Center, in which he stated:
“I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us”.

We all remember January 8, 2011 and the first responders, Surgeon Dr. Peter Rhee at the UMC Trauma Unit, the outpouring of love and support for the families of the murdered and the injured.

Today, as we reflect on the events of that day a year ago, here is a list of some events to attend, to collectively continue the healing:

7 a.m.

Ben’s Bells Distribution – Hundreds of Ben’s Bells will be randomly distributed throughout Tucson in memory of those we lost and in gratitude for our beautifully supportive community. Contact: Phone:520-628-2829

10 a.m .- 5 p.m.

A Day of Kindness at the Children’s Museum — Tucson Ben’s Bells invites families to gather to sign the Kindness Contract, to paint Kindness Coins and to hang Kindness Wishes in the trees at the Museum. Contact: Children’s Museum Tucson, 520-792-9985, 200 S. 6th Avenue

10:11 a.m. Community-wide Ringing of Bells

1:00 p.m. Interfaith Service
San Augustine Cathedral
190 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ

3 p.m. – 5 p.m. January 8th Lecture Series
Centennial Hall – University of Arizona Campus
1020 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ
The event will be streamed live at http://ondemand.azpm.org/live.

6:30 p.m. – Candlelight vigil on University of Arizona Mall, with speeches
Congresswoman Giffords and her husband USN Captain (ret.) Mark Kelly will be attending.
The vigil will be streamed live at http://ondemand.azpm.org/live.

For my earlier blog with many more details on today’s events including other faith services (click here).

Today let us remember January 8, 2011.

UPDATES: my notes in comment section below about some of the events I attended today.

1/9/12 update: Channel 6 video of the vigil: http://azpm.org/news/story/2012/1/9/1616-view-jan-8-2012-candlelight-vigil/

Last week I wrote a blog announcing the PBS documentary “Together We Heal” – interviews of those affected by the January 8, 2011 mass shooting at the Safeway in NW Tucson. Click here for my earlier blog with background information on the PBS production team. The show is written, directed and produced by AZPM’s Emmy® Award winner Tom Kleespie.

Hearing the heart-wrenching interviews of the shooting victims and heroes who responded to help them get medical aid that morning was difficult for me, as I know Gabby and I knew Gabe. Here’s the blog I wrote about Gabe (and the other victims) the day after he died (click here) – “Farewell Gabe Zimmerman, Congresswoman Giffords’ aide”.

Most of us in the Tucson community knew someone directly affected by this tragedy, which made it even more painful and shocking to us.

And in this documentary there is a solemn photo of me at the UMC memorial, mourning as I re-light candles in memory of the six who died. (I’m wearing my British wool gillie hat which my husband gave me in Oxford, where we were married).

View the show tonight at 8 p.m., and remind others of the January 8 repeat showing at 6 p.m. MST.

Our prayers are still with those who were injured that day and are recovering, especially Congresswoman “Gabby” Giffords who was shot in the head and receiving rehab in Houston. And hopefully there may be a sense of some peace for those who lost the six innocent people by this senseless shooting.

May we never forget:

Christina-Taylor Green
Dorothy Morris
Judge John Roll
Phyllis Schneck
Dorwan Stoddard
Gabe Zimmerman

And may we all move on and heal from this tragic event.

Yesterday about 150 people attended the Gabe Zimmerman Davidson Canyon Trailhead Dedication. This lovely area is about 1/4 mile west of Cienega Creek on Marsh Station Rd. north of Exit 281 of I-10. Several speakers spoke eloquently about Gabe’s legacy of loving nature and hiking: Jennifer Cox from Congresswoman Giffords’ office, Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll (whose District 4 this portion of the Arizona Trail is located in), Supervisors Richard Elias and Ann Day, and lastly Emily Nottingham, Gabe’s mother. Supervisor Carroll said that we all need “places and people to help us recover” from 1/8/11, that Gabe was “irreplaceable like this trail, a shepherd to all of us”. Supervisor Elias said that there was “no fairness” in this shooting of 1/8/11, but that “justice reigns supreme” with this beautiful trail dedicated to Gabe.

Gabe’s mother Emily spoke of his love of the desert and his ability to form “connections.”
Gabe’s father Ross Zimmerman, his brother Ben, his stepmother, fiancee Kelly O’Brien, and other relatives were present at this dedication, as were heroes Daniel Hernandez Jr. and Patricia Maisch, who were at the Safeway that morning. The tiles at the gateway of the trail from photographs of Gabe were made by LD 28 House Rep./artist Steve Farley and his tile team who were present. A night blooming cereus was also planted at the trailhead. I encourage all of you to visit this spectacularly beautiful desert area & hike it in memory of Gabe Zimmerman, and the five others who died that day.

AZ Daily Star photos from this event (click here). Gloria Giffords, mom of the injured Congresswoman was also present.

Remembering January 8, “Honoring the Spirit of Tucson”

Not many of us can forget that horrendous event of the January 8, 2011 mass shooting here in Tucson, or the outpouring of community caring & support after that tragedy. 6 innocent citizens (including a nine year old girl and a federal district judge) were gunned down in front of that Safeway Supermarket, and 13 (including a 3-term U.S. Congresswoman) were wounded.

We remember January 8th. How could we forget? I took photos of each of the 3 memorials that sprung up after the shooting, which are hyperlinked at the end of this blog.

http://www.rememberingjanuary8.org/

Listed below are community events scheduled for January 8:

January 8th
Together Tucson

7:00 am Ben’s Bells Distribution

Description: Hundreds of Ben’s Bells will be randomly distributed throughout Tucson in memory of those we lost on January 8th, 2011 and in gratitude for our beautifully supportive community.

Location:Ben’s Bells Main Gate, 816 E. University Blvd.
Contact: Phone:520-628-2829

8am-5:pm Tohono Chul Park Complimentary Admission Day

Description:In remembrance of January 8th, Tohono Chul Park will open its gates free of charge to offer the community a place of quite reflection.
Location:Tohono Chul Park – 7366 N. Paseo del Norte

10-5pm A Day of Kindness at the Children’s Museum Tucson

Description: Join Ben’s Bells at the Children’s Museum Tucson For a Day of Kindness. Ben’s Bells invites families to gather to sign the Kindness Contract, to paint Kindness Coins and to hang Kindness Wishes in the trees at the Museum. The Museum will serve as a gathering point for families to celebrate the kindness in our community.

Location: Children’s Museum Tucson, 260 S. 6th Ave.
Contact: 520-792-9985 (Children’s Museum), 520-628-2829 (Ben’s Bells)

10:11am Community-wide Ringing of Bells

10:15 am Remembering January 8, 2011: Hurting, Healing, Hoping

Description: January 8, 2012, marks the first anniversary of the Tucson tragedy where six people died and thirteen were injured. Join the Rev. Dr. John Kitagawa, at 10:15 a.m., remembering and reflecting on our memories of that day and the year that has followed. In this session, we remember those lost and injured and share reflections of the time since the tragedy. All are welcome to join in this community conversation in the Murphey Gallery at St. Philip’s and at the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. worship services which will also honor the tragedy of January 8, 2011.

Location:St. Philip’s In The Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave. at River Road, Tucson, AZ 85718

10:45- noon Journey from Mental Illness to Mental Health

St. Francis in the Foothills is offering a class that is open to the public discussing the journey from mental Illness to mental health. Members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will be presenting information to enlarge community mental health awareness and promote civil engagement.

Location: St. Francis in the Foothills, 4625 E. River Rd (River west of Swan), Tucson, Arizona

1:00pm “We Remember, We Celebrate, We Believe” Interfaith Service

Description: All faith communities in Tucson are invited to join in commemoration of both the tragedy and the triumph of Jan. 8, 2011. The service will consist of prayer, music, reflections, dance and the participation of those attending. The service will include Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha’i and Sikh traditions of prayer.

Location: St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, Arizona

3:00pm Reflections: Honoring the lives of January 8 shooting victims

Description: A series of talks reflecting on the lives of Congresswoman Giffords and those who were killed on January 8.

Speakers include:
Senator Mark Udall (for Congresswoman Giffords)
Federal Judge Raner Collins (for Judge John Roll)
Pat Maisch (for the survivors and citizen heroes)
Dr. Lattie Coor (for Gabe Zimmerman)
Dr.Andrew Ross (for Phyllis Schneck)
Serenity Hammerich & Jamie Stone (for Christina-Taylor Green)
Ron Barber (for Dorwin Stoddard)
Brandon Nelson (for Dorothy Morris)

Location: Centennial Hall – University of Arizona Campus, 1020 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ. Tickets are free and can be picked up at the UA Centennial Hall’s box office, 2020 E. University Blvd.; The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, 2250 E. Broadway; and Pima Council on Aging, 8467 E. Broadway.

6:30pm Candlelight Vigil
University of Arizona Mall

Community members are encouraged to attend and show their support for the families of victims and the survivors. Those attending are asked not to bring candles. Glowsticks will be provided at the vigil to all those in attendance.

The Tucson Symphony Orchestra will perform and confirmed speakers include:

Eugene G. Sander, President, University of Arizona

Ken Bennett, Arizona Secretary of State

Honorable Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor, City of Tucson

Dr. Peter Rhee, Chief, Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, The University of Arizona Medical Center

Mark Kelly, Captain, USN (Retired) Spouse, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

The emcee for the evening will be Ron Barber, survivor and founder of the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding.

1/4/11 UPDATE: Injured Congresswoman Giffords will also be attending this vigil (click here).

6:30 pm Shining the Light of Hope and Peace

Description: The entire Tucson community is invited to attend a special evening service of songs, prayer and healing.

Location: Northminster Presbyterian Church, 2450 East Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, Arizona
Contact: 520-327-7121, ext. 229

For more information: Daniel J. Benavidez at

(520) 331-4989, or info@rememberingjanuary8.org.

And for more events commemorating 1/8/11, read my blog on “BEYOND” Tucson (click here) for info and updated website events on what’s happening the day before (January 7) all over Southern Arizona.

Photo gallery of UMC memorial (click here).

Photo gallery of Congresswoman Giffords’ office memorial (click here).

Photo gallery of the Safeway memorial (click here).

And recently I posted a blog about an upcoming PBS documentary about the shooting victims & aftermath entitled “Together We Heal” to show on January 5 & 8, 2012 (click here).

On Wednesday at a press conference for BEYOND, I met Ross Zimmerman, father of the late Gabe Zimmerman, and Suzi Hileman who took the late Christina-Taylor Green to that “Congress on your Corner” (and who was also shot three times.) I felt their pain as victims of that shooting. Let us participate in “honoring the spirit of Tucson” on January 8, 2012.

Read the Star article here.

I knew C.J. when he was the political reporter over at the Star, and communicated with him last year during Giffords’ re-election campaign, and also throughout this tragic shooting of his boss and fellow aides on January 8, 2011. He exhibited a lot of compassion and competence during that horrible incident, and was a tireless advocate for accurate reporting about the Congresswoman and her injured staffers Ron Barber and Pam Simon. And I am sure he experienced a great deal of grief over the killing of young Congressional aide Gabe Zimmerman, as all of us did who knew Gabe.

Good luck C.J. on your new position.

Fix Gun Checks national bus parked on Stone Avenue

Read my earlier blog (click here) about the Mayors Against Illegal Guns rally held downtown today with speeches from shooting survivors & families of homicide survivors, politicians, community leaders including law enforcement officers and ministers. Here’s some photos taken at today’s event by amateur photographer Curtis Dutiel.

Dr. Peter Rhee (UMC Chief of Trauma) at the rally

Ross Zimmerman at the rally, father of deceased aide Gabe Zimmerman

Omar Samaha speaking of his sister's death at Virginia Tech

Hundreds of Tucsonans dropped by the rally at Jacome Plaza (in front of the Joel D. Valdez Main library) to listen to the speakers say why this federal legislation for background checks for gun purchases (especially at gun shows) needs to be passed.

Many people support this legislation due to the ease (without a background check) in which suspect Jared Loughner got his glock gun in November, 2010 prior to the mass shooting here in Tucson on January 8, 2011. His mental competency/fitness to stand trial for murder (of six victims) and attempted murder is now being assessed. One of his victims, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of CD 8 is still recovering at a rehabilitation hospital in Houston, Texas.

To sign the national petition to fix gun checks go to www.fixgunchecks.org.

Tucson’s rally was held today at Jacome Plaza (in front of Joel D. Valdez Main Library) to support the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011, which will “help get the records of prohibited buyers into the national database, and close the loopholes that let dangerous people buy guns.”

Victims of the Tucson shooting and other tragedies, numerous politicians, and community leaders spoke today calling on U.S. Congress to fix the background check system. Hundreds of people were in attendance at Jacome Plaza, and t-shirts stating “34 Americans are murdered with guns every day” were given out to those who signed the petition.

Ward 3 City Councilmember Karin Uhlich was the MC of today’s rally, saying she spoke with the support of Councilmembers Regina Romero (present), Paul Cunningham and Steve Kozachik (both not present). Uhlich said that “Tucsonans were standing together so that the suffering of January 8, 2011 will not be in vain, and to promote reasonable measures to safeguard the public.”

List of those who spoke at the Tucson rally:

–Patricia Maisch, citizen heroine on January 8, 2011 who stopped shooting suspect Jared Loughner from reloading

–Dr. Peter Rhee, Chief of Trauma, University Medical Center, who helped the January 8, 2011 shooting victims in the emergency room and thereafter

–Randy Gardner, Jan 8, 2011 shooting survivor

–Ross Zimmerman, father of Jan. 8, 2011 murdered victim Congressional aide Gabe Zimmerman (who also spoke for Gabe’s fiancee Kelly O’Brien)

–Dr. Ann Nichols, widow of State Senator Andy Nichols, whose father was killed by a gunman (when Andy was 4 years old)

–Tony Baccerra, gun shooting survivor, accompanied by his mother & sister

–Carol Gaxiola, Homicide Survivors Executive Director, whose 14 year old daughter was killed by a gunman

–Omar Samaha, whose sister Reema Samaha was one of those students killed at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007

–Vicky Walker, mother Pat Yuhas and sister Kristy Johnson – Vicky’s husband and daughter were killed in their car by a gunman

–former U.S.Senator Dennis Deconcini

–former Assistant Attorney General Vince Rabago, a gun owner & hunter

–former Attorney General Terry Goddard (with the support of former Attorney General Grant Woods)

–former Mayor Tom Volgy (with the support of former Mayor George Miller)

–Tucson Police Dept. Assistant Chief Brett Klein (for Police Chief Robert Villasenor)

–Pima County Sheriff Captain Byron Gwaltney (for Sheriff Clarence Dupnik), who was on duty on January 8, 2011

–Santa Cruz Sheriff Tony Estrada

–Rev. Jan Flaaten, Arizona Ecumenical Council

–Rev. David Wilkinson, St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church

Also in attendance was Registered Nurse Nancy Bowman, who rendered CPR and first aid to shooting victims Judge John Roll, Congressional aide Pam Simon, and Suzi Hileman on January 8, 2011 at the NW Safeway.

Most of the speakers agreed with Vince Rabago’s statement that “those who shouldn’t have guns shouldn’t have guns”. And most asked that there be background checks for those who are mentally ill, convicted felons, drug abusers, and at gun shows. Ross Zimmerman asked for “responsible behavior regarding gun ownership” stating that his son’s death “changed our community forever.”

Parked behind the speakers was the Fix Guns Checks national truck with a sign on the side stating “Americans murdered with guns since Tucson”. When the rally began the tally number on the truck was 2687, when the rally ended a hour/half later, the number had increased to 2689.

The National Drive to Fix Gun Checks kicked off in the wake of the Tucson shooting with one simple message: “We need to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”

Since then, more than a quarter million Americans have signed the petition to Fix Gun Checks, and President Barack Obama has made fixing background checks a national priority, calling for reforms that would make the system instant, accurate and comprehensive.

The Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and will soon be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

To sign the National Petition to Fix Gun Checks, go to www.fixgunchecks.org.

Blogger Hugh Holub has written extensively on this issue and announced this event about federal legislation for background checks on guns:

http://tucsoncitizen.com/view-from-baja-arizona/2011/03/27/national-drive-to-fix-gun-checks-comes-to-tucson-monday-at-1-pm-downtown/.

Photos of today’s rally to be posted by me (separately), courtesy of Curtis Dutiel:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2011/03/28/photos-from-todays-mayors-against-illegal-guns-rally/

TUCSON – The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously today to name park facilities for an aide to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and a 9-year-old girl, both of whom were killed in a Jan. 8 attack in which the congresswoman was seriously wounded.

The board voted to rename the Davidson Canyon trailhead for Gabe Zimmerman and to rename the Cañada del Oro linear river park for Christina-Taylor Green. Other victims of the shooting will be honored with markers at the Davidson Canyon trailhead, the board decided.

Gabe’s father, Ross Zimmerman, welcomed the board’s decision as a fitting honor for someone who grew up enjoying Arizona’s open spaces.

“Gabe was immersed in the natural world of the Desert Southwest from birth,” he said. “Before he could crawl, Gabe was carried in sling packs up the sides of mountains. Vacations tended to revolve around visits to National Parks, both inside and outside the United States. Emily Nottingham, his mother, became president of the Arizona Trail Association and Gabe helped her explore the passages of the Arizona Trail, including this one.”

Ross, a biologist and trail runner, noted that Gabe and his brother Ben were his favorite partners on numerous outdoor adventures.

“The spot chosen to memorialize our son is a fascinating confluence of Sonoran Desert edge and sheer canyon walls with beautiful vegetation,” he said. “Gabe visited the area with Emily on several occasions and we are touched that the trailhead there will bear his name.”

Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll agreed, noting that the renaming of the trail for Gabe had bipartisan support and was the result of many agencies working together.

“This is an appropriate tribute for fine public servant who greatly enjoyed Arizona’s outdoors,” said Carroll, who represents the district in which the trail is located. “Those who didn’t know Gabe will know him through this trail.”

The 30-year-old Zimmerman was community outreach director for Giffords when he was killed at a “Congress on Your Corner” event hosted by Giffords. Zimmerman organized the event at a shopping center on Tucson’s Northwest side.

Zimmerman was a natural athlete who enjoyed hiking and running in the Sonoran Desert. The Arizona Trail Association asked the county to rename the Davidson Canyon trailhead the Davidson Canyon-Gabe Zimmerman Memorial Trailhead.

Zimmerman was a member of the association and, while working for Congresswoman Giffords, helped get the Arizona Trail designated as a National Scenic Trail. The Davidson Canyon trail links to the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve and the Arizona Trail.

The Tucson National Estates Improvement Association asked the county to rename the Cañada del Oro River Park to the Cañada del Oro Christina-Taylor Green Memorial River Park in honor of the 9-year-old girl who was killed in the shooting.

The park runs along the Cañada del Oro wash from North La Cholla Boulevard to North Thornydale Road.

CONTACT
C.J. Karamargin
Communications Director
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
Arizona’s 8th Congressional District
(520) 881-3588 or (520) 909-8482