Community Corner

Oak Creek Officials Reach Out to Newtown

Oak Creek offers help and advice on trying to heal following a mass shooting.

Unfortunately, Oak Creek knows about trying to heal after a mass shooting, with the city just four months out from the attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.

So a few days after the shocking attack in Newtown, Ct. that left 26 dead, Oak Creek officials reached out to leaders of the community to offer whatever help and advice they can.

Mayor Steve Scaffidi said he reached out to the Newtown's first selectman, which is the chief executive and administrative officer of the town. In his own experience, Scaffidi said he focused on making something positive out of a negative situation—and continues to do so.

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Police Chief John Edwards said in an MSNBC interview that he left a message for the town's police chief and talked to some of the dispatchers about what they went through.

The trauma first responders endure can sometimes have lifelong impacts, Edwards said, and they will need help getting through it.

Find out what's happening in Oak Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I can't imagine what those first responders went through in Newtown when they walked into those classrooms," Edwards said. "I don't even want to think about it or try to picture it."


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