Live Nation Statement On Route 91 Harvest Festival Tragedy

LAS VEGAS  — We are heartbroken over the tragedy that took place at the Route 91 Harvest festival. To think that anyone would want to inflict harm on a gathering of music lovers is beyond our comprehension.

And while we are stunned and grieving over this incomprehensible act of violence, we know that this is a moment when we must come together to prevent more tragedies like this from occurring.

Source: Live Nation Entertainment

WASHINGTON — Just hours after the mass shooting in Las Vegas, a group of Christian leaders called on religious leaders of all denominations to sign a letter endorsing the non-violent approach advocated by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Religious leaders who wish to sign the letter should do so by email at statement@kofc.org.

Bishop Edwin Bass of the Church of God in Christ on behalf of that denomination’s leader, Bishop Charles Blake, and Rev. Eugene Rivers of the Seymour Institute also called for 2018 to be declared the year of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination.

Citing the Las Vegas tragedy and other contemporary challenges, “including a renewed racism by groups like the Ku Klux Klan,” Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson warned against discouragement or despair in the face of violence.

While things looked bleak in the early stages of the civil rights movement, Rev. King held fast to the American principle that all are created equal and that there “can be no place for political violence,” said Anderson.

“Dr. King held that high ground and people rallied to him,” said Anderson, leader of the Knights, the world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization.

King, who toiled in a time of discord like our own, “is still the beacon for the way forward,” said Church of God in Christ’s  Bishop Bass on behalf of Bishop Blake, the church’s presiding bishop.

He said the call to observe the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s death has been promoted by the Seymour Institute in Boston and will include a gathering sponsored by his church that will address a question posed by Dr. King: “Where do we go from here?”

Most Rev. George Murry, S.J., Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, and chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, said, “Nonviolence is the prerequisite to hearing each other’s stories and entering into an honest dialogue.”

He said such a dialogue can “open roads to justice and reconciliation that will lead to the true communion of civic friendship.”

Source: Knights of Columbus

WASHINGTON — The Nevada College of Emergency Physicians and the American College of Emergency Physicians today issued a joint statement about the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

“On behalf of the emergency physicians in Nevada and across the nation, we extend our heart-felt sympathy to the victims and their friends and families in regard to the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas.

The incredible emergency response in such a short timeframe — from the physicians, nurses and emergency medical services in Nevada, as well as law enforcement — has been nothing less than miraculous.

While the shock and grief from yet another heinous mass killing and wounding are still fresh, we remain devoted to preparing our nation to best manage the consequences of such violent active incidents.  Our prayers go out to the many injured who are still fighting for their lives.”