I was telling Krystal about this on msn, and I think she said something about being interested in seeing it (my bad memory mixed with being tired doesn't go well), so I'm posting this speech that I did back in College. Maybe other people will find it interesting as well.
April 20, 1999 – a day that forever changed a great number of lives in Littleton, Colorado. The day that Cassie Bernall was brutally killed in the shootings at Columbine High School. This is the true story of a 17 year old teenager who had just recently turned from walking a similar path as that of her killers.
The following is what happened to Cassie that day as pieced together by her family and friends.
Cassie had a difficult time getting out of bed that morning having stayed up late the night before working on her homework. Her cat’s litter box needed cleaning and breakfast was late but she still managed to leave for school at approximately 7:30 a.m., having quickly mumbled I love you to her mother.
It was about 11:15 when she walked into the high school library, with her backpack on her shoulder to work on her homework assignment. She had been there maybe five minutes when a teacher came running into the room, yelling that there were kids with guns in the hall. A lot of students thought it was a senior prank but then shots were heard coming from down the hall. Then a student came in and dropped to the floor with blood all over his shoulder. Everyone hid under the tables as fast as possible. The teacher frantically called 911. Then the two killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, came into the library, shooting and shouting things like, and I quote, “We’ve been waiting to do this our whole lives.”, and cheering after each shot.
The outstanding witness to Cassie’s last moments was a teenager named Josh who did not see but heard Cassie’s confrontation with the killers. And I quote, “I couldn’t see anything when those guys came up to Cassie, but I could recognize her voice. I could hear everything like it was right next to me. One of them asked her if she believed in God. She paused, like she didn’t know what she was going to answer, and then she said yes. She must have been scared, but her voice did not sound shaky. It was strong. Then they asked her why, though they didn’t give her a chance to respond. They just blew her away.”
One of the first officials on the scene the next day was an investigator from the Jefferson County sheriff’s department. He recalls seeing Cassie immediately upon entering the library. She was lying under a table close to another girl. Cassie had been shot in the head at very close range, the muzzle had apparently been touching her skin. She had been killed instantly.
Thirteen people perished in the shootings at Columbine High before their young killers turned their guns on themselves.
Cassie Bernall was born only six miles from where she was laid to rest 17 years later. A daddy’s girl in every way, she was a happy, active child growing up; part of a close knit family with her adored father, mother and younger brother. But somewhere along the way Cassie changed and when she turned 15 all that her parents knew was that she seemed distant. Then by chance her mother, Misty Bernall, found letters written to Cassie by her best friend that shocked Misty to the core of her heart. Unspeakable sex talk, but even more horrifying, death threats to teachers with occultic drawings and symbols. Perhaps the most shocking of all were grisly illustrations depicting Cassie’s parents being brutally murdered. Faced with these facts, Cassie’s parents had no choice but to contact the sheriff’s department and their pastor and in doing so started a chain of events that proved overwhelmingly difficult for them.
This was the start of Cassie’s escape from a rage that was slowly consuming her and from the influence of the people who she had surrounded herself with. During this time of approximately 3 months Cassie screamed, cut her wrists and fought all who tried to help her. Cassie’s parents had placed her in a private Christian school and in the spring of 1997 a new friend from the school invited Cassie to a youth retreat. Cassie returned home from this event a changed girl.
The spiritual awakening which Cassie experienced there gave her hope, and her about-face was startling. She developed a quiet, caring attitude, not pushing her faith on anyone; developing many new friendships with her constant smile. Her parents allowed her to transfer to Columbine High School in September 1997.
To understand the girl Cassie was on the day of her death, we can look to what her friends had to say about her. One young friend said, and I quote, “With some friends, you have to hide things or else you’d be scared of ruining your reputation. Cassie was so real, so honest about her struggles. We could talk about stuff that bothered us, and we didn’t have to look good for each other.”
Cassie spent a lot of time reading a certain book during the last two months of her life. Seeking Peace – It was a book that her youth group was studying. Cassie’s parents found great comfort in noting the numerous passages of this book that she had highlighted. One passage of particular interest to Cassie was of Martin Luther King. And I quote, “No man is free if he fears death, but the minute that you conquer the fear of death, at that moment you are free…I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
On that fateful day in April, 1999, there were other acts of courage. This story of Cassie Bernall is just one. A young girl who, as a result of a personal battle with self-hate and anger, was ready to say “yes” to her killers.
