Highland Park officials clash over language guide released to mark Fourth of July massacre commemoration

Highland Park officials are being criticized for a proposed language guide they released ahead of the one-year anniversary of the July 4 shooting that killed seven people and injured dozens more.

The guide follows recommendations from the DOJ’s Office for Victims of Crime and includes suggestions such as deleting the phrases “Highland Park Strong” and “mass shooting.”

“It’s important to think very carefully about how you refer to the Highland Park shooting and the time after,” the city’s website states.

“The words we choose can have unintended and unintended consequences. As with other cases, the principle of ‘impact’ versus ‘intention’ applies here,’ it says.

Some have said they think the guide “missed the mark,” including one resident who told a local outlet, “I think it’s hard to apply expert opinion to individual feelings and experiences.”

According to city leaders, the guide is meant to focus on healing and compassionate language that still acknowledges the tragedy.

The core principle for the guide — like similar suggestions from the DOJ — is “do no harm” language that asks users to think carefully about their vocabulary.

However, the guide has not been well received, as some “do not appreciate being told how to talk about what happened”, the Chicago grandstand reported.

One thing many seem to object to is the original suggestion to move away from using the rally slogan: “Highland Park Strong.”

The phrase echoed across the city and country in the days and weeks following the mass shooting — another term the guide suggests users stop.

Now city leaders recommend using “Together Highland Park Unidos,” which they say will emphasize “collaboration and cooperation.”

The Tribune reported that the new phrase has more acceptance from anyone still recovering, whether they’re feeling strong or not.

Another suggestion is not to use the word “birthday” to mark the occasion.

“This is not an anniversary,” said Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch, “it’s not something to celebrate.”

Neukirch also told the Tribune that “this is just a proposed directive. It is by no means a mandate.’

Another issue presented with the guide is how many residents have been made aware of its existence.

Several residents told local outlets that they received the guide via email or text without warning.

Some said they wish the city had given them the option to opt-in to receive the guide or simply directed residents to their web page altogether.

Resident Maggie Schmieder – a survivor of the mass shooting – said she believes the rollout was not done in the best possible way, saying they “missed the mark.”

“Everyone leaves with a different feeling, and they are in a different place on the journey of healing and recovery,” Schmieder said.

She added that she credits leaders for trying to lead with good intentions.

It’s “really easy to be quick to judge and give backlash and criticism,” she said.

The city has since responded to the backlash by withdrawing certain guidelines, including the choice not to use mass shooting.

In addition, the city had a “do’s” and “don’ts” section regarding the shooting that some people expressed concern about.

“There was healthy discussion about what the proposed directive should be as it pertained to the description of the incident,” Neukirch said in an interview.

“And that’s how we got to that provision that suggested people say ‘shooting’ versus ‘mass shooting’. Mass shootings tend to focus on the perpetrator… (and) we don’t want to focus on him. But we recognize that every time an incident like this happens, it’s a mass shooting,” the city manager continued.

The phrasebook comes less than a year since a heavily armed gunman opened fire on crowds during the Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburbs.

A total of seven people were killed, including both parents of a two-year-old boy who was found covered in blood on the street.

The accused gunman, Robert Crimo, has since been charged on 117 counts, including seven counts of first-degree murder.

He remains incarcerated at Lake County Correctional Facility in Illinois as he awaits trial.