I don’t want to write the last staff editorial of the year about the Boston Marathon bombings last year. I don’t want to write or think about the destruction that two people brought to the city I and the rest of Suffolk University call home. One year later, it is still hard to think about friends and fellow Journal editors who were near the finish line on Boylston Street that day and what could have happened to them.
Though thinking of the events that took place this time last year is not easy for many Bostonians, it’s important to remember how a city so often characterized as cold and distant came together. Runners sprinted right past the finish line last year and to the nearest hospital to donate blood. Local law enforcement rushed to help those injured and did its best to lock the area down. I witnessed Boston Globe reporters run throughout the newsroom to the closest car to get to the scene and inform the city.
As the search for the bombers went on, police from towns like Walpole, Tewksbury and others sent aid to the Boston Police Department. State troopers from Connecticut and New Hampshire were roaming the streets of Watertown trying to find the bombing suspects on April 19, 2013. Condolences were sent from The Chicago Tribune and the city of San Francisco.
This staff editorial isn’t meant to be another gushing piece about how the city came together in the wake of tragedy. In the days leading up to this year’s running of the marathon though, let’s remember to thank those who put our safety before theirs. Let’s thank the cities who were thinking of our citizens over a dark four days in Boston.
Whether you plan on spending Patriot’s Day being down at the finish line on Boylston or in your hometown of Haverhill or Newton this year, take the time to thank the police officers, security guards and firefighters you might bump into. Thank those who contacted you and wanted to make sure you were alright when news broke of the tragedy. Let’s not plaster the bombing suspects’ faces all over the local news broadcasts, instead use that airtime to discuss the new safety precautions put in place or the recovery of last year’s victims.
Let’s take the next several days to reflect on the unity that Boston, New England and the nation showed this time last year, not discuss Rolling Stone covers or New York Post follies. Instead, just thank those who deserve thanking, be with loved ones and enjoy one of the world’s most distinguished races.
