To the Editor:

By now, the debris from Hinds Plaza has been swept, the air above Nassau Street quieted, and our tears wiped from our faces. I have lived in Princeton for 22 years and nothing has made me prouder to call it home than seeing Witherspoon Street flooded with people of all walks of life at the March for Our Lives. Despite this tense and sobering reminder about how gun violence cannot simply be someone else’s problem, odds are many from the March will return to their lives around town, which can often be called “quaint,” “comfortable,” or “idyllic.” There will be a strong urge to return to normal.

There will also be a strong urge to say “what can I really do?” or “we can never really eliminate gun violence or even make a dent.” A lot of the measures being proposed in Congress and even in Florida won’t do much to curb gun violence as a whole. Not only is there a massive advocacy network with rock-solid financial backing in the firearms industry, but there are a lot of Americans, some of them our elected officials, who genuinely believe that guns not only make us safer, but are important cultural touchstones. Guns are durable, transportable goods; so here in Princeton, what good can we really do?

The only problem with that line of thinking is that every great accomplishment in history has been impossible until it wasn’t. I have met so many of the most impressive, courageous people in my life in Princeton who continue to inspire me to this day, and I’m sure there are just as many more that I haven’t had the good fortune of meeting. It would be an incredible shame if that ability and that skill set could not be channeled into collective action on problems as difficult and as urgent as gun violence, but also issues like mental health, race, and privilege.

Princeton has the opportunity to turn this energy into action. Imagine a community where things like violence, anxiety, masculinity, and their effects on people could be talked about in an open forum — students and adults alike. Imagine being an example for the rest of the country on how to make our schools safer not with guns or metal detectors, but teaching students how to be active and informed citizens.

Survival of our students is far too low a bar to clear for a community I have seen so much from. Our goal should be for every student to flourish not only in the classroom, but as a person. Let us take advantage of the opportunity for reflection and bring students and young people to the table and have a discussion.

Zack DiGregorio

William Livingston Court