For those who are struggling and even for those who are doing fine, dancing is like a medicine that can brighten anyone’s day. However, on January 21, that medicine was violently ripped away from the partygoers at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. On that day, gunman Huu Can Tran, fired bullet after bullet using a semiautomatic MAC-10 assault weapon into the room, killing eleven people and injuring eight more. The day after, once the police cornered his van later that day, Tran killed himself.
The majority of the survivors of the mass shooting are trying to recover from depression and anxiety, running their sleeping and eating habits. Even those who weren’t close to the deceased felt mournful simply because they danced at the same studio or attended the same dance classes. Lloyd Gock, a 67-year-old Alhambra resident who recently recovered from ongoing nightmares after the shooting, believes that trauma takes time to heal.
In June, to promote gun control reform as part of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force panel, Gock flew to Washington, D.C. He and other survivors have tried to strengthen gun control measures, such as implementing a ban on large-capacity magazines and assault weapons, and funding for mental health services. But the reason for the act of violence is at large.
A few survivors are refusing to let their community be destroyed by the act of violence and have continued to dance. The survivors began to connect with each other and started a WeChat and monthly support group for people to talk about how they were coping. Many people who witnessed the incident have started therapy to counter the traumatic experience.
And now, more and more people are coming back to the dance floor, such as Hattie Peng, who lost a beloved dancing partner because of the shooting. For others, it’s harder to bounce back. Amy lost three people due to the shooting; friends, Xiujuan Yu and Lilian Li and her dance partner for the night, Alvero Valentino, who saved her life.
The majority of the survivors of the mass shooting are trying to recover from depression and anxiety, running their sleeping and eating habits. Even those who weren’t close to the deceased felt mournful simply because they danced at the same studio or attended the same dance classes. Lloyd Gock, a 67-year-old Alhambra resident who recently recovered from ongoing nightmares after the shooting, believes that trauma takes time to heal.
In June, to promote gun control reform as part of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force panel, Gock flew to Washington, D.C. He and other survivors have tried to strengthen gun control measures, such as implementing a ban on large-capacity magazines and assault weapons, and funding for mental health services. But the reason for the act of violence is at large.
A few survivors are refusing to let their community be destroyed by the act of violence and have continued to dance. The survivors began to connect with each other and started a WeChat and monthly support group for people to talk about how they were coping. Many people who witnessed the incident have started therapy to counter the traumatic experience.
And now, more and more people are coming back to the dance floor, such as Hattie Peng, who lost a beloved dancing partner because of the shooting. For others, it’s harder to bounce back. Amy lost three people due to the shooting; friends, Xiujuan Yu and Lilian Li and her dance partner for the night, Alvero Valentino, who saved her life.
