Every year on July 4th, America celebrates Independence Day, but instead of fireworks and joy, 2023 brings bloody headlines and tragedies that shock the nation. In Indianapolis, at least two people, including a child, were killed in a shooting during the celebrations. Police official Chris Bailey was crystal clear: “This is completely unacceptable!” He urged parents to take responsibility because “we are not babysitters for your kids.” But the grim statistics don’t stop there. Mass shootings were also reported in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Brockton, Massachusetts, where six people were hospitalized after a brawl. In Chicago, seven were wounded in one shooting, while a day earlier, in a separate incident, four people were killed and 14 injured. In Queens, New York, one person was killed and three were stabbed. To make matters worse, in Massachusetts, an elderly man died from fireworks, and in Georgia, two boat explosions on lakes caused second and third-degree burns to seven people aged 5 to 45. This bloody tally casts a dark shadow over a holiday meant to celebrate freedom and unity. Is this the America we want? Or is it time to ask where the limits are and who is responsible for this violent reality? If you have an opinion or maybe a sarcastic comment, feel free to share it — maybe together we can find the answer to the question everyone avoids.
