Shootings in Hawaii create need for counseling, pastoral care
11/3/1999 News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 · New York By George Piper* HONOLULU (UMNS) -- In the aftermath of the worst mass murder in Hawaii's history, pastors are ready to fulfill roles as counselors and communicators for an expected long-term grief process.
Seven people died Nov. 2 when Byran Uyesugi, 40, allegedly walked into a Xerox Corp. facility in Honolulu and shot at co-workers. He surrendered to police later in the afternoon.
The brutal killings shocked the island state, where miles of ocean provide a natural and psychological barrier to tragedies more common on the mainland.
"When it happens here, we are shocked that something can happen in our beautiful Hawaii," said the Rev. Barbara Grace Ripple, district superintendent for the United Methodist Church in Hawaii. "We need to reach out with more of the aloha spirit and embrace and love one another, and realize that while tragedies do happen, the love of God surrounds each and every one of us."
Counselors tending to survivors and victims' families probably will employ critical incident stress debriefings that allow people to talk about what they saw or what they are feeling, said the Rev. Phyllis Roe, executive director of the Samaritan Counseling Center of Hawaii.
"People sometimes just go into shock when they witness something so shocking and so horrifying," she said. "The tendency is to not think or talk about it, but it's very important to talk about it."
The center, one of 112 Samaritan Counseling Center facilities in the United States and Japan, is an interfaith, community-based counseling center striving to offer quality counseling and psychotherapy in faith-based context that is affordable to everyone. Roe said the center would be available to Xerox workers and their families.
Victims' families likely will have an extended grief process, given the sudden, unexpected nature of the tragedy, Roe said. The question of why this happened can only be answered for the survivors over a long period of time, during which they'll run the gamut of emotions from shock, anger and disbelief to horror, sadness and possibly rage, she said.
Motives for the shooting are still unclear. Hawaii economy is undergoing a severe recession, and Roe said economic factors could contribute to a person reaching the breaking point. News reports said Uyesugi was about to be laid off by Xerox.
"If someone thinks they'll lose their job, and if they're in debt or not confident they can find another job, they can feel pretty desperate," Roe said. She has no knowledge of the alleged shooter's background or situation, she added.
With survivors and the general public probably looking to their pastors for comfort, Roe encourages ministers to listen to their stories.
Statements of faith also can be encouraging in tough times. "We don't know why this happened -- but God's presence is still felt."
Xerox workers are not the only ones touched by the tragedy. Downtown offices locked doors out of fear, and some of Roe's clients did not want to leave their homes or workplaces to attend sessions. Despite Honolulu's metropolitan size, it and the rest of Oahu resemble a small community, he said.
The real impact of the tragedy may come when victims' names are released and residents realize they've lost friends, neighbors or extended relatives.
The hope, though, is that some good can arise from this tragedy. Hawaii's faith community should encourage dialogue and engage people no matter what their concerns may be, said the Rt. Rev. Richard Chang, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii. Churches can provide the place for this recovery and help bridge gaps to meet the area's needs.
"When we have respectful conversation, we not only listen with our ears, but with our hearts. Their hurts often are our hurts, too," Chang said.
School shootings in Colorado and Georgia and workplace shootings in Alabama and Georgia have sparked a renewed gun control debate. Strict gun control laws in Hawaii appear to stem the tide of crime with firearms. Of 24 statewide murders in 1998, only six were committed with a gun, while fewer than 12 percent of the state's 1,200 robberies involved a gun.
A strong gun control advocate, Ripple noted that denying guns to people isn't a cure for violence. If people are angry enough, they'll use a gun, stick or bare hands to vent their rage. She voiced concern for a world that exposes children to fierce scenes via video games and movies.
"We have to examine the values that we have for our society and for our lives," she said. "If we advocate violence, we advocate violent behavior."
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*This story was provided by Disaster News Network (www.disasternews.net).
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