Dawn Anna

Dawn Anna

Bully breakdown:

Dawn Anna Townsend is the mother of Lauren Townsend, who was killed in the Columbine massacre. Recently, she spoke at a Pennsylvania high school, and she had some interesting things to say…

“They hated everybody,” Townsend said about the gunmen who killed her daughter. “They hated her (Lauren Townsend) because she breathed and that she was in their way.”

Townsend said one of the inaccurate reports that came out of the Columbine massacre was that the two murderers were retaliating against athletes who picked on them.

“They (the killers) were the bullies,” Townsend said.

Emphasis mine.

And yet 6 years later, people are still holding on to that myth.

She also had a lot of great things to say about bullying. The sad part is that I’m sure it fell on deaf ears.

I remember when I was in school that every time we had some kind of speaker come in to talk to us about some problem, we spent the rest of the day making fun of the presentation. I hope today’s students aren’t like that, but I know that some things never change.

Not to mention the fact that the reality is there always have been bullies and there always will be. That’s just an unfortunate fact of life. Therefore, it’s up to the schools to realistically do something about bullying. And the parents…

Townsend also speaks with parents. She reminds parents that their children don’t need them to be their best friends, they need them to be parents.

“When your child becomes older, then you become best friends,” she said, urging parents, teachers, and especially students, that ignoring suspicious activity in people could have dire consequences.

“The warning signs are a road map,” she said.

Emphasis mine.

It’s just too bad that a lot of people won’t listen to a woman who is saying all the right things. The right things that used to be known as common sense.

Comments

13 responses to “Dawn Anna”

  1. The Bookhouse Boy Avatar

    Here’s a pretty good article on the “bully-boom” in Colorado since Columbine:http://westword.com/issues/2005-04-28/news/feature.html

  2. tiffany Avatar
    tiffany

    hey i have seen your movie it is very touching and i agree with you 100% it mad me 😥 it was so emotoinal it also mad me 👿 because she was inosent but i am there for and i agree with all the decitions you have mad because i actually kno haw it feels to lose someone in an instant well i feel for 🙁

  3. Katie Avatar
    Katie

    For the first time, i watched the Lifetime movie Dawn Anna,let me tell you, this really changed me… i also read the book She Said Yes, about Cassie Bernall, i read that when i was in 6th grade. i was always curious about Columbine, but the Dawn Anna movie really inspired me to look up more information.. if Mrs/Ms Anna Or Cassies parents, or anyone elses parents’ of the kids’ that were killed read this, i just want them to know: i may be miles away, but my prayers can travel alot further than i can. good luck, for tonight and always you will be in my prayers!

  4. Sarah Dillon Avatar
    Sarah Dillon

    The movie Dawn Anna really struck me hard yesterday. Tears filled my eyes just at the thought of what herand her family went through. It scared me seeing something like this unfold before my eyes, only on a tv screen.I can’t imagine how hard it was to witness the whole ordeal in real life. Dawn Anna is a corageous woman, andI will keep her and her family in my prayers. It hurts me knowing that Lauren, such a wonderful person, couldnot live the life she should have. And I pray with all my heart to be half the person her or Dawn was and is. Iwould love to hear Dawn Anna speak at my school. I feel that everyone should hear her story. I’m so happy thatthis movie was made. It changed my life. Thanks.

  5. aribeth Avatar
    aribeth

    well i feel for the family and i love the movie dawn anna.only problem is she nor anyone else can’t say they were not picked on because she didn’t know what was happening with them. there must have been a reason why they wanted athletes so bad but went after the wrong ones. i don’t see any of those students who were killed or even injured pick on them. they seem to nice. especially seeing how lauren lived. she seemed like such a sweet girl i would love to have3 met. she loves animals like me.what the killers did was wrong but i still care for these two boys as much as i care for the victims.we all as humans need to learn to except eachother and learn to get along and love one another because we all are gonna face god oneday and those who do judge end up getting judged by god. if we can’t forgive then we will never be forgiven for our sins.i gotta say that dawn your a good mother, you raised your kids well and i admire that. i would love to have you as a mom. what child wouldn’t love to have you. i love your strength, your strength and hopecan teach us and bring us hope and strength too. i hope to meet you and your kids one day, if not in this lifetime i hope i can in heaven. 🙂 and thank you for telling your story.

  6. aribeth Avatar
    aribeth

    hey trench don’t think for one minute your perfect and the best your as depraved to you do bad stuff your not perfect i know it. you came in this worlda sinner keep up your work and you will be joining them and meeting them in hell maybe it will be good for you since you may not belong in heaven with us ones who know forgivness and love.

  7. Marita Avatar
    Marita

    Hello :smile:, My mother and I watched your movie for the first timelast night. Just moments ago we shared it with my sister.We shared tears each time. I know there are not any wordsI can say that you have not already heard. However, I amtruly sorry for your loss. I am also very proud of whatyou are doing and I am sure your daughter is proud to.You have amazing strength and I applaud you for what youand your family are doing. I know I did not see yourdaughter, however, I saw an image on this movie of who shewas. I know I will never know who she was, however, Iknow she was a beautiful spirit. She was a hero that dayand always will be. Now, you are a hero to many as wellyourself. My family and I want you to know that your familyhas our prayers and always will. Lauren will always beremembered to me even though I never got to know her. I wastouched by your movie, my family was touched. I couldgo on and on, but I will go with this. God Bless you.God Bless Lauren for her love, her spirit, her strength, andher courage. Love, Marita Johnson

  8. Trench Avatar

    Harris threatened Brooks Borwn. Klebold liked to pick on a retarded kid. They were bullies themselves.

  9. dark soldeir Avatar
    dark soldeir

    i have not seen this movie.but i must raise the issue that the columbine kids at that schoolall hade different opinions . one chick at the school had paronia bad and got nervouse andloughed at eric. eric then stalked her and people from the school had told her he was gonnablow up her mailbox. theres real bad bullying but erics hit list did contain most of the jocks.eric also protected a kid who paid him from younger bullies.dylan is said to have been popular. i havent seen the movie so someone please correct me if imwrong but how would a mother who didnt even go to that school know if eric, dylan or even her owndoughter was a bully .no one considers them selfs bullies i beleive (unless theres over whellmingevidence against it)that maybe the doughter was a bully!

  10. dark soldeir Avatar
    dark soldeir

    but trench wasnt b.brown a bully as well?

  11. Trench Avatar

    I guess you’re going to say the retarded kid was a bully next. But you can’t because you’ve been banned. 😈

  12. Linnie v Avatar
    Linnie v

    These kids were sick there would never be a way to predict this kind of aberrent behavior. A hideous crime, no chance for retalialation, no closure: Why did they do it, what did they want to accomplish???? It’s clear they wanted everything about it to remain secret. The horror was repeated over and over on national TV. Years later, the movie was an eye opener, giving a human, personal face to the slaughter. How could this happen? I hope it never happens again. Every time I drive down to Littleton, I cringe at the sight of the school entrance…such sad and tragic memories.Please talk to your kids, your students. Shame on you, parents and teachers of the assasins for not recognizing the potential problem, but shame on all of us for not acknowledging the reality of the senseless tragedy. There seems to be way more skepticism and blame shifting than real soul searching.

  13. Fedfan81 Avatar
    Fedfan81

    I just happened upon this movie a couple of years ago. I had no idea the movie had anything to do with the Columbine tragedy until the part when Dawn drops her daughter off at school and the camera pans out and shows the name of the school: Columbine. Very powerful moment. I knew in an instant what horror was coming. I cried through the rest of the movie. Wow! Very moving way to tell the story of a victim and her family. I admire what Dawn is doing. The tragedy today in Aurora brought me to this page because I thought of Dawn and Lauren when I heard the news this morning. 

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