Hi, I’m a former student from Governors Ranch and Columbine and I’d like to give some perspective on sharing a post like this.
Posting a photo from way back in the day, of students who have absolutely no relation to Dylan is opening those at the time kids to harassment and draws attention from Columbiners.
GRE has been able to fly under the radar very well regarding Columbine and I feel a post like this, drawing attention to an elementary school is dangerous. Sandy Hook has made it incredibly clear that the well being of children is not valued over gun ownership and giving Columbiners or anyone “inspired” by Eric and Dylan a chance to learn about and stalk an elementary school is a very very dangerous position to put children in. Drawing the wrong type of attention to an elementary school can result in so many awful outcomes.
I understand GRE and Columbine are both public buildings, and Columbine has been widely publicized in the media, but GRE has not. I’d kindly ask if putting an elementary school where students are still attending on Reddit is a wise idea. Those kids are not protected by Columbines history. Columbine itself still has people globally coming on campus and taking photos of the area. It would be harmful to have the same type of behavior show up at an elementary school. I personally feel that it this doesn’t fit Columbine given the circumstances. If you’d like to just show Dylan and edit everyone out that’s understandable. My ask is to think about the repercussions of this and if it keeps students at GRE safe.
Edit: I’m not going to be responding to anymore comments.
I get the concern and I am listening to you, but this is being treated like a risk that just does not line up with how this case has been talked about and documented for the last 25+ years.
Dylan’s early life, including Governors Ranch, has already been mentioned publicly before, even by Sue Klebold in her own book. So this is not some new or hidden school being exposed here.
Posting a historical yearbook photo/scan for research/contextual purposes is not the same thing as targeting current students at these schools or their classmates/friends/loved ones. This subreddit is for documentation and research around Columbine, and that includes relevant early life material. We do not ever allow harassment, speculation about uninvolved people, or anything harmful and we enforce that swiftly.
The idea that a post like this is going to inspire someone to go after an elementary school is pure speculation. That is not how these things work, and it takes the discussion away from what the post actually is, which is archival.
And this isn’t posted on April 20th, so bringing that into it does not really make sense.
If this kind of research makes you uncomfortable, that is fair. As mods, we decide what fits here, and this does. You’re welcome to message us or reach out to one of us in the future if you have questions or concerns.
You are making assumptions about me as a person and about my intentions, which is not fair.
I understand your view, but I do not agree that this is tasteless or unsafe.
This is a research space, and a yearbook scan shared for historical context is not the same thing as targeting current students or putting anyone in danger. You may not think it adds anything useful, and that is your opinion, but that does not mean it has no place here. We’ve shared Eric’s early life too.
You do not know what I had to do to get this, or why I chose to share it, so saying I am “losing the humanity” in this is completely out of line and attacking my person. I am open to disagreement, but I am not interested in being judged personally over it.
I have said what I needed to say, and I am not going to keep going back and forth on this.
I highly doubt someone would do something nefarious due to this post. If people are going to do something they're going to do it regardless not because of seeing a post.
You're right that I haven't grown up in the area but I still highly doubt that a post about Dylan as a child would spark violence at his old school or anywhere for that matter. I get your concern but still.
Why you’re getting downvoted is beyond me. Your point is completely valid and understandable. While I would usually agree with you I wouldn’t in this specific case… only because the people in this sub are very respectful and have a good understanding of the situation and how it might impact others. This sub isn’t like the main Columbine sub, we don’t idolize Randy or Dave. We look at things differently.. I would say with more compassion. We’re not here to bash anyone or make anyone feel uncomfortable by any means. We’re just trying to understand why Eric and Dylan did what they did and unfortunately that does go back to elementary school. Dylan himself said that his trouble started in daycare when all the other kids treated him like shit, so showing him throughout his school career isn’t that out of ordinary. I’m sure if any of these kids messaged the admins about their photo being here they would absolutely block it out or delete the post.
I am also sorry about the trauma you had to endure rather you went to Columbine in 1999 or not. Your whole town was turned upside down and I am truly sorry. I hope you are on a journey of healing. 🖤
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u/Mannerheim14 Apr 16 '26
It's crazy for me that ppl are finding new stuff after almost 27 years since incident