Parkland Is Tearing Itself Apart

In grieving Parkland, there's a fight ripping the community apart. And it has nothing to do with gun control. No Images? Click here         A Search For Answers, A Search For Blame   In grieving Parkland, there's a fight ripping the community apart. And it has nothing to do with gun control. Hello Highliners, This week's story doesn't easily lend itself to a Twitter-friendly summary  — it's one of the most complex, intricate pieces we've ever done. It begins after the shooting at Parkland last year, when a young conservative policy analyst named Max Eden saw an opportunity. In the days after the tragedy, Eden helped advance a narrative that proved very appealing to conservatives: that the shooting wasn't caused by lax gun laws, but by excessive leniency in schools. MSD happens to be in a school district that has been a national trendsetter in addressing the glaring racial disparity in school suspensions and arrests. Eden's argument was that these reforms had allowed the shooter to slip through the cracks. (Basically, it was Obama's fault.) Over the next year, Eden teamed up with a grieving Parkland father and made these reforms a target in Parkland. And in an emotionally raw community, the fights became combustible. There were online conspiracy theories, broken friendships, racial resentments and a rancorous school board election that one candidate described as about "good and evil." A community that had drawn together in the wake of the shooting found itself ripped apart. It's a really extraordinary piece of reporting and writing by Kathryn Joyce — I hope you'll check it out. — Rachel READ THE ARTICLE More from Highline...  If you're in the market for another deeply reported story about the unexpected consequences of a major news event, shot through with plenty of moral ambiguity, may I recommend this one, by Julia Ioffe, on what happened in Palo Alto after the Brock Turner trial. Take some time to read this fascinating interview with Paul Coates, who happens to be the father of America's most influential writer but has his own remarkable stories to tell.  This week's story is also a reminder of the sheer fragility of hard-won reforms—how quickly social gains can be jeopardized by a political frenzy. It made me think of how much work and time and struggle goes into bringing about those reforms in the first place, and this wonderful piece, by Ben Austen, about the sacrifices of a Chicago activist.     👋You may have noticed our website is now www.huffpost.com. Don't worry, it'll still be the same HuffPost you know and love, just with a new URL. Make sure to update your bookmarks!   HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new  Privacy Policy which explains how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Highline combines the rigor, depth and obsessiveness of the best magazine journalism with the experimentation that becomes possible when no paper or staples are involved. And our goal is simple: We want to publish stories that stay with you. Did you like reading this email? Forward it to a friend. Or sign up! Can't get enough? Check out our Morning Email or Must Reads.   ©2019 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost. Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe     - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe