August 10, 1999: A Day Not to Be Forgotten

A personal account of the horrific event that spurred the creation of the Million Mom March

Image via Valley Jewish Community Center

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By: Donna Finkelstein

Our family's life changed irrevocably on August 10, 1999 — a day that must never be forgotten.

A white man walked into the lobby of the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles and opened fire with an Uzi submachine gun, spraying 70 bullets into the complex, leaving smoke and shell casings everywhere. His gunfire wounded five people: three children, an office worker, and a teenage camp counselor — my daughter Mindy.

Despite her injuries, Mindy tried her best to get the children out of their classrooms, dragging her bleeding leg as she did so.

Shortly thereafter, a few miles away, the shooter shot and killed a Filipino mail carrier simply because he was non-white. He then fled the state, but eventually surrendered. In his van, police found material promoting antisemitism, and he told them this was a wake-up call to America to kill Jews.

The shooter had previously been involved with a white supremacist movement, and had received treatment for mental illness while in the custody of the state of Washington. On that fateful day in L.A., he loaded his van with five rifles, two pistols, 6,000 rounds of ammunition, and a flak jacket. He considered attacking three Jewish institutions, but ultimately ended up up at the Community Center with the stated purpose of “killing Jews.”

This horrific shooting prompted the national movement known as the “Million Mom March,” which culminated in dozens of marches across the United States on Mother’s Day in 2000, including one attended by 750,000 people at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. We called for increased gun control, demanding change and protection for our children against gun violence.

Bigotry is still alive in America, and the fight against it continues.

As a mother and now a grandmother, I have watched my daughter continue to work tirelessly through the last 25 years to protect her children and create a world free from gun violence and hatred. Serving as a speaker at the Million Mom March, she eventually worked as a Brady activist in the San Fernando Valley and the Bay Area for years.

As someone who has personally witnessed the devastating impact of gun violence and hatred, I implore our leaders and communities to work together to create a safer, more just world for our children and future generations.

We owe it to them to ensure that no other family has to endure the pain and suffering that we have faced.

Donna Finkelstein, courtesy of author

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Donna Finkelstein is a retired high school counselor, and ever since her daughter was shot 25 years ago, she has worked tirelessly to prevent gun violence. Donna is a board member of Women Against Gun Violence, and a longtime member of Brady United.

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