It is a beautiful sunny day in Grand Rapids, but today all Grand Rapidians are in shock and disbelief of the tragic happenings that occurred yesterday. From the time I left my home, to the moment I walked into the office, every person that I encountered had a comment about yesterday, and I heard a version of “this doesn’t happen in Grand Rapids” at least three or four times.

The late local news reported that many of the homes on Rickman Street, where Rodrick Dantzler was holding the hostages, had their lights turned off, they were dark. One resident in the neighborhood said he pulled out his shot gun, and “was ready if he needed to protect his family.” My husband asked me, what would we do if we lived in that neighborhood? I didn’t have an answer because the scary reality is there is no particular reason why this happened on Rickman Street.

This a nice area, with nice homes where families live. Dantzler could have taken his high-speed chase down the highway west and end up in Walker or Comstock Park. Why Dantzler went back toward Plainfield and picked Rickman Street, we may never know.

My thoughts and prayers go out to families and friends of the victims. But my heart goes out to the Plainfield community, for a tragedy like this to occur in your own neighborhood, will affect you for a long time if not a lifetime.

You never know what is going to happen to your day when you wake up in the morning, but I am sure none of the residents in Plainfield ever thought a tragedy like this would begin and end in their community, because this doesn’t happen in Grand Rapids.