Palm Springs, California, is not a strange place to headline writers. All kinds of stories from this international resort region make the news, via celebrity sightings and their occasional misdeeds, Presidential visits, Coachella fashion, major golf and tennis tournaments, the odd wildfire and earthquake, and its lovely winter weather, spring sandstorms, and 120-degree heat in summer. But a bombing?
I speak from some experience, as I was a radio news director in the city for the better part of three decades, and I just don’t remember one of those. One of the elements that makes this big news, of course, is that such things just aren’t supposed to happen in a place like Palm Springs. But now that this unfortunate box has been checked, I have noticed a familiar pattern about the aftermath.
First, the news conferences put on by the authorities aren’t that much help, information-wise. “it’s under investigation.” In this case, the cops and city officials used a good portion of their time to send a “Palm Springs Strong” message. That may seem a little beside the point, but Palm Springs, while officially a city, is a small one, and a tight-knit community that needs to hear such things right now.
The next phase is, now that the deceased bomber’s name is known, every single moment of his life has become a subject of intense interest to determine a motive. There is usually a third thing, the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” phase, in which the goal is to find out what signals were missed before the incident and who missed them.
The really unusual part of this is, the perpetrator’s apparent motive for targeting an IVF facility. I must confess I was unfamiliar with the “anti-natalist” movement. Apparently, these are folks who believe that it’s cruel to bring a child into the world, who will only face suffering. Of all the demons that prompt someone to commit violent acts, these are the darkest I have ever heard of.
It should never have happened in Palm Springs, but it did. It’s just the latest reminder that such things can happen just about anywhere, and over time, probably will. But life, as they say, goes on, and we can be grateful for how many incidents like this don’t happen, not only because of the diligence of police investigators, but because neighbors and others in their own communities are able to see what’s coming and take action. I do enjoy the internet and social media – except when these seem to fuel fires that might otherwise burn themselves out.
