The End of Innocence

Dustin Gorton spent the morning of April 19th filming the The Breakfast Run video (entitled by the two “American Dream) with his 3rd period Video production class partner, Dylan Klebold.  The video was to start off with Dylan hastily dashing away from a house (presumably Eric Jackson’s) and into Dustin’s classic car. They rrush off down to Burger King for a quick bite on the way to school as Eric Jackson films Dustin driving and Dylan as the passenger from the backseat vantage point as Americana by The Offspring plays on the radio. (I wouldn’t doubt that they planned to use the song for their final product). 

The very next morning, on 4/20, Dustin’s *video production partner never shows up for class to present their video. Dustin mentions in his recent reflection (see below) that he was complaining about his missing partner during A lunch as the Columbine massacre begins to interrupt like a shock wave rippling over the cafeteria.  Dustin finds himself in survival mode as he yanks his friends down under a cafeteria table and instinctively assumes the role of “leader” trying to find a way to help his friends to safety and some scattered into the kitchen area.  He and his friend Brett manage to hide in a bathroom and the two get separated which also panics Dustin greatly until they reunite in a massive bear hug and tears of relief just outside. 

Dustin wrote about the powerful impact Columbine had on him, how it changed and effected his life greatly. He reflects on the ‘before’, on how 18 years ago just hours before the massacre, he realizes what an innocent, naive “fool” of a kid he was. And in the blink of an eye in one hour of great devastation, his life and way of thinking about himself in relation to others – and what is truly important and matters the most in life above the minutia – had been irreparably altered forever.