In August, the City of Aurora launched an online survey asking what should be done about the Century 16 theater where 12 people were shot to death and another 58 were wounded in one of the worst mass shootings in the nation's history. Now, the results are in and the majority of those surveyed support the reopening of the theater.
According to 9News, the results of the survey were sent to Cinemark USA, the theater owner, and a decision has not yet been made about the future of the building.
The survey results have not been made public, but reaction on the City of Aurora's Facebook page has been mixed with some wanting the the theater reopened with a new name or torn down and replaced with a memorial, The Associated Press reported in August.
Others have created Facebook community pages as forums where people can discuss what to do about the theater. One page called "Keep Century 16 Open" suggests that the theater should be re-modeled with theater 9 turned into a concession stand, an arcade and a memorial. The creators of the page write that it's important for the theater to remain open because, "We cannot give James Holmes the power to close a theater. We cannot give him the satisfaction of know that he hurt our community in that way."
Although the survey is now closed, the original question wording read:
As Aurora moves forward after the tragedy of July 20, it is our hope that the entire community will participate and benefit from the citywide healing process. Many people have asked about the future of Aurora's Century 16 theater. We want to know your thoughts. Please take a few minutes to tell us your thoughts. These comments will be shared with Cinemark for consideration in their decision making process.
Just yesterday, on the two month anniversary to the day of the tragic shooting, the City of Aurora began to take down the temporary memorial items just outside the theater that had been accumulating there since the shooting occurred.
The City of Aurora made this statement on their Facebook page about the moving of the memorial items:
With input from the 7/20 victims’ families, the city of Aurora this morning collected the temporary memorials located at Sable Boulevard and Centrepoint Drive and at the Aurora Municipal Center fountain. On behalf of the Aurora community, many thanks to all those who visited the temporary memorial and left flowers, toys, words of comfort and other items reflecting sympathy and love.
A team of city staff and volunteers boxed and labeled all items to be stored. The Aurora History Museum supervised the removal to ensure the safe and secure preservation of these items. City crews took all organic items, such as wreaths and flowers, to be mulched and recycled for use in the city parks. Families will still have access to the items, at their convenience, at a secured location provided by one of the community partners.
The white crosses, which stood at the memorial site, will be delivered or stored, whichever is preferred by the family members. The Aurora History Museum is handling the archival of all items at the memorial, and under the supervision of Jennifer Kuehner, museum executive director, all items will be inventoried, categorized and stored. The public is welcome to view a display of condolences and banners in the lobby of Aurora Municipal Center, located at 15151 E. Alameda Parkway.
The city also posted this photo of a sign that was also installed at the memorial site that reads, "Thank you for the outpouring of love and support for the victims of the 7/20 Tragedy. Always remember:"
For more information about the memorial items, visit the City of Aurora's website.
What do you think should be done with the Aurora Century 16 theater? Take our poll and let us know in your comments below?
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