Pahrump, NV. (FOX5) — The people of Pahrump are still coming to terms with a traumatic event that hit their community.
On July 5, a fight broke out at the town’s Movies in the Park event, escalating into a shooting that killed 22-year-old Joe Perry.
A tragedy that resonates throughout a small town like Pahrump.
“Everybody knows everybody. There’s a lot of connections,” Leah Cram said.
“It hits a little bit deeper because everybody knows somebody who was there, even if they weren’t personally there.”
Leah Cram, who called Pahrump home for four years, is a psychotherapist serving smaller, rural communities in Southern Nevada.
She told FOX 5 the recent shooting has stirred up a lot of emotions throughout the place she once called home.
“It has certainly brought some traction into the therapy office. Been doing a lot of trauma work with some of the clients about what they were, maybe a witness to or other triggers that this brings up for them that maybe are unrelated to this specific event, but tie into other themes,” Cram said.
Cram was one of several people to react to a recent Facebook post by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
The post was in regards to the return of Movies in the Park in Pahrump which read in part “There was a disappointing turn-out last week and I know that Pahrump can do better.”
Cram took exception to the statement, as did some other commentors.
She feels it sends the wrong message to those who may be grieving.
“I found that to be very shaming and invalidating for those who choose not to attend,” Cram said.
“I think it’s inappropriate for the Sheriff’s Office to make posts of that nature because again, it is very invalidating to the mental health of their constituents.”
For context, Pahrump leaders said Movies in the Park would be suspended until further notice after the shooting “out of an abundance of caution.”
Two weeks later, the event was brought back which led to some discourse amongst the community, especially on line.
Some people feel it was brought back too soon while others are happy it’s back and don’t want fear to run their lives.
Cram falls into the middle ground, believing it should be someone’s choice to attend the event when they are ready and shouldn’t feel pressured, especially by law enforcement.
“I think we should kind of be coming together over a traumatic event and not as a government entity stating such subjective opinions,” Cram said.
Several comments circled around the topic of security at the event.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office told FOX 5 two sheriff’s deputies are on site for Movies in the Park every week and Sheriff Joe McGill has been present since the event was resumed two weeks ago.
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