In response to another U.S. shooting, this time on the campus of a major tech company, Silicon Valley banded together to support the first responders of San Bruno, California.
On April 3, 2018, a shooting occurred at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno. The suspect entered through a parking garage and opened fire on an outdoor patio with a semi-automatic pistol. Three people were wounded, one critically, before the suspect turned the gun on herself.
The female shooter was Nasim Najafi Aghdam, a YouTuber who was unhappy with the company's policies and procedures. According to her videos and website, Aghdam claimed YouTube demonetized her videos and prevented her from getting views.
YouTube's response was quick, with CEO Susan Wojcicki immediately releasing a statement on Twitter.
"There are no words to describe how horrible it was to have an active shooter @YouTube today," she wrote. "Our deepest gratitude to law enforcement & first responders for their rapid response. Our hearts go out to all those injured & impacted today. We will come together to heal as a family."
Responding with more than words
But, words on Twitter wasn't the end of it; these companies are putting their money where their mouths are. According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, Google and YouTube employees donated money to San Bruno first responder training efforts. In fact, although Google encouraged its employees to take some days off to recover from the incident, more than 800 of the company's employees from across the globe donated $90,000 within the first two days. Google also matched its employee donations with a $100,000 grant to the San Bruno Community Foundation.
Collectively, the two tech companies donated more than $280,000 to San Bruno police and fire departments. Indeed, it was the skills of these first responders that kept the building safe.
Police arrived within minutes of the first 911 calls, per the Silicon Valley Business Journal. They evacuated the building and searched the premises. An estimated 300 first responders came to the scene. The San Bruno officers received assistance from departments from Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo, Redwood City, Burlingame and the county sheriff's office.
"We are grateful to our police and fire departments for their swift and thoughtful response in the face of tragedy in San Bruno, and to Google.org and the entire Google and YouTube community for partnering with the foundation to strengthen first responder prevention and preparedness efforts in our community," said Nancy Kraus, president of the San Bruno Community Foundation, in a press release. "The Google/YouTube donations will support programs that help ensure that San Bruno's first responders will be ready and prepared to act in future public safety incidents."
With this donation, the city's officers will be able to continue their exemplary responses to disastrous events.
