(WXYZ) — As the Spartan community continues to grapple with the devastating impact of Monday's deadly mass shooting on campus, there's a purposeful effort underway to allow everyone grieving the space they need to process their trauma.
Along Grand River, many businesses have closed for a couple days, giving their staff time to deal with tragedy.
“I just think it’s important we lean on each other and are able to shut down early. Go home, do what they need to do," said Kristy J.
In the wake of a mass shooting that's taken the lives of three MSU students and left five others hospitalized, a sense of grief has spread throughout East Lansing.
“We are grieving a loss of security. I just think it’s really important we do that in a way that lets everybody recover. Participate in the counseling they have available, and giving your employees time to do that," said Kristy.
Three days after the horrific tragedy on campus, many businesses throughout the city are keeping their doors closed with signs addressing the need to reflect and focus on healing.
“It’s really nice to see everybody is here for each other," said Drew Bartlett, manager of Barrio in East Lansing.
People traveling to and from MSU today are also focusing on offering each other support through kind gestures, a willingness to listen, and reassuring others that Spartan spirit remains strong.
“We decided to open back up yesterday just so people can have a space to gather ... I’ve never seen more people wearing green and white," said Bartlett.
They added, “We’ve been encouraging our staff to take the time they need, in order to heal and process everything that’s gone on in the last few days.”
MSU student Ian Murphy said the effort is so important.
"Everybody needs that time to heal. It’s difficult to put a time stamp on how much time that is. It depends on the person," said Murphy.
