The CEO of MGM Resorts International--the company that owns the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino--from which could-be "radicalized" Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock shot down at a crowd of 23,000, killing 59 and injuring more than 530, pledged to match employees' donations to top civil rights groups of the day only six weeks ago.
In his letter sent to employees, MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren cited the violence at a white supremacists rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the three deaths, and the terrorist incident in Barcelona, Spain, (that) killed 13 people and said it caused a feeling of disgust by its hatred. (America's Card Room, Aug. 23, 2017)"Murren said human dignity for all people, is key to MGM Resorts' identity. He continued by saying the First Amendment delivers free speech to all and the Constitution and Civil Rights Act ensure equality. (America's Card Room) "Hate mongers and white supremacists, he said, have a constitutional right to express their views, but he added Americans must stand strongly in defiance of violence, bigotry, and anything that threatens their equality. He gave his commitment that MGM will vigorously and zealously continue to reject hate speech and hate-based actions in any form."
"We are heartbroken for the victims, their families and our community. "Our primary focus and concern in the hours since the shooting has been cooperating with law enforcement and taking actions to support the victims and their families, our guests and employees. "To name just a few of these actions, we have made counselors available for employees and affected guests, created a dedicated hotline at 888-634-7111 to ensure out of town families of victims can arrange airfare and hotel accommodations to get to their loved ones, identified local transportation for guests who wish to donate blood or visit the injured and assisted guests whose travel has been disrupted. "These efforts and more are being organized aggressively and are ongoing as we continue to get information and identify need. "We're grateful for all who have helped, first responders, the police, our employees and citizens who have acted in countless ways to assist. While information is still being gathered we are beginning to hear stories of great courage and humanity. "We know that without the swift and brave actions of first responders the scale of damage would have been much greater. We know that in the midst of chaos and fear people acted to protect and save others -- those they knew and those they did not. "In the coming days we will hear more of these stories as we grieve for the victims of this unspeakable tragedy. "We're working with law enforcement in every way possible. At the moment, we are deferring communications about the investigation to the FBI and Las Vegas Metro PD. "Please pray for all the victims of this horrific event, our Las Vegas community, and all our employees who are working tirelessly to provide support at a very difficult time."
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Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience in the print media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared on Rush Limbaugh, Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com.
