“Another Butler can and will happen again.”

That is what an independent panel investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at his July 13 campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds said in a letter accompanying a 52-page report issued Thursday.

The Independent Review Panel mentioned “Butler” more than 80 times in the document, which was sent to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

In most instances, it details the location of the assassination attempt that took the life of a Buffalo Township firefighter, Corey Comperatore, and critically injured two others.

But in one instance — in the letter — Butler is used to say “assassination attempt.” Another assassination attempt can and will happen if “fundamental reform” doesn’t happen, the letter stated, using Butler in place of the action that has captured the world’s attention and made obvious how fragile security at such rallies may be.

Here at the Butler Eagle, when we think about Butler, we don’t think attempted assassination. When asked, reporters reply with answers like, “friends and family,” “parades,” “Jeeps” and “Bret Michaels.”

A Google search of “What is Butler, Pa., known for?” suggests the Jeep, Richard Butler, and the Butler Little Theatre are of note. As long as someone avoids the “news” tab on the search engine, the assassination attempt isn’t listed — yet.

The news tab, however, lists headlines such as, “Donald Trump returns to Butler after July shooting: ‘We all took a bullet for America.’”

This month, especially upon Trump’s return to Butler County, many wishes were thrown out about how the Oct. 5 campaign rally could make people remember Butler County differently.

Unfortunately, reports like the one released Thursday indicate otherwise. Butler County will have to address how the rally has impacted us for years to come (as there are years of reports to come) and continually heal from the tragedy that our community witnessed.

We can’t run from what happened here. An assassination attempt happened in Butler County. That fact is firmly a part of Butler County’s history — and Google’s search history — but how we address it matters for our future.

Perhaps rather than ignore it, we talk about it? How can we, Butler County, lead conversations around healing? How can we be remembered for the long term?

— TL