No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine

211 Pages·2002·2.19 MB·English

by  Rob Merritt

What People Are Saying About
no easy answers
“Brown's discussion of Harris's Web pages, where he made a death threat
against Brown, and the police's failure to act on them, makes for chilling
reading….[R]eaders interested in a close-up account of the tragedy will want to
read this book.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Brown's story is gripping and provocative….Excellent choice for outsider
teens wondering if there's a light at the end of the bullying tunnel.”
—Booklist

“[The book] gives a perspective no one else could…It shows a side you cannot
get anywhere else.”
—Brian Rohrbough, father of Columbine victim Daniel Rohrbough

2002
Lantern Books
One Union Square West, Suite 201
New York, NY 10003

© Brooks Brown and Rob Merritt, 2002

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written
permission of Lantern Books.
Notice
Brooks Brown was involved in and has personal knowledge of many aspects of
the events described in this book. In some instances quotations of
conversations in this text are his best recollections of conversations had by or
with him, or overheard by him, and may not be verbatim; in other instances
quotes are reasonable interpretations of what was said or likely to have been
said, consistent with the author's experience of the situation and people
involved.

Rights to the trademarks, product names, or any derivatives of such trademarks
or names are neither claimed, intended, nor implied by the author or publisher
of this work.

All efforts have been made to locate and obtain permission from the owners of
the photographic images used in this book.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Brooks.
No easy answers : the truth behind death at Columbine High School / by
Brooks Brown and Rob Merritt.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-59056-031-0 (alk. paper) 1. School shootings—Colorado—Littleton.
2. Teenagers—United States—Social conditions—20th century—Case studies.
3. Brown, Brooks. 4. Columbine High School (Littleton, Colo.)—Students—
Biography. I. Merritt, Rob, 1976-II. Title.
LB3013.33.C6 B76 2002
373.788'82—dc21
2002010415

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Acknowledgments
BROOKS BROWN
Thanks to:

ROB MERRITT FOR UNDERTAKING SUCH A DIFFICULT TASK WITH
ME and helping me through it. Meagan Fishell for sticking by me through all
the shit I've gone through. Michael Troutman, Trevor Dolac, Scott Parker,
Brendt Scholle, Adam Calhoun, Derek, Jaysen, Jaymz, Ninja, Injun, and Jamin
for being the friends you are. My parents, Randy and Judy, for instilling in me
early on the ability to endure and care, and for sticking by me when I am most
lost. My brother, Aaron, for giving me ways to have fun over the last three
years. My cousin Josh for giving me someone to talk to.
Michael Moore and his entire staff, especially Rehya, for believing in me
without having to ask the standard questions. Anne Sullivan at Lantern Books
for proving the importance of never giving up. Spike and Brad Xavier, Lou
Dog, Bobby B, D-Loc, Richter, Insane Clown Posse, Twizted, anybody killer,
Taxman, Pak, and The Wind for proving that people can make good music and
not be sellouts.
Troy Manuello, Eric Kritzer, Jan Jankowski, Susan Caruthers, and the
janitors of Columbine High School. You were all that kept me in that school, let
alone taught me how to enjoy learning and enjoy people.
And thanks to anyone I missed. My Juggalos, family, people who mean a lot
to me, everyone. I owe a lotta people for getting through the last few years. You
should know who you are.

ROB MERRITT
Thanks to:

BROOKS BROWN FOR TRUSTING ME ENOUGH TO BRING ME ON
board for such a personal project; Eddie Morris, Andy Paugh, and Jenny Welp
for their critical feedback on early drafts; Randy, Judy, and Aaron Brown for
their assistance at every step of the way; Brian Rohrbough and Richard
Castaldo, not only for helping me understand their losses, but for their refusal to
give up in the face of them; Anne Sullivan at Lantern Books, who championed
our project from the beginning; Sarah Gallogly at Lantern for her invaluable
guidance; and my parents, Richard and Linda Merritt, for their love and
encouragement.
Also, thanks to Pat Dunleavy, David Horton, Ron Smrha, Robert Geuder,
Michael J. Peitz, and John and Diane Rosteck for proving that when teachers
make the extra effort to touch a student's life and inspire him, it can make all
the difference.
Finally, special thanks go to Jamie Christenson, the most amazing friend and
inspiration I ever could have asked for. She loved this project and supported it
with everything she had, but she did not live to see its publication. I love her
with all my heart. This book is for her.
Contents
Part One: Columbine
Chapter 1: “get out of here”
Chapter 2: why?
Chapter 3: normandy
Chapter 4: video games
Chapter 5: freshmen at columbine
Chapter 6: troubles
Chapter 7: broken glass
Chapter 8: the web pages
Chapter 9: suburban life
Chapter 10: friendship renewed
Chapter 11: the calm before the storm
Part Two: Aftermath
Chapter 12: the nightmare begins
Chapter 13: rachel
Chapter 14: no answers
Chapter 15: I stand accused
Chapter 16: the families
Chapter 17: the videotapes
Chapter 18: anniversary
Chapter 19: the truth comes out
Chapter 20: final hope
Chapter 21: hollow victory
Chapter 22: little brother
Chapter 23: where do we go?
Part One
COLUMBINE
1
“get out of here”
THE LAST TIME I STOOD IN THIS SPOT, THE WORLD AS I KNEW IT
WAS about to be shattered.
I'm alone on a staircase outside Columbine High School in Littleton,
Colorado. The spot is a quiet one, bordered by concrete recesses that merge into
a sidewalk leading up toward the math wing. I've stood here many times before;
this place was always secluded enough for me to get in one last quick drag
before an administrator would yell at me to quit smoking on school grounds.
Today it's far away from the pool of media trucks gathered nearby in
Clement Park, and from the gymnasium where the big assembly of students and
teachers is taking place. It's a good place for me to just stop and think.
It's also a good place to mourn.
I haven't stood here since April 20, 1999. I haven't stood here since exactly
one year ago this minute.

For the first two periods of April 20, it had been a typical day at Columbine,
no different from any other in the past four years. Finished first hour, went
outside, had a cigarette. Went to second hour, where I worked as an assistant to
Mrs. Caruthers, the theatre teacher. She handed me some papers to help her
review and grade. When the period ended, I went out and had a cigarette.
Looking around during that smoke break, I realized what a beautiful day it
was, especially for April, when in Colorado we're used to rain. The sun was out,
the sky was clear and blue, and temperatures were finally warming up after the
past few months of winter. I was wearing a white Tshirt and jeans; I hadn't even
bothered bringing a coat to school.
I finished my cigarette and headed for philosophy class. We had a test that
day on Chinese philosophy. I was never a great student at Columbine, but I felt
all right about this particular test. Mr. Kritzer was the kind of teacher who truly
understood the material he taught—and knew that allowing students to
contribute their own ideas, without being judgmental, is critical in the teaching