Happy Valentines Day. This is episode 13 and today is a special day. It’s more than just a day in which we run out at the last minute to buy flowers, a card, and a gourmet box of chocolates for that special person in our lives. It is also a day of reflection. Today, for many people in South Florida, Valentine’s Day 2024 is the 6th anniversary of th…

This is podcast #12 and I am thrilled to welcome back School Emergency Management Expert, Trauma Informed Practices Consultant, former Reserve Law Enforcement Officer, and children's book author, Claire Marie! In today's episode, Claire educates us how bringing community partners together has been critical to keeping kids and parents trauma-informe…

I was privileged to interview Mr. Will Griffin, Director of Communications at DoDEA. He graciously accepted my invitation to answer a few questions related why school shootings never happen on military bases. I hope you find this helpful and inspiring.Por Luis Aponte

On July 1st, 2023, Florida House Bill (HB) 543 went into effect. This is a law signed by Florida governor and U.S. presidential candidate, Ron Desantis which allows Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a government-issued permit. In other words, you no longer have to prove competency that you know how to use a firearm safely. The real ques…

In today's episode, I share with you some free gun locks I was able to get from my local public library . Gun locks are an easy way in which we can all help save lives by keeping them out of the hands of minors and anyone contemplating suicide. This free program was made possible through the city of Alexandria, Virginia's gun lock program and other…

Today's episode focuses on the recent Covenant School mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee and the misinformation campaign focusing on the shooter's transgender identity, instead of focusing on how he legally came into possession of the real causes of the shooting and how he obtained an AR-15 military-style rifle, a 9 mm Kel-Tec SUB2000 pistol cal…

Today's special guest is children’s author and former reserve Law Enforcement officer Claire Marie. Her work spans across school emergency preparedness & management, school safety & prevention systems, non-profits, the private sector, and law enforcement mental health and wellness. She is also the author of Sammy the Sasquatch; Welcome to Critterto…

In order to maintain positive mental health, I try to focus on at least 3 positive things I am grateful for in my life. Four of my top list are: #1 – The love of my wife #2 – My Health #3 – My awesome job #4 – My creative outlets For my birthday, I have only two requests: #1 - Please consider making a donation to "MakeOurSchoolsSafe.org" and “Stand…

Today is episode #5 of "A Safe Place" and I am excited to share with you some great news I received yesterday. Last year, I wrote an article about updating historical reports on school shootings in order to keep kids safe in school. And yesterday, I learned that that article has been officially published in EDUCATION. For those of you that are not …

Yesterday, on October 31st, 2022, I learned that my sister committed suicide. The emotional and mental anguish my family and I are experiencing is overwhelming. I wish we could have all been there to help her through her darkest moment. Sometimes I know it’s easy to get stuck in a dark place. It can feel like you’re suffocating with no way out…It’s…

When I began this podcast, I never imagined that I would meet real life superheroes. Kirk Smalley is the President of StandForTheSilent.org. This nonprofit organization was started in 2010 by a group of high school students in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma after they heard the story of Kirk’s son, Ty who committed suicide after standing up to bullies in …

For my first guest on "A Safe Place" podcast, I am honored to interview, Lori Alhadeff. In 2018, Lori lost her 14-year old daughter, Alyssa, in the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Since then, she has been fighting so that no other parent has to endure the pain they live with through her nonprofit organization, “Make Our S…

Welcome to "A Safe Place" - a podcast where we discuss school gun violence and how to keep kids safe in schools. I am your host, Luis Aponte. I am a librarian, author, filmmaker and the founder of Dragon Film Productions. Thank you for joining me. I am honored to have you here with me today. This is the first episode of "A Safe Place." This podcast…