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Capital Gazette: "We won't forget being called an enemy of the people"

Three women marching at vigil.
Andrea Chamblee (center), wife of shooting victim and reporter John McNamara, marches in the vigil. Photo: Calla Kessler/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Capital Gazette published a letter of appreciation Sunday thanking the local community for its support — in the form of cards, letters, emails, food, and flowers —after five employees from the Annapolis newspaper were killed in a mass shooting.

However, its staff also wrote that the paper will never forget the influx of "death threats and emails from people we don’t know celebrating our loss." And, in an apparent dig at President Trump, the staff also wrote that they "won’t forget being called an enemy of the people."

Excerpts from the letter:

  • "No, we won’t forget [being called the enemy of the people]. Because exposing evil, shining light on wrongs and fighting injustice is what we do."
  • "Every day, the staff of this news organization will report on the news of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. We will never be the same as we were, now that Rebecca, Wendi, John, Gerald and Rob are gone."
  • "Some day we hope to be as good again. That’s all we can do. Until then, keep reading. We’ve only just begun."
  • "Our community has rallied around us to show they understand who we are, and that we are not the enemy of the people. We are your neighbors, your friends. We are you."

The impact: More than 800 people subscribed to the Capital on Friday.

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