Sting pursued a minor acting career during the
decade, appearing in such films asDune(1984),
Plenty(1985),The Bride(1985),Bring on the Night
(1985),The Adventures of Baron Munchausen(1988),
andStormy Monday(1988). In 1989, he starred as
Macheath in a failed Broadway revival ofDie
Dreigroschenoper(pr. 1928, pb. 1929;The Threepenny
Opera, 1949).
Impact During the 1980’s, Sting was involved in nu-
merous musical projects that testified to his eclectic
tastes. His intelligent lyrics and jazz-pop-world music
fusion expanded the boundaries of popular music
and led to a richness and expressiveness that were
rare in rock. His work on behalf of charitable causes
became legendary.
Further Reading
Berryman, James.Sting and I. London: John Blake,
2005.
Sandford, Christopher.Sting: Demolition Man. New
York: Little, Brown, 1998.
Sumner, Gordon.Broken Music. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2003.
Mar y A. Wischusen
See also Film in the United States; Jazz; Live Aid;
Music; New Wave music; Pop music; World music.
Stockton massacre
The Event Patrick Edward Purdy kills five
children and wounds thirty others when he
opens fire on his former elementary school
Date January 17, 1989
Place Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton,
California
The Stockton massacre sparked significant controversy and
debate over possible restrictions on the manufacture and
sale of assault weapons.
On January 17, 1989, a twenty-six-year-old drifter,
Patrick Edward Purdy, drove to his former elemen-
tary school in Stockton, California. After getting out
of his car, Purdy poured gasoline on it and set it
ablaze. Afterward, he walked toward the schoolyard
of Cleveland Elementary School, where the children
were enjoying lunch recess. There, Purdy opened
fire on the schoolchildren, mostly children enrolled
in kindergarten through third grade. Within min-
utes, he had fired 106 rounds from his personally en-
graved AK-47 assault rifle, killing five Asian immi-
grants ranging in age from six to nine years old.
Another thirty individuals were injured, including
one teacher. Once the assault was over, Purdy used a
nine-millimeter handgun to kill himself. This tragic
event, known as the Stockton massacre, was actually
the second shooting to take place at the same school
in a ten-year span.
Almost immediately, there was a public uproar.
People questioned how an individual with Purdy’s
criminal history, which included convictions for at-
tempted robbery and unlawful weapons sales, could
readily purchase an automatic rifle such as an AK-47.
There was a call for tightened legislation to restrict
the availability of all weapons with large ammunition
capacities, including domestic and foreign assault
weapons. Finally, a growing number of school sys-
tems banned all weapons on school grounds. Some
of the controversy also stemmed from the apparent
racially motivated nature of the crime.Impact The Stockton massacre led to statewide
and national debates over proposed legislation to re-
strict assault weapons. As a result of the murders,
California became the first state to ban certain types
of assault weapons that same year.Subsequent Events On September 13, 1994, the
Crime Control Act of 1994 was enacted. It banned
the production, distribution, and possession of cer-
tain types of firearms, including assault weapons.Further Reading
“Death on the Playground.”Newsweek113, no. 5 (Jan-
uary 30, 1989): 35.
Holmes, Ronald, and Stephen Holmes, eds.Murder
in America. 2d ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage,
2001.
“Slaughter in a School Yard.”Time, January 30,
1989, 29.
Jocelyn M. Brineman and Richard D. McAnultySee also Asian Americans; Education in the
United States; Post office shootings; San Ysidro Mc-
Donald’s massacre.The Eighties in America Stockton massacre 921