This past week, Q-line asked: In light of the recent unrest and violence at Santa Monica High School, the SMDP asked this question: “Do you think adequate security measures are in place in our schools? What changes, if any, would you suggest?”
Here are your responses: ✆ “The escalating violence in our schools nationwide is just a symptom and reflection of the moral breakdown in society in general. There are no absolutes of right and wrong anymore. Whatever feels right to you, as an individual, go ahead and do it. Mixed messages of all kinds are being sent to our children and young people, creating confusion and rebellion which are triggers for unrest and outbreaks of negative reactions of all kinds. I guess the only solution, in the schools themselves, is to turn them into camps, since society at large doesn’t seem to want to change.” ✆ “Police departments and security forces function as a deterrent to crime and function constitutionally, by the most part, after a crime has been committed. A person intent on committing a crime will find a way to circumvent security as a burglar circumvents a locked door and crawls through a window. Many years ago, America was populated by a white race of people who were either Catholic or Protestant. Today, America is a melting pot of multiple races and religions who often are at odds with one another. Comedian Redd Foxx mentioned, while appearing on a Las Vegas stage, we should understand that there is only one race of people, the human race and we should endeavor to get along. Redd had a dream.” ✆ “Yes, as a parent of a child that has gone to Santa Monica schools since Grant Elementary, and now attends Santa Monica High School, I think it would be a good idea to let those so-called miscreants watch ‘Scared Straight’ and that’ll fix their wagons. So that’s my advice, because I’m a very concerned parent, and I’ve got a drop-dead gorgeous son that goes to Samohi, and I’m proud of Santa Monica High School, because I think it’s the best school if you have to go to public school. I went to a private school, but I think public school is better. So you can find out what’s happening with different people of different races and cultures.” ✆ “I don’t think schools should have a lockdown situation, ever. I think that it’s actually important when people’s safety are being threatened and I think there’s a lack of security at some of the schools because of lack of funds. We don’t have the money, we’ve had cutbacks. I also think that last Friday’s situation at Santa Monica High School probably would have been avoided if the administration were in better touch with the community, with the student community.” ✆ “The problem is not security in the schools, the problem is bad kids. Most of the kids in those schools are good, they’re not troublemakers, they don’t start fights or bring weapons. Keep the schools for those kids. The bad kids, which is the gang members and the garbage trash people, the troublemakers that start fights and pick on everybody else — take them out of the normal school and put them in reform school like they used to have in the old days. Then you could put the armed police in those schools just to keep an eye on those people — the criminals, the gang members — they don’t belong in normal schools with normal decent children.” ✆ “Yeah, high school security: All teachers and staff need to have pistol training and carry open firearms on campus at all times. And any wusses that refuse should be fired.” ✆ “Everyone involved in the fighting at Samohi should be expelled from school as soon as possible. Also, I believe there was a change in the expulsion policy a few years ago and the school board adopted a much more lenient policy. I think the school board should question that policy’s effectiveness, and I think the old policy should be returned no matter who likes it or not.” ✆ “I have a child who attends Santa Monica High School. I was on campus during the fight on Friday, April 15, and there was a big cover-up. I saw, with my own eyes — and if I had not seen this with my own eyes, I would not have believed it — Santa Monica has a big problem with their administrators, they have no control whatsoever over those students. I saw with my own eyes Latinos randomly punching and beating up black people, and they want to make it as if it’s an African-American problem, which it isn’t. They were not the threats, they were being threatened. Like I said, if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. There was nothing that the administrators were doing, the security officers weren’t doing anything. It was when the Santa Monica Police Department arrived when things sort of got (under control.)” ✆ “I bet most of the kids at Samohi that were involved in the big brawl don’t even live in Santa Monica. The school board constantly whines for more tax money out of property owners, yet we could save millions and not have wars on campus if we allowed only kids from Santa Monica to go to our local schools.” ✆ “Yes, I think to increase safety at the schools, No. 1, do not allow the two gangs to operate at Santa Monica High School. Do not allow members of gangs to participate in any school activities including classroom teaching, learning. And No. 2, make the no tolerance rule a real rule and enforce it. And then also I think the school superintendent, Dr. Deasy, and principal, Dr. Straus, should be investigated for making false and misleading statements to parents at the meeting.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 23, 2005. Read the original PDF.