The
scourge of gun violence remains all too prevalent in our society. And
unfortunately for our young people, there are moments when it seems they’ve been
inoculated against the abnormality of this phenomenon. We’ve so often seen
scenes of mass shootings – at schools, concerts, places of worship, public
venues of every sort – that we are periodically anesthetized against the
natural outrage, horror, and grief that such events naturally arouse. Until it
happens next door.
(See also https://guitarandpen.blogspot.com/2016/06/smart-gun-laws-or-orange-is-new-black.html)
Today,
at least two potential incidents occurred in Issaquah, Washington. First,
Issaquah High School underwent a security lockdown, as apparently five
individuals were involved with bringing weapons to the building. Two arrests
have been made. Immediately upon the release of that facility from its
lockdown, another district school, Skyline – where my daughter attends as a
senior – went into lockdown mode due to a threat written on a bathroom stall
door. Initially the students were sheltered in place (my daughter with her
peers in the choir room). I was able to text with her (she gave me the first
details regarding the other school), and
she was able to inform me that it was thought to be a bomb threat disturbing
their day.
Soon
thereafter, the school posted that in coordination with law enforcement, the
students would be evacuated so they could complete a sweep of the building.
Shortly following, we learned that the authorities were able to debunk the
threat as not credible. Of course, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Yet during
those somewhat tense moments, I experienced firsthand that I’d never known
before: initially, and somewhat surprisingly, I thought to myself, “ok, today’s
just our turn.” I shook my head and responded (to myself), “what kind of
nonsense is that? This isn’t supposed to happen.” Secondly, though she seemed
calm and collected via our texts, I found that my daughter (and her friends)
was, rightfully, frightened for their safety, as they’ve witnessed this type of
episode way too many times in their young lives. Oh $&!t, not my kid!
Even
after we knew it was safe, she texted me further:
Will you just pick me up
Like pick me up when this is over
I don’t want to go to the rest of school
Because I will not take the bus after this
I don’t feel safe
That’s
not the way it’s supposed to be. This hit too close to home. Now I feel even
more keenly the pain and anguish of the victims and families of other instances
that didn’t turn out so well.
Yes,
it’s too early to determine fully what happened today, or to make final judgment
on any perpetrators. As I already shared with one friend: We live in scary
times – yet we can’t be deterred by fear. Issaquah is a great place to live,
with wonderful schools, and we should be thankful for the diligence,
professionalism and immediate response from the school personnel AND law
enforcement.
May
tomorrow be a better day.
