Online activity this week has been unsettling

Social media threats in Yuma forced lockdowns at schools

Something unsavory is happening online in Yuma this week.

On Monday, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office sent out a press release encouraging parents to talk to their children about the dangers of social media, offering tips to protect kids, as well as pointers on how to spot and report abuse online.

On Wednesday, the Yuma Police Department sent out a press release “to inform the community about recent reports of students receiving threats and harassing messages via ‘Snapchat,’ a social media application.”

Then on Thursday, two schools were on a sheltered lockdown, while a third was placed on a soft lockdown, as threats on social media were investigated by YPD and YCSO.

What, exactly, is going on? We are highly skeptical that it’s coincidence that these three events happened in the same week.

In fact, YCSO said on Thursday that staff had been investigating several threat cases involving social media and came across Thursday’s threat in one of its cases, so YCSO reached out to YPD, which also has several investigations ongoing, and the two worked to see if the cases could be connected.

It’s great the two agencies are working together. But we have to wonder if more information would have been forthcoming to both agencies if they had been a bit clearer sooner that there was a potentially more serious issue at hand.

Navigating threats online isn’t easy. How does a police agency determine what’s real and what’s not? We know our police agencies face serious challenges in sorting through all this information.

And yet, too often, we’ve seen horrific events unfold in schools across the nation – shootings, suicides over online bullying, etc. Nobody wants to see such actions happen here in Yuma, and that means police agencies have no choice but to take these threats online seriously.

But so too do parents. Don’t turn your children loose on social media and then go back to your routine without giving a second thought to what your children are getting into online. Be proactive. Check up on their activities, and talk to them about their experiences. Help them make smart choices, and when they come across unsavory or threatening activity by others, help them learn how to report it.

Seeing a threat online is scary, and parents need to help their children learn to navigate the waters online in a smart, responsible manner.

We don’t like the trend in Yuma this week with kids and social media threats. Hopefully, YPD and YCSO are able to quickly get to the bottom of it, and ensure that our children are safe.

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?

Recently, I had a new experience: SHUTTLE YUMA from the Coffee Bean to Sky Harbor Airport and return to Yuma.

John and Roberto were the drivers. The van was comfortable, clean and the drivers were on time as advertised, at a good price.

I did not drive, I did not maneuver the parking lots — I just relaxed.

I recommend giving Shuttle Yuma a try.

Just wanted to say thank you to Safelite here in Yuma for excellent customer care.

I was on my way from Great Falls, Mont., to Yuma and with all the road construction, gravel, etc., my windshield took a beating, so when I got back here to Yuma, I contacted the Safelite here in Yuma to have it replaced.

They handled everything from insurance to installation in a very short amount of time.

Clayton, the gentleman who came to install the window, was by far one of the friendliest people I have ever dealt with.

He was extremely careful, he didn’t damage the paint on my new car, he joked, laughed, etc., and he finished the job in no time at all.

In my opinion, he is definitely an asset to this company.

I highly recommend Safelite to

It’s the first time in over 80 years that I experienced an act of an angel or a true Yumanitarian. It happened on Friday, Sept. 1.

I had been trying to get a haircut for over a week out here in my haunts, the Foothills. My wife and I stopped in a little café on the north end of Foothills Boulevard for a cold drink while waiting in line for a haircut next door. At this time a waitress from the café offered to get me into a beauty shop further down the mall. Upon entry, another gentleman was getting his hair cut, so we shared in an interesting conversation (North Korea).

The barber cut my hair, and when I went to pay her, I learned that this gentleman had paid for my haircut. I was absolutely awestruck. Either an angel or super Yuman had paid for my haircut.

Thank you, for whoever you are! This is part of those actions which makes America great. Don’t you agree, Mr. President?