If you see something, tell police
But before you share on social media, make sure info is correct
If you see something, say something. That was the message from local law enforcement agencies in the wake of the Florida school shootings, and on Tuesday, we saw that message in action.
Gila Ridge High School was closed while the Yuma Police Department investigated a potential threat against the school.
A press release from YPD in the early morning hours Tuesday stated that Monday around 8 p.m., the agency received calls in reference to a possible school shooting on Tuesday at the high school.
YPD took the threat seriously, and officials shut down the school while the investigation unfolded. The situation is not unique to Yuma. In Blythe, Palo Verde High School and the Blythe Police Department investigated a student after “vague information regarding a possible threat” at the school was reported. In this incident, a 15-year-old student was looking at a picture of a handgun on his phone while at school, and another student witnessed the situation, and notified a teacher.
Blythe police note there were no threats made, and no conversation regarding a firearm took place between the students.
Meanwhile, Karl P. Manaig, an 18-year-old Imperial resident accused of threatening to kill or cause bodily harm to students at Imperial High School, is now facing three felony counts of making criminal threats.
According to a report in the Imperial Valley Press, students were credited with alerting authorities of Manaig’s alleged threats.
The situations illustrate the spectrum of scenarios that could unfold, from seemingly nothing to seriously something.
Law enforcement and school officials are in a position where the spectrum is irrelevant — every incident must be reported and investigated, because officials have to ascertain the validity of the threat and whether or not it’s a legitimate concern.
But there is one thing parents and students alike can do to help in this situation: Be careful about the information that you share online. In the Yuma incident, rumors ran rampant, which in turn can raise the “fear factor” in these situations.
These situations are scary, and the desire to share information quickly is understandable. Our top priority is protecting our children. So if you see something, say something — reach out to police or school officials so they can investigate.
I believe in investing in a stable economy instead of giving handouts to the top 1 percent. The studies are in. The rich don’t spend money at the frequency of the bottom 50 percent. It’s no surprise the more wealth the rich accumulate, the more stagnate our economy becomes. The White House touts Wall Street gains as if that is a metric of a healthy economy. Too bad 83 percent of stocks are held by the top 1 percent. You can choose to believe that if the rich and multinational corporations were completely deregulated, that magically the economy will be functional for the bottom 50 percent. Just based on any macroeconomic metric, it wouldn’t be the case. The truth is that rich have done great since the Reagan presidency and the middle class is steadily disappearing. This current path is obviously unsustainable so the real question becomes how you want this capitalistic system to end? Either invest in a broader social safety nets and shrink the mobility ladder to FDR standards (a blend of both socialism and capitalism) or inevitably lose capitalism to the anarchists.