Santee School Shooting Responsibilities?

Great Debates
1

Great Debates it is Manny…

I know that I have a reputation for condemning some criminals (like Albert de Guzman) prior to trial. But I also advocate taking strict responsibility for one’s actions. That said, I have some questions about the Santee shootings.[ul][li]Most importantly, where were all of these grief stricken and sympathetic students when this kid was being picked on all of the time?[/ul]If people were willing to ignore the continual persecution of this kid, they may have wittingly contributed to his eventual meltdown. This does not absolve the perpetrator in any way, but it may distribute the blame a little.[ul][]Why did his peers continue to think that the shooter was merely joking when they were being invited to participate?[/ul]This should have been a strong indicator that something was afoot. Sadly, one of his friends even frisked him entering school that day but neglected to search his backpack. To give credit where credit is due, one of the parents did try to contact the shooter’s home but the phone was not answered. I cannot help but wonder why the police were not called after that. In the absence of any outright resolution, if it’s enough to call their home, isn’t it also enough to alert the authorities?[ul][]How come the weapon and so much ammunition was available to this child?[/ul]The parents of the shooter should probably be assigned some degree of culpability if they inadequately supervised the storage and safekeeping of the gun involved.[/li]
None of this ameliorates the principal responsibility borne by the perpetrator. I merely wish to point out that there were influencing factors that bear examination. Most prominent of all is the acceptability of this kid being picked on all of the time. It is more than likely that other students turned a blind eye to the bullying and physical intimidation that this kid went through.

I wonder if any of them will lose sleep over their lack of action to prevent such unfair conduct? I hope that the thieves that stole two of the kid’s skateboards in one week will feel some pangs of conscience. From all reports, the perpetrator may have had a few behavior problems prior to the shooting, but it also appears that they were exacerbated by the actions of others.

In closing, do you feel that there were significant contributing factors to what occured or was the shooter without any conceivable motivation? None of this is helped by the fact that this kid killed at random, but I think the question is worth asking.

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I don’t know, but neither do you. First of all, they are allowed to be grief stricken even if they didn’t help the guy out. Second, maybe some of these kids did try to help out, even if it was by being nice to him. It’s easy to look back and say they should have done more. But, honestly, how many 14 year olds go out of their way to intervene when somebody says something mean to another kid?

I think it’s a bit much to speculate that some kids were ignoring the taunting in the hopes that they could, in some small way, make the kid melt down.

Because the kid continually talked shit. He also talked about stealing a car and going to Mexico, but nobody alerted the car dealerships. It’s easy to look back after a tragedy and question why nobody did anything. How many kids do you think say “I’d like to kill him” or “I want them all dead”? Approximately 99.999999999999% of these kids are full of shit. Given his fantasy about driving to Mexico, I’m not so sure it’s unreasonable that nobody listened to him.

Now, the school is telling the three kids who overheard him but did nothing, not to come to school when it opens. It’s so easy to blame. And, quite frankly, these types of posts that “just ask questions” tend to be more like a way to damn people without openly saying it.

He took the gun from a locked cabinet. The DA has no plans to charge the father, since he didn’t act negligently.

I’m also pretty sure that at least some of the bullies do feel bad. They almost certainly didn’t foresee such terrible consequences. It doesn’t excuse bullying, but I seriously doubt the majority of kids who picked on him are sociopaths who feel no remorse.

I’m sorry if this response seems aggressive, but I get tired of the immediate rush to blame. Though you say you are only asking questions, you do seem to want to condemn other students, parents, etc. for their lack of action.

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Good points Zoff. While I in no way excuse the shooter’s wrongdoing I remain curious as to how it has suddenly become acceptable for children to contemplate the murder of others.

[old geezer voice]

When I was a kid, sure, we kids talked about kicking someone’s @ss once in a while. But where in Hades did it become acceptable to ruminate over murdering people?

[/old geezer voice]

The escalation of violent behavior in schools is symptomatic of a more significant degradation in the perceived value of human life. Whatever the cause, it must be combatted vigorously lest our society crumble amidst a hail of gunfire. Whether it be parents who are lax about instilling the sanctity of life in their children or the plethora of firefight video games, action must be taken.

Only today there was another plot discovered miles away in Twenty Nine Palms, involving a hit list of sixteen people and two teenagers with a rifle. Another shooting occured in a Williamsport, Pennsylvania Catholic girl’s school. A Catholic School, no less! There is some element in this society that is spiraling out of control. Idiotic “zero tolerance” policies aren’t solving the problem. They are another “Band-Aid” style treatment of the symptoms and not the problem.

I wish there was an easier way to identify the core issues involved in the recent spate of child homicides. I think that there needs to be far less tolerance of school bullies. The wreckage that they leave in their wake continues to befoul what should be calm waters in our halls of learning.

Too often has there been a blind eye turned to the intimidating and violent behavior of school bullies. It is so often shrugged off with a “boys will be boys” attitude. This is ineffectual and it is patently obvious that it must be remedied immediately. There is an unspoken message of disregard or unconcern transmitted whenever violent conduct is intentionally overlooked.

There were pointed questions asked after the Columbine massacre concerning how some of the school’s Lettermen athletes may have been cut inordinate amounts of slack when it came to aggressive behavior. I feel that overemphasis on successful sports programs has taken precedence over scholastic excellence. The “jock” cliques have an air of domination that may need closer examination. The “pass or don’t play” policies are a good start but there may be some sort of “awareness” classes required for those who engage in contact sports.

The preceding paragraph is so politically correct that I want to vomit. Almost as badly as I do when I think about school children being gunned down in on their way to class.

4

I’m guessing they were grieving over their injured and killed classmates and not some angry psychotic loner.

No, it does not distribute blame at all. Getting picked on in school is no excuse for going on a killing spree.

Because as a previous poster mentioned, 99.99% these kids are full of shit.

All it takes is one gun. Ammunition is typically sold in bulk. If the parent locked up the gun and the kid broke into the cabinet, the parent should NOT be responsible. Even if he didn’t, I would still not hold the parent responsible.

The school should be held responsible for allowing kids in their care to be routinely beaten or bullied. In my mind, it is unexcusable that an institution that is charged with the care of our children allows such behavior to take place. On the other hand, I remember kids in high school that were so annoying that no one could stand them.

I can excuse carrying a gun to defend yourself against an attack. If the school won’t protect you, you have every right to defend yourself against an immediate threat. This guys actions were NOT self defense. It was simply lashing out in anger at anyone who came near him.

The only motivation this kid had was that he was angry. Everyone gets pissed off about something. Their job, getting cut off on the highway, some jerk at school. I would not want to live in a society where we excuse psychotic rampages because someone did something to piss off the perpetrator.

Quite frankly, I’m sick of stupid knee-jerk, band-aid fixes and finger pointing after every horrific crime. The fact of the matter is that some people are ‘evil’ or disturbed. They lack the normal impulse controls that you or I have that stops us from acting out every crazy idea that pops into our head. You can’t blame the parents or the schools or the bullies. People only point fingers so they can feel that if we pass enough laws or take enough precations, we can protect ourselves. The truth is these acts are random and there are no quick fixes.