Last week, I introduced to you the readers my book that is under review by IGI Publishing. I will share with you what first motivated me to write The Case for Atrocity: Gun Violence in Modern America and its Victims.
I am the founder of the University Assisted Community Schools. I am concerned for challenged children, families and schools in all communities. I also believe in civil rights icon, Fannie Lou Hammer, who said, “If you see something, do something.” This got me off the bench.
I am amazed by what I currently see in our society and what I saw in 1995 when I started UACS with Blenza Davis, Gussie Cherry, Mamosa Foster and Elisa Luna, incredible people who were top flight educators. The same issues now as then: basic needs for food, shelter, clothing and protection from violence as described eloquently by principal Luna who shared a story from her time as principal.
When taking students home from school, Luna and her car of students entered a certain block when the students warned her not to go any further as they would be shot at from inside the neighborhood. Luna did not heed the warning and clearly described the sounds of metal on metal as the bullets began bouncing off her car.
As a follow-up to that story, a student asked Luna one day in class how old she thought she’d be when she died. Stunned, she returned the question to the student who answered “15 in hail of gunfire.”
Today, Susan Espiritu, former administrator at Sarah Moore Greene, sadly recounts how at least four of her previous students have been gunned down either going to or leaving high school with no obvious motive other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
These two very experienced principals’ reflections on gun violence in Knoxville, Tennessee, are worthy of all our attention.
Currently, I see theoretical changes that are not new but I believe they are informative for today’s shootings, especially in Georgia, Detroit and Newport News, Virginia. Whether it’s two long-serving principals in Knoxville or across the country, it is time now to get off the bench, to quote that famous baseball player Ty Cobb.
The following is what I find useful in preventing school violence or mass shootings where there are more than four victims. (That is how the government defines a mass shooting.)
The key variables to examine in getting a handle on gun violence are the person, the gun and the environment.
The person – Persons committing shootings in schools tend to be white males.
The gun – Many of these school shooters give warnings to public officials but these warnings are too often ignored. Being bullied appears to be correlated with the shooters’ decision to acquire a gun.
The environment – Do return next week for my thoughts on the school to prison pipeline.
Bob Kronick is professor emeritus University of Tennessee. Bob welcomes your comments or questions to rkronick@utk.edu.