Listen to the audio story here:
After a shooting occurred outside of Crenshaw High School Thursday, parents remained wary when walking their children to class. Two teenagers shot each other near the campus Wednesday afternoon, and one is still in serious condition.
Donna Brown lives about six houses away from where the shooting occurred. The students involved were not from Crenshaw High School, but the occurrence left Brown unsettled.
“Quite frankly, I’m really kind of shocked because I thought all of this stuff was under control,” Brown said.
Police believe the shooting that involved a 17- and 19-year-old was gang related. It occurred around 1:30 p.m., when students were still in class.
Armando Farriez, a police lieutenant, partnered with the Los Angeles Urban League for the “safe passage” program. The program encourages police presence around the high school. But today, Farriez sent even more officers to the school.
“We spoke to a few parents, and they’re always concerned, but they feel a sense of relief when they see us here,” Farriez said.
But even though there were more officers in blue Thursday morning, some parents still believed their children were unsafe. Latoya Winston, a Crenshaw resident who went to the high school as a teenager, does not feel relieved. She walked her freshman daughter to the front gates of the school.
“To me, it’s like they’re just there, to have a look or a presence,” she said of the police. “But to me, it’s not effective because it happened.”
Last year, Crenshaw High School locked students down after rumors spread that a student brought a gun to school. Eddie Jones of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Association said this activity just perpetuates a negative image for the high school.
“Crenshaw High School has been and is still getting a bad rap,” Jones said. “I think the parents are upset. I’m sure no parent wants to go to work sitting at a desk and getting a call saying there was a shooting at their school.”
Despite the communities best efforts to distill that negative image, Brown said that image is a reality.
“This was in broad daylight,” Brown said. “I can’t walk. I can’t go walking when I feel like it. I’m ready to move, but because of the economy, I can’t do that.”
Brown has lived in the same house for 36 years, and she sent her daughter down the street to Crenshaw High School. The other day, she walked to the library, and although she felt bad for saying it, she said she felt safer walking west.
From Blair Taylor, President LA Urban League
There was a shooting incident today (Wednesday, September 15, 2010) shortly after 1:30 p.m. in an area near the Crenshaw High School campus. The incident occurred off campus, was not school related and did not involve Crenshaw students or faculty. All Crenshaw High School students, faculty and staff are safe.
Under the “Safe Plan for Student Protection,” within minutes of the shooting, all Crenshaw students were inside the school and accounted for by the school administration and staff. Silent dismissal was instituted for the campus and all students were dismissed without occurrence within the normal daily timeframe.
Two individuals, not Crenshaw High School students, were wounded reportedly by assailants also not Crenshaw High students. The incident occurred across the street on a southwest corner down the block from the main campus.
In an extraordinary combined effort to ensure the safety of Crenshaw High School students and residents near the campus, the Los Angeles Police Department under the command of Captain Steve Zipperman, the California Highway Patrol and the LA School Police Department coordinated exceptionally well and were on the scene within minutes after the first call of shots fired; immediately securing the surrounding perimeter. Security cameras were recently installed in the entire perimeter of the school and surrounding area. LAPD is now reviewing the footage in an effort to rapidly further the investigation.
“Despite the fact that this was not a school-related incident and did not occur on Crenshaw High School’s campus, the quick response by law enforcement and the campus along with other measures in place for student safety, worked precisely as they should have and are testaments to the community’s determination to rid our neighborhood of negative and destructive outside forces, “ said Blair Taylor, President of the LA Urban League and Board Chair of the Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership (GCEP). “We cannot control all of the bad elements out there, but the joint efforts of law enforcement, the school and the community was stellar, and underscores the significant progress that has been made over the past two years to make sure Crenshaw High School is a safe, focused academic environment for all students.”
Law enforcement informed the Mayor’s Office and the School District of the incident immediately along with the leadership of GCEP, the entity which provides oversight of Crenshaw High School educational outcomes. Representatives of all stakeholders in the welfare of Crenshaw High School students were on the scene to provide any assistance needed by the school and neighborhood residents.
Local district services and the Crenshaw High School’s crisis team will be available to assist students as needed. LAPD will continue to provide additional patrols through the week as well as maintain its Safer Cities/Safe Passage coverage of the neighborhood surrounding Crenshaw High School in conjunction with safety measures that have been put in place by the League’s Neighborhoods@Work Safety team.