Friday, March 26, 2010

Giving new meaning to the word "Safe"

Hmmm. There is a common theme when someone is murdered at a school: the president, or some other official talking head, goes on the record as saying that the facility is "Safe."

While I understand the need to calm people down, I don't think that I could go on record with a big bold lie.
"In our sorrow, we must come together," Rosenberg said in his message to the university community. "Our campus is safe. Now more than ever, you must tell this story. ... Even while we mourn Kendall and express our sympathy to his family and friends, we must not let this heinous crime overshadow the incredible track record for safety that we have."
A student was tragically murdered hours ago, and the killer is nowhere to be found, so how can Rosenberg say something that is blatantly not true? From Webster:
Main Entry: 1safe
Pronunciation: \ˈsāf\
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): saf·er; saf·est
Date: 14th century
1 : free from harm or risk : unhurt
2 a : secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss
3 : affording safety or security from danger, risk, or difficulty
So how can the campus be "secure from the threat of danger, harm, or loss" when the students have been advised to basically stay indoors:
FIU opened as scheduled Friday morning, with increased security for students and grief counseling available. Students living in residence halls were advised to keep doors locked, and any person at the university could be escorted around campus if desired.
And again, the killer is still at large.

Not very safe, huh?

So what recourse do students have right now to deal with an armed killer? Run to the blue phone and call for help? Yes. Have an unarmed escort walk you to your car? Yes. Carry a tool to help them effectively deal with an armed attacker? No; that is considered "Disruptive Conduct." You know what else is considered Disruptive Conduct?
(a) Endangerment. 1. Physical violence toward another person or group. 2. Action(s) that endanger the health, safety, or welfare of self or others. 3. Interference with the freedom of another person or group to move about in a lawful manner.
The killer certainly qualifies with all of them, and he or she is still out and about. Whomever issued the advisory to keep their doors locked runs afoul of "Interfer[ing] with the freedom of another person or group to move about in a lawful manner," do they not? This policy of disarming all but the violent people is madness. I know that everyone is sad, but you can't guarantee the safety of the campus. To do so is a lie.

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