I Felt Safer in Iraq!
Question: Did you know that Adam Lanza once attended WestConn?
According to my History professor, he did. And it had me thinking... that motherfucker could've came to our campus and did what he did at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012; and I certainly don't need to remind you of the facts. It seems like whenever there's a campus shooting, the media reminds us anyway of the shootings that occurred beforehand. So, there you go!
Anywho, there have been about 47 campus shootings this year, according to media outlets and TV talk shows such as the controversial "The View." 47! THIS YEAR! And like a black man losing his life for no real reason to a police officer, we've become somewhat numb to these tragedies. Yes, there's chatter here and there, but in a day or two, we're back to doing what we do - living our lives while we still have one. We're only in October, folks. Another shooting is bound to happen!
I had a nightmare recently involving, you guessed it, a shooting at WestConn. Some maniac cutting loose in the middle of Biology lecture. I also remember having a similar nightmare during the summer. I'm one of those students who can't wait to go back to school, so when I had this "dream" during the summer, my excitement up and died. There's moments even during the day when I'm thinking about someone suddenly just shooting up the classroom. I'm sweating at the end. It could just have to do with my undiagnosed anxiety disorder, but even so, we're living in a time when you really can't go anywhere without feeling some type of fear. I literally have that fear whenever I step foot inside a movie theater, 'cause let's be real - if it's not movie theaters, it's schools.
The problem with WestConn is the LACK OF SECURITY. Shortly after the Oregon tragedy, President of WestConn, Dr. John B. Clark made it aware that there'd be some police activity here on campus. Where are they now? And what exactly does standing around by the school do for us? Most doors on campus are left unsecure or unlocked, so anyone could easily walk in and start plotting.
I think every door must require some type of code, and students, much like faculty and staff, simply punch in their student ID. Perhaps bag checks will do! How? I can't say. Would it be time-consuming and annoy the shit out of some people? Oh definitely. Is it worth it? If you love life, then yes! Just because a student carries an ID doesn't mean he or she is not carrying a gun. A real creative maniac will hide the gun inside their butt cheeks. It's been done before, I'm sure.
And in case you didn't realize, these are students shooting up the place, not strangers from the street.
Despite being an introvert, I couldn't help but ask a couple of random students in passing on what they thought about the lack of security.
One of them honestly didn't realize this until I had mentioned it, but eventually agreed that we are indeed lacking, and probably most campuses are as well.
Another student simply asked, "what is there to do?"
I could've asked more students, but I repeat: I'm an introvert! Just being honest.
I'm certainly not expecting this article to change things around here, especially if none of the past shootings could. And I certainly don't want to cause any trouble. I'm just a quiet black chick who happens to love writing, and thought this was worth writing about. I felt safer in Iraq, by the way.
I really am afraid to step foot on campus every morning. AM I THE ONLY FUCKING ONE?!
