We have trouble believing that an incident at Gaiser Middle School, characterized by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office as a riot, is related to recent police shootings in the area. But we are willing to listen.
As should school administrators, law enforcement leaders and the public. Allowing preconceived notions to influence our view or ignoring concerns of other citizens only results in intransigence that compounds societal conflict. Members of our community must focus on dealing with and moving past rising tensions that could lead to further incidents.
On March 15, a brawl broke out among spectators at an eighth-grade basketball tournament at Gaiser, a Vancouver Public Schools building in Hazel Dell. According to district officials, three students became involved in a confrontation that eventually escalated to include about 50 students and response from more than 30 law enforcement officers. According to school officials: “The issue reached a tipping point when several students assaulted district security officers as they attempted to remove a student from the school because of a confrontation with two other students. The security officers were hit, pushed and punched by students.”
Nine students were arrested, including two who face felony charges. In all, 28 students from seven schools were placed on emergency expulsion, a 10-day period allowing the school to investigate the incident before possibly allowing students to return to school.
Clearly, any incident drawing more than 30 officers is unacceptable. While it is fortunate the confrontation did not result in any serious injuries, the incident requires some introspection on the part of the community.
That is because of suggestions in some circles that a recent spate of police shootings created tension that led to the Gaiser event. Vancouver Police Department officers fatally shot three people in separate incidents in the span of five weeks. Two of those killed were people of color: Clayton Joseph, a 16-year-old Chuukese boy; and Carlos Hunter, a 43-year-old African-American man.
At this point, there is no reason to believe the shootings were unjustified. According to police, Joseph was armed with a knife and Hunter had a gun, and neither complied with commands from officers. Police are tasked with a dangerous job that requires split-second decisions.
Some might react by dismissing concerns about how police shootings — which had nothing to do with students watching a basketball tournament — could influence the disturbance at Gaiser. But we must be willing to listen. Cecelia Towner, founder of the local Black Lives Matter chapter, said at a school board meeting: “These children have grown up in a world that most of us have not. They grew up in a time of watching police shootings.”
Many high-profile incidents throughout the nation have involved African-American victims in seemingly specious shootings. In order to improve our communities and in order for law enforcement officers to effectively perform their jobs, we must strive to understand that such shootings can have local affects.
At the same time, it is essential to not absolve those involved in the Gaiser riot; punishment is necessary. Most important, parents must make clear that accountablity rather than an excuse is the appropriate reaction.
Towner called the incident an “honest response” to recent police shootings in the area. We have trouble connecting the disparate events; but we are willing to listen.
