Gardena campus enjoys a quiet day
High school invites parents to learn about series of incidents that
forced security to be increased.
By Brandy Underwood
DAILY BREEZE
Tensions at Gardena High School eased Friday after three days of
confrontations and near-fights on campus, students said.
School administrators invited parents to the school's auditorium Friday
night to hear answers about the racial strife and increased police
presence on campus.
Principal Russ Thompson would not allow media into the meeting.
At issue is a string of incidents that had heightened security at the
school over the past week.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles School Police stopped some black and
Latino students, who officials believed to be mostly new transfers with
likely gang connections, as they rushed toward each other in the school
quad at the lunch break's conclusion.
Students said police, who had been on campus as a precaution, shook
Mace canisters in the air during the Thursday noontime incident,
threatening to spray them. Officials reported that no students were
sprayed or injured. Administrators had locked down the school Thursday.
Other incidents occurred earlier in the week. Two fights erupted during
lunch Tuesday and two near-fights were prevented Wednesday.
In the aftermath of Thursday's events, teachers have been talking to
students about how to cope, students said.
Matthew Nance and Javeah Herrea, both 15-year-old sophomores, said they
took their teachers' advice and stood away from crowds.
Other students offered a variety of viewpoints about the week's events.
"It's a lot of reaction," said Oscar Medrano, an 18-year-old senior.
"If you say, 'Hey there's going to be a riot,' they say, 'Hey, let's
riot.' "
Shomari Albert, a 16-year-old junior, said there were no conflicts on
campus Friday.
Phylicia Johnson, a 17-year-old junior, said: "I don't really think it
was such a big deal."
Phylicia's mother, Rachel Johnson, a Gardena city councilwoman, had not
heard about the parent meeting until too late, but said she would have
attended.
"Do I feel safe and secure about having my child there? Yes I do,"
Johnson said. "I know that she's going to class, she's motivated and
she's doing what she should do to make the most of what Gardena High
School, a large urban high school, has to offer."
She also pointed out that the school needs more funding to increase
security.
Her husband, Philip Johnson, said the couple have already watched two
of their other children graduate from the high school and he also feels
secure about his daughter's safety on campus.
He said he called the school to offer help with security and was told
everything is under control.
"It's really a shame when you get a couple of kids fighting and you
punish and lock down the whole school for two or three kids that are
fighting," he said. "But I guess it's better to be safe than sorry."
Another parent, Eugene Hasson, said he was mainly concerned about the
safety of his daughter, a senior and track athlete, when he heard about
this week's incidents, but he also worried about how much emphasis has
been put on race.
"Many of the kids think it's a black and Hispanic thing, but usually
the kids mingle with each other. They think it's a Hispanic and black
thing, that's because they are naive about what's gong on," Hasson
said.
"I've seen the black kids and Hispanic kids working together, so I
think it's unfortunate that this is happening."
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