BY DAVE PARRO
An Oswego junior high went into full lockdown mode Tuesday when a single bullet was found outside the school, but an Aurora elementary school conducted business as usual Wednesday after a van was shot up down the street.
What's wrong with this picture?
Sure, Bardwell Elementary School employees started watching the doors and monitoring who comes in as police investigated the shooting 100 yards from the school. Shouldn't gunfire prompt a more drastic response?
Yes, Aurora is used to violence, and Oswego was already on edge after rumors circulated last week about a Columbine-style attack on the high school. But the difference in reaction to these two incidents is startling and telling.
What does this say about how numb this community has become to gang violence? Have we really reached the point where we don't even move our kids away from the windows when the bullets are flying?
I know for a fact from my friend that Bardwell school was on lock-down. No children were allowed to leave or go outside for the school day. What other response should there have been? I am sure the police talked to the principal. Would you have had the whole school in chaos with students laying on the floor terrified?
Bardwell should of got the same treatment that the Oswego schools did. There where no shots fired at the Oswego schools only a shellcasing found. At Bardwell there where shots fired. What makes Oswego children more important then Auroras? Are you(Matilda)implying that these children were not already terrified. How did the police not know that there would be more shooting? I think pioritties are screwed up here. I think Aurora is becoming more screwed up. You can believe if it was a Westside School tings would have been differant.
What happened at Bardwell is an outrage. The school DID NOT go on official lockdown. You are absolutely right about the community being numb to this violence. I am not sure what it is going to take to wake people up. The Ciy needs to step up and make a statement about this as well as the East Aurora school district. The fact that Alderman Stephanie Kifowit has children that attend this school instills some hope that she will step up and comment on this outrage. That is if she puts family before politics.
Please, someone take the lead here for this community...anyone?
There are fundamental differences though to this story. The Oswego incident; they found live ammo outside the school. They feared that someone had live ammo inside the school. The lockdown was so that they could search the inside of the school; no one could leave the school until they were assured no one with a gun was inside and could shoot children (which unfortunately has happened in the past). This shooting down the block from Bardwell, is a bit different. Bluff Street is about a 1/2 a block or so south of Bardwell. No one was shooting at the school. It was obviously gang related. The shooter shot and then left the scene. The danger was gone.
I do not condone violence around a school. This is the second shooting around Bardwell and the neighborhood needs to start stepping up and working with police. However, I think it is unfair to treat these two cases the same and shine East Aurora in a negative light.
First of all, since you think you can do a better job at managing gang violence, then maybe should be a in the law enforcement business so you can practice what you preach & just miraculously clean up the streets! It's not fair to say "if it would have been a West Side school, it would have been different"-WHATEVER!!!!! Says who?? Why are you so sure? Are you the superintendant of all West Side schools. What would you have done? And how could your plan guarantee that no one would get hurt??? People need to stop being so judgemental towards others. These two situations are totally different...although they both put children in danger. And who are you to say "Aurora is used to violence"-if you think you can clean the city up and decide who can live here and who can't, then be my guest!!! There is violence and crime EVERYWHERE....EVEN IN THE "PERFECT LITTLE TOWN" YOU THINK YOU LIVE IN!!!
Okay in response to anonyomous - I am not ths superintendant but I believe I am quallify to speak on the issue, both as a parent and a product of the Aurora school system. I say school system because I have been exposed to both sides East and West as a parent and as a student. Most of my life I lived on the Westside but not all, and I know the difference. So take off the rose covered glasses. None of this will ever stop until Aurora becomes Aurora and not East or West sides. And to a friend of a police officer- I did not "shine a light" as you called it I am just mainly pointing out the truth.