STAFF EDITORIAL

Fearing to speak out against crime and wrongdoing only brings back memories of the corrupt police states of old, and not the modern democracy we live in today.

In that case, why should students have hesitated to turn in those responsible for a series of disturbing fires on campus over the first months of school? It took a cash reward for students to finally turn in suspected arsonists.

Hopefully students don’t need to be bribed to turn in those responsible for future acts of vandalism, especially in light of the latest bomb scare.

The fires had the potential to cause a lot more harm to the school and the students.  Students with knowledge of these crimes should not have been afraid to report them. Helping prevent or punish crime is a civic duty necessary for a well-run society and school.

People who have harmful behavior or mentalities at a young age are prone to do even   more damage when grown up.

Science teacher Andrew White, who lives next to a continuation high school, believes that such behavior should be corrected early on.

“The kids (from the continuation school) really rough it up behind my house,” said White. “These will literally be the same people who could burn my house  one day. We need to intervene now and make sure they don’t turn out that way.”

White admitted that at risk of retaliation, he had turned them in several times.

“It’s a risk, but there are ways of anonymously reporting these events,” said White. “I’m only trying to create a safe future for my kids.”

It was lucky that this time, those responsible for the fire were apprehended early, and no real damage was done to the school. But will this be the case next time?

In countless corrupt nations of now and past, citizens have been afraid to speak out against injustice and crime out of fear of retaliation. As Americans, we are more advanced than this.

How we wish to improve our current  and future society comes down to us.

Opinions page

policies

Opinions expressed in The Californian are those of the respective authors. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of the staff.

The Californian encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should not exceed 150 words.

Letters may be dropped off in room 321 or e- mailed to [email protected]. The Californian reserves the right to edit letters or not publish any letters deemed inappropriate.