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Central cannot
be tolerated
The area around Central Middle School shouldn’t be comparable to the urban wastelands of places like South Central Los Angeles or South Chicago, but if shootings and beatings continue in the area, what’s the difference?
Monday, two rivals decided to shoot it out in the park adjacent to the football field while football practice was underway. The Whiteville PD officer who patrols the school was on duty and on the scene within seconds after it happened. But what if one of those errant shots had hit a student practicing on the field nearby before the officer responded?
Think about what these incidents will do to a school that continues to improve every year. Think about the fear instilled in the students who were locked in the gym while police were chasing down suspects?
The apologists for the problems around Central will be hard-pressed to continue to defend the fearsome situation that continues despite the increased police presence in the afternoons. Are people so numbed by the violence that they think this is acceptable?
There is too much invested in Central School to consider moving it as some suggest. Central is a good school, but incidents like the one Monday eat away at its core.
Unless there is a major effort by the city, the police, public housing officials at Columbus Court Apartments and the district attorney’s office to rid the area of ne’er-do-wells who apparently don’t mind if they hurt or frighten school children, Central could well become a shell of the school it is now.
It’s happened in L.A. and Chicago. It can’t be allowed to happen here.