Crips, Bloods, Random Acts of Violence

A student was seriously injured at school, was airlifted off island for neurosurgery on the mainland. Many of the students knew him; all were affected by this incident. It was senseless, it was depressing, it was gang violence, it was unnecessary.

Tia's design for the "social growth" of our mission statement looks, to adults, to symbolize patriotism - red white and blue being the colors of the USA flag.

But to a teenager, red and blue are gang colors, they symbolize the Crips and the Bloods. And to Tia, the red fading into white fading into blue symbolizes getting rid of gangs and violence; it shows the Crips and Bloods blending into a neutral and cooperative person in the center.

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Two other students in my class were present during gunfights. Both had the presence of mind to get down on the ground, got everyone around them down and out of bullet range, waited until all was clear. Both needed extra hugs. Both told me about it. Both were part of my counseling on the wall - just talking about the events, venting, getting support, and getting hugs.