Los Angeles City Schools closed due to terrorist threat

LA+Students+were+welcomed+back+on+Dec.+16+after+the+previous+days+safety+threat.+

Photo from LA Unified School District Official Website

LA Students were welcomed back on Dec. 16 after the previous days safety threat.

Sarah Teckmyer, Guest Writer

Terrorist threats are becoming alarmingly common across the nation, and it’s extremely unsettling.

On Dec. 15, 2015 at approximately 11am, Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck reported a threat that was specific to the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has been receiving much backlash for the report, but he has remained adamant that his actions were correct.

“Southern California has been through a lot in recent weeks. Should we risk putting our children through the same?” Beck said

After the San Bernardino attack at a nonprofit institution for people with disabilities, America has been rightfully on edge. The closing of Los Angeles schools was yet another example that violence does not cease, regardless of who it is against.

Still, people are doubting the validity of this threat. I’m amazed to see how people are not grasping the very real danger that was presented on that day.

Representative Brad Sherman spoke up about the situation. He said, there “were a lot of reasons to doubt the veracity.”

Still, I believe that it doesn’t matter if it was a hoax. There was still a possibility. Kids still could have lost their lives, and these types of attacks have happened before. You can’t just ignore something like this.

While an attack thankfully did not occur, no one can be completely sure that it was not a hoax. Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles, speaks out about the situation. “Whether it’s criminal mischief, whether it’s somebody testing vulnerabilities of multiple cities, we still do not know enough to say definitively,” He said.

I’m horrified to see such acts take place, especially when these threats are against people my age. As a student, it really hits home when I see schools shut down because they are in danger. It leaves me to wonder, what if it were my school?

While these threats are made to instill fear, I can’t imagine that we would sit still to fight them. It only makes sense to take all the actions necessary to protect whoever is in danger.

Beck was justified in his decision. We have to understand that, if this threat were acted upon, then thousands of children would have lost their lives.