In order to prevent school shootings, Minnesota lawmakers direct funds and policy towards school lockdown drills and security infrastructure. The Violence Project's co-founders Jillian Peterson and James Densley believe this approach is inadequate in actually preventing school shootings. Rather than lockdown drills, Peterson argues for putting … [Read more...]
Experts: Minnesota’s strategy on school gun attacks wrong
Current school safety measures aren’t enough to prevent shootings
The Violence Project's co-founder James Densley sat down with Manda Lillie and Angela Davis to discuss school shooting prevention. Densley said he would like to see "the conversation move away from lockdown culture." Their conversation also included Rick Kaufman, head of the Columbine crisis-response team. Kaufman and Densley agreed that there … [Read more...]
School safety: Fund more counselors for students’ emotional health
While there’s a renewed push to boost spending on school safety through more locks and tighter security to fortify schools, a new study of school shootings suggests that will not be enough to prevent future school shootings. An in-depth study of 45 school shootings since the Columbine High School shooting of 20 years ago shows all the shooters … [Read more...]
Daily Digest: School Safety and Guns
Good morning and happy Thursday. Here's the Digest. 1. Researchers say a fresh approach to school safety is needed. Lockdown drills top the list of security measures Jillian Peterson believes schools need to drop. Peterson, a Hamline University criminology professor, thinks training the adults in school on lockdown procedures, de-escalation and … [Read more...]
Terrorism is a performance. Don’t watch. And, Facebook, stop making us.
"They want you to watch." James Densley and Jill Peterson write about how the prevalence of violence in the media serves terrorists' interests in spreading destruction. The widespread use of social media platforms paved the way for the mass shooting of 50 worshipers to be livestreamed on Facebook: a performance of violence for the world. Densley … [Read more...]