School Shooting, Warren Marks and His Home Movie Camera: Columbine Redoux
Oct 11th, 2007 | 12 responses
How it goes.
After the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton Colorado in 1999 where 12 students and one teacher were murdered by high school seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (who then killed themselves)… many people in the community, in the nation and in the world wondered could more people have been saved? What happened to spread the alarm? Who heard it, who did not? What was the students’ response? The teachers’? What should have been set in place long before? There were many other questions. We might have one more small answer now.
Today, an extraordinary film was released by CNN, a home video made yesterday by a Cleveland Ohio student, Warren Marks, of his teacher and classroom of students at his Success Tech Academy when a ‘code blue’ was called over the loudspeakers. The students in Mark’s math class didn’t realize it, but at that moment, one of their classmates was loose in the school with a loaded firearm.
The students as shown on the video are very slow to react to protect themselves. Precious time is lost until what appears to be an alert teacher climbs up and stands on a desk trying to quiet and focus the raucous students, shouting at them that this is not a joke, to stop laughing, this is to be taken seriously.
More moments before the message sinks in; til the students organize and finally lock down in the classroom. This chaotic and slow response comes in part from the students not immediately having enough specific information about the threat.
For many persons in general, when confronted with alarm, it’s a knee-jerk reaction to initially question or disbelieve there’s a real threat. Despite old media which no doubt will now seek out students who have been proximate to violence before and portray that as ‘the norm’, most students reacted normally… they still expected the inside of the school to be a protected place.
Asa Coon, the troubled 14 year old student who was the reason for the ‘code blue,’ subsequently shot two teachers and two students, and then took his own life. One teacher was shot in the back, one in the chest; the latter teacher having now had surgery and being listed in ‘fair’ condition.
We know the drill.
1. Troubled student
2. Students complained about the student
3. Teachers brought the issue forward
4. Evidence of ill intents found in troubled student’s writing, video, artwork
5. Others tried to intervene but were not supported
6. Other attempted to install precautionary rules /devices in school system
7. Nothing effective accomplished
8. Student gave warnings of impending homicide/suicide
9. Student had known serious mental distress
10. Student kept falling through cracks in terms of containment, help.
11. Harassment, ridiculing, scorning confrontations against/ with troubled student continue by others.
12. Firearm obtained
13. One last straw occurs
14. Psychotic break
15. Murder, suicide.
Everyone in shock.
As well they ought be. The dirty secret is that ignoring homicidal students is still institutionalized policy in too many school systems today. Legal concerns outfox concerns for children’s safety. This deadly configuration allows deeply disturbed and armed young people into school settings, and it is fostered by no early evaluation and containing of the seriously and homicidally mentally ill, not recognizing the threat such a person poses to those in proximity, not giving full weight to students’ and teachers’ evidences, observations and complaints, missing many chances to intervene effectively via a coordinated and relentless team approach from several disciplines; legal, medical, psychological, spiritual, familial… and with competent oversight.
Whose fault there is not better evaluation and aid early on? I say, mine and all those in my profession of psychology, psychoanalysis, psychiatry, social work, family therapy, who do not shout out and shout down the ones who want to coddle those in charge at institutions by weakly saying, ‘They did their best, they didn’t know, they had no idea.’
I say, on a day like today, that my profession has failed to clearly and publicly and consistently, year in and year out, distinguish the difference between the onset of severe mental illness in adolescents, and kids who are merely creatively strange.
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard an administrator or parent, say, ‘It’s just a stage they’re going through.’ While it is true that certain stages of teenage development might revolve around rebellions of varying degrees, ‘normal teenage strangeness’ has very different markers than teenage development that aims toward unmitigated homicidal and suicidal rage.
How to make a ‘perfect homicidal storm’ out of the factors of mental illness, grievances imagined or real, ammunition, firearms, school children and teachers unawares? Note the complainants’ observations, but either disbelieve most or else keep as the highest priority ‘looking over one’s shoulder to check legal exposure’ so as to protect job instead of protect human beings. In essence, and deadly ironically, don’t reach out to educate oneself and others about severe, incipient and burgeoning mental illness in a student. Just make a paper trail, but say and do no more that that.
Meanwhile this week, another 14 year old in Pennsylvania was discovered to have illegally collected an arsenal of automatic weapons, ammo clips, homemade hand grenade, etc., that is so vast that when laid out butt to barrel would cover the surface of a full-size bed.
Yesterday the Pennsylvania boy’s parents were reported to have said, they had no idea.
Today, the Sheriff on that case reports that the 14 year old’s mother now says, she purchased one of the automatic weapons for her son at a gun show recently.
Maybe plenty of ‘blame,’ meaning ‘enabling factors,’ to go around. Royally.
What is less clear is: Who will carry the known and effective early interventions and solutions to prevent ill persons from causing mayhem… until those new ways of seeing and intervening become so common proactively, that they, rather than ill murderous students, become the norm.
12 Responses to “School Shooting, Warren Marks and His Home Movie Camera: Columbine Redoux”
Dr. E, I hear what you’re saying, and I agree in large part. However, in this grim post-9/11 world, what you might identify as a warning sign will be seen by the authorities and school systems as criminal.
A fifth-grader spouts off to a classmate, “I’m going to kill you” in anger during an argument, and today’s standard response is to (very often) charge that child with making terroristic threats, and the path their feet are then set upon has a much different outcome than that which I think you intend.
[...] As well they ought be. The dirty secret is that (more…) [...]
Polimom, it is so good to see you after all this time!
Your line of thought re human nature and what some would see as ‘terrorist’ when in fact, it’s not even close. You’re accurate: Some adults already over-react, wrongfully coloring a child. I think there’d have to be firm guidelines to evaluate, in school and law enforcment settings, rather than just subjective opinions of the moment. It’s true that some adults don’t know the difference between poor socialization of the moment and catastrophic acting out that points to a young person’s mind coming undone.
Writing this piece, I was thinking about the adolescent onset of schizophrenia with megalomania and paranoia as its central features… which appear to be, in the cases of school shooters, a common configuration that no amount of talking to, legal intervention alone, or talk therapy can mediate. It’s critical to try to intervene before paranoia reaches the zenith of suicidal and homicidal ideation. These are not easy subjects nor answers. I hold hope we can do better by the person who suffers this illness, by those who might be harmed because of it
dr.e
[...] School Shooting, Warren Marks and His Home Movie Camera: Columbine … The Moderate Voice – I say, mine and all those in my profession of psychology, psychoanalysis, psychiatry, social work, family therapy, who do not shout out and shout down the ones who want to coddle those in charge at institutions by weakly saying, ‘They did their … Posted in Social-Work | Trackback | del.icio.us | Top Of Page [...]
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[...] School Shooting, Warren Marks and His Home Movie Camera: Columbine …How it goes. After the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton Colorado in 1999 where 12 students and one teacher were murdered by high school seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (who then killed themselves)… many people in the … [...]
Polimon brings up an important point about overreaction. Overreaction to 9/11 has led the US to some very dangerouns countermeasures and so can any event that raise alarm.
After ‘sexual harassment’ gained awaremess, some kindergarteners wanting to kiss a classmate were treated like sexual deviates.
In the case of school shootings (My god, what kind of a country or world leads to this!), there are all sorts of efforts and guidelines to identify troubled youths who might pose a danger, but still some fall through the cracks.
Pat of the failure lies in the tension between intervention and privacy rights. A lot of it has to do with fragmentation in the system. Teachers can only address what they observe in school, and the police only know what’s in criminal records. Neighbors may be unsure when to mind their business or which agency to contact if they do want to get involved.
What is needed, IMO, is co-ordination and a systems-wide plan.
In the meantime, vhe violence seems surreal. Honestly, I’m having trouble getting past the ‘I can’t believe this’ stage on one level, even as I know for d==n sure ti’s true on another.
Until people, and insurance companies, recognize these brain disorders as treatable illnesses, we will never be able to stop the madness. The stigma is what causes the need for student privacy, makes parents bury their heads in the sand, makes professionals hedge.
I am the adoptive mother of children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and bipolar disorder with psychotic features. Teachers are not well informed on these disorders nor are the school administrators. They want to quarantine the students in a special class for people who might get out of control at school, and hope they drop out soon. And many do.
My experience with social workers is equally grim. They may have read about “one” but could they recognize “one.” The parents must be doing something wrong. Maybe they are, but that does not preclude a serious mental illness. Psychologists are sometimes better. Psychiatrists also get a mixed review. Child Psychologists are sometimes reluctant to diagnose them and don’t listen very well to parents. What would we know?
My favorite story about a CP is the one who did not believe my daughter’s long standing diagnosis of bipolar disorder and insisted on giving her an anti-depressant, over my objections. After she came down from three weeks of mania. I threatened to get his home address and leave her at his house if he ever did that again. I was not joking. When he took her brother off all of his meds because he was non-compliant, a very common issue in adolescents, I insisted we be able to change psychiatrists. It took a long time to get my son back into a situation where he would go on meds again.
Many parents use pediatricians or family doctors to administer or monitor meds due to a lack of Child Psychiatrists. Having had to do that a few years ago, I can tell you it is scary.
In my case, since the kids are adopted, I have no shame about their illness/conditions. If, however, the parents also have these conditions or have relatives who have them, and as far as I know most have a genetic component, the parents may not be effectively treated themselves and may be deeply ashamed. It is common for people with brain disorders to marry others who have brain disorders. So Dad may have schizophrenia and Mom bipolar disorder. This makes for an especially difficult home situation. “Professionals” may find it hard to make headway within the family and school personnel just “run the other way.”
The current SCHIP bill, the one Bush vetoed, insists that insurance companies treat brain disorders/mental illness the same as they do other physical conditions. This is a big step in the direction of effective treatment. My children’s meds cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per month depending on the current RX. The had Medicaid as a secondary insurance, or they would not have their meds. I could not afford them.
The next step would be a major campaign to “normalize” mental illness through the media, television shows, education. When people can say “my son has bi-polar disorder” in the same way they can say my child has diabetes or some other chronic disorder, then the whole system will cope much better.
I agree that psychological professionals need to be better informed and speak out. Hopefully they will start with supporting the overturning of the veto of SCHIP and move on to Hollywood and popular TV and magazines. Take a hint from the gay right movement’s recent success. Demystify and inform.
Just as an aside, although my children had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder prior to placement, I was not told my children had these disorders when they were placed with me. The agency just said they were hyper and here are their meds.
The agency fought the FASD diagnosis, because it meant a greater medical and counseling exposure for them. They provided no guidance, no support. What I have learned I have done on my own or with the support of other parents and a few really great professionals. I am not sure that many biological parents are in any better position.
Open the mental health closet and let it hang out, or get ready for more funerals.
PS Dr. Estes these “professionals” are, sad to say, all in Colorado.
Dear remembrance; you are in my prayers, I assure you. And, ‘demystify and inform” said it well. Though I was speaking of deep and unrelieved psychosis, I hear your challenge clearly. You have done so much that is en puente, right on the head. Hang in there.
Dr.e
dr. e –
I couldn’t help recalling this post and thread when I read this story:
Houston suspended over Pat Robertson ‘finger’ photo
It’s certainly more than possible that the student is being erroneously accused of mental health issues as an attempt to discredit him. But what if the concerns are real? The student is now a media darling — the victim of the university.
And now, what about the next time… the next student…?
Living on a small island, with a limited budget and a love of reading, has led me to read a lot of books that, ordinarily, I might not have chosen to read. This is one of them,
‘We need to talk about Kevin’ by Lionel Shriver.
I found this book very difficult, I left it and came back, left it and came back, I finished it after I read this post.
Polimom, I think I know what you mean. The ‘what if’s’ are many… and being a media darling is like being one of the last girls in the bar at closing time; it can mean zip in terms of longevity or clear-eyedness. I am more and more convinved that a brace of legal, mental health, law enforcement, spiritual workers and psychology is needed. WELL trained, cool insightful, factual, and feeling minds that are not blind and are not hairtrigger, but have experience and acute abilities to see, intervene, and help.
It certainly cant be that every aberrant act by a kid means they are bring their ak47 to school. But, we KNOW the signals, and we KNOW the ways to better safeguard, and still…
freespirit, that’s a very intense novel to read. I can see why you left it time and again. (for others, its about a 17 year old boy who kills several schoolmates with a crossbow, and his mother’s introspectiion about how it might have all come to be. ) When I work
in the ‘weeping world’ I have to balance in other ways. I think readers do too, freespirit.
dr.e