Michelle Darko
English Comp II
March 3,2019
Benefits Of Metal Detectors
The use of Metal detectors in schools began in 1992 after a shooting at Thomas Jefferson High School In Brooklyn, that lead to the death of two students. Ever since then metal detectors have been a popular thing in schools. Almost about 91,114 High school students go through metal detectors every morning in New york City as a daily routine. How would you feel if you are the only school in town or city with metal detectors?. In an interview In 2016 held by Metrofocus, Greg Floyd the president of teamsters local 237 ( Which represents the city school safety officers) he states that “ Metal detectors are In all airports, all city halls, and in all government agencies. So why can’t they be placed in all schools? Metal detectors are placed for safety, and that’s just the society that we live in”.Floyd claims that metal detectors are a way of life, and are there to protect civilians because we never know what someone is capable of doing. But the issue here is that Metal detectors are usually placed in low-income schools which are mostly dominated by the African-American race. Metal detectors should be placed in all schools to prevent any violent activity happening in the schools ,and ensure safety for not only one race of students for all students.
If Metal detectors should be placed in schools then they should be placed not just in a couple of schools but in all kinds of schools. If all airports have metal detectors like Floyd mentioned earlier then that same rule should be applied in schools. In a new analysis made my the Propublica it says that “ Almost all major American cities, mostly African American and hispanic students attend public schools where a majority of their classmates qualify as poor or low-income” (Reyes). An individual’s actions is unpredictable whether it is in a high-income neighborhood or low-income. The problem here is not that metal detectors make students feel like criminals, but the fact that they are mostly placed in African-American schools, indicating that only people of that race are capable of having weapons or any type of endangerment, and in matters that is not the case.
Metal detectors are not the only way the people of color haven been cartorized like this, For many years African-Americans have been stereotyped to be violent, mean, and angry people which has now had a troll till today. In a research done by washington post they found out that “34.9% of African-Americans were killed by cops-even though they were unarmed and not attacking” (Lopez). Examples like shows how society see African-Americans as a threat, so it will make it “normal” to place metal detectors only in communities that have a population of African-Americans because they can be very dangerous . So placing metal detectors in all schools would give an equal judgement on everyone not just low-income students and break the stereotypes that have been placed on African-Americans.
Although metal detectors can not solve everything it will help prevent students of all kind is race from bringing weapons to school. If students see that their schools have metal detectors they wouldn’t be tempted to bring them. “ The mere presence of the machines may be enough to prevent violence if the attacker thinks they are likely to get caught as they enter the building” says Joe Vazque in an interview , the director of security sales for Garrett Metal detectors. Someone who has at least some hesitancy with what they’re doing will probably reconsider if they see a checkpoint with a metal detector .This will probably spare someone’s life or stop someone from being harmed. According to the New York Post “55% of things that are taken from students from metal detectors are box cutter and knives”. Now that’s a large amount of knives and box cutters, what about the knife that weren’t able to be confisticated from schools that don’t have metal detectors?.
In 2017 a young boy stabbed a student while they were in school According to the New York Post “Abel Cedeno, an 18-year-old sophomore who had been bullied for his sexuality, snapped. Cedeno says he was being mocked by two boys; he pulled a black switchblade out of his backpack and stabbed them, killing Matthew McCree, 15’’ ( CNN newspaper ).The student unfortunately died, and although the student was wrong for bullying the Cedeno he did not deserve to die. If that school had a metal detector the young man’s life would have probably been spared. There are perhaps many more stories of a student being bullied in school that haven’t received attention like this one. This incident happened in the a Bronx community where the population is mostly African-Americans. In another tragic event the occurred in 2012 at Newton ,Connecticut which is a very dominant white population a young man by the name Adam Lanza walked into sandy Hook Elementary school and shoot dead 20 students from the age of six to seven year old.is twoevents are to show that no matter where a school is located something terrible can happens, regardless of the age is the student or there race These two events show that it dosnt matter the location a school is placed anything can happen.We need to make sure that all students are protected at all times, and we can’t control everything that goes on in schools but what we can do is try to prevent them. And the one first step would be to place metal detectors in schools, it better safe than sorry.
Placing Metal detectors in all schools won’t solve all the issue that we have today, but it can prevent some issues alongside the way. Even though metal detectors will cause students to run a little late, it will ensure their safety , make students realize that they shouldn’t bring weapons to school because they’ll get caught and get into trouble, and not make one group of students feel like they are criminals (African-Americans). Doing this will be lifting a weight from these kids not making them be characterized as the stereotype that had been placed upon them. We all want to make sure everyone is safe, no one wanted to be put in a predicament where they aren’t so we should try our best to bring ideas to ensure safety for everyone
