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El Diablo Voice of the Students Durango High School
2390 Main Ave.
Durango CO 81301
Issue Three
Volume Sixty-one January 2018
“He pushed me down and broke my glasses over my face” Mixed response from La Plata County over domestic violence reports
Nationally available statistics compiled by Paxton Scott.
GRACE SWANSON Reporter CHLOE RAGSDALE Reporter Every nine seconds in the US, a woman is assaulted or beaten, according to Do Something, a volunteer program for social change. With 15 local cases of abuse a week, domestic violence has become a very prominent issue in Durango. These victims have not only suffered through physical and emotional abuse, they have also been shut down and unheard in our community. “Your wife is not your property—you can’t hit them or beat them,” said La Plata County Judge Sarah Law, the magistrate for all domestic violence cases in Durango. Domestic violence victims and advocates argue that they have a right to speak up and shouldn’t be shamed or experience victim blaming. An anonymous source who reached out to El Diablo reporters stated that her husband was physically, emotionally, and psychologically abusive.
“When I was pregnant with my second child he pushed me down and broke my glasses over my face,” said the anonymous source. This abusive behavior continued for twelve years, which included stalking, breaking, and entering. She had been journaling everything though this period of abuse. “It’s up to the person who is being abused to call the police; it’s a hard thing to do. These people have beat you down, bullied you, scared you, and they threaten you, and you’re scared to call,” the anonymous source stated. Many women struggle with the fear of reporting their partners due to the terrifying actions of their aggressors, which is part of the reason domestic abuse goes unnoticed.
“What can you give to the abusers as a consequence that is going to make them change?” - Anonymous According to Maura Demko from SASO, an abused person’s brain normally goes into freeze mode.
“The logical part of our brain shuts down so we go into survival mode. We may not access memories or information as easily as we would have normally,” Demko said. During domestic abuse, an overload of chemicals are being dumped into the victims bodies so that things don’t get processed through their prefrontal cortex, the place in the brain that holds our memories and details. “Someone’s ability to recall times or length of time, or detail in that moment can sometimes not be there… It is important for them to understand the psychology behind it,” said Demko. Some people have a hard time believing these victims of abuse, whether it’s because of simple disbelief or lack of evidence. However, Due to physical and psychological trauma, victims do not always remember every component. Durango Police Department Officers say that when they come to a scene of domestic violence, they approach the victim like talking to a friend. There are two main types of processes for domestic abuse; the civil court process and the criminal court process. In a civil court process, the victim can testify alone without the aggressor, whereas in a criminal court process, the victim and aggressor must come together. “The court system is like speaking a different language—some people don’t always understand what is going on,” said Judge Sarah Law. The anonymous victim got both a civil court process and a criminal court process, which means she won her court case and got a protection order for the rest of her aggressor’s life. These restraining orders prevent him from coming within a few feet of her, and if he gets pulled over by the police, his abusive records show up.
continued on page 3
Opinion: Call of Duty trivializes violence Page 6
Professional sports look to remove Marijuana ban Page 9
Arts: Review Trashes Swift’s Reputation Page 13
Preparing for the Worst: DHS emphasizes security protocols TIERNEY BRENNAN News Editor
Out of the 1,516 shootings that have occurred in the United States, five of those mass shootings took place in Colorado. The locations of these shootings vary: a movie theater, a Chuck E Cheese, an RV park, a youth center/church, and a high school; all taking place over nineteen years. With these attacks on the rise, it’s clear that public establishments should have a plan of action at all times. “If we can lockdown, our kids can go home safely at the end of the day,” said Richard Fitzpatrick, the superintendent of Rancho Tehama Elementary in Northern California. The school was targeted by a local man with intent to kill. Fortunately, due to the training of the staff and the quick execution of their plan, a lockdown was successfully initiated; only one student was shot, and recovered in the hospital. Speed and efficiency were seen to be most important in instances where an active shooter is a threat. “We have seen instances of delays in the implementation of lockdowns ranging from a minute to several minutes in actual incidents, and we have often seen fail rates of 60% to 81% during simulations that require individual staff members to make and communicate the lockdown decision,” stated Campus Safety in an article about effective lockdown tips. They teach that schools should have multiple lockdown plans - administrators can sometimes misdiagnose the situation, and the threat could escalate in the time that they take to hesitate to call a full blown lockdown. Different levels of lockdowns should be available to best fit the situation when the time comes. Another common mistake that could potentially be fatal is lockdown codes. A Campus Safety study showed that administrators in 22% of the schools assessed messed up the codes and called for the wrong procedure. Campus Safety emphasizes the importance of administration training, all staff should be issued keys, and all doors should be locked during class. It is vital that all staff members know what to do in these emergencies, simple slip ups or delays can cost lives. Many districts are moving away from this defensive, lockdown approach, and toward a more offensive, active strategy. ALICE, which stands for Alert Lock-
Cassandra Blau DHS security guards Benjamin Danquah an Steve Kerchee work on campus during the school day to minimize risk by patrolling entrances and watching for suspicious behavior.
down Inform Counter Evacuate, is a training institute which specializes in active shooter protocol. The step “counter” in their program addresses this active approach. “Create Noise, Movement, Distance and Distraction with the intent of reducing the shooter’s ability to shoot accurately,” states ALICE on their website under their 5 step program. Understandably, the counter initiative is a natural response to people who are unhappy with feeling out of control in such circumstances; many look at lockdown protocol as being a sitting duck for an active shooter.
According to NPR, there have been more than 160 school shootings in the US since 2012. When executed properly, countering is a smart move and can be used quite effectively to stall the shooter, or find a way to reach safety. This does not mean that it is advised to launch a counter attack on the attacker. Durango High school, too, has its own specific procedures for an active
shooter threat. “Anybody can make that call [for a lockdown] on the PA system when they know there’s an imminent threat within the building itself,” said Jon Hoerl, principal at DHS. For DHS, a lockdown entails teachers and staff sweeping the area around them, getting inside, locking doors, and shutting blinds. The administration of DHS collaborates with a regional director who has their finger on the pulse of the newest, best protocol for school safety. This ensures maximum for security for both staff and students. Principal Hoerl placing emphasis on the importance of taking drills seriously, because the more familiar the faculty and student body are with the ins and outs of the procedure, the safer they will be in case of the occurrence of a real situation. Steve Kerchee, an on campus security guard of many years, also believes that the current protocol is sufficient for handling a live threat such as an active shooter. He did, however, account for the fact that one can only prepare so much.
January 2018
“We practice it and practice it, we do what we can, but you just never know how a situation is going to unfold,” said Kerchee. “No matter how much you drill, sometimes your instincts overtake and you may go against what you drilled for. That’s just human nature.” He also had advice for individual precautions students could take to make the school as safe as possible. “Be aware of your surroundings, who is in the building,” said Kerchee. Benjamin Danquah, the other on campus member of security staff, points to the fact that it’s a team effort. DHS students and faculty must look out for the school as a whole. Communication is crucial to the success of an active shooter procedure. “We don’t use codes,” said Danquah. “Very plain language is recommended so that everyone can understand what’s being communicated.” From communication, awareness, discipline, speed, and lots of practice, DHS aligns itself well with up to date nationally recognized protocol.