Now that three Gilroy High School students have been arrested
following Friday’s frightening threats against a teacher that
resulted in a three-hour lockdown and sent waves of fear through
our community, it’s time to turn our attention to matters of
justice in this case.
Now that three Gilroy High School students have been arrested following Friday’s frightening threats against a teacher that resulted in a three-hour lockdown and sent waves of fear through our community, it’s time to turn our attention to matters of justice in this case.
The criminal justice process is frustrating because the three cases of the suspects, two girls and a boy, all age 17, are presently in juvenile court which shields not only their identities but the charges they are facing. Deputy District Attorney Kurt Kumli is withholding the specific charges that landed the three students in Juvenile Hall, citing the offenses’ supposed lack of a “serious and violent” nature.
The cell phone calls these students allegedly made brought a swarm of police and weapons onto the Gilroy High campus, imprisoned students and teachers in classrooms for hours and traumatized thousands of Gilroyans. It robbed students of precious learning time. Although the phone calls themselves were not violent, they promised violent action and brought the very real possibility of violence to the Gilroy High School campus.
Not serious and violent? We beg to differ with that characterization.
The phone calls have been described by Gilroy police as a “prank.”
That’s far too mild a term for the havoc the threats to shoot a GHS teacher brought to Gilroy. On the spectrum of prank to terrorist threat, these phone calls fall much closer to the latter.
Not having law degrees, we have to defer to the judgment of Kumli, who says the cases of these students are not eligible for transfer to adult court.
That’s wrong. This type of crime should at least allow the district attorney’s office prosecutorial discretion to determine whether adult charges are appropriate.
It might be that adult charges aren’t appropriate, but given the expense and trauma these threats brought to Gilroy, it seems trying these 17-year-olds as adults should at least have been seriously considered.
Then there is the matter of restitution. If these students are convicted of making the threatening calls, we hope that whatever sentences they are given includes repaying the school district and all the law enforcement agencies for costs incurred do to the stupid “prank.” Of course, calculating an appropriate restitution figure will require the wisdom of Solomon.
Invaluable and irreplaceable education time was stolen from hundreds of GHS students. Police spent hundreds of hours on campus on the morning of the threats, investigating the incident, and will be spending more time assisting the prosecution of the case. Gilroy Unified School District and Gilroy High School officials will hold numerous meetings reviewing the incident.
Putting a price tag on the impact this incident has had on the community will be difficult, but seeing a stunning number will serve as a deterrent to others who might be tempted to copycat this crime. It will also put in stark terms just one facet of this incident’s impact on our community.
Justice has three purposes – to rehabilitate the offender, to safeguard society and to deter others from committing similar crimes.
We urge everyone involved in this sad case to make sure all three aims are met as these cases make their way through our criminal justice system.
