1 school shootings why terrible things happen in ‘perfect’ places katherine newman johns hopkins...
TRANSCRIPT
1
School Shootings
Why Terrible Things Happen in ‘Perfect’ Places
Katherine NewmanJohns Hopkins University
2
Definitional dilemmas
What is a rampage shooting? Refining the problem
Multiple victims On school property Committed by a member or former member of the
institution Random selection of targets or radiating circle
3
Figure 1: Number of School Shootings by School Year
0
2
4
6
8
10
121973-7
4
1974-7
5
1975-7
6
1976-7
7
1977-7
8
1978-7
9
1979-8
0
1980-8
1
1981-8
2
1982-8
3
1983-8
4
1984-8
5
1985-8
6
1986-8
7
1987-8
8
1988-8
9
1989-9
0
1990-9
1
1991-9
2
1992-9
3
1993-9
4
1994-9
5
1995-9
6
1996-9
7
1997-9
8
1998-9
9
1999-0
0
2000-0
1
2001-0
2
School Year
Attacks
Attacks plus PostColumbine Plots
4
*
*
**
*
*
Edinboro, PA
*
*
*
*
*
*
* * El Cajon, CA
Santee, CA
*
* Virginia Beach, VA
*
* *
*
* Olean, NY *
Moses Lake, WA
Springfield, OR
Notus, ID
Lewiston, MT
Littleton, CO
Fort Gibson, OK
Olivehurst, CA
Goddard, KS
Stamps, AR
Jonesboro, AR
Manchester, MO
Paducah, KY
Great Barrington, MA
Conyers, GA Blackville, SC
Lynnville, TN
Grayson, KY
Pearl, MS
Las Vegas, NV
*Bethel, AK
Figure 10.1: Location of Rampage School Shootings, 1974-2002
*
*
5
Two case studies: Westside, Arkansas and Heath, Kentucky
Three sociological questions:
What motivates the shooter?
Why was the school unable to see the catastrophe coming?
Why was the community in the dark?
12
Westside Middle School
6th and 7th grades 250 students Middle Class, Christian and white No background violence Excellent reputation 1/3 of students qualify for free lunch
13
March 24, 1998
Johnson steals family car Johnson and Golden steal guns Firing position on hillside Andrew pulls fire alarm Students and teachers file out Shooters kill 5 and wound 10 Police arrest Andrew and Mitchell
15
Mitchell Johnson
Father verbally abusive Sexually assaulted Tense divorce Frequent moves, but Jonesboro was positive Good student (As and Bs) Model child, swaggering bully
16
Andrew Golden
11 years old, 6th grade “Solid Family” “Golden Child” Avid hunters and gun enthusiasts Average to good student (As and Bs) No real disciplinary history Unnoticed at school; menace in the ‘hood
17
Heath, Kentucky
Rural and west of Paducah, KY Farming economy gives way to services Rural working class old timers New professionals and managers Small and “tightly knit” Economically diverse, racially homogenous Bible Belt
23
Heath High School
Center of small town life
60% college bound No major discipline
issues No violence prevention
in place
24
The Shooting: Dec 1, 1997
Shooter: Michael Carneal Locale: prayer group in school lobby Eight shots, eight victims Shooter drops gun and surrenders to principal
26
Michael Carneal
Age 14, freshman Stable family Jokester; prankster High IQ Minor Discipline
Problems Schitzotypal
personality disorder
28
Background eventsMitchellPast events-- Molestation
Proximate events-- Left stranded in Chicago-- Sex-talk phone calls-- Father threatens to take him from his
mother-- Kicked off basketball team-- Dumped by girlfriend
Andrew-- No evidence of precipitating
events-- Threatens suicide or to harm
others
29
Mystery #1: What motivates the shooters?
Failing at manhood Frictional marginality Magnification of slights Problem solving
Reputational reversal Escalating commitments
31
Mystery #2: Why Schools are in the Dark
Structural secrecy
The Clean Slate The Perils of Confidentiality
Mixed Signals The Jekyll-and-Hyde problem Information Fragmentation
The liabilities of loosely coupled systems Squeaky wheels
Why kids don’t tell
32
Mystery #3: Why the community did not see this coming…
Residential stability Inter-generational closure High levels of social capital Gossip and reputation Below the radar
33
The Underbelly of Social Capital:Why Terrible Things Happen in ‘Perfect’ Places
Consequences: Concealment games False confidence in surveillance systems Misinterpreting signals Conflict avoidance & information restriction
Blame the messenger
34
Conclusions
-- Why the sociological perspective matters
-- Adolescent problem solving
-- Organizational deviance
-- Liabilities of social capital
-- Necessary, but not sufficient conditions
-- Prediction impossible
-- Tipping the odds via interdiction