Emily Benack’s Reviews > Anger Is a Gift > Status Update

And now when the kids tried to stage a peaceful walk-out, the police fired on them with non lethal chemical weapons. Wtf? I thought this was supposed to be realistic fiction, but I don’t believe this could happen.

Update: there are more police manning the machines now, and they are PATTING STUDENTS DOWN. Also, they’re all men, so the female students can’t ask for an officer of the same sex to perform the search. And it happens in front of all the other students. Oh, look, now everyone’s phones aren’t working, which I bet they did somehow.

The metal detectors are VERY different from Evolv machines, which, I've remembered, aren't metal detectors, though they perform a similar function. The students had to empty thier pockets, send their backpacks around (doesn't that defeat the purpose?), the machines are manned by police, and there was only ONE (we've got four over three different doors), leading to some students being 40 minutes late to homeroom.

The principal announced new policies at the school, including all medicine needs to be left with the nurse, a new phone policy, and metal detectors. The students were particularly upset about the last one, saying they’re being treated like prisoners. And I’m just sitting here, like, we do ALL this at my school. The last two are newer, but TBH I was SHOCKED the kids were allowed to have medicine in their lockers.