And Still We Rise [#1]

Brutality. That word takes on an extreme form in the schools of Crenshaw. Escalating from mere verbal fights into relentless gunning down of innocent lives, it becomes clear to us that their school is far more in the dangerous end than Mililani High. Imagine having to include a metal detector check in your daily routine. It's a normal part of a student's daily life in Crenshaw High. We take safety for granted. Extreme violence is a rare occurrence in Mililani High School. But in Crenshaw, it seems that every single day that the students live to see means another day of fearing for their lives... if they could live to see yet again another sunrise. It's a hell on earth for these students. There's no purgatory, and the only glimpse of heaven they see is in their sleep. Sanctuary, when found, is not to be taken for granted.

"I've written a lot about gangbangers, the kind of boys that were in the van that night..." (p. 2) uttered the TV reporter, and by this statement you can already perceive that Crenshaw High School has way more sinister students than those typically in Mililani High School. Apparently, visions of sheer brutality are an everyday experience and fights are the least they worry about. The students at Crenshaw fear for their lives everyday, an obstacle that us Mililani Students will never face. They also deal with a handful of troubles that are so depressing and upsetting for me to read. For example, Olivia gets beaten numerous times by her mother. Her own flesh and blood, yet she is still punished without justice. Like many of her peers, she is challenged by a surreal amount of violence in the community, yet they are still able to retain their need for education and know that the fate they gain in their schools is the one thing that gives them a chance to escape the nightmare that seems that there's no waking from.

Mililani High School students are priveleged. Whether they acknowledge it or not, our students are luckier than the students at Crenshaw. We take safety for granted, and in reality we really have nothing to fear when we attend school. There is no threat demanding enough for us to fear for our lives. We get the occasional fights, but has there really been an incident in MHS during the recent years in which we, as students, felt that our lives were at stake? The answer is no. However, at Crenshaw, their lives, though very valuable, will always be put to the test every single day. Gambled, as if they were players in a win or lose card game. We will never experience the horrors that Crenshaw students face, and that's something that we should value and be grateful for.

In conclusion, the difference between Crenshaw High and Mililani High is immense. While Crenshaw proves to be a dangerous school, Mililani High seems almost like a sanctuary in comparison.