Attack near campus leaves Samo concerned with safety

Samo history teacher and water polo coach, Matthew Flanders, was attacked on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 23, on his walk to school from the Civic Center. Without warning, a homeless man ran up from behind him and stabbed him with a wooden weapon. Flanders suffered a few small scratches to his neck, but escaped without serious injury. As the Samo community responds, it is clear that safety around school has grown to an even bigger concern. Following the event, Flanders gave insight on how he approaches safety at Samo, emphasizing the importance of being constantly conscious of one’s security.“Be aware of your surroundings at all times. We are used to living with homeless people in Santa Monica and for the most part they are peaceful people in a bad situation, but sometimes they are violent people with issues. Don’t just assume they are harmless, be aware of who is around you and what they are up to,” Flanders said. This incident makes Samo students and faculty think even more about their safety on and around campus. Security officer, “D,” as Samo students call him, has ideas about the school’s safety precautions. “As a student, always walk with someone else. Get dropped off in a crowd of people. Don’t walk anywhere that is dark. Don’t stay on campus when it’s 6:30 a.m., as only a few staff members are here. It’s common sense and smarts,” D said. Currently, there are no measures taken before school to ensure that homeless individuals are not on campus. D described an instance when he found a homeless person on campus on a weekend when school was not in session. He called law enforcement and they escorted the person off campus. After having experienced a homeless issue on campus firsthand, D feels that it is crucial to be aware of the dangers around students at all times.“There is a homeless shelter right across the freeway and when they’re closed and we are asleep, this is a big campus and you can find a million places [to find shelter],” D said. D believes that there should be officers who come in the morning and sweep the campus. They would make sure the campus is safe before students come to school and if there are any unauthorized persons present, the guards would ask them to leave.After Flanders’ recent attack, the Samo administration has decided it is important to consider taking additional precautions to protect the staff and student body. Principal Antonio Shelton believes that safety should be a number one priority on campus.“We have proposed additional security, and hopefully have secured additional security officers which would then get them for a block of time at 6:30 in the morning for a four hour period, but still, this is a big campus and my recommendation is that all students be dropped off at 7th and Michigan because it’s the most lighted and common area,” Shelton said.As the community moves on from the incident, they should be aware of precautions they should take to stay safe.