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1) A student at Grosse Pointe South High School made a verbal threat to shoot up the school, telling a friend "I'm about to shoot up this school." 2) The friend reported the threat to their parents, who notified the Grosse Pointe Farms police. The police investigated and interviewed the student, who initially denied making the threat. 3) The student has been suspended pending and may still face charges. The principal does not believe the student actually posed a serious threat, but took safety precautions.

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TOWER

the

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015

Volume 88
Issue 10
thetowerpulse.net

A WEEKLY TRADITION SINCE 1928

@thetowerpulse

Paris, Beirut terrorist attacks impact

future in regards to national security

Attack on liberty

Gross e Pointe S outh, 11 Gross e Pointe B oule vard, Gross e Pointe Far ms, Michigan 48236

now? Do
you suspect
everybody? Moon
said. Thats just so
unfair to these people who
are fleeing that same violence
that we just witnessed from where
they are coming from.
A former French student of Moons,
Caroline Forster 14, attends the Superior
Institute of Communications & Publicity
(ISCOM) in Paris.
My experience this past weekend was
pretty unreal, Forster said via e-mail. I was
out to dinner with family when we got the first
alerts and calls. In the beginning, we assumed
it was a small attack in a northern neighborhood
and decided to finish our dinner. By dessert, we
were receiving more updates and realized the seriousness of the events.
Because the shootings and bombs were in northern districts, called arrondissements, Forster was
geographically removed from the terrorist attacks,
she said. Upon arriving safely home to her Western
neighborhood of Levallois, she marked herself safe on
her Facebook page, and spent the majority of Friday
night and early Saturday morning watching the
news.
Going into the city for class on Monday made
Forster nervous, she said.
Arriving at school, in the center of the
city, we had a moment of silence for the
lives that were taken, Forster said.
This instant was extremely moving
and emotional; my eyes were wet
with tears as I realized how
lucky I was to be surrounded
by classmates and friends
during this difficult
time.
See ATTACK
ON LIBERTY
on page 8.

Following
a double suicide
bombing in southern
Beirut that killed at least
43 people on Nov. 12 and a
series of attacks in Paris that
killed at least 129 people on Nov.
13, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder halted
the Syrian refugee effort in Michigan on
Sunday, Nov. 15, according to a statement
released by the governors office.
Both terrorist attacks were perpetrated by
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),
according to The New York Times. ISILs forces are concentrated in Iraq and Syria, and the
violence of civil war and extremist terrorism has
prompted the migration of an estimated 9 million
refugees, according to syrianrefugees.eu.
For French teacher Amanda Moon, news of the
Parisian attack elicited shock, surprise and sadness,
she said. With family, friends and students in France,
Moon said she is grateful no one she personally
knows was involved in the terrorist attacks, although
she remains concerned for their welfare, especially
in the case of her adoptive, half-Muslim family
living south of Paris.
I think about them and how acts like this
reflects on them--they are such good people, Moon said. Im sad for them, too,
because what does this mean for their
population and for their refugees
that are coming from Syria that are
in real danger and need to flee?
Moon said she is concerned that Europe, a
destination of hope for
refugees, will increasingly refuse
Syrians.
What
do you
do

LAUREN PANKIN 16 //
Supervising Editor

Threat to school safety last week leads to police intervention

I am pleased to see the emphasis placed on safety at all

levels of administration, Huebner said.
Hamka said he didnt believe the student posed a serious threat to South.
Based on the information I have from our internal
investigation as well as the collaboration with the Farms
Police Department, I do not believe that there was ever an
imminent threat to the safety and well-being of any of our
students or staff here on campus, Hamka said.
South isnt the only school that has received violence
threats on this level. The FBI concluded that K-12 schools
are the second most likely areas for public shootings, with
142 school shootings since the Sandy Hook Shooting in
2012 as of June 2015.
Grosse Pointe Farms police declined to comment, although they did grant interviews to The Grosse Pointe
News. The city attorney denied The Towers request for a
police report and Chief Daniel Jensen the report being released to The Grosse Pointe News was an error.
Assistant Principal Steven Wolf who was part of the investigation declined to comment.
I think this is a great lesson for students, Hamka said.
Often times, students dont realize the power of the words
that they choose. The words you say matter, and have a
real and significant impact on the people around you. Its
important ... that you should probably never joke about
certain subjects.

THIS WEEK AT SOUTH

nov.

The first show for Its

Murder in the Wings
takes place this
Thursday.
<see page 6>

This Friday is the last

day to donate to
the coat drive. Bring
gently-used coats to
Cleminson Hall.

nov.

HANNAH CONNORS 16 & RILEY LYNCH 18// Copy pended and will not be returning to the Grosse Pointe
Public School System, Hamka said.
Editor & Pulse Section Editor
As always, the police in cooperation with the school
rosse Pointe Farms police were notified of
responded
promptly to both manage the student as well as
a students verbal threat to Souths safety on
ensure
the
safety of our school community, Hamka said
Thursday, Nov. 5.
in
an
email
sent to parents Monday Nov. 9. Please unThe student initially made the threat on
derstand
that
since this threat was received by the police
Wednesday, Oct. 28 in passing time between classes, PrinThursday
night,
the student was at no point in classes at
cipal Moussa Hamka said. The student said to a friend,
South
and
was
in
fact under police supervision or obserIm about to shoot up this school.
vation
at
all
times.

The following week, the friend who heard the threat

The student was arrested on Nov.
told another student. This student in9,
held
for 48 hours and then released,
formed their parents about the threat,
I
am
pleased
to
see
although
the case is open and the stuwho reported it to the police the evening
dent
could
potentially still face charges,
of Thursday Nov. 5. Hamka was immedithe emphasis placed
Hamka
said.
ately made aware of this, he said.
on safety at all levels of
Mary Petz 17, who has attended
(I and the Farms police) discussed
administration
school
with the student for multiple
the student, and I reviewed the students
years,
said
she was mostly unaware of
disciplinary history, Hamka said. We
LAURA HUEBNER
the
situation
until it came up between
also talked about the student who reportMOTHERS CLUB PRESIDENT
other
students
in conversation. She
ed it, whether they have a history of false
believes
the
situation
has been put out
reports or any concerns with them.
of
proportion
in
relation
to
what
she
heard
happened.
The police knocked on the students door at 11 p.m.
I
didnt
really
put
much
thought
into
it because the
that evening. Initially, the student denied ever making the
school
had
handled
it
way
before
we
even
were
told about
threat, Hamka said.
it,
and
it
didnt
really
seem
that
serious,

Petz
said.
However, I advised (the police) that I did not want the
Mothers Club President Laura Huebner said that while
student attending school the next day, and that we would
she
doesnt know everything about the threat, she is glad
contact the family with next steps, Hamka said.
safety
is being emphasized at South.
The student who issued the threat has since been sus-