I noticed that aol was having a "Forum" at 19h (Thursday, 29 April 1999) : Live from Littleton, Colorado, Dr. William Pollack will offer his expertise on the subject of his recent book. Dr. Pollack, author of Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons From the Myth of Boyhood, joined The Oprah Show to discuss the "crisis of boys" he believes lies at the root of so much violence from our nation's young men.
While in one of the "chat rooms" associated with this "live" forum, an aol member said they had info on the NEXT shooting! I IMed (Instant Messaged) the individual and here is the transcript (the screen name of the individual IS NOT the real one! The local police DO have the real screen name) :
ME: ok whats the news
THEM: pROMISE YOU WON'T GIVE OUT MY SCREEN NAME TO ATHORITYS
ME: why should I?
THEM: bye
ME: i knew u didnt know anything
ME: check my profile girl
THEM: I only give info to trust worthy people
ME: ok, NOBODY is more trustworthy than me!
THEM: ok the next shooting will be placed in Aroota, Georgia it's about the size of Littleton
ME: I sell beanie babies online-- anybody who does that IS trustworthy
ME: why there?
THEM: Because the girls there crave attention
ME: gawd, girls everywhere crave attention-- so its a bunch of girls this time?
THEM: they are not popular and everyone beats them up watch it though I'm a girl and I don't crave attention
THEM: how old are you
ME: why there and not in any other place
ME: way older than you
[.......]
THEM: I tell them in order ok thats enough info for you now
ME: k, thanks
OK, what do I do now? Tried checking the news links for some contact to the FBI-- did NOT find any. Found an email link to Denver Digital City and Time-Online and sent them an email with this info. Received the following "form" email reply from Time :
Thank you for writing. Your message has been directed to the Time Webmaster for review.
Your message was received at 8:06:51 PM on 4/29/99.
Although the IM could have been from some female simply wanting to receive Instant Messages on a HOT current subject from somebody, anybody, one NEVER really knows what to expect these days-- I prefer to err on the side of reacting than just filing the info away somewhere. I would NEVER be able to forgive myself IF I were to read that a copycat event took place in Georgia and that I had been forewarned somehow and did nothing!! (my intuitive gut feeling is that the female [?] just wanted attention). AND, the Littleton authorities had prior warnings about Harris and his "ideas" many months BEFORE the tragedy and they DID NOTHING!!
I then was chatting with my friend in Minnesota, mother of 3 who was traumatized by the Littleton events, who asked whether I had notified the local authorities-- which I had not. So I decided it might be a good idea and called the Trenton police radio dispatcher at approximately 2:45 am. Gave the info to a female who answered the phone, and she said she had NO IDEA how to handle the situation, so she transferred my call to some male. I spoke with him, suggesting that someone come to my place and I would give them the transcript of the message.
About an hour later an officer did arrive and I gave him the printout of the IM with some details. He seemed generally interested and helpful, BUT mentioned that:
1) the Internet is weird or something to that effect, and that
2) they are NOT really set-up to handle this sort of information-- to which I replied that they could at least send the info to the FBI via FAX. They should have this kind of capability-- I certainly do not.
3) IF it were related to Trenton High School, they would have "jurisdiction".
OK, I simply assumed that they would have, somewhere in their administrative infrastructure, links with national entities related with their work, including terrorism and student/school violence related areas-- ESPECIALLY AFTER THE LITTLETON TRAGEDY!! I was only MILDLY surprised that this was NOT the case. I do understand the "jurisdiction" part, BUT, IF this is the scenario nationwide then something should be changed and FAST!!
In light of these new personal observations, the seemingly uncoordinated response of the authorities in Littleton and others at the time of the incident appears a tad more, regrettably, understandable.
YES, I DO AGREE with the officer-- the Internet is NOT what it was years ago-- there is way too much of a really disturbing negative content/nature readily available to ANYONE, minor or not!
It IS a really kewl RESEARCH tool. Yesterday, while I was searching online newspaper resources I remembered my activity as a teenager ( like some 40 years ago!) in this regard. I frequented the main branch of the Philadelphia Library, not far from the Art Museum, and would check out newspaper back issues by way of microfilm. You had to first find the correct microfilm reference, wait to get it, load the roll onto the reader and scroll all over looking for what you wanted, then write down any info that you needed.
The Internet changed all that!! Information is EASIER to find, and you can PRINT it all, almost in an instant! And from what I have been able to discover in the last week, teenagers are far more skilled in such things than I shall ever be!!
The Web seems to have transmutated somehow from a cute docile teddy bear into the many-headed beast of the Apocalypse!
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