School violence hot line saves lives

uploaded by Rhonda J Mangus April 2, 2008 at 08:41 am
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School violence hot line saves lives by Rhonda J Mangus

A national hot line that urges students to call in tips about weapons and school violence has gotten 198 calls about possible dangers in North Jersey since starting five years ago.

In January, a caller told the "Speak Up" hot line that a student had threatened to seek revenge on peers.

Last November, a tipster claimed a first-grader had a gun in his backpack.

And last May, someone reported that a high schooler had sent a text message warning, "If you think Virginia Tech was bad, wait until senior prom."

In each case, the hot line alerted police and schools about the anonymous tips.

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective.And, in a very interesting twist to this story........the founder of the hotline, Matthew Gross, is trying to rebuild his life after a stranger's gunshot left him with a serious brain injury.

You might well remember Gross, who was visiting the top deck of the Empire State Building on Feb. 23, 1997, when an armed Palestinian furious at America went on a rampage, wounding Gross and five other people and killing Gross' friend, Chris. The shooter, Ali Abu Kamal, turned his gun on himself and died that night at the same hospital where Gross lingered in a coma for five days. Doctors were astonished Gross pulled through.

Stumbling blocks become stepping stones.