Our View: City shouldn't be paranoid

This is how the terrorists win.

Last week, a man walking his dog near Green River High School prompted the school district to initiate lockout procedures at every school in Green River, except Washington Elementary School. Our fear and paranoia stemming from the supposed threat of a mass shooting has caused us to be suspicious of everything. A man simply walking his little dog around the high school becomes a nefarious villain aiming to shoot students when looked through the lens of paranoid fear.

Social media, admittedly the fastest way to spread information, has also been shown as the quickest way to spread misinformation, as rumors of a man with a rifle on school grounds spread like digital wildfire. Concerned parents started calling or texting anyone they knew who might have more information, including those of us working at this newspaper and only fueled speculation and parental concern.

With recent shootings in Colorado and California, it’s natural to be on edge about those kind of incidents. While we certainly encourage residents to be vigilant in regards to what they think could be suspicious behavior, a line is crossed when our fear and paranoia result in calling the police on a man simply walking his dog near a school.

A community is defined in a number of ways, but it’s safe to say that a place where basic actions are looked upon with suspicion isn’t a community.

It’s easy to get swept up in the paranoia that comes after a mass shooting. The 24-hour cable news cycle doesn’t drop the story and examine every small detail of the people injured and killed, as well as some of the most intimate details of those committing these heinous crimes. Viewers are even taken on tours of the shooters’ apartment once the scene is cleared as a crime scene.

Discussion about the shootings and the “what I would do if it happened here” chat can be heard almost anywhere. In short, it’s a hard topic to get away from.

We can only hope the fear associated with mass shootings will subside. We’re sure it will at some point. However, Green River is a safe place to work and live and to forget that only serves to hurt the character of our community.

We should be vigilant for anything that looks out of place, but responsible enough to not jump the gun and fear the worst.