Factors in fights

It doesn’t take long after a fight breaks out for videos of it to be shared.

For years, fighting has been an issue that has plagued LHS, and one that is fueled by a culture that glorifies them. This culture lies in the entertainment value students find in both from watching them from the halls and circulating videos around the students body.

Security guard Danny Boone-Salazar often has to break up fights and is familiar with the student culture around them. When faced with fights, he notes that many students stop to film rather than intervene or contact teachers.

“Nobody wants to help anybody,” Boone-Salazar said. “Somebody could be getting hurt, and all they want to do is pull out their phone and record. That’s really concerning, especially the part where you don’t want to stop and help out another human that needs your help.”

When fights are filmed, it can have a direct impact on the severity of the violence itself.

“Once you know that you’re in the limelight, you’re going to do a little bit more,” he said.

Many problems this year, he said, seem to lie with underclassmen, who are less familiar with the school.

“For the most part our seniors do set a pretty good example,” he said. “The underclassmen just need to open their eyes and see what everybody else is doing.”

He called on students empathize with their peers.

“A lot of people want to see fights,” he said, “but at the end of the day nobody actually wants to be the fighter.”