Already have an account? Sign in

Sign Up

Sign up for our FREE newsletter today and have the latest stories from the Evanston RoundTable delivered directly to your inbox.

OR

By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

Thank you for registering!

An account was already registered with this email.
Please check your inbox for an authentication link.

Become a member today!

For over 20 years, the Evanston RoundTable has met the needs of our city through its award-winning journalism. Help us build a sustainable nonprofit source of trustworthy journalism for our community - become a member today!

$
$
$

Your contribution is appreciated.

Sign up for our free newsletter and have the latest stories from the Evanston RoundTable delivered directly to your inbox.

  • Sign In
  • CITY NEWS
  • SCHOOLS
  • ART & LIFE
  • PUBLIC SQUARE
  • SPORTS
  • BUSINESS
  • CALENDAR
  • PHOTOS
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • DONATE NOW!
  • About us
  • Advisory Committee
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Join the RoundTable team
  • Evanston History
  • Reparations
  • Evanston Rules
  • Read us on your mobile device
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • RSS
Skip to content
Evanston RoundTable

Evanston RoundTable

Evanston's community newspaper since 1998

Sign In
Posted inCity News

Message from the mayor on ETHS lockdown

by Submitted December 17th, 2021December 17th, 2021

Share this:

Sign up for our free newsletter to have Evanston news delivered directly to your inbox every weekday!


Greetings,

Yesterday morning, Evanston Township High School (ETHS) was placed on lockdown for several hours after the Evanston Police Department recovered two loaded handguns and cannabis from a group of students. All those believed to be involved were detained by police, no shots were fired, and there were no injuries. The Evanston Police Department provided more details about this incident at a press conference yesterday afternoon, which you can find on the City’s website. Their investigation into this incident is ongoing.

I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the Evanston Police Department for their swift, professional, and thorough work that ensured the safety of ETHS students, faculty, and staff. We all benefit from their skill and dedication.

Also, let me acknowledge that the last several weeks have left many in our community feeling deeply unsettled. Yesterday’s event came on the heels of a series of troubling social media postings related to District 65 schools, as well as, of course, the tragic shooting of November 28.

This is all part of a nationwide trend of increasing gun violence. The very fact of its broad scope means that this situation resists simple, politically convenient explanations. It’s a national problem that requires national AND local solutions.

But while none of this is simple, a few important facts are, to my way of thinking, clear. First of all, we simply cannot expect a society with as many readily available guns as ours to avoid horrific episodes of violence. It’s not realistic, and it won’t happen — so we have to reverse the proliferation of guns in our community.

Additionally, the pandemic has taken a deep toll on our mental health and on our ability to treat one another with kindness, dignity, and respect. People are hurting in a way that pre-2020 life didn’t really prepare them for, and we’ve all been experiencing this horror in varying degrees of isolation, which has left us out of practice at interacting with others. As a result, at least in my experience, we’re seeing more meanness, cruelty, and intolerance.

Finally, social media makes all of this stuff worse. It allows ugly rumors and misinformation to spread far more quickly than clarifications and corrections. It gives people a way to interact without the in-person social cues and norms that help us restrain our worst selves. It enables feuds to continually escalate, even when people are physically separate, so that cooling-off time is basically a thing of the past.

A world of quarantine and physical isolation layered on top of heavy social media usage is perfectly designed to make us less mentally healthy, angrier, and, at least potentially, more violent.

I’m sure you can tell that I’m personally very worried about these trends. I understand that this message doesn’t follow the usual elected official template of “here’s the problem and now here’s the solution.” There are certainly very important things that the City can do, and I’m committed to maintaining a relentless focus on them, including at our special City Council meeting this coming Monday evening to address violence prevention strategies.

But there are also things that each of us can do that will make an enormous difference. Be kind to those around you, even when it doesn’t feel easy, or warranted — or even possible. Give others grace as they navigate these troubled times. Model peaceful behavior. Most of all, lift up those who are hurting and show them love. Show them they are valued and wanted.

Our community’s generosity and altruism never cease to amaze me. And in this painful moment, I am certain that those are the qualities that will build the world we need. I pledge to do my best to live up to this credo, and I know and deeply appreciate that you’re doing the same.

Wishing you safety, health, and peace,

Daniel

Daniel Biss
Mayor, City of Evanston
dbiss@cityofevanston.org

Become a member of the Roundtable!

Did you know that the Evanston RoundTable is a nonprofit newsroom? Become a member today to support community journalism!

$
$
$

Your contribution is tax-deductible. We appreciate your support!

Latest News

  • Update: CTA lines back after power loss and evacuation on Yellow Line – cause unknown January 27th, 2023
  • Latest news from Evanston: Your Friday daily digest January 27th, 2023
  • Born into Evanston basketball, Zuri Ransom is now a star of it January 26th, 2023
  • Rats, safety dominate Eighth Ward community meeting January 26th, 2023
  • The story behind Evanston’s ‘Stitch’ January 26th, 2023

Trending

  • Rent hikes displacing tenants in city's southeast section
  • Metal detectors, academic gaps, teacher morale: Q&A with ETHS Superintendent Marcus Campbell
  • Police: After armed altercation, second incident on Crawford was case of mistaken identity
  • The story behind Evanston's 'Stitch'
  • Born into Evanston basketball, Zuri Ransom is now a star of it
  • Evanston police get major pay boost under new contracts 
  • Second ward weighs Ryan Field and redistricting
  • D65 plans community meetings for Fifth Ward school project
  • Harley Clarke mansion lease ‘built on quicksand’
  • Understanding Evanston's achievement gap: Study finds money-mind connection
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Home
  • City News
  • Schools
  • Art & Life
  • Public Square
  • Sports
  • Community Calendar
  • Reports & Analyses
  • Obituaries
  • Submit an obituary
  • Podcasts and video
  • Reparations
  • Evanston History
  • Our mission
  • About us
  • Board of Directors
  • Advisory Committee
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Become a member
  • Get the newsletter
  • Read us on your mobile device
  • Submit a letter to the editor
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • Evanston RoundTable privacy notice

The Evanston RoundTable is the community’s leading source of news about local government, schools, civic and artistic activities, and other important issues facing our city. We seek to foster civic engagement and empower people to address complex issues facing our diverse community, promoting a better understanding and appreciation of people of all races, ethnicities, and income levels.

Evanston Roundtable
1514 Elmwood Avenue
Suite 2
Evanston, Illinois 60201
847.864.7741

© 2023 Evanston RoundTable Media NFP. Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic Evanston RoundTable privacy notice
I don't have an account I already have an account

Sign In

We've recently sent you an authentication link. Please, check your inbox!

Sign in with a password below, or sign in using your email.

Get a code sent to your email to sign in, or sign in using a password.

Enter the code you received via email to sign in, or sign in using a password.

Sign in with your email

Lost your password?

Try a different email

Send another code

Sign in with a password

OR

By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.