In this video, four male juveniles are arrested after school in what appeared to be an unrelated event. Also see our video gallery for more videos of the events at Gilroy High School.
About a dozen police armed with pepper spray and sandbag shotguns patrolled Gilroy High School again Monday as students went without breaks thanks to a gang-related quarrel Friday that sparked a massive food fight involving hundreds of teenagers.
“It felt like we were in some school from east L.A.,” sophomore Matt Gallion said after school Monday as California Highway Patrol and Sheriff’s vehicles cruised past the campus. “It was kind of scary.”
Students will go without their brunch again today, Principal James Maxwell said.
Friday morning, police arrested two suspected gang members for fighting after one of the juveniles threw oatmeal at the other. Although five officers remained on campus for lunch Friday, another fight broke out then, leading to the arrests of five more juveniles for fighting and interfering with police officers, but hundreds of students who showered the school’s courtyard with apples and milk escaped punishment. Officers did not make any new arrests throughout the weekend, according to Sgt. Jim Gillio.
However, the school had suspended upwards of 35 kids as of Monday, mostly for defying administrators by cheering on the incident, standing on tables, throwing food and not reporting to class – each one of which entails a one- to three-day suspension. Maxwell blamed Friday’s borderline riot on the food-throwers, who escalated an otherwise brief and isolated fight into what one police officer described as a schoolwide “melee.” A few students received five-day suspensions for fighting, and if it was their second fighting offense, they face expulsion, Maxwell said.
The principal also said he hopes today’s “Character Counts” assembly will knock some sense into students, whom he said the school district was trying to protect, not punish. Dozens of students vented their frustration about the fights on The Gilroy Dispatch’s Web site, with a handful calling for student committees to counter gang activity and violence.
Both Maxwell and police lauded school administrators for rapidly responding to Friday’s mayhem, but Maxwell – who said he personally responded to a dozen of about 60 parent inquiries since Friday – conceded that the high school should have notified parents of Friday’s early, staggered dismissal that officials organized to prevent further commotion. Many frantic parents called The Dispatch Friday to bemoan poor communication from school officials.
“That was a mistake,” Maxwell said. “Parents were very justified in being angry with that.”
Exigent circumstances call for quick thinking, though, and Maxwell said he was proud Friday’s release occurred without problems. So did Monday’s, despite rumors Maxwell heard over the weekend that there would be more fights and even a drive-by shooting after school.
“We heard rumors of problems happening after school, and we have to react to those rumors as if they’re true,” Maxwell said.
There was a gang-related shooting without injury at a mostly vacant La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant Saturday night, but police did not say if it was fallout from the school scuffles.
As for state reveiwers from the California School Recognition Program who were touring the school Friday, Maxwell said they were impressed with his team’s handling of Friday’s chaos and he expected the school would still receive an award for its distinguished academic performance.
“That committee is made up of folks who are all from the school system, and they were actually impressed with our handling of the situation,” Maxwell said. “They led us to believe they’d recommend (Gilroy High School) for the award.”
Today school officials will continue to work with police to see if officers are needed on campus, but Maxwell said he expected Officer Cherie Somavia, the school’s resource officer, to suffice.
“We may have more police on campus (Tuesday), but based on what I saw today, I think this is over,” Maxwell said.
While most students seemed to laugh off the whole experience, some complained that police officers were too forceful in breaking up the chaos Friday, pushing handcuffed students down and such, but Sgt. John Sheedy said that nobody sustained serious injuries and that officers reacted appropriately and did not use electronic stun guns on any students, despite rumors. Strewn milk, chunks of fruit, wrappers and other remnants of lunch littered the outdoor courtyard after the fight Friday.
GHS ‘Character Counts’ Assembly
What: A townhall-type meeting held with each grade to discuss character, its importance and how to achieve it
When: 10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Where: Main gym, Gilroy High School, 750 W. 10th St.
Who: GHS officials, police, parents and members of the public are welcome
