An Online Conversation with Lita about Her Perceived Level of Safety at School

[Redactor's Note: Lita Nguyen (not her real last name) attends sixth grade in Fremont, California. She is often online, chatting with friends and family. This interview was conducted in September by White Shoe Correspondent Josh Stott, via AOL Instant Messenger. With minor exceptions, Lita's original spelling and capitalization have been retained.]

LITA: Today at lunch there was dis group hanging out near dis window.

(Pause)

JOSH: Is that the whole story?

LITA: Somebody pushed dis grl name lisa to dis guy name milton than milton pushed dis guy name roman to da window, and da window broke, and roman got lil pieces of glass in his head. Dass wat i heard

JOSH: Ouch.

LITA: My friends and i were in da corner.

JOSH: Did Roman have to get stiches?

LITA: i dunno. We didn't know wat happened cuz we came when we hear da crash.

JOSH: Are there a lot of fights at your school?

LITA: There was a fight like a couple of days ago.

JOSH: Usually boys? Or sometimes girls, too?

LITA: This dude shot Tony in da foot with a bb gun, and Tony pulled a knife on him.

JOSH: Is this the Tony that you like?

LITA: Yea. Da dude wit da gun got expelled.

JOSH: Why was Tony carrying a knife?

LITA: i dunno

JOSH: And why didn't he get expelled, too?

LITA: i think he got away wit it

JOSH: I don't know about this liking guys who carry knives, Lita…

LITA: Well, as long as he dunt pull it out on me

JOSH: Do a lot of boys carry them?

LITA: My friend, sarah, who's in his 4, 5, and 6 period class say dat he acts hella mean in class, but he's hellllllla nice in science or whenever i see him. i dunno.

JOSH: I wonder, though, how nice he is, if he's pulling knives on people.

LITA: He didn't use da knife though. He juss took it out and tucked it back in. But dat was a rumor. i heard it from dis dude who sits next to me in wrld hist.

JOSH: You never know...

[full transcript of interview on www.whiteshoe.org.