Powerful school violence prevention campaign features Saugus High School shooting survivor
Los Angeles County unveiled a powerful new campaign hoping it will prevent school shootings and school violence. The PSA features Saugus High School shooting survivor Mia Tretta.
In 2019, a gunman shot Tretta shot in the stomach. She was with her best friend Dominic Blackwell when the gunfire started.
"My friend Dominic was killed in a school shooting," Tretta said in the PSA. "Even though he's gone, I still feel like he's right by my side. Now, I stand up for both of us — for all of us — because we deserve the right to feel safe at school. We have the power to stop school violence before it happens."
After the fatal shooting, which killed two students and wounded three, Tretta became a vocal anti-gun violence activist, pushing for programs such as the county's new School Threat Assessment Response Team.
In the program, dubbed START, mental health professionals will work hand-in-hand with schools and law enforcement to address potential school violence.
Created by the L.A. County Department of Mental Health and the Board of Supervisors, the program encourages students to contact authorities when they witness concerning or threatening behavior exhibited by a fellow student.
"If one of our students witnesses something that doesn't feel right, they need to know there is someone they can call who can step in and help," said Supervisor Janice Hahn. "We are blanketing social media with these ads so we can reach as many LA County students as possible with this information."
Hahn and DMH director Lisa Wong debuted the program at El Rancho Center with the tagline "If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't."
"The START Campaign hopes (to) help students recognize that when something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't," Wong said "This campaign empowers students to make a difference in their lives, and the lives of fellow students who may be on a path to violence, but could benefit from services and intervention."