Perea pre-school is in an underserved area. It’s children aren’t just facing poverty but also gunfire.
Perea’s principal and teachers have been caught in the middle of the gunfire. Alicia Norman, the pre-school’s principal explained, “your name doesn’t matter, nothing matters when these bullets go. They have to land somewhere.”
It’s a simple message: Don’t shoot, stray bullets kill.
Dr. G. Scott Morris of the Church Health Center says the sign hung on the fence at perea pre-school for only a week before it was torn down: “It breaks my heart to hear it, but literally the backyard of our school, there’s a community center that has seen lots of trouble…they run out of the community center, and they start running toward the school shooting. unfortunately, the school over the last year has been on lockdown four times as a result.”
Luckily, the bullets haven’t struck any of the staff or the students. However, parent Britney Calico says its too close for comfort: “I was scared, then i was nervous. Then it was tons of emotions like going on inside of me.”
She says there needs to be more security: “I would love to see a presence. I mean even if it’s just you know just two officers or three officers, something to show that they’re standing behind perea. they’re standing behind the parents and the kids. I mean we’re talking about precious babies.”
Principal Norman says Memphis Police have placed a blue crush light that includes a camera near the school property.
