Daily Herald opinion: A game with real risks: As graduation approaches, it’s time for parents, kids to talk about Senior Assassin
A student from Jacobs High School in Algonquin got a very personal lesson this week in the risks of playing the participation game known as “Senior Assassin.” The student, who was carrying a water gun manufactured to simulate a semiautomatic rifle, wound up with a visit from police and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. It could have been much worse.
The game, which has become popular nationwide, involves graduating high school seniors and can take many different forms. But a consistent objective is to use a water gun, Nerf gun or other harmless but realistic-looking weapon to sneak up on and “tag” other seniors and eliminate them from the game until only one player remains.
Most schools prohibit playing on school property, but students take it to neighborhoods, parks, businesses and other public locations. As a result, people unaware of the game have become frightened when young people bearing what appear to be real weapons suddenly appear and seem to be preparing to mount some sort of attack.
Police across the country are renewing what have become annual warnings against playing the game, worried about various dangers, including that at some point an alarmed bystander is going to respond with potentially deadly consequences.
Two years ago, that very thing happened. A patron with a concealed weapon responded when a group of masked men brandishing what appeared to be handguns entered a Gurnee restaurant. Tragedy was averted when another patron familiar with the game explained what was going on.
On Tuesday afternoon, Dundee Highlands Elementary School went into a brief lockdown after parents in the school pickup lane called police to report a person wearing all-black clothing and carrying a gun. The apparent target, who was picking up younger siblings, knew it was a game, but many witnesses did not, West Dundee Police Chief Shawn Green said. Police cited the 18-year-old student because of the “significant breach of the peace,” Green said.
Meanwhile, Palatine police were among other suburban departments who issued Facebook warnings this week to students and parents alike.
“We encourage parents to speak with their children about the risks associated with this game,” the post states. “To participating students — while we understand this is viewed as a tradition, your safety and the safety of others must come first.”
The general activities linked to the Senior Assassin game — hiding in bushes, lurking outside homes, appearing to ambush people — can be unnerving in any environment. Considering today’s anxieties about threats to public safety, the tension such behaviors cause is only heightened, and a person trying to discern between a teenager with an Airsoft gun and a potential mass killer may not always make the right choice.
The Palatine Police Department post closes by urging witnesses who see suspicious behavior not to assume it is part of a game and to call 9-1-1 to allow officers to respond. Meanwhile, even before a situation gets to that point, parents should have a serious talk with their children about the risks of “Senior Assassin” and remember, as we said in an editorial following the near-tragedy in Gurnee, “there are no winners when playing puts teens — and bystanders — in harm’s way.”
If things go wrong, they may not always end with a mere “disturbing the peace” charge.