A New Initiative

[x-avier.livejournal.com]

I have seen the discussion of peaceful activism and I am pleased by it. Idealism is never foolish and wanting to change the world for the better is always welcomed in these halls.

To that end, I would like to announce a new subsidiary of the American Red Cross, the Red X. This program is a new initiative by the Red Cross in which x-gene-positive mutants will be sent to various disaster areas in order to use the powers granted by their mutations to help with disaster relief.

I've spent the afternoon in talks with the director of this new program, who came to me to ask for funding. I've given that, of course, but I have also offered to supply a team of volunteers from among my students and staff.

Please let me know if you would be interested in participating in such a project.

FYI: Security

[x-pete.livejournal.com]

On the subject of security: Jake and I are working on it. It'd be a lot easier if this wasn't a school, but apparently we're not allowed to chain you all to chairs and shoot anyone caught in the hallways, which was my favourite option.

I mention this so's you all know that yes, something *is* being done. When we get beyond "yeah, that could work" stage, we'll let you know exactly what's going on.

We're also doing our level best to run a risk assessment on the place, and work out who in here is hated to what extent by which bunch of bastards. To which end: if you think there's even a chance that some bunch of shitbags have reason enough to come after you or anyone else in that place, I want you to come see one of us. If we know about it, we can try and help, and it's not like I'm in any position to point and laugh at anyone else's past indiscretions.

So this is the thing.

[x-skin.livejournal.com]

I don't remember ever feeling really safe, back in LA. I must have done, once, I guess, but not since I was too little to remember. Just the way things were, and I got into the gang stuff as a way to try and change that - to get myself what counted as respect, and some kind of security, back there.

Didn't work. Yeah, it made me tough, and safer in some ways, but it just made me "not safe" in a whole different way. And then it all went to hell when I manifested. For those who don't know, my best friends in the world damn near killed me for being a mutant before I got away, and then I hid out on the streets and discovered whole new and exciting areas of unsafeness.

And then Scott brought me here. And I found... what felt like the first really safe place of my life.

I don't feel like I have that anymore.

Maybe I'll get it back. I don't know. I hope so, but I don't know if, or when, I can do that. I just... I wish I'd been told what had happened, however small the chance of it happening again was, before I came here and got ties to this place.

When I offered to teach the kids to defend themselves any way I know how, I was mad as hell and I wanted to make the kids feel safer in some way, 'cause this is the one place where they should, and not all of them do. I never said guns, or weapons of any kind, had to be involved.

I'm not mad at you all anymore - or not as mad, anyway, and I'll get over the rest of it soon enough. I'm scared as all hell, and I still want to help the kids feel safer if I can, but I'm willing to talk it over. If you have reasons why I shouldn't that aren't "we're older than you, so we must know best", I'll listen and change the plans 'til they suit everybody - and if that means scrapping them, fine, as long as something's being done. And I think I can trust you that far - I know you care about this place a whole hell of a lot too.

I just want my safe place back, but I'll settle for "safer", if that's all there is.