Southern, A Tragedy: Am I Really Safe?

I woke up on the morning of January 28 and like every college student, I came to the conclusion of ‘Do I really want to go to class? With a tough decision to tread my shoes on Southern University soil, waltz to class with music blaring in my ear, and a usual grimace on my face, I decided on the latter and just go to class. The class was a major catalyst in my curriculum anyway so I might as well make the best of it.
I entered the classroom and etched myself onto a computer to learn and participate in the actual ethics of Media Graphics. When we finally and I mean finally came to a conclusion to prepare myself to make a newspaper headline, there came a screeching noise.
An unnatural and ugly screech made by the fire alarm, echoed the building followed by a sudden slam, shutting the corridors and makeshift of students going to their necessary exits. First response was to think, is there an actual fire? Poisonous gas? Someone finally popped off a blunt in the building? With questions oozing into my head our class, in plum embarrassment, awaits for the authorities.
10 minutes. 15 minutes, I tap my feet on the ground as the alarm still blared in my ears. 20 minutes, 30 minutes as I look at phone and oh wait there was no transponders to our rescue, poor Southern students oh what must we do?
No one came and many students left as the impending alarm rang, rang, and rang. Finally 38 minutes later the EBR Parish Sheriff’s Office truck arrived on the scene and silently turned off the alarm.
There could’ve been a fire or a noxious gas to harm or even kill people within the building, Not only that people would’ve died but, records would’ve dissolved from three major departments, personal belongings, and expensive equipment would’ve been for naught. But oh wait the authorities will be here to save us, we’re just waiting on CP time. It’s ok everybody, most people come late to an event.
The questions remains at the end of the day, are we really safe? Can we trust the people that get paid by the state to protect us? Are we just chattle or S0 numbers to collect necessary funds from? Are we people to uphold and protect?
I thought we were people, I thought we had families, jobs, lives, and something to look forward to.
You know what, even I forget that someone is there to protect us.
If there was an actual fire, could you look the students in the eyes and tell them sorry, we had a malfunction with the fire alarm to call the first transponders so that’s why your lives are in danger?
I know I couldn’t.