Local Students Talk About Impact of bin Laden's Death

Teacher Jason Cook asked local students in the Colours performing arts program what they thought about the death of Osama bin Laden. Here's what they had to say:

What does this mean for America, for you?


"This means somewhat a lot to Americans because we have wanted Osama bin Laden dead for almost a decade. Although he is gone, he still has a big impact on his followers. In my opinion, it is nice that they caught him but this will not stop the possible threats and attacks that al-Qaida could do to us for killing their founder. Even though this is the end of the hunt, this could be a possible beginning to another attack and/or war."
-- Casi, sophomore at Northwestern High School.

"I was only four years old when the 9/11 attacks happened. I don't really remember what happened but my parents have told me about it. When my mom told me what happened I felt very sad for the people that died in the attacks. I think that it was good that we killed because he killed so many people he deserved what he got."

--Jaime, eighth-grader at Hyattsville Middle School.

"Bin Laden being killed means there will most likely be more terrorists attacks on the U.S. This frightens me because I live close to Washington, D.C., which I feel is the most likely place that terrorists will attack. I also feel that bin Laden needed to be stopped and we accomplished that. Now we have to be more cautious at all times."

--Steven, junior at Northwestern High School.


"I think the death of Osama is going to bring greater problems to America. There are many still loyal to Osama out there and because of their loyalty they might be planning an attack right now. Instead of killing him, the Commander-In-Chief should have left him to suffer in his bat cave and die of old age."

-- Alex, sophomore at Northwestern High School.

Michelle, sophomore at Parkdale High School, was asked several questions about bin Laden's death and its impact on America. Here's what she had to say:

What do you think of bin Laden being killed?

"Bin Laden being killed is both a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because he was a terrorist and a threat to American society. Him being dead gives some type of closure and peace of mind to the people whose family members died on 9/11. But on the other hand, his death is kind of the beginning of another war because now, if the government doesn’t find the rest of the members of al-Qaida in time, they will try to get revenge on the U.S. and that puts a lot of innocent people in danger."

How old were you when 911 happened?

"I was six years old when 9/11 happened."

How does this feel, having only known bin Laden as a terrorist all your life?

"Honestly, I didn’t know that much about him other than the fact that he was the one in charge of what happened on 9/11 and that he went into hiding and the U.S. has been looking for him for almost 10 years. But other than that I never gave much thought about him or al-Qaida or any other terrorist threats."

What does this mean for America, for you?

"This means that troops can come back from Iraq. It means that justice is served and people can have peace of mind knowing the man responsible for their family’s unhappiness/grief is finally taken down and no longer a threat. It also means that the government and the national security along with central intelligence should be on its toes and looking out more carefully for any threats from al-Qaida because eventually they will be looking for revenge/vengeance in “respect” for their “great” leader."

Editor's Note: Because those being interviewed are children, some under age 16, Patch withheld their last names.

Special thanks to Northwestern English teacher Jason Cook for his help with this article.