Should Canada Accept Trudeau’s Apology?

by with 3 Comments CultureFeaturedInternational

Blackface, brownface, any face other than your own is wildly offensive. Maybe we can take solace in the fact that nobody is doing it today (at least we hope not), and every time it comes up it’s an old photo or from someone’s high school yearbook. But, when you consider the photo or yearbook is fairly recent (2001 recent), and not from the early 1900s, you still have to pause. Most of these images appear to be at parties where, of course, none of the Black or Brown people being portrayed are present.

The most recent brownfacer is Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who decided to do it at a party at a private school… where he was teaching. Yeah. At the time, Trudeau was 29-years-old, not necessarily the high school kid in the Deep South who claimed not to know better. Similar to all who get exposed in this act, he followed the textbook response, whether genuine or not he immediately apologized. He also just began his re-election campaign which makes the timing of such news awful.

If you’re a person of color in Canada, if you’ve supported Trudeau in the past, do you continue to support him? Victims of racism, usually minorities with Black or Brown skin, have grown weary of Black and Brownface, as well as monkeys and other animals and caricatures used to mock them. Images often from the 21st century. Excusing such behavior, especially from adults like Trudeau, is unacceptable.

Will Trudeau be forced to pay a debt to society, will he be forced to reconcile his past other than a quick apology? Probably not, and therein lies the problem. Rarely are politicians or those in positions of power made to make amends for their racist behavior, and if society and global communities are ever going to improve, that has to change.

Similar Read: Press Play & Focus on the Future

Fantasy Firearms… Could a Black Panthers Movement Save the Nation?

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedGun Debate

Roughly two weeks ago, on August 31st, 2019, another mass shooting took place in the cities of Midland and Odessa Texas. It was the second incident in Texas for the month of August 2019, and at the time of this writing, the week of September 8th, 2019, there have been 289 mass shootings in the United States thus far. For those who wonder what defines a mass shooting… the Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as “a single incident in which four or more people, not including the shooter, are “shot and/or killed” at “the same general time and location.”

289… think about that. We as a nation have experienced MORE mass shootings (289) in the calendar year of 2019 so far than actual days (September 8th is the 251st day of the calendar year).

After each shooting; there are a couple of days of “gun control” “banning assault weapons” “mental health issues” blah blah… then a few days later back to whatever we were talking about before. Right now, the Texas shootings are long gone from the headlines, and now it’s back to Antonio Brown’s NFL saga, Hurricane Dorian (the Hurricane Trump thought it was heading for Alabama), and fantasy football… which is fitting… because it’s a fantasy for anyone who truly cares about gun violence in this nation to think anything will actually change.

So, what could cause a reaction from policymakers so dreadful they would immediately apply true prudent measures to gun ownership? 

To paraphrase comedian Dave Chappelle on his on Netflix special Sticks & Stones… there’s only one way to change gun laws and it’s for Black and Brown people to sign up in mass for gun licenses and ownership.

Let me explain via US history with two incidents in the 1960s…

August 1965 – Los Angeles

“Watts Riot” – Took place from August 11th to 16th, due to a police brutality incident against a pregnant woman. Immediately afterwards, the Los Angeles Police Department created “SWAT” or “Special Weapons and Tactics” designed to handle urban unrest, rioting, or widespread violence. In other words, a military level response to unruly and armed Black people.

1967 – California

The Mulford Act was enacted to repeal a California law that allowed the public carrying of loaded firearms. The bill was introduced by Republican Don Mulford, from Oakland, who wrote the bill as a response to seeing armed Black Panther members conducting patrols in Oakland.

The aforementioned acts in California would be duplicated on many municipal, state, and federal levels. The common trend… a response to armed and angry Black people.

So, what does that mean?

It means that if the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook, in which dozens of White kids were killed, didn’t cause anyone to blink an eye about our gun violence issues… then nothing else would… except the usual US history protection of White fear against a perceived Black threat. Yes, it was a joke made by Dave Chappelle, but the thought of legally armed Black people, immigrants or Muslims, or all three… OH MY!!! It would be the ultimate reason and motivation, again, to draft laws to vet gun ownership and curb gun production and sales.

Similar Read: MLK: Bankrupt Justice 

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The Bahamas Devestated

by with One Comment FeaturedGlobalhighlight

The Bahamas consists of 700+ islands of which 30 are inhabited with a total population of roughly 400,000 people.

Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, which are a group of islands in the northern Bahamas, were devastated and hit the hardest by Hurricane Dorian, the category 5 hurricane.

“Our weather forecasters told us that if there were a Category 6 ranking, Dorian would qualify.” – CNN Journalist

According to USA Today, Dorian is the slowest and strongest hurricane to ever hit the Bahamas since they began recording hurricanes in 1851. 

The United Nations estimates that 76,000 people are now homeless.

According to Health Minister Duane Sands, the death toll as of Sunday, September 8th, was 44. That number will unfortunately rise as hundreds remain missing on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands. To make matters worse, Dorian has devastated the infrastructure, which has made it increasingly harder for search and recovery crews.

Evacuation efforts have started, but with an estimated 76,000 now homeless, it would take a massive effort to evacuate the majority of those in need. Bahama’s need all the financial support and aid they can get.

The increase of severe and extreme weather is making it harder and harder for islanders to live in the Caribbean. What will be the cost to rebuild… hundreds of millions if not billions? Where will the aid come from? Will northern Bahamas and other islands in the Caribbean be spared next hurricane season, or what about the hurricane season after that?

These are difficult questions that unfortunately need to be answered.

Like I mentioned earlier, the Bahama’s and their citizens need all the financial support and aid they can get.

There are two ways to help…. donate, and then plan to visit. The Bahamas economy, like most of the islands in the Carribean, is centered around tourism, and tourism is now needed more than ever to help them recover. There are a number of islands in the Bahamas that did not feel the wrath of Dorian. These islands include Cat Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Crooked Island and many more.

Need help with donations? Here are a few of the credible organizations that are accepting donations and aid in support of the Bahamas… 

The Bahamian Government set up the Bahamas Disaster Relief Fund, and they are accepting wire transfers.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority has set up the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation. They are accepting donations and supplies.

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency has posted instructions here.

Team Rubicon, a veterans support organization, is assisting with resources and support on the ground.

Mercy Corps is accepting money here coordinating response efforts on the ground.

Good 360 asks that corporations donate goods including water, diapers, bedding, portable chargers and tarps. Individuals can donate cash here.

YachtAid Global is accepting money to purchase supplies.

Global Giving, a global crowdfunding platform, has set up the Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund.

Donate and spread the word… every donation matters. 

Similar Read: Human Extinction (Brought to You by Capitalism)

All Eyes on AB

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

The AB Raiders saga is over. AB arrived in Oakland with a contract guaranteeing him $30 million, and he’s leaving with $0, not even his “signing bonus.” 

You might ask how does this happen, it’s worth another article, but this is reason #1,249 why the NFLPA is the worst union in all of professional sports… (a lack of actual guaranteed monies and contractual language that highly favors the team)

A short AB in Oakland timeline might be helpful…

In July, he was placed on the non-football injury list for a foot injury.

In August, he missed several practices in training camp due to his helmet grievances.

On Wednesday, September 4th, he was fined for missing practices and had a heated confrontation with General Manager Mike Mayock where he allegedly called him a “cracker.” (Ummm, yeah)

Cue Adam Schefter…

AB let sources know that he refused to play in Oakland since his once guaranteed money was no longer guaranteed, and asked for a release the next day…. via Instagram, of course. He also secretly recorded a conversation he had with Head Coach John Gruden, and then released a mini video with audio clips of the coach essentially trying to have a heart-to-heart talk with him where he basically asked him to stop doing this, whatever this is.

So upon his request the Raiders released him, and within hours the New England Patriots signed him to a 1-year deal worth $15 million with $9 million guaranteed. Yeah… despite his tumultuous exit from Pittsburgh, his short and rocky time in Oakland, he’s now a New England Patriot, who were already picked to return to the Super Bowl. With the addition of AB, it’s hard to think they won’t return with all the talent Brady now has on the outside.

Is that fair? Probably not. But what does that say about AB and the NFL?

AB has a lot of issues, clearly… whether he’s selfish, conceited, the money has gone to his head, mental health issues, or maybe he just doesn’t want to play football anymore and loves the attention, who knows, but something is going on. Whatever it is, we know the NFL is still willing to deal with it because at any moment this 5’9-185 lbs wide receiver can change the game in the blink of an eye. Based on his numbers alone, you can make the argument that he’s arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. And maybe that’s why the NFL is the only employer in the world, with the exception of other professional sports leagues, who will put up with such behavior and conduct detrimental to their organization and reputation, just because he gives them a greater chance to win, and win it all.

Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was trending on Twitter over the weekend… people were praising him for essentially controlling AB for all those years and somehow managing a locker room of 53 guys and still finding a way to contend for a championship every year. If that’s true, including many of AB’s former teammate Ryan Clark’s recent comments in which he’s criticized AB’s selfish behavior, then Tomlin probably does deserve some slack and an award or two for holding it together for as long as he did.

Will his antics stop in New England? Probably long enough for him to collect a few big checks. If that’s before or after they hoist the Lombardi trophy for winning Super Bowl LIV (54) in Miami Gardens on February 2, 2020… only AB knows.

Similar Read: Segregated Rosters 

A Center-Right Response to Climate Change

by with 4 Comments FeaturedPolitics

“And I’m like, ‘You try! You do it’,” Ocasio-Cortez exclaimed. “‘Cause you’re not. ‘Cause you’re not. So, until you do it, I’m the boss. How ’bout that?”  – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 

The Freshman Congresswoman laid down the gauntlet to her critics after vocal bipartisan criticism surfaced. The official details of the proposal have been taken down, so it is possible, if not likely, that the key bullet points have changed. Ignoring the more dubious items like cow flatulence and ending airplane traffic that spawned a litany of viral memes, there are opportunities to make meaningful changes to combat climate change that a broad coalition of voters can get behind. To responsibly address climate change, we must address the economic costs and opportunities for working and middle-class citizens to transition and embrace green alternatives via taxes, free market principles and access, and cost-efficient technologies.

In 2010, President Obama attempted to push a carbon tax bill through Congress. At the time, it faced broad opposition due to new taxes and energy costs consumers/taxpayers would be forced to absorb. The idea, in that form, would be traded and sold as a Wall Street commodity, and not something average Americans would benefit from. Taxing carbon emissions disproportionately affects lower-income constituents because, for the most part, they cannot afford most new technologies. Energy-efficient refrigerators and fuel-efficient hybrids are not realistic purchases for people living paycheck-to-paycheck. To make carbon taxes remotely plausible, there needs to be a revenue-neutral offset for sales and income tax rates so that taxpayers are not out additional income. If the tax burden is not revenue neutral, the burden will be indirectly shouldered by the lowest income bracket. But, if income and other tax rates are offset, and taxpayers can potentially come out ahead by taking the initiative, you create the opportunity for meaningful change of habits that benefit our environment. Using the LEED Certifications from the US Green Building Council, we can propose several tax incentives that most taxpayers can readily qualify for that are both green and fiscally responsible.

First, we should provide meaningful tax breaks for property owners based on the energy efficiency of their buildings. When construction jobs are applying for LEED certification, one of the main focal points is the level of energy efficiency. Creating the incentive for homeowners or landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their property through insulation and other materials lowers energy costs and carbon output. These incentives can also apply to renters living in energy efficient complexes.

Second, we should provide tax breaks on the use of local raw materials and hydrologically efficient vegetation. This cuts down on the transportation costs for shipping materials, and it lowers water bills. The reality is most people want to be environmentally-friendly, but the dedication to this cause is directly related to the additional costs associated with this.

The dirty little secret about most environmental policies is the companies and industries that most environmental activists target are strong supporters of most climate change policies. Corporations like Exxon Mobil, Dow Chemical, General Electric, and hundreds more were all sponsors and supporters of the Paris Climate Accord. The biggest misnomer of the entire debate is these corporations are actively opposing these agreements. In most cases, these corporations are equipped for these policy changes, and are more interested in protecting their market share of their industry. This presents an opportunity to remove industrial barriers that prevent startup companies from entering the market place. Our capitalistic system is built on the competition. Removing the barriers of entry into the industries where customers have choices will spur new innovations. There is a market demand for cleaner technologies, and the only way to feed this demand is to remove the bureaucratic red tape that keeps these products from reaching the marketplace.

We live in an era of constant technological breakthroughs: smartphones, drones, video game consoles that function as entertainment hubs. Through universal Wi-fi access and 4G technologies, you can use an app to access, communicate, or purchase anything you want with a simple click of the button. The app’s viability is completely dependent on the convenience and affordability it provides. Leveraging this mentality is the key to making incremental, sustainable progress for combating climate change. Most people, regardless of party affiliation, will choose the greenest alternative if it is cost-competitive. In the last 15 years, we witnessed an explosion of green cost-competitive products, which lead to the average American having a smaller carbon footprint each year. To continue this trend, it is important to free up our markets so that new ideas and new businesses can enter and compete to make the fundamental changes that we need. 

This article was originally published on 1 March 2019.

Similar Read: Human Extinction (Brought to You by Capitalism)

I Can Hardly Remember A Time When Reports of Mass Shootings Weren’t a Regular Occurrence

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedGen Z

The first time I remember being informed of a mass shooting occurring was on December 14th 2012, the day that Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I was twelve years old, sitting in my living room, viewing the news coverage with my mom. I remember crying, and her asking me if I was crying out of fear of something similar happening at my school. My response was, “No, this is all just really sad.”

Seven years later, and I still experience the same feelings of sadness when I hear the news of yet another mass shooting occurring. However, reports of mass shootings have become so frequent that it would be impossible for me to remember how I reacted to the news coverage of each one, which is not okay. Sadly, many people are way past the point of caring and become more and more desensitized after the story breaks. After receiving so many breaking news reports that a mass shooter has opened fire in various locations, some people are able to shrug and move on, which is the kind of complacency that NRA members and the lawmakers they support are counting on. Despite their indifference and inaction, the repetitive loss of life at the hands of mass shooters is not something to be normalized. Active shooter drills are not normal. Students being given bulletproof backpacks as they venture off into high school is not normal. Students fearing that their lives will be cut short if someone were to enter their place of learning with a gun (whether it be an elementary, middle, high school or a college campus) is not normal.

The treating of mass shootings as if they are inevitable is where a majority of my frustration comes from. Lawmakers ignore the issue, offering “thoughts and prayers” and visiting locations in the aftermath of shootings, while refusing to actually do something by utilizing their power to create structural change that could prevent so many of these tragedies. In New Zealand, the Prime Minister worked to prohibit access to semi-automatic weapons weeks after a mass shooting took place. In Australia, 35 people were killed at the hands of a semi-automatic weapon, and twelve days after the shooting, Australia’s Prime Minister announced a number of changes to their gun laws: “High-caliber rifles and shotguns were banned, licensing was tightened, a “buy-back” scheme took some 650,000 guns out of circulation and remaining firearms were registered to national standards.” These are just two examples of leaders swiftly taking action to protect its’ citizens from senseless gun violence. America has done nothing like this. 

In addition to policy changes, an end to mass shootings cannot be brought without addressing two of the often-ignored factors that contribute to it: misogyny and racism. Many women—myself included—fear being gunned down for rejecting men, and way too many women have been. Black Americans get gunned down by police on a regular basis. The Charleston shooting that took place in 2015, the 2018 shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, and the recent shooting in El Paso were all motivated by White Supremacy. (When you include the intersection of marginalized identities, the issue becomes even more dire). Mental illness, rap music, and video games are just a few things that have been used as scapegoats to avoid addressing these factors and doing the work to dismantle the systems that allow them to persist.

While I can hardly remember a time in my life where reports of mass shootings were not a regular occurrence, my hope is that the next generation won’t. While I’ll continue to advocate for comprehensive gun reform, I’d be lying if I said the feeling of hopelessness didn’t affect me. Countless lives have been lost; countless people have been traumatized—so honestly, what else is there to say that hasn’t already been said? What can be done to undo the years of damage that has been done by the normalization to mass shootings in the U.S.? Who else has to die before change comes? 

Similar Read: Bulletproof Backpacks, a 2019 Back-to-School Essential?

The Language of the Soul: The Power of Sports

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

As I watched the kickoff to another college football season, and the ESPN special commemorating 150 years of college football, it occurred to me just how unique and special sports is to our culture and to people in general. While I admit I am diehard football fan who will start my Saturdays at 8 am (CT) with College GameDay and conclude it with the ‘Pac 12 After Dark’ game that ends around 1 am, my experience is not unique in communities and states where college football is king. In places like Alabama and Arkansas, college football is king. For places like New York, St Louis, Chicago, and states in the Northeast, that would be baseball. Regardless of what sports is king in your community, that sport possesses a power that nothing else (or no else) will ever have: the power to transcend and unite their community of fans.

In an era of extreme polarization, never-ending political boycotts, and practices of cultural & demographic contempt, it is exceeding rare to find instances where two people from opposite sides of every hot-button issue dividing their community and the country. Movies, TV sitcoms, political talk shows, and music have become increasingly tangled with tribalistic practices of the day. As media producers and content creators focus their marketing efforts on segments of the population or niche audiences and not the general population, the chance of a pop culture phenomenon that people from different warring tribes will agree to a rhetorical cease-fire has become non-existent. The one remaining opportunity that remains is something that has been part of the cultural antidote to our social ills for over a century: sports.

During the Great Depression, a baseball player sold to the New York Yankees, Babe Ruth, became a household name and inspiration to millions of people in desperate economic and emotional situations. His ballgames served as a momentary distraction for his fans in a way that nothing else was able to. Fast forward 70 years and you will hear two people: Sean Hannity and Keith Olbermann, who loathe each other and aggressively disagree on every issue of the day, tell the same story during the last World Series the Yankees were in, giving each other giant bearhugs in celebration after their Yankees won the World Series. Two men who despise each other and would be glad to use every profanity under the sun had a moment where none of those differences mattered. 

There are moments in sports that its significance exceeds the normal relevancy of the event. Whether it’s Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in 1947, to Texas Western University winning the NCAA basketball championship in 1966 against in all-white Kentucky team, to Tiger Woods winning the 1997 Masters. These events had a foundational impact on Civil Rights and race relations in general, and they all occurred through the prism of sports. Everyone who was alive when one of these moments occurred knows where they were, and what they were doing when it took place. 

These moments go to something much deeper. Sports has the unique ability to speak our community’s soul in a way that transcends our differences. When your team kicks the game-winning field goal, makes the game-winning three, or hit the game-winning home run with you sitting in the stands, do you care what color, gender, sexual orientation, or partisan affiliation of the fan behind you? You’re high-fiving everyone around you while experiencing a level of bonding euphoria that you will remember for the rest of your life. 

Sports can serve as inspiration during times of local or national hardship or tragedy. Whether it’s 2001 World Series weeks after 9/11, the resurgence of the Saints post-Hurricane Katrina, or the US Olympic hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. These memories touched their fan’s souls at a time they need it. For me, that moment was at the A&M-Texas football game in 1999. Known as ‘the Bonfire Game’ for the 12 A&M students who died during the collapse of the bonfire stack during construction, it devastated the university. In a game where that structure was supposed to be set ablaze as a symbol of the burning desire to beat Texas, The Longhorn band played Amazing Grace as a tribute to the fallen students. For eighty-six thousand people in attendance, there was not a single dry eye in the stadium. For that day, and the remainder of the season, a team I had loathed and despised my whole life was no longer my mortal enemy, but my grieving brother. Speeches are nice, fundraisers can help meet the immediate needs of the people in need, but those transcending moments happen in ballgames.

As we look forward to another football season and the pennant races in baseball, we should remember and cherish the opportunities in front of us. At a time when it seems everything is viewed through the prism of being supportive or hostile to President Trump and/or his supporters/critics, we need to embrace the moments where our differences do not matter. These moments, no matter how fleeting, are where bridges can be built, and conversations can begin. I am not saying that it will solve the issues confronting us, but you can’t have a dialogue with anyone if you don’t have a line of communication, and there is no line of communication with better signal than sports. 

Similar Read: Professional Fandom: Donald Trump, Robert Mueller, Sports, and Pop Culture

Corporate Social Justice, by Jay-Z

by with No Comment CultureFeatured

We look up to our heroes… our athletes, entertainers, those who make it out. Society has deemed us only worthy of certain achievements, so when one of us reaches a certain level… it’s hard to admit, personally or publicly, when that person has messed up, or even worse, compromised their values for personal gain.

Obama was the first Black president. And because he was the first, he can do no wrong. I’m sure you’ve heard this argument before… from the loyal Obama supporter who’s willing do dismiss all reasonable logic when it comes to his presidency… just because he was the first.

Jay-Z is viewed by many in a similar light. He’s a billionaire. The first hip-hop artist to ever reach that status. He set the Blueprint, literally, for millions of innercity youth throughout the country. He’s loved and respected for it, and like Obama, for many, he can do no wrong.

But so exists the Obama supporter and the Jay-Z fan who can also call BS when they see it. If you’re a true fan, you’ve earned the right to criticize your heroes when they do unheroic shit. 

So when Jay-Z announced a Roc Nation partnership with the NFL to co-produce their halftime shows moving forward with a social justice campaign caveat attached to it, many people applauded the move, but just as many scratched their head and asked why. It’s a legitimate question, and I think the answer rests with his new corporate partner, the National Football League.

Let’s be honest, the NFL has blackballed Colin Kaepernick. It’s no longer about kneeling, because it if was Eric Reid and Kenny Stills who continue to kneel, wouldn’t have a job. This is about principal, and the NFL owners have decided to not sign him and hold firm to that position. While Kaepernick is not without fault, mainly for choosing to settle his collusion case and for signing a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike, you can make the argument that he did what he was sent to do, which was create a movement worthy of discussion and dialogue.

MLK and Malcolm were assassinated for their convictions. Someone inevitably had to pick up the torch to continue their movements. While Kaep is not a traditional Civil Rights leader, nor do I believe he’s striving to be, he’s still alive and well… it’s hard to justify the advancement of his movement without him being a part of it, especially when you’re set up to get a fat check in the process. For many, that’s common sense, and for others, they’re convinced that Jay-Z has a plan and we should give it time to develop. But you see, that’s not how social justice works.

If we appreciate anything about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and true social justice, it should be The Letter from Birmingham Jail he wrote in 1963 in response to eight white religious leaders of the South who questioned his visit to Birmingham, Alabama. If we just trust King’s intuition and grace in a moment of great contention and perceived controversy in America, we quickly realize that the “wait and see” strategy has never worked for oppressed communities.

“For years now I have heard the word “wait.” It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This “wait” has almost always meant “never.” We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”” – MLK 

So again, why should we wait, continue to wait, and trust that Jay-Z’s social justice campaign will deliver… with not even a blueprint or list of action steps? We shouldn’t.

The NFL wins big with this partnership. They get one of the best entertainers in the world to manage their Super Bowl halftime shows (which frankly have been hit or miss.) And more importantly, this entertainer happens to be Black and perceived to have a lot of leverage within the Black community. What better way to win back the good graces of many of their Black fans than partnering with one of their biggest heroes.

To make things even worse, we find out that Jay has been working on this deal for a year. If this social justice campaign was intended to be impactful, why wouldn’t they at least highlight the objectives of the campaign when they announced the partnership? Are communities of color expected to wait and see what the campaign entails?

Jay chose income over community, personal gain over values, and he’s paying the price for it. A week later and we’re still waiting on any details regarding this social just campaign. We can’t afford to wait… on the NFL, or Jay-Z.

Bulletproof Backpacks, a 2019 Back-to-School Essential?

by with 2 Comments FeaturedGen Z

New anxieties emerge with the return of the school year in the wake of multiple mass shootings. 

I had never seen someone look so brave holding up a broom as a weapon. As all my peers and I hid against the wall, many crying softly, my teacher stood by the door barricaded with desks and held the plastic pole ready for whatever might emerge. No amount of active shooter drills prepares a child – or anyone – for the fear of a lockdown. That was in the sixth grade, and now as a college student, that same experience feels like it could repeat itself at any moment.  

After the mass shooting incidents in El Paso and Ohio, it does not come as much of a surprise that some parents are opting out of purchasing their children Barbie and Star Wars backpacks for bulletproof bags. On Aug. 5 2019, when I received an email from Temple University’s President addressing recent safety concerns, I thought maybe it wasn’t so ridiculous after all. According to CBS Philly, Patrick Buhler, a Bucks County man was arrested and charged with terroristic threats and harassment. Buhler bought several boxes of ammunition, as well as knives and propane bottles from Walmart locations. While he was purchasing five boxes of ammo, he asked a customer about Temple University’s security and its campus police. 

Democratic presidential candidates, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Senator Cory Booker, and Julián Castro have called on Walmart to stop selling guns. The company is one of the leading sellers of guns and ammunition in the country. ABC News reported Walmart is pulling violent displays, but will continue to sell firearms. An internal company memo obtained by the Associated Press instructed Walmart employees to unplug Xbox and PlayStation consoles that show violent video games and shut off hunting videos in the vicinity of where guns are sold. The truth is though, no amount of active shooter drills, bulletproof backpacks, or removal of violent displays will save us from the gun culture that has become normalized in the United States.

According to USA Today, the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio may also prompt the Supreme Court to delay hearing cases that could expand Second Amendment rights. Proponents of gun rights say the violence should not hinder the Supreme Court Justices from pushing their agenda. To this, I agree. Change can not purely be catalyzed in the face of tragedy. The lives lost in Dayton and El Paso, is only one story in a string of devastation. The Atlantic reported the United States has witnessed nearly 2,200 mass shootings since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. 

This new anxiety from mass shootings is not only present in people with loved ones returning to school, but in many Americans when entering public spaces. People recently took to Twitter to share their respective fears. Geraldine DeRuiter posted her sentiment in a tweet that instantly went viral: “whenever I’m in a public space, I think about what would happen if a mass shooting broke out. It’s a constant, low-level anxiety that follows me everywhere. I wonder if it’s just me. I don’t think it is.” Buzzfeed News said DeRuiter received a slew of responses from individuals scared to be in classrooms, movie theaters, churches, etc. This concern recently became even more tangible to me when my cousin declined an invitation to go to a street festival because she was anxious about walking in a highly-populated open space.

The recent attacks highlight issues that go beyond gun violence, namely the El Paso shooting and the animosity it carries towards people of color. According to the New York Times, the suspect, Patrick W. Crusius, 21, who is a White male, told police that he had targeted Mexicans. Crusius wrote a four-page manifesto that said he was carrying out the attack in “response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.” Hate crimes like this become even more incomprehensible when public figures like Fox News host Tucker Carlson declares on-air that White supremacy is a “hoax.”

This summer I worked as an English language teacher for high school students from Spain. It was heartbreaking to me that a majority of the students were eager to get answers about the presence of guns during our presentation on campus safety from Drexel University Police. It was sad that neither I nor the police officer had a substantial answer, but it was also a reality check. America, we need to do better. 

Similar Read: Guns Are Here To Stay 

American Children in Mississippi?

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

Mississippi immigration raid… FACTS 

1. On August 7th, 2019, U.S. immigration authorities raided 7 different processing plants in Mississippi and detained 680 undocumented immigrants. 

2. This was the largest single-state immigration enforcement action in U.S. history.  

—–

August 7, 2019, was the first day of school for many students in America. It was also a day some students will never forget. On this day, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided 7 food processing plants in six different cities in the state of Mississippi. US Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, Mike Hurst, has been quoted saying that the raids are “believed to be the largest single-state immigration enforcement operation in our nation’s history.” It has been reported that 680 undocumented immigrants were taken into custody while working.

Towns that were raided included Morton, Bay Springs, Walnut Grove, Carthage, Canton, and Pelahatchie. Many of these small towns rely on the labor of an immigrant workforce and the raids would greatly affect production if those taken into custody remained in detainment.

It is still unknown if the employers willingly hired alleged undocumented immigrants or if any knew at all. There will be a legal question of blame that will begin in the aftermath. However, what has been front and center are the children of these workers who woke up on a Wednesday morning and said goodbye after their parents dropped them off to school and waited in vain for their return. This is the American ICE system of 2019. The federal agency was created post the 9/11 attacks during the George W. Bush administration. With its passage in 2002, it is now one of the most powerful federal law enforcement agencies.  

And today, ICE is out of control. 

680 people taken into custody in a single day is unfathomable and the American justice system continues to push the envelope in what is deemed acceptable and outrageous. Americans are constantly being told that illegal immigrants are ‘raiding’ our country and are described as dangerous and criminal. While many citizens and immigrants in this country can be categorized as dangerous, it is unfair and disgusting that our country is seizing people without their due process of law. We are turning into an authoritarian county and labeling people based upon the rhetoric of President Trump. It is disgusting and undemocratic.

Children of parents who are taken into custody are left without proper guardians or care and this is the story we don’t focus on. Many of these children were either brought here or born here and had no decision about their assimilation into American culture. And regardless of their circumstances, where is the humanity in our federal government’s actions? Where is the humanity in policy? Of course, this country has a problem with illegal immigration, but what country doesn’t? We should work to figure out a proper way to address immigration and not use our powers to disrupt and interrupt the lives of immigrants who are actively contributing to the fabric of our nation because of pressure by the president. 

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