The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Category: Opinion

  • We still don’t feel safe

    We still don’t feel safe

    Racial discrimination on campus is rampant

    I, Skye Kimya, believe I was detained on Feb. 14 over a $40 on-campus parking ticket because of the color of my skin.

    Around 8 a.m. that morning, I walked out of a building on the northeast side of campus to find two parking officers giving me a ticket for where my car was parked.

    After getting into a small verbal altercation with these parking officers, I realized it wasn’t worth the argument. I asked them to give me the ticket and let me go about my day.

    The parking officers were not happy with me driving off while they were still giving me my ticket, and before I knew it, Humboldt State police Chief Donn G. Peterson was pulling me over in an undercover vehicle.

    Within minutes, another University Police Department vehicle arrived to the scene. I was interrogated for approximately 10 minutes by two officers on each side of my car about the incident that had just occurred. After the officers spoke with each other for a few minutes, another cop car pulled up, and UPD officer Delmar Tompkins made his way to my driver side.

    “Please step out of your vehicle and put your hands behind your back,” Tompkins said.

    “Excuse me? I don’t understand,” I said.

    I was told I was being detained under suspicion of assault with law enforcement. After questioning this accusation, I was told I was a threat at that time and needed to be detained for the safety of the officers because they did not know the full story yet.

    Confused and scared, I got out of the car, did what Tompkins asked me to do and began to cry like a baby as he placed me in the back of his cop car.

    Imagine being detained and told you are a threat, under suspicion of assault, by a white officer twice your size. Imagine feeling confused and alone. Imagine questioning what could possibly happen next.

    When you grow up trying to understand the purpose behind discrimination, you begin to notice how common it is and wonder if it will ever go away.

    At times, you lose hope for your children’s generation. Yet other times, you want to become the greatest activist that has ever walked this planet, in order to actually make things right for those future generations.

    Students at HSU don’t feel at home. We don’t feel as though there are people by our side, and we don’t see the amount of people of color around campus that the HSU pamphlets and website photos presented to us when we were deciding which university to attend.

    According to HSU’s “fast facts,” the incoming class of fall 2016 consisted of 549 Hispanic/Latino students, 51 African American students, 31 Asian students, 11 American Indian students and four Pacific Islander students.

    Additionally, the entire fall 2016 student body consisted of 2,869 Hispanic/Latino students, 271 African American students, 279 Asian students, 89 American Indian students and 20 Pacific Islander students.

    With a student body total of 8,503, you can imagine what it is like to see only 270 other faces similar to yours on one side, and only 88 other faces similar to yours on the other side.

    Hispanic and Latino students made up almost 35 percent of the entire student body that same year. Seems like a reasonable amount, right?

    HSU actually receives funds from the U.S Department of Education ever since they became a Hispanic-Serving Institution at the start of the fall 2013 semester.

    To become a Hispanic-Serving Institution, the university has to have an undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment of at least 25 percent Hispanic students, and HSU was at 26.6 percent for the fall 2013 semester.

    HSU continues to flaunt a great amount of diversity that it does not have. These incoming students, like many of us who were once in their shoes, attend HSU and slowly begin to witness and experience how diverse this campus and community is truly NOT.

    Just the other day, the NAACP Eureka Branch called out HSU and asked them to stop recruiting students from minority-majority neighborhoods until changes are made around campus and within the community.

    A majority of the students of color who have attended HSU for at least two academic years have experienced some type of discrimination, whether it was verbal, physical or emotional.

    In 2013, Tompkins had a civil lawsuit filed against him by a Fieldbrook man who alleged he was the victim of a brutal assault back in January 2012. It turns out the Fieldbrook man wasn’t lying and the Cal State University system paid him $135,000 to keep him quiet.

    As students of color at this university, how are we supposed to feel safe if our own UPD officers don’t do things the right way and have our back?

    Cases like the murders of HSU African American students Corey Clark (2001) and David Josiah Lawson (2017) are still unsolved to this day, and we as students have not seen enough action taken by our president, UPD and even the Arcata Police Department.

    Students of color do not feel safe, nor protected here. The NAACP Eureka Branch is right and something has to change before HSU tries to drag more students of color to this campus.

  • To all of my kinky people

    To all of my kinky people

    I am not a hair guru, but I do know my hair. My hair type can be best described as 4c.

    The hair chart guide starts from type 1, which is your typical straight hair. This hair type is typically more hydrated. However, it gets greasy easily. Type 2 can be best described as wavy, a mixture of straight and curly hair. Type 3 is curly, which has a defined s-shaped pattern. These curls can get weighed down with too much hair product and will look greasy. Type 4 is the kinky hair type. This hair type has a tightly coiled pattern with a zig-zag shape.

    This hair type is the most fragile and driest of them all. It requires the most care and the most moisture.

    The problem many gals and Humboldt State University students with 4c hair likely face, is the lack of ethnically diverse hair care products in Humboldt County.

    As a newly self-proclaimed “natural,”my hair is in its raw state, not permanently altered by chemicals or heat. Since I’m new at this, I’m still looking for the right hair care products.

    If you’re looking for products that properly nourish, moisturize, detangle, tame frizz, add shine, give great body, leave hair soft, oil deeply and lock-out humidity, you can’t get that from typical hair products found at CVS, WinCo Foods or Walmart. But there are at least a few shelves of ethnic hair care options available at local stores.

    There are local beauty supply stores in Eureka, but they have a small supply. Unfortunately, they sell items that are remarkably priced higher than items back home, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

    Minority-majority areas typically have a plethora of beauty supplies and supply stores that cater to the needs of people of color.

    Unfortunately, many HSU students have to either bring supplies from home during the break or spend an arm and a leg to ship it up here.

    The HSU Bookstore now has items for their ethnically diverse student body, but prices could be better.

    HSU Clubs and Activities coordinator Tanza Triggs wants to put together a planning committee with a club called The Legacy in the fall. It would be a hair expo for people with ethnic hair.

    The purpose of the expo is to bring in local stylists and beauty supply owners to welcome HSU students with hair care contacts. This should create a drop in prices for hair care products and an increase in stock.

    I usually use Cantu products. However, I’ve taken a small break from my Cantu products, and I’ve now decided to experiment with Lottabody products. The Cantu products can be found in Humboldt County, but I have yet to find Lottabody products.

    I also use the Moisturize Me Curl and Style Milk in hopes to define my curls, tame frizz and add moisture with brilliant shine. So far, the results have been wonderful.

    I hope other people of color will be able to find the hair care products that properly serve their hair type while living in Humboldt.

  • Administration’s feigned empathy, not enough

    Administration’s feigned empathy, not enough

    Humboldt State University must strongly consider the Eureka NAACP chapter’s letter about recruitment of students of color.

    The Eureka NAACP posted a press release on April 26 insisting the college stop sending recruiters to minority-majority communities for the sake of the money these students bring the college.

    Colleges will receive access to certain federal funding based on a number of reasons, one of those is the amount of diversity in student enrollment. For example, Humboldt State is a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

    According to an article in the Sacramento Bee, to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution means the college’s demographic is at least 25 percent latino. The government awards this title and this allows the college access to “new programs and millions of dollars in targeted grants.”

    Therefore the ENAACP asks that HSU stop recruiting students of color for the sake of access to this type of funding, claiming it is misleading to gather students to a toxic environment.

    The ENAACP continues to present several reasonable demands in addition to ceasing minority-majority recruitment.

    The ENAACP asks of HSU to:

    • “Honor the experiences of students of color by confronting its institutional racism and actively engaging with the campus community, the City of Arcata and the surrounding communities in speaking to the racism that students experience.
    • Ensure that support is in place so that students of color thrive in this community.
    • Provide budget for permanent staff and student support for the Cultural Centers for Academic Excellence
    • Transparency concerning the climate of racism in Humboldt County be the top priority in recruiting and marketing
    • Do more to serve our diverse population of students with appropriate funding and staffing for the programs that serve them
    • Prioritize hiring more faculty of color, and training current faculty and staff in “cultural competency””

    We believe that these are reasonable requests to follow and that HSU must act accordingly.

    Though the demand to cease recruitment of students of color is extreme, we believe it is rightfully based off of the reality of the discriminatory climate in Humboldt county. The organization is not without proof.

    “Students of color at Humboldt State University have shared with us their experiences of racism in many forms including micro-aggressive behavior in HSU classrooms, overt racism on the streets, systemic racism in the pursuit of housing and employment, and institutional racism in the form of more punitive measures than their white counterparts,” ENAACP said in the press release. “We hear them.”

    However, it seems that HSU is quick to defend and less quick to act. In a response letter, HSU President Lisa Rossbacher expressed minor empathy for the basis of these demands and proceeded to insist HSU is doing what it can.

    “I disagree with many of the statements in the letter, but I do agree with the larger point that HSU and the North Coast need to do more,” Rossbacher said. “Our country struggles with a history of racism and racial inequality on the national and local levels. We must find ways, and work together, to create a brighter future for all our students.”

    This is an indirect response to a list of clearly well made ideas and initiatives that the college could easily adapt to. Although Rossbacher agree’s, she does not address these bullet points and does not respond with any implications of having an actual plan to address the major issue of racism, just keeps insisting more must be done.

    For example, Rossbacher has been consistently missing from discussions on dialogue and protests over the murder of HSU student Josiah Lawson. April 15 marked a year since his death and his case remains unsolved. When students gather in remembrance and protest of his death, Rossbacher is consistently nowhere to be found.

    The press release also addresses the lack of presence from administration, stating that “there has been no consistent presence of HSU administrators at the monthly vigils organized and facilitated by the students and Charmaine Lawson, the mother of David Josiah Lawson.”

    They also note the lack of regular presence of administration at the monthly Dialogue on Race meetings and recognizes that this is unacceptable.

    Though we do not believe HSU should stop recruiting in the middle of a budget crisis, we do believe HSU and its admins and leaders, such as Rossbacher, should stop responding with feigned empathy, she should start acting and start showing up to represent the students of color that represent the institution.

    We, as HSU students who have experienced this discrimination and have heard the stories of discrimination against our peers, are angry. We are tired of repeating ourselves. The toxic and racist climate of Humboldt county and Humboldt State University must be acted upon immediately.

  • Leadership should be accountable in response to racism

    Leadership should be accountable in response to racism

    More than 8,000 Starbucks coffee shops will be closed on May 29 to train employees on “implicit bias,” as opposed to explicit racism, and “promote conscious inclusion,” according to their press release on April 17.

    The racial bias training, scheduled for nearly 175,000 Starbucks employees, is a grand publicity stunt that will prove to be futile in the short run. When the smoke clears, and it’ll clear fast, Starbucks will be business as usual, and racism in the U.S. will be the same as it ever was.

    In fairness, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson wasted no time in personally addressing the issue in light of the incident. Johnson ultimately put himself in the hot seat, rather than refer to a spokesperson.

    President of Humboldt State University, Lisa Rossbacher, could learn something from Johnson.

    Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were arrested at a Starbucks coffee shop in Philadelphia on April 12. The reported scenario allegedly goes like this: two black men walk into a Starbucks for a business meeting involving an ongoing real estate deal with investor Andrew Yaffe. While waiting for Yaffe to arrive, Nelson asked to use the restroom, but was denied by the manager, who is white. The manager asked if they wanted to order drinks, but they said no. The manager then called the police for assistance to remove Nelson and Robinson from the cafe for trespassing, which was promptly granted.

    According to calculations by financially-focused media company Bloomberg, Starbucks is expected to lose $16.7 million on training day, a relatively small loss of profit compared to their average $20 billion in revenue (an approximate average of Starbucks revenue between 2015 and 2017).

    If you’ve been following the local news about David Josiah Lawson and Humboldt State University’s budget cuts, Rossbacher was absent during rallies and community events of critical importance this semester, including the budget cuts walkout on March 21 and the one-year vigil of Lawson’s murder on April 15.

    Starbucks can implement strategies and enforce new policies, but racism will prevail in the long run. This is the America we have lived in for a long time, which is apparently accentuated in the days of the Trump administration. We can write dozens of editorials protesting racism, but in the grand scheme of things, racism is too deeply rooted in the U.S. to overcome as a nation. It’s only a matter of time before the next person of color gets arrested at a bourgeois, corporate establishment and receive the highly-ratable spotlight by the mainstream media.

    At the very least, the CEO is ensuring his company is responsible for addressing the issue without delay, and Johnson himself is making the attempts to be present and accountable.

    Rossbacher’s absence reduces her credibility amongst students, regardless of deans or the provost speaking on her behalf. Not just credibility, for her sake, but trust in the institution as a whole, especially for people of color. As we wrap up the spring semester, we urge Rossbacher to be more present in the future.

  • Records rule again

    Records rule again

    The tables have turned in favor of vinyl records. While CDs and cassettes reigned king in the 1980s and 1990s, it was the rise of digital downloads and online streaming services in the 2000s that inexplicably aided in the resurgence of records. Today, records are outselling digital downloads for the first time since 2011.

    “Vinyl sales were up 10 percent to $395 million — a ‘bright spot among physical formats,’ the [Recording Industry Association of America] noted [in a 2017 year-end revenue report],” Derek Hawkins of The Washington Post said. “The outlook for digital downloads is bleak. This is the third year in a row they’ve posted double-digit declines, according to the RIAA.”

    As Apple commercialized MP3 downloads in the early 2000s, CD sales began to drop. Though cassettes are making a comeback in some areas now, thanks to record labels like Burger Records, they lost their popularity more significantly by that time as well.

    Making our way into the 2010s, millennials caught on to the joys of listening to records as download and streaming services continued to revitalize the music industry. In fact, a great deal of new records these days include free download cards — a good incentive to get the best of both worlds, that is, a tangible medium and a digital download of an album.

    Record Store Day is a global event that has happened every April since 2008. Independent record shops from all over the world participate by selling limited edition records made exclusively for Record Store Day.

    “This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store—the staff, the customers and the artists—to come together and celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities,” the Record Store Day website wrote.

    While it’s slim pickings in Humboldt County, People’s Records in Arcata carries a wide selection of outstanding records year-round. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, People’s Records will offer this year’s exclusive Record Store Day selections, and they’ve made extra room for more records.

    “We will have many of the limited edition Record Store Day items, plus we have expanded and knocked down a couple walls in the store to accommodate 1,000 new records in our stacks,” People’s Records wrote on their Facebook page.

    People’s Records in Arcata. Photo by Matthew Hable.

    Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with digitalized music. The average human ear can’t detect the sample rates of professionally processed digital audio, nor can they make out the subtle differences in sound of analog waves, aside from the record’s “warmth” people commonly claim to hear in contrast to MP3s or WAV format.

    However, what sets records apart from other formats is their level of interactivity and the way they appeal to the senses. The process of taking a record out from its sleeve, placing it on a turntable, carefully dropping the needle on the record and even the smell of records makes it that more special.

  • A joint opinion: spark it up!

    A joint opinion: spark it up!

    Humboldt County’s reputation around the United States reeks of marijuana.

    As part of the Emerald Triangle, along with the counties Mendocino and Trinity, Humboldt makes most of its green from the seasonal crop.

    Rumor has it that the celebration of April 20 started in Marin County, California, not too far from Humboldt with a group of San Rafael High School students who called themselves The Waldos. These pothead pioneers gathered on campus after school at 4:20 p.m. to spark up and look for a rumored, abandoned pot farm.

    One of the original Waldos said that the term originally meant “Do you have some?” or “Do I look stoned?”

    Eventually, the psychedelic rock band Grateful Dead picked up on the term when they moved blocks away from San Rafael High School and frequently smoked with one of the Waldos’ older brothers.

    Years later, April 20 is a nationwide holiday when stoners smoke copious amounts of weed and spend the day trying not to miss 4:20 p.m.

    Celebrating April 20 in Humboldt County is almost as pointless as the British declaring a national day for beer (which they have, mind you). But the beginning of 2018 marked a monumental time in California history.

    Marijuana advocates have been fighting for legalization of cannabis since the 1960s.

    Finally, on Jan. 1, California Proposition 64 became effective, allowing legal recreational use and taxation of marijuana statewide. Nearly 60 years later, the seed is cultivated into reality.

    Since then, there has been little qualitative information about the impact on Humboldt economy, but tourism and sales tax revenues are likely to increase.

    Now more than ever, April 20 is a holiday to celebrate the progress California has made in decriminalizing the medicinal plant and allowing anyone to enjoy its benefits. For the first time, anyone above the age of 21 can safely spark up a legal, recreational blunt in the comfort of their home.

    If you are partaking in 4/20 this year, please remember that any dank celebration should be in moderation. Spark responsibly.

  • A joint opinion: put it out

    A joint opinion: put it out

    Before the Gold Rush there was a Green Rush, with some gold in there. Settlers came from the East in the 19th century looking for gold and found some big trees to cut down and sell. It was a prosperous time for white people who made money from lumber sales, but it sucked for every person of color who worked low wages in the industry or barred from work. Now, it’s time for a new area of selling green stuff for money once again.

    There are many parallels from the Gold Rush to the Green Rush as legalization came about. Marijuana legalization is just as racist and elitist as the lumber industry. 81 percent of cannabis business owners are white. Three-quarters of the industry are owned by men.

    However, this is more than the environment, it’s about its medicinal value. Sure, there are some studies that tell of marijuana’s healing abilities and some Facebook memes that exaggerate those claims and say weed cures cancer. But those studies seem to be used to justify lazy people to smoke all day and do nothing.

    Just because something is supposedly healthy for you, doesn’t mean you should consume it to excess if it’s unnecessary. Apples are healthy, but eating a whole bushel won’t keep the doctor away and nor would smoking a pound a day, or whatever amount people actually smoke.

    There are a lot more things to do in Humboldt than smoke. Cannabis can be a part of Humboldt, but it shouldn’t be exclusive to its identity. Not everyone smokes weed. There are quite a bit of people who look down on weed due to its culture. No one should be forced to smoke, but cannabis shouldn’t be looked down upon either. The cannabis industry needs to be improved.

  • Trust in police weakens as Chapman resigns

    Trust in police weakens as Chapman resigns

    As students, we have reasonable expectations of safety so we can focus on academic success without fear. This is not the reality for Humboldt State University students of color, both on campus and in the community. Both the Arcata Police Department and HSU have a long way to go to gain the trust of students of color.

    The recent resignation of APD police chief Tom Chapman only worsens public confidence in local law enforcement.

    A good deal of community members, including HSU students, are aware that 19-year-old HSU student David Josiah Lawson was murdered at an off-campus party in Arcata on April 15, 2017.

    McKinleyville resident Kyle Zoellner was arrested at the scene of the crime, but released on May 5, 2017, due to lack of evidence connecting him to the murder.

    There is a clear and serious disconnect within our community regarding racial diversity. Because Lawson is black and Zoellner is white, racial tensions tightened in the community. And as one group tries to engage with the community about race and public safety, others view such meetings as a way to promote white guilt.

    To this day, no one is in custody of Lawson’s open homicide case.

    Former FBI agent Tom Parker, who offered his investigative services on the Lawson case for free, resigned on April 9. According to the North Coast Journal, Parker said a lack of trust and cooperation by the APD led to his decision to resign.

    “It was clear they were holding back things and not telling me the truth,” Parker said. “They had things going on and they wouldn’t tell me what they were.”

    Chapman announced his resignation the following day without reason.

    Following a press release by the City of Arcata announcing Chapman’s resignation, Arcata City manager Karen Diemer followed up with local media concerning both departures.

    “[Chapman’s] decision does not stem from any one single thing,” Diemer said. “It is a combination of personal reasons and professional judgement on what he believes is best for the department and himself.”

    In regards to the Lawson case, Diemer said the APD continues the investigation without Chapman.

    “The investigative team for the David Josiah Lawson case is solidified with members of both the Arcata Police Department and District Attorney Investigators office,” Diemer said. “This team will stay in place and focused on the case through its completion.”

    Parker’s claim that the APD withheld information raises major concerns. While it’s reasonable to conceal information from the public during an open investigation, why wasn’t the APD willing to cooperate with Parker?

    Also suspicious is the timing of Chapman’s resignation. Why did Chapman resign the day after Parker terminated his contract with the APD and just five days before the one-year mark of Lawson’s death? Coincidence would be an unbelievable excuse.

    While there’s only so much we can do in a case like this, we can demand more from from our law enforcement and other officials. Check with the City of Arcata, the Arcata Police Department and the Division of Student Affairs at HSU about the investigation. Don’t just do it once, but follow up as well.

    We must stand in solidarity of not just the Lawson case, but for students of color. By remaining quiet, local law enforcement will prioritize less pressing issues and no progress will be made. We need to stand up for ourselves because the ones who should protect and serve us are stepping down.

  • A (cynical) guide to surviving the Infinity War

    A (cynical) guide to surviving the Infinity War

    Navigating the Marvel Cinematic Universe

    There are too many Marvel movies for people to keep track of. The combined 18 movies have earnings of more than the GDP of a significant amount of nations.

    Here is a guide through the Marvel storm as we approach the Marvel cinematic singularity: The Avengers: Infinity War.

    Disclaimers

    The movies and the comics are in two totally different realms of existence, especially when you consider deep comic book lore. For example, in the comics, Captain America is secretly a Nazi and Ant-Man beats his wife. For the sake of this guide, let’s pretend they don’t exist.

    There are two Marvel movies that take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that I have not seen. They are Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk, and Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming. (There are just too many Spider-Man movies.) If anything incredibly important happened in those two movies that directly relates to Avengers: Infinity War, sorry.

    Plot

    All of the movies in the MCU somehow relate to objects called the infinity stones. For the purposes of the movies, they are convenient plot points. Something for heroes and villains to fight about. There are six infinity stones: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. They are supposedly fragments of what came before the universe, and you know they’re important because they glow. The end boss of all the Marvel movies thus far is a mysterious purple man named Thanos who really wants to put the glowing stones on his glove.

    Characters

    There are the Earth Avengers, the Space Avengers and the Avengers In-Between. Only three characters have had three movies all to themselves: Thor, Captain America and Iron Man. Each of those characters represents a division of the MCU. Each of them has their own team of lackeys who make up most of the characters. The Guardians of the Galaxy are a separate group who also represent a sizable amount of characters. Every character connects with the infinity stones in one way or another.

    Where we left off

    When we last saw our brave heroes, Captain America’s lackeys and Iron Man’s lackeys did not like each other very much. Thor was in space after successfully destroying his homeworld with the help of the Hulk, and the Guardians of the Galaxy were also in space after killing Kurt Russell. The infinity stones are spread out amongst our heroes. The red stone was last seen out in space with Benicio del Toro, but his house blew up so no one really knows where it is. The purple stone was dropped off at John C. Reilly’s place, but Thanos has it in the Infinity War trailer, so R.I.P John C. Reilly. The yellow stone is in the living incarnation of Iron Man’s computer’s face. Benedict Cumberbatch has the green stone, and Thor’s greasy adopted brother has the blue stone. I could be wrong, but I don’t think that we’ve seen the orange one unless Spider-Man has it and no one told me.

    Predictions

    All 50,000 characters are going to learn to work as a team and form the mega ultra avengers. At least one of the main Avengers will die. All the actors must be tired of this whole thing by now, though it’s not clear whose contract is up yet and who will get an out. (It has been a decade since the MCU started, and each of them must have enough money to buy entire nations at this point.) Thanos will almost destroy the universe, but our brave heroes will stop him, and Disney will have all the money in the world by 2030.

  • Consuming news safely

    Consuming news safely

    Sorting through the mainstream, and now local media

    When you turn on your local news TV station, you expect a solid mix of local and national news, and a variety of messages between stations.

    The news coverage from one area to the next will differ based on location.

    What you don’t expect is to be able to watch hundreds of news anchors, ironically reading the same script, on hundreds of different channels, about the importance of varied news sources and supported communities, like the companies owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.

    Recognizing and understanding how to sort through the news, and have a well-rounded idea of what is happening, is important to processing the information you consume. Here are two important parts of journalism and fake news you should understand when consuming information.

    Understanding journalism objectivity

    Before diving into how to fact check and navigate the media, it is important to understand that objective journalism is incredibly hard, if not impossible, to achieve.

    People are inherently biased and influenced by the world around them. Journalists do their best, however, to inform the public, simply for the sake of the public.

    However, it is equally as important to understand that when it comes specifically to the news facet of journalism, journalists study, and are taught, to present the facts of a story from either side.

    This does not mean journalists agree with the information they have been given, but instead are presenting this information to the reader or viewer with as much objectivity as they can manage.

    The Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics is one of the most prominent professional ethics guidelines journalists follow, and sets the tone for what real journalism is supposed to be. These ethical principles exist to promote clear and concise reporting with four main facets: to seek the truth and report it, act independently, minimize harm and be accountable and transparent.

    For example, mainstream media outlets being owned by giant companies allows an argument to be made that these outlets are not independent, though they should work this way.

    Consider the case of Sinclair pushing right-based opinions and scripts to their newscasters across multiple local news stations. Sinclair also released a video in an attempted act of transparency, trying to inform the public why this script was given out. Deadspin, who released the compiled video footage of news anchors reading from their script, also provides this video in order to provide more detail to their story. This style of reporting leans toward writer bias, and is a little less formal than other outlets.

    In order to rise above the many messages media on all formats is designed to present to you, start with skepticism, and then some careful consideration. Make sure you’re digesting factual information, as opposed to fake news or misinformation.

    There are websites that specifically try to sort through political fact and fiction like the website Politifact.com. Politifact aims to provide fact-checking based journalism with principles based on “independence, transparency and fairness through reporting and clear writing.”

    Fake news in itself could be considered an oxymoron. News must be factual to be news. However, as the word of the year, and the biggest threat to our democracy today, knowing when you’re being fooled is vital.

    Skepticism and careful consideration

    As declared watchdogs of those in power, and also those who abuse their power, journalism is easily considered to be shady. The idea that journalists are out to dig up dirt and expose powerful or public figures for joy is an easy mistaken thought process to fall into.

    When you hear something on the news you find to be negative or shocking, understand there are news determinants that allow journalists to consider what is noteworthy and important for the general public to know.

    We take it upon ourselves as journalists to study these determinants seriously and with practiced objectivity. Knowing trust in the media is at an all time low, we encourage you to refer to other news sources when this happens.

    Use your skepticism of what you’ve heard reported and consider other articles or broadcasts on the same subject. Different reporting might present different facts. Even after studying a variety of sources, you as a reader or viewer may only have a small piece of the picture still. We as journalists have also considered multiple sources before presenting information so we are not failing our public by reporting on rumors or false information.

    Some websites exist to make this easier for you, such as Media Bias/Fact Check. This website lists specific sites and news sources that are either politically left-biased, centralized, right-biased or left-center and right-center-biased. You can find a list of questionable sources here as well. If you see a source on this list, they may not be the most trustworthy news outlet to refer to.

    Politifact, an outlet centered around fact checking, provides a truth-o-meter that follows the specific decisions and promises of politicians by following their actions and reporting back to inform the public whether their actions align with their words.

    The sources provided here are merely suggestions and are not an end all to fact-checking sources.

    Practicing the ability to step outside your own bias and recognize that of some media outlets to compare and contrast information is important to democracy.

    Always double check where your information is coming from and who might be influencing the message.

  • Letter to the editor

    Letter to the editor

    New Student Housing Community in the Works for Lumberjacks!

    Dear Editor:

    I’m pleased to announce that The Village, a new housing choice, is in the works for students attending Humboldt State University. As you probably know, HSU currently has room on campus for only about 25 percent of the students enrolled, which has made it difficult for HSU students to find housing year after year.

    According to a report funded by HSU, the Arcata housing market is so constrained, some students sleep in their cars or camp in the woods while they look for housing. There is currently demand for roughly 800 new student housing beds in order to address students’ housing insecurity and to support their academic pursuits.

    After various inadequate attempts to increase housing options, the city is now on the verge of having the most viable new housing choice for students in many years.

    The Village isn’t just another apartment building, it is planned as a purpose-built student housing community only half a mile from campus that specifically meets students’ needs with academic amenities such as spacious study rooms, computer lab and presentation room for individual or group study and collaboration, a fitness center with on-demand fitness programs, outdoor community space and secure covered bicycle parking. The Village will also have 24-hour professional on-site management, as well as peer mentorship from resident assistants that will be responsive to students’ needs. This property will also include many sustainable features including solar power, a bicycle-share program and electric vehicle charging stations, and will be built to environmentally conscious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards.

    The Village will help improve the reputation of the Arcata community by creating more healthy competition in the housing market and energizing the local economy that is largely fueled by HSU and its students, and will introduce more diversity into the housing mix to reflect the diversity of today’s students and their needs.

    Despite the many positive benefits The Village will bring to the community, there are those who are actively trying to prevent current and future Lumberjacks from making The Village their home while attending HSU.

    If you are in support of the positive housing choice The Village will offer to HSU students and the community of Arcata and want to find out more, please visit this website: https://www.thevillagearcata.com/. You can also contact the Arcata City Council and let them know you support more student housing in Arcata, especially purpose-built student housing communities like The Village.

    It’s all about choices. Your support of this project can help ensure The Village is able to offer HSU students an exciting, new place to call home, and one that HSU students deserve.

    Percival Vaz
    Chief Executive Officer
    AMCAL Equities, LLC

  • Protect your profile

    Protect your profile

    In light of data breaches, maintain some privacy.

    Facebook gives away your information. Twitter, Instagram and Google do it too. So do most of your other social media apps and websites.

    Everything you search, click or talk about ends up being sent somewhere to someone and it’s usually to advertisers, sometimes it is to a political research company like Cambridge Analytica.

    After the Cambridge Analytica breach of Facebook information of over 50 million users, the time to understand your Facebook settings is now. Social media is a giant presence in our daily lives and though taking back some privacy seems difficult, it is not impossible.

    According to the Guardian, Facebook used to be able to ask for your information, but it really has access to all of your friends’ information as well, just by taking a quiz. They no longer allow this to happen, but you can still make sure you’re not sharing more than you want with others.

    “That means that around 300,000 people could sign up for a personality test quiz, and in the process hand over information of 150 times that number,” The Guardian article said.

    The Guardian goes on to explain that you’re probably handing over more information than you bargained for, even though they no longer mine you for your friends’ information.

    When you sign into your Facebook account, go up to the top right of your screen and hit the drop-down arrow. In that drop-down menu, click on settings and find your “Apps and Advertising” pages on the left hand side.

    This is where you can control some of what you share with advertisers and pages that are data mining your info, and still find out which Gilmore Girls character you’re most likely to fall in love with.

    On the apps page, sort through the lists of apps accessing your info and change permissions or delete access entirely. On this page you can also change how you interact with these apps, pages and games that ask for you information as well as change privacy settings on older versions of Facebook. You can also deny pesky game request notifications here as well.

    Accessing the ads page will neatly lay out the information ads are using to cater to you, what business you’ve interacted with and what ads you do or don’t want to see. Spend some time checking out these settings, and figuring out what does and does not bother you.

    If you’ve got extra time, Facebook also has an informational page on why advertising is important and what advertisers are looking for when they get your information. There are more options here to adjust your advertising experience.

    The reality is, escaping social media data mining is difficult for a generation who is always tuned in and constantly sharing. These are some options on how to combat your information from being too available on Facebook, and protecting what Facebook does and does not offer to third parties.

    Just like writing something on paper, the internet is permanent. You can remove your information from your profile as well, but these social media apps and programs will still have this information on file.

    A more extreme and definite alternative? Delete Facebook and your other social media apps. We as journalists do not fully stand behind deleting social medias in order to stay informed.

    However, we believe there are benefits to maintaining privacy or removing yourself from social media. We also understand it is difficult to remain informed in today’s digital era when you make these decisions.

    Explore the settings in other social media apps, and discover how much of you they are giving to outside companies and take back some of your privacy.

  • Internet killed the rock star

    Internet killed the rock star

    Rock music has had an identity crisis since the turn of the century, and the internet has much to do with it. A good place to start is Napster, a revolutionary online music-sharing site that had its day between 1999 and 2002. This was a time when downloading songs online was frowned upon in the music industry, which is fascinating now since downloading MP3s and streaming music is the norm these days. That era was also the high point of CD sales, which has lost its popularity not only to digital music, but the resurgence of vinyl records.

    The late ’90s brimmed with awful grunge rock spinoffs and rap metal, which spun in heavy rotation on the air. Throughout the ’90s, mainstream music was more subject to quantity in sales than distributing quality music, as controlled by a conglomerate of major record companies like Sony and EMI.

    To a large extent, the public embraced the ability to share music online for free, following the successful launch of Napster. However, the music industry, as well as major label artists like Metallica and Dr. Dre, weren’t having it. Courts ruling against Napster in copyright infringement lawsuits facilitated the swift decline of the peer-to-peer file sharing service. But with every ending comes a new beginning.

    Shortly after Napster ceased operations in 2002, corporations like Apple embraced downloading music and capitalized on it at full tilt. What’s also important to note is that audio recording equipment became affordable and obscure sounds of the past became more accessible, thanks to the rise of internet in the 2000s. Combine these elements with the convenient ability to upload music online and anyone can be an artist. In other words, the audience became the producer.

    Before diving further into the digital music revolution, let’s discuss the origins of rock ’n’ rolI.

    Prior to rock pioneers like Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley in the ’50s, there was blues, country and folk music. Overlooked musicians such as Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Big Mama Thornton planted the seeds to rock ’n’ roll that ultimately produced the classic ’50s rock sound we all know now.

    The ’60s ushered in the hippie era, including evolutionary sounds of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Grateful Dead. The ’70s largely consisted of glam (T. Rex, David Bowie), punk (Sex Pistols, Patti Smith) and space rock (Pink Floyd, Hawkwind). The ’80s popularized hair metal (Mötley Crüe, Van Halen) and new wave (Talking Heads, Depeche Mode).

    The ’80s also launched an era of music videos to accompany hit singles, which replaced radio as a means to support artists. The invention of CDs during this time changed the game in terms of how people listened to music as well. Finally, the ’90s incorporated grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam) and rap metal (Limp Bizkit, Korn). Following Y2K, rock ’n’ roll embarked on a renaissance period that extends to this day.

    These days, a vast majority of rock bands are reminiscent of the sounds of the past, no matter how much they attempt to fuse other genres into their music. Whether or not this is a drag is in the ears of the beholder, but it’s worth pointing out that there are some outstanding rock songs being shared now.

    Gone are the days of rock icons like Led Zeppelin or Queen. Gifted musicians are drowned out by the mass quantity of music posted on the internet, leaving so many of the good ones to plateau. Just as the “Video Killed the Radio Star” in the ’80s and ’90s, the internet killed the rock star by offering too many choices.

    Lastly, younger millennials have embraced the sounds and styles of the ’90s. Since the 2000s were a time of revival, what’s the next formative generation of rock fans going to embrace?

  • Humboldt State students are in need of ODEI

    Humboldt State students are in need of ODEI

    Humboldt State’s current budget crisis has been on everyone’s mind since the gravity of our school’s financial situation was brought to light. Besides the obvious, inevitable budget cuts and downsizing, our budget crisis has and will affect much more than our education.

    Humboldt State’s own Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, or ODEI, was supposed to host a collaborative community roundtable in the Jolly Giant Common’s recreation room on March 21.

    This meeting was meant to prompt discussions among students as well as the local community regarding possible strategies to make our community safer and more welcoming for students of color.

    However, the event didn’t take place and hasn’t in some time.

    HSU sophomore Davina Hernandez, 20, attempted to attend the latest meeting. The previous two meetings have been canceled or poorly attended, forcing it to be rescheduled.

    “I went on a whim, but I was kind of disappointed when I showed up and literally only one other person was there,” Hernandez said. “It was literally just me, one other person and the person who was supposed to talk to us. I ended up leaving early.”

    The event Equity Arcata is listed on HSU’s event page every week. It’s supposed to be a conglomerate of local business and community members uniting with the student body and faculty. They discuss ways to ensure that the area surrounding the school, as well as the campus itself, become more inclusive and safe for our large population of students of color.

    HSU hired a new executive director of ODEI, Dr. Cheryl Johnson, to oversee the branch and coordinate for Title IX. This was the sole change to the department made by the school administration.

    ODEI was created in order to ensure that every marginalized student is represented and advocated for on campus.

    In lieu of our current political and societal climate, it seems that our school should prioritize the safety and well-being of our students of color by allocating more funds to ODEI. This is especially true following the death of HSU student David Josiah Lawson last April.

    Our school’s administration disproportionately benefits from the presence of students of color on campus. However, they are not prepared to support them, especially in such a rural and isolated area.

    ODEI student representative and HSU senior Elijah Chandler said it is clear that, while the passion and motivation to meet with students and advocate for our rights is there, the group lacks the funding and resources needed to meet the demands of our student body.

    “We’ve had three successful meetings with over 50 people showing up,” Chandler said. “As of right now, we only have a few people really working through the school, and our schedules don’t always work out.”

    Chandler has worked with ODEI since last October. He remarked on the importance of grassroots organizations such as ODEI.

    “There’s currently a tier or hierarchy for our collective right now” Chandler said. “With admin[s] being our organizational guides [and] student leaders getting the word out, we have been talking to other community leaders as well, like former senators, the mayor of Arcata and members of the local NAACP chapter.”

    It’s clear that, while our school may be in a dire financial crisis, our student body seems determined to not allow this situation to jeopardize their resources.

  • She can breastfeed her child and serve the general public

    She can breastfeed her child and serve the general public

    She can run for office, but she can’t breastfeed her child in public without sexualization and aggressive backlash.

    It’s not a new argument or idea that the stigma behind women breastfeeding in public needs to change. If women are expected to be the primary caregivers of their children, we should respect their power in politics as mothers.

    Women are changing the way the public views their everyday lives, and they’re starting with their campaign ads.

    Krish Vignarajah, previously Michelle Obama’s policy director, is running for governor of Maryland. She is the only woman running in Maryland’s Democratic primary for governor, and she is presenting her motherhood and womanhood as one of her biggest assets.

    “I am no man,” she said in her campaign ad while breastfeeding her child. “I am a mom. I am a woman, and I want to be your governor.”

    Right behind Vignarajah is Kelda Roys, a Democratic candidate running for governor of Wisconsin. She too has been open about her daily life and responsibilities as a mother in her campaign ad where she discusses her work on banning a harmful chemical from baby bottles and sippy cups in the state of Wisconsin while breastfeeding her child.

    Roys said the moment was unscripted and she decided to keep it in the final cut. She also said she is used to the negative backlash she has received in response to the video.

    “You know what’s funny?” Roys said in a Fox article. “As a woman who has been in public life, I was the head of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin and I was in the Assembly — I’m used to that kind of really disgusting, sexist language.”

    In general, however, Roys said she was met with positive reactions from men and women.

    These women should not be met with cringes or shaming. Their openness and transparency should be met with applause, admiration and support. Both these women are trying to express the need for women, including mothers, in politics.

    “This is my life,” Vignarajah said, as reported in a Baltimore Sun article. “It’s what moms have been doing forever, juggling work and getting things done. When women serve, you have better outcomes.”

    Both of these women have been met with negative backlash in YouTube comments that imply extremities such as exploiting children and womanhood for political gain.

    A user by the name of Barron Trump commented on the Vignarajah ad.

    “You literally stole a Lord of the Rings quote. Nobody cares if you have boobs and children. You’re literally doing what women should do, and have been doing, for 10,000’s of years.”

    A user by the name of Scalene Bandito commented on Roy’s video.

    “What is the point of aggressively breastfeeding? Congrats on your plastic reform bill or whatever. Should I release a campaign ad where I just start shaving right in the middle of it? I think I’d beat you!”

    Promoting family values is not a new technique to political campaigning. Pushing their gender and roles as mothers is strategic for their campaigns.

    If you can sexualize the act of breastfeeding, allow them to normalize it. If you can allow male candidates to promote their family values, allow them to normalize their maternal values as benefits.

     

  • Redefine the codes

    Redefine the codes

    Changing the unspoken rules of human decency.

    Today’s political and social climate is bringing exposure and discussion to the way that men treat women and even the way that they treat each other. A small and possibly forgotten aspect of patriarchy in society is the infamous bro-code. Though there’s not a set list of what this code is made up of, the rules are often widely defined and understood.

    This male version of friendship etiquette is dead or at least dying. However, bro code is still alive in some ways, but hopefully not thriving. After witnessing a recent claim of broken bro code, it seemed necessary to ensure men and women are not still using unspoken codes as excuse to live their lives.

    The bro code, though prevalent for some time, has made a name for itself as the guiding principles upon which Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother lives his life. Though sometimes considered a satire of what men are, Stinson still ends up the favorite on the show. There’s even a feeble website depicting a short HIMYM rendition of the bro code.

    In some ways the bro code exists as respect between men. Men invoke these unspoken rules to cover anything from bathroom etiquette to dating. The most basic of these unspoken rules is “bro’s before ho’s” which ties into the fact that as a bro, you should never date your best friend’s ex or put a woman before your bro.

    Referring to the women in these scenarios as ho’s is problematic enough.

    Another rule is the idea that a bro’s sister is off limits, but his cousin is not. Also present in the code is the idea that if a bro is chasing a woman, that woman is also untouchable by his friends.

    The one thing missing from all of this is asking the woman what she wants, thinks or feels in relation to these bros deciding her romantic fate.

    Women are not exempt from having unspoken rules or societal expectations amongst each other. Some of them align with the bro code, like not dating the ex of your friends or asking for permission to date someone related to or close to someone else.

    It’s true an unspoken girl code exists to counteract the bro code. And it is also true that these codes end up staking claim on others while skipping the idea that one should communicate their feelings with their friends and potential lovers. These codes create shame and guilt designed to stake claim on people while protecting the pride of those whose relationships didn’t work out.

    Having open and honest communication with each other about feelings and respect is a much better way to handle decency between people. Honesty is better than perpetuating unspoken societal codes designed to put each other down and claim ownership over others.

    The bro code is alive. The girl code is alive, too. But both of them deserve to be left behind and redefined.

  • Year of the women 2.0

    Year of the women 2.0

    2018 is looking to be another year for woman in politics. Why stop now?

    1992 has often been declared as the last “Year of the Woman” for politics.

    According to the United States House of Representatives History, Arts & Archives website, “a record 71 California women were nominated to run in the fall elections for federal and state offices” in 1992.

    Now, according to Politico, a whopping 575 women “have declared their intention to run for the House, the Senate or governor.” But why stop there?

    The increase in political interest from women should encourage younger women to step forward more than ever before. Women starting college should even plan to run for government offices.

    Most government offices have age minimum requirements for candidacy.

    According to the U.S Legal website, “in the U.S., a person must be at least 35 years of age to be president or vice president, 30 years to be a senator or 25 years to be a representative, as specified in the U.S. Constitution.”

    The average age of college students is 18-24, and last fall, according to the National Center for Education statistics, an estimated 11.5 million women attended college this academic school year. That’s 11.5 million potential representatives. This doesn’t include women above the 24-year-old mark.

    For even slightly older students, opportunities as a senate, president or vice president, might already be available. Though the number of women declaring their intentions to run for office has increased since 1992, the fire needs to be fueled more.

    “Women make up only about a fifth of Congress, despite comprising half of the population,” Politico reported. “And only six states have women as governors, while 22 states have never had a female chief executive.”

    Change is coming slowly but surely as women see around the political shortcomings.

    In an article in the New York Times, several women decided to become politically involved after seeing, hearing and experiencing these shortcomings.

    “None of the women had seriously contemplated entering politics before,” the article said. “They had no money or organization. But they were dismayed with the direction of the country, they said, starting with the election of President Trump, and finally decided to act.”

    Currently, the youngest member of Congress, Elise Stefanik, is 34 years old. Though 10 years above the minimum, this should be seen as encouragement.

    Young age does not mean ignorance, and experience must start somewhere. Getting involved politically is a way to create change for anyone. Increasing women’s representation in local and federal government has never been more important.

    There’s guidance for you if you’re interested, yet hesitant. She Should Run is a non-partisan group that jump starts women on their path to running for office and directing them toward starting campaigns.

    Even if becoming involved seems a long way off, the time to start is still now, during the year of the woman 2.0.

  • Letter to the editor: We want student housing, but not the AMCAL way

    Letter to the editor: We want student housing, but not the AMCAL way

    Author Maureen J. Jules is a former HSU student and active member of Arcata Citizens for Responsible Housing.

    Dear editor:

    AMCAL, a large corporation from Southern California, wants to join the Arcata housing scene, claiming to help students find affordable, off-campus housing that is convenient for walking and biking to class. However, it is no accident that in 2012, AMCAL jumped into the profit-driven student housing market that’s worth $200 billion dollars. Since then, its luxury student housing projects have made rents even less affordable. AMCAL’s projects have exploded into college towns throughout California and Texas. Not surprisingly, similar corporations have carried this profiteering trend across the nation.

    The effect of these privatized dorms increases rent for everyone and isolates students from the larger community. In Flagstaff, Arizona, for instance, private dorms have resulted in less affordable housing for all.

    “At $700 a bedroom in most student complexes, that effectively sets the price of a three-bedroom apartment at $2,100 a month,” the editorial board of the Arizona Daily Sun said. “That means a family of four should be earning $6,500 a month to afford that rent (30 percent of income) while the median income in Flagstaff is well below that.”

    Now, AMCAL is at our doorstep, where they hope to finance the construction of a 700 to 800-bed, yet highly restrictive dorm complex off campus (think gated, enforced quiet hours, corporate residential assistants and no alcohol or legal recreational drugs). I oppose their student housing project called The Village.

    Since I love HSU students, how can I possibly oppose student housing? We are a college town and our students are cherished, valued, vibrant and intelligent community members. Students help define Arcata and they have just as much a right to live here as anyone.

    That said, Arcata is a small town hemmed in by the bay, the farmland bottoms and the forest. I also have a serious shortage of housing and buildable land.

    The property eyed for The Village is a rare, eleven-acre parcel surrounded on three sides by non-commercial residential neighborhoods. The site is not ideal for dorms, because there is no easily accessed grocery store and it is far from downtown. Plus, it is on the opposite side of Highway 101 from HSU, yet nowhere near the Northtown footbridge. This means those supposedly “convenient” walking, biking and driving routes to both classes and shopping will take The Village residents through congested and convoluted areas, like the Sunset/LK Wood intersection, several limited access trails and neighborhoods without adequate lighting or sidewalks. Furthermore, The Village plan would only provide about 300 parking spots for 700-800 beds, and residents who need cars would have to pay extra for parking.

    This project would increase student housing, but only for those who can afford to live in upscale dorms where limited parking costs extra. These new off-campus dorms would lack all the conveniences and services on campus, including access to campus police and meal plans.

    Greenway Partners is a consulting firm working on an alternative with ACRH. They are working together with over 150 ACRH members to create a pro-housing, pro-density and pro-infill alternative. I want our housing alternative to include apartments that HSU students will enjoy renting. I hope student apartments will be mixed in with other uses: light retail and single-family homes, some with mother-in-law units which HSU students might also like renting.

    When students fledge the coup, I want them to have access to more neighborhood housing where they can easily get to know the non-student community. Dorms belong on or next to campus, not plunked down in distant neighborhoods absent of food and shopping. It isn’t that I don’t want student rentals or students for neighbors; I don’t want AMCAL dorms. We can build community by living together, working side by side and getting to know one another. You, the students, are our community and Arcata should be the village, not AMCAL.

    Arcata Citizens for Responsible Housing is actively seeking student input and can be reached at: arcatacrh@gmail.com

  • 11 months and no justice for Josiah

    11 months and no justice for Josiah

    David Josiah Lawson was a victim of a hate crime and has become the poster child of the racism that exists in Humboldt County. Though the Arcata Police Department has been working through the investigation using physical evidence and witness statements, the trail remains cold in the pursuit to bring justice to Lawson.

    Lawson was a black 19-year-old criminal justice student at Humboldt State when he was stabbed to death at a house party in Arcata on April 15, 2017. The efforts of local authorities attempting to solve the case of his death fall short to this day. Those who spoke up after the incident hold little water in the eyes of the law due to conflicting reports of hearsay and lack of evidence. So much is against Lawson under these unfortunate circumstances.

    A vigil has been held for Lawson every month since his untimely death last April. The turnout of the 11th vigil on March 15 at Arcata City Hall was lower than usual due to spring break and heavy rain, but over a dozen people participated in solidarity of Lawson nonetheless.

    During the vigil, Alex Foster, a leading force in finding justice for and preserving the memory of Lawson, said mixed messages aired by the media continue to hamper with the development of the murder case.

    “There’s a lot of rumors and false narratives, especially from newspapers,” Foster said. “It’s just different perspectives.”

    McKinleyville resident Kyle Zoellner was arrested for allegedly stabbing Lawson, but was released by Judge Dale Reinholtsen for lack of evidence. During the preliminary hearings, contradicting testimonials by eyewitnesses include Zoellner’s physical condition when Lawson was murdered.

    In a report by Mad River Union, Zoellner’s family said Lawson was stabbed to death while Kyle was unconscious due to a brutal assault. However, the Lost Coast Outpost reported Elijah Chandler, a friend of Lawson who was at the scene of the crime, witnessed Zoellner “drop something shiny on the ground” a moment after discovering someone had been stabbed. Conflicting reports such as these only muddy the waters of the case.

    What students, police officers, politicians and other community members need to understand is that the murder of Lawson brings up broader issues of social injustice and public safety.

    If people continue to downgrade the importance of this case or stay disinterested, then we are doing ourselves a huge disservice. We are allowing criminals to get away with hate crimes in a town that brings in innocent students year after year.

    Despite some of the challenges Foster and other tenacious supporters face, the search for justice carries on.

    Though the case remains open, relentless efforts are made to not only keep Lawson’s memory alive, but to spread awareness about the injustices that people of color still face in the area.

    April 15 will mark the one-year anniversary of Lawson’s death. Though details for the next vigil are in the works, tentative plans include a community gathering at the Arcata Plaza and a march to the D Street Neighborhood Center. Full details will be announced on the Justice For David Josiah Lawson Facebook page.

    In addition, the City of Arcata is supporting a safe space for a Community Dialogue on Race on March 22 at the D Street Neighborhood Center, located at 1301 D St. in Arcata. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.

  • Restrict age limit on firearm and ammunition purchases

    Restrict age limit on firearm and ammunition purchases

    Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops should follow Dick’s and Walmart.

    In the grieving shadow of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting, sporting goods company Dick’s Sporting Goods and large retailer Walmart have changed their sales policies and limitations on firearms and ammunition.

    Soon after, Kroger, a supermarket chain, followed suit by changing policies for their Fred Meyer stores located across the U.S. Big retailers, such as Cabelas and Bass Pro Shop, should follow the lead of Dick’s, Walmart and Krogers.

    “There are a total of over 160 Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops retail stores in the U.S. and Canada,” according to a Time magazine article. “These stores sell high-capacity magazines, which allow shooters to fire a higher number of rounds without needing to reload.”

    This sort of reform and change is only powerful if everyone is on board and unified. If they don’t make efforts to change their policies, it will only be a matter of time before they become a primary seller to those who seek to use these weapons for senseless murders.

    On a state legislative level, Florida is attempting to take the lead. According to Griffords Law Center, Hawaii and Illinois are the only states that have an age minimum of 21 for long guns or rifles. Other states have a minimum age of 18, and some even have a minimum of 16 years old.

    The government on a federal and state level has continuously failed to implement change and gun reform that has a lasting improvement or effect on these massacres. Dick’s, Walmart and Krogers have done the right thing by taking it upon themselves to move things in the right direction with as much force as they can.

    According to the New York Times, Florida passed a gun reform bill on March 7 that follows the lead of these stores by raising the age limit to purchase guns to 21, create a wait period for approval on background checks of up to three days and ban bump stocks.

    In other states, some citizens are fighting back. A 20-year-old man from Oregon is suing Dick’s for raising the age limit.

    According to CNBC, the man is suing for discrimination because Dick’s refused to sell him a rifle when Oregon law says residents may purchase shotguns or rifles at the age of 18.

    Even California law dictates that residents must be 18 to purchase rifles, but must be 21 to purchase handguns. By changing their own policies, these businesses are taking change into their own hands, and the states should follow suit.

    Granted, guns of all sorts are still available to buy at shows and private shops, including the AR-15, which is what was used in the Florida shooting. However, change is possible and must start somewhere.

    If businesses make efforts to improve the way people are able to purchase guns, it will increase the possibility of better reform. All firearm retailers and states must follow suit or be part of the problem.

  • EDITORIAL: FCC aims to impose internet road blocks

    EDITORIAL: FCC aims to impose internet road blocks

    Why you need to pay attention to net neutrality regulations.

    Since its introduction to the general public in 1990, the internet became a powerful tool by placing the world at the fingertips of the average American. Information to almost anything is now a click, a Google search and a Wi-Fi connection away.

    Now, the internet is a colossal asset in the everyday life of the consumer. However, the Federal Communications Commission wants to repeal previous regulations that allow the internet to remain free and open. This will make your internet access slower, limited and expensive. Understanding net neutrality and fighting back is vital to keep the internet a free and open method of exchanging of ideas.

    What’s going on?

    When we open up our browsers on our desktops, laptops and mobile devices, we expect quick and easy access to whatever website or information we seek, and maybe a Wi-Fi hotspot. With current net neutrality regulations from the Obama-era in place, we can rely on our internet service providers to not interrupt that flow of information or require us to pay more to access faster connection and specific streaming services or sites.

    On Dec. 14, 2017 the FCC, led by chairman Ajit Pai, voted to repeal the 2015 regulations on internet. Pai was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017 and formerly worked as a Verizon lawyer. Pai is responsible for introducing the idea that by creating internet fast lanes, the internet will thrive.

    With current net neutrality rules in place, the internet is already able to thrive as a free market. The most prominent argument against repealing this level of neutrality is that the FCC would be infringing on free speech by putting a price on access.

    What does that mean?

    According to the Washington Post, internet providers such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast will have the ability to charge for speed without regulations in place. Streaming companies like Netflix or Hulu will most likely be asked to pay for access to these fast lanes and in turn, end up increasing their prices.

    This means not only will we as consumers pay for internet packages that allow us minimal access, but now we will also have to pay for fast and reliable connection to only parts of the internet. This also creates a similar situation to when big businesses drown out small businesses. Websites and streaming services that can not afford to pay for these faster lanes of internet connection will be drowned out by companies that can afford it.

    Shady business

    According to the Pew Research Center, in a study on the feedback the FCC collected from the public reported that results of their surveying came “inaccuracies and duplicates.”

    The report also stated that many of the submissions recorded “seemed to include false or misleading personal information,” cotinated “clear evidence of organized campaigns to flood comments with repeated messages” and “often thousands of comments were submitted at the precisely the same time.”

    This was in addition to the email validation process set up by the FCC only working about three percent of the time. The report stated that even emails such as “example@example.com” made the cut for public comment on net neutrality.

    The FCC is not only making unconstitutional steps toward limiting the flow of information and placing the power of those limits in the hands of corporations, but they are playing dirty to do it.

    How you can fight back

    The states are just beginning to take action, but you can too. On March 5, Washington became the first state to fight back against the FCC on repealing net neutrality.

    According to the New York Times, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill preventing internet providers from “blocking and slowing down content online.”

    On a smaller level, as a citizen, you can voice your opposition by visiting websites that help you locate your House of Representatives and Senate representatives. Write to them and express your opposition to what the FCC is doing and encourage them to act against these changes. In turn, getting involved locally will encourage more states to join Washington in passing state legislatures that disagree with the limitations the FCC wishes to implement.

  • Letter to the editor in response to “40-day anti-abortion protest begins in Eureka”

    Letter to the editor in response to “40-day anti-abortion protest begins in Eureka”

    Dear Editor,

    Regarding the Lumberjack article about the 40-Day Anti-Abortion Protest – HSU students need to know that not all religions or religious leaders believe that human sexuality is evil and something to be ashamed of. They need to know that some ways of faith regard sexuality as a blessing to be carefully and thoughtfully enjoyed between people as a way of communicating and sharing love – even if they aren’t married and even if they aren’t heterosexual.

    Like fire, human sexuality can, of course, hurt people both emotionally and physically. As people learn how to express their sexuality and share it with others, they learn by trial and error. Some religions shame people about this reality. Other religions offer factually accurate information and encourage people to make thoughtful and caring choices in keeping with their own deep values.

    The United States is a secular nation that works to guarantee freedom of religion for all its citizens. People whose faith calls them to abstain from all sexual activity before marriage or to abstain from birth control and abortion are free to follow the dictates of their hearts. And people whose faith or whose approach to life allows them more freedom around their sexual expression are also free to do as they see fit.

    Some religious people would like to do away with respect for religious freedom when it comes to human sexuality. But they do not speak for all religious people. Clergy for Choice is a group of interfaith religious leaders who support men and women in carefully finding their own way regarding their own sexuality. Clergy for Choice supports the compassionate and highly professional work of Planned Parenthood.

    So while some religious people practice 40 days of protest to end abortion and to end religious freedom around human sexual expression, other religious people practice a lifetime of supporting Planned Parenthood and thorough and effective reproductive health care for people as they make their own choices in this vulnerable and tender aspect of their lives.

    Sincerely,

    Rev. Bryan Jessup
    The Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
    PO Box 506
    Bayside, CA 95524 – Phone: 707 822-3793

  • Wild West in Humboldt County

    Wild West in Humboldt County

    Humboldt County is known worldwide as a safe haven for hippies, liberals and gun-toting conservative cowboys.

    Gun violence is on the rise around the country, especially in regards to mass shootings, as was just seen in Florida. Gun culture is being examined everywhere, questioned in many states and threatened all together.

    “It puts gun owners in a hard position,” Humboldt resident and registered gun owner Liam Doherty said. “We get lumped in with the demonization when we’re trying to be responsible and use these tools for useful purposes.”

    Mass shootings are on the rise, however. There have already been 30 mass shootings in 2018, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive. Protests have erupted all around the United States in attempts to bring about gun law reform to make it harder or even impossible for American citizens to purchase firearms.

    Video by Patrick Maravelias.

    Alexis Pritchard, Humboldt State graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, said if she had the power, she would take everyone’s guns away.

    “I believe that the root of the problem comes with the National Rifle Association and the lobbyists that are paying off these politicians to keep guns like AR-15’s that should only be used in the military,” Pritchard said.

    Arcata in particular has a reputation for being a progressive college town; pro-choice, pro-gun control and proactive in fighting for human rights. Outside of Arcata, however, is a jungle full of conservatives, cannabis and lots of firearms.

    “Arcata’s the only place you don’t see it,” Doherty said. “It’s the only town in Humboldt without guns in it.”

    HSU created a small, safer and more progressive circle than the rest of Humboldt. In addition, Arcata has a reputation for hippies, potheads and other stereotypes. But the truth is the majority of the country is very conservative. Fortuna, Ferndale, Rio Dell and Scotia all have more registered conservative voters than liberals, according to an article by the Times-Standard.

    “Arcata is a bubble, even compared to Mckinleyville,” Pritchard said. “I believe that the gun culture in Humboldt is very diverse in that we have one city specifically that has completely different ideals than the rest of the county as a whole.”

    The recreational cannabis industry is booming in California, and Humboldt is at the center of it. Currently, registered cannabis growers aren’t allowed to own firearms, which has created a mecca for illegal firearm trafficking in Humboldt as well.

    Cannabis is legal to grow and use in California within certain limitations. But on the federal level, cannabis remains illegal, forcing farmers to use cash-only for business transactions, because banks are in control. This has indirectly created a community of farmers who are forced to own unregistered firearms in order to protect their assets.

    The issue of illegal gun trafficking will be discussed further in the video on The Lumberjack website.