AMPAGE Volume CXXV Issue 5
FREE
October 30, 2013
The Student-Run Newspaper of Fresno City College
FRESNO ATTEMPTS TO ‘CLEAR’ OUT THE HOMELESS Closure of downtown camp leaves many with nowhere to go
BY BRANDALYN HASTINGS
Reporter bhastings@therampageonline.com
Nancy Holmes rummages through her belongings on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2013. Holmes, along with other homeless people, was evicted from her encampment as part of a City of Fresno operation started in July 2013. Photo/Abel Cortez.
When Nancy Holmes went to bed on Oct. 22, she expected to wake up in her bed among her belongings and in the place she has called home for eight months. On Oct. 23, Holmes was woken up by the drowning sounds of a bulldozer, razing the tents around her. By the end of that morning, Holmes and more than 30 others had lost their homes, an encampment located near Palm and H Street. “I feel at a total loss,” said Holmes. “I don’t understand it. I mean we were a good camp. We didn’t have a lot of police action.” The Wednesday morning clean-up was a part of an action plan that the city announced in July. The City of Fresno press release entitled, “City of Fresno To Clear Encampments as Part of Collaborative Effort,” states that, “City of Fresno officials today announced plans to clear a number of illegal structures as part of a col-
l SEE HOMELESS ON PAGE 5
urged to be proactive in Science classes to return in spring Students breast cancer prevention BY KEVYNN GOMEZ
Managing Editor kgomez@therampageonline.com
Continuing renovations of the Math and Science Building classrooms damaged by flooding should be finished in the next few months, according to Darren Cousineau, the Environmental Health and Safety Director for the State Center Community College District. Water damage from a plumbing leak in Fresno City College’s Math and Science Building originated on the top floor and caused damage to all other floors. The leak was found Aug. 11, the weekend before the fall semester started, and caused flooding of the bottom floor. The leak has
since been fixed. Three months later, the courtyard floor remains the only level still in need of significant renovations, with around four or five rooms under renovation. Bare concrete flooring, stripped of linoleum that was ruined by water moisture, still needs to be stained and sealed with paint. The original material used, vinyl composite tile or VCT, was removed and will not be replaced due to its vulnerability to weaken when exposed to moisture. Classroom walls with sheetrock originally exposed by water damage need new coats of paint and new furl SEE FLOODING ON PAGE 7
Calhoun trial finishes PAGES 6-7
BY AIDYL MOLINA
Reporter amolina@therampageonline.com
Students and staff at Fresno City College marked National Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Oct. 16, acknowledging the benefits of the campaign to educate women on the topic. Amid pink ribbons, the symbol associated with breast cancer awareness since 1991, many who gathered in front of the library shared the ways in which breast cancer has touched their lives. The forum featured testimonies from some who had lost loved ones to
cancer as well as tips from counselors on regular screenings. Still, many in the audience came in their pink garb to show support. Bianca Stone, a small business management major at FCC, said that her great aunt died of breast cancer 12 years ago. “She was a really heavy smokerat least a whole pack a day,” Stone said. “By the time it was caught, it was too late for treatment.” Her great aunt was said to have died within a year of detection. To Stone, “it’s alienating” that this case was swept under the rug. l SEE CANCER ON PAGE 4
Shooting highlights safety flaws PAGES 2-4