The Corsair - Issue 5 (Fall 2021) by Santa Monica College

CONTENT

FACULTY ADVISORS Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins | Journalism Adviser Gerard Burkhart | Photo Adviser Sharyn Obsatz | Social Media Adviser

CONTACT Editor in Chief | corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram | corsairnews Twitter | the_corsair Facebook | thecorsairnews YouTube | thecorsaironline

Jon Putman | The Corsair

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Music has an effect on people that feels unexplainable and magical. It has a mysterious way of making you cry, laugh, and recall long forgotten memories. It has the power to make you feel. This issue of The Corsair is about music. I didn’t see that it was until just before the morning of production day, when my News Editor, Gavin and I were laying out pages on the whiteboard in the newsroom, which made me do some research. Around 1.3 million children in elementary school don’t have access to music education, and some studies have shown that access to music classes help kids do better in school. This is the power of music. No matter what the emotion it is that you’re feeling, I don’t know anyone who can sit down and listen to one of their favorite songs without feeling anything at all. In my daily life, it’s really important for keeping my mental state positive. There is nothing that makes me feel more like the main character of my own life than driving down the highway with my convertible top down and my favorite songs blasting. Whether it’s LP, Edith Piaf, or Carole King, there’s a smile on my face while I’m driving. For a lot of my life, music was one of my very few friends. It comforted me when I felt alone and got me through the toughest times. The right music empowers me, and makes me feel stronger than I did without it. It plays in the background of some of my favorite memories, and reminds me of the loved ones that I have lost. This issue is special in its own right because of music. I didn’t plan it, and neither did my editors but we ended up here anyway. Oddly enough, the other day a friend of mine was telling me that at her job they take one day a year to gather everyone in the conference room. When they’re together, they take turns playing everyone’s “entrance song”. An entrance song is a particular song you pick that gets you really excited for the day. It's the song that plays in your head when you enter a room. After she told us about the concept, we all went around the table and played the songs that we chose. I didn’t choose mine that night, and I debated for a long time what I wanted it to be. What did I sound like? What did I want to say when I walked into the room? Somehow I passed on "Living Dead Girl", and landed on "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring. (If I could play it everytime I walked into the newsroom, I would.) But the concept of the entrance song taught me a few things. One, that you can tell a lot about someone by the lyrics of their favorite song, and two everyone loves to play the song that they think describes them best. Music has a way of defining us. Here at The Corsair, I think I’ll introduce the Entrance Song activity to my team, and enjoy how they introduce the most vulnerable parts of themselves through music.

So without further ado, I give to you Issue 5 of The Corsair, the Music Issue.

WEBSITE www.thecorsaironline.com

FRONT COVER (L-R) Christopher Clarkson, Oscar Perez Acosta, Vzya Toledo play an original song, Chaparral by Lincoln Mendell at The Applied Music Showcase at The Broad Stage Santa Monica, California on November 5, 2021. (Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair)

Editor-In-Chief Ashley Cox

NOV. 10, 2021

NEWS

Newsom Challenges Vaccine Mandate for Prison Staff Sarah Nachimson | Arts & Entertainment Editor

n Oct. 12, 2021, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom appealed against federal judge Marciano Plata’s orders to mandate vaccines for prison guards in the state. His opposition to those mandatory vaccinations comes as Newsom spearheaded efforts to mandate COVID-19 vaccines in schools, and made California the first state to require vaccines for all K-12 students once the FDA approves immunizations for children. According to the California Depart-

ment of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Division of Correctional Policy Research and Internal Oversight, 77 percent of the state’s approximately one hundred thousand inmates and 63 percent of the state’s approximately sixty-six thousand staff received full vaccination as of Oct. 27, 2021. As of Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, only 51 percent of the state’s 28,000 correctional officers, specifically, are fully vaccinated. According to the California Department of Public Health, the percentage of the state population fully vaccinated, 72.7 percent, is

higher than California’s prison staff immunization rate but lower than the inmates’. As of Oct. 27, 2021, the state has imposed any COVID-19 vaccine requirements upon either of the two groups. Jose Ramirez, a formerly incarcerated student at Santa Monica College (SMC) and a member of the school’s Reentering Incarcerated and System Impacted Navigating Greatness (RISING) program, shared his personal philosophy about immunizations. He believes in people's personal choice for their bodies, but does not understand

the stigma towards vaccines. He shared that he received COVID-19 vaccinations himself because it was required for his current living situation. Nonetheless, he understands the mindset of those incarcerated who are hesitant to receive vaccinations. In prison, Ramirez described the attitude as “every man for themselves.” He thought the government should not force vaccination mandates onto incarcerated persons. However, he believed eventually they would not have a choice in California. “California, sooner or lat-

Gavin Quinton | The Corsair Students marched from USC village to Frat Row to demand action against pepetrators and enablers of sexual violence at University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California on Monday, October 10, 2021.

er, is going to make it mandated for everybody to get [a vaccine],” he said. Ramirez then expressed shock atwhat he referred to as Newsom’s “special treatment” toward prison staff when he heard that the governor opposed vaccine mandates for prison guards. Ramirez was aware of the governor's COVID-19 vaccine mandate in other fields, and Newsom’s fight against

requiring the same immunization for prison guards dismayed Ramirez. “Newsom tells the cops and the firefighters out here to get it, but won't tell them to get it,” he said. “So that's already like a double standard or like showing favoritism. Ramirez explained, too, that Newsom’s opposition to vaccinating prison staff didn’t surprise him due to the

political influence of the prison staff union, California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA). “It is all very politically influenc[ial],” he said regarding the CCPOA. In the recent past, the CCPOA provided donations to Newsom. According to public state records, on July 27, 2021, the non-profit union donated $1.7 million dollars to fight Newsom's 2021

campaign against his opponents' gubernatorial recall efforts. CCPOA and Newsom’s office did not respond to The Corsair’s request for comment

P H OTO S TO R Y

NOV. 10, 2021

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

Soprano Angela Rhodes sings a song from the 1934 opera, "Giuditta," at The Applied Music Showcase at The Broad Stage, in Santa Monica Santa Monica, Calif. on November 5, 2021. The concert highlights students in the Applied Music program at Santa Monica College, which provides talented music students affordable, private instruction in preparation to transfer as music majors at fouryear universities and conservatories. The program also grants scholarships to students who successfully transfer.

Spotlight on Applied Music

P H OTO S TO R Y

NOV. 10, 2021

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

(R-L) Elizabeth Ducoing and Francis Abastillas play "Catching Shadows" by Ivan Trevino.

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

Cooper Gillespie plays his original song "Cranky Baby" on vocoder.

Marc Federici | The Corsair

Jodie (Yueun) Lee sings a jazz ensemble version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66."

Marc Federici | The Corsair

Grace (YuKyung) Son plays "Violin Concerto in G Major (ca.1769): i.Allegro Moderato" by Joseph Haydn.

P H OTO S TO R Y

Photos by Maxim Elramsisy

Top: Trumpet player Risako Harada plays "Concert Etude, Op.49" by Alexander Goedicke. Bottom: Max Zwarych plays the bass part of "Lady Bird" by Tad Dameron. Opposite: Daler Babaev plays "Tuba Sonata" by Paul Hindemith.

NOV. 10, 2021

P H OTO S TO R Y

NEWS

NOV. 10, 2021

SCOTUS Hears Cases on Texas Abortion Roxana Blacksea | Digital Editor Grace Wexler | Staff Writer

he Supreme Court of the United States heard two cases on November 1, 2021. Both cases, Whole Women's Health v. Jackson and United States v. Texas, challenged a new Texas Senate Bill (SB) 8 state law that court documents describe as "chilling" the constitutionally protected rights of women to access abortion services. Texas SB8 was signed into state law by Texas Governor Abbot on Sept. 1, 2021. Section 171.208 of the bill deputizes members of the public at large to file civil lawsuits against abortion providers and anyone suspected of aiding abortion services. The bill outlaws abortion in Texas when fetal heartbeat begins as outlined in Section 171.201. Subsection B of Section 171.208 awards plaintiffs minimum of $10,000 in statutory damages should they win a suit and offers no preclusive effect for defendants. Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Stephen Breyer all dissented against the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' 5-4 decision in September to deny Whole Women’s Health application for injunctive relief against the Texas law in Whole Women's Health et al. v. Jackson. Associate Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett also heard the cases. In Whole Women's Health et al. v. Jackson, attorney Marc Hearron represented the plaintiffs. He argued that the principle of Ex Parte Young (1908) which allows suits to be brought against state officials enforcing laws that violate constitutional rights - applies to SB8, despite what he described as the law's "novel" strategy for denying state culpability. "Texas delegated enforcement to literally any person anywhere except its own state officials,” Hearron said at the Nov. 1 hearing. “The only conceivable reason for doing so was to evade federal court review under Ex Parte Young." Hearron proposed the authorization of Federal Court relief from the clerks who docket cases brought under SB8, effectively preventing suits from being filed. This was his idea to combat section 171.208 of SB8. In the hearing for the other case, United States v. State of Texas, Justices Thomas and Alito raised concerns of federal overreach and encroachment on state sovereignty. Solicitor General Prelogar,

Neil O'Loughlin | The Corsair

Jon Putman | The Corsair

Protestor, healthcare worker, and rape victim Tina Larrimore holds her fist high, passionately shouting out in agreement with a speaker at the Rally for Abortion Justice in Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles on October 2, 2021.

A supporter of the Womens March held at the Beverly Gardens Park located in Beverly Hills, Calif. on October 2, 2021 stands with her sign in front of the famous Beverly Hills sign.

appearing on behalf of the Petitioner, responded that "because a state has never before crafted an enforcement scheme like this, there has not been the kind of situation that would prompt the United States to intervene in this manner." In Downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills on Oct. 2, 2021, demonstrators gathered as part of the national annual Women's March, focusing this year on

reproductive justice, in light of Texas SB8's attacks on women's reproductive choice and access. JoyceLynn Mueller, who showed up to the Women’s March because of her support of reproductive rights, believed that Texas SB8, which the two mentioned cases challenged, puts important women’s rights in jeopardy. “We can’t go backwards, we can’t go back 50 years. We can’t dismiss Roe vs.

Wade,” she said. “It is our right to be able to choose what happens to our body in Texas.”

Neil O'Loughlin | The Corsair Protestors at the Rally for Abortion Justice gather at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. The city hall stands towering above them on October 2, 2021.

NOV. 10, 2021

A R TS & E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Wolf Alice Performs At Teragram Ballroom Sarah Nachimson | Arts & Entertainment Editor

or British rock band Wolf Alice’s large stage presence, a small mosh pit at their Teragram Ballroom concert in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 28, felt unusually intimate. During the show, Ellie Roswell, the band’s vocalist, even interacted with the audience. She lightheartedly responded to a fan at the concert who commented on the Manchester-born singer’s accent. “Do I actually sound like that?” she said. Roswell stood onstage front and center in a black suit jacket and occasionally played an electric guitar. The band’s guitarist Joff Oddie, who originally started Wolf Alice with Roswell as a duo in 2010, played on Roswell’s left. The band’s other two members, who joined the group later, also stood onstage. Bassist Theo Ellis was on Roswell’s right and drummer Joel Amey behind her. Wolf Alice’s appeal, according to musician Christian Gisborne who attended the concert, comes from the band’s ability to craft high-quality rock music. “This new album is their best one yet," he said. The show’s opener, musician Lily Lizzore who uses they or she pronouns and creates music as “The Blossom," performed their childlike punk-pop singles.

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

Wolf Alice plays at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

She strutted the stage clad in a white dress covered with colorful scribbles. Their stage presence, despite the artist’s relatively new debut with their first EP "97 BLOSSOM" released on April 6, 2021, was mesmerizing and packed with the stardom of a seasoned musician. Wolf Alice’s stage presence, for their live act, further captivated audience

members. The band performed past hits from their 2015 debut album "My Love Is Cool", 2017 album "Visions of a Life," and singles from new studio album "Blue Weekend" which they released on June 4, 2021, this year. The first song that night, “Delicious Things,” was a perfect concoction of classic rock and melodramatic indie with quiet verses and bridges that

crescendo into a dreamy chorus. Lyrically, singles like “Delicious Things” fill "Blue Weekend" with simple, yet poignant, confessions from the songwriting band. That song, in particular, reflects on Roswell’s ascension to fame in Los Angeles from humble beginnings. “A girl like me,” she sang. “Would you believe I’m in Los Angeles?” Throughout the performance, the band’s soft punk discography created an exceptional experience. When they changed from blaring guitar solos to mellow ballads, Wolf Alice made those tonal transitions feel natural. The entire room clapped to the exhilarating beat of “Giant Peach” and shouted their hearts out to the bittersweet chorus of “No Hard Feelings.” Roswell spoke before the latter track to usher that shift into a more somber melody. “Next, I’m going to sing a wee sad song,” she said. “Sad, but hopeful.” For the concert’s finale, Wolf Alice once again interacted with the audience. The band gave one last encore, which the crowd applauded for, of their hit single “Moaning Lisa Smile.” The song received a 2015 Grammy nomination for best rock solo performance. As Roswell stared into the audience, Oddie and Ellis played guitar and bass riffs, and Amey guided the rhythm on drums, the last moments of music were a fiery end to the night.

It's the Circle of Life for Philip Lawrence Aaliyah Sosa | Staff Writer

n Oct. 1, 1971, the Walt Disney World Resort opened to the public. Five decades later, the theme park held an 18-month celebration for its 50th anniversary. Grammy-winning artist Philip Lawrence composed a brand new song for the occasion. Along with Lawrence, singer-songwriter Kayla Alvarez performed the song for the resort's nighttime experience “Disney Enchantment.” Lawrence's musical journey began long before his work with Disney. Growing up in Evansville, Indiana, music always had a strong influence on his life. Along with his brother and sister, Lawrence first performed on stage around the age of five. “ When you're on stage at five, it's kind of telegraphing where your future is going,” Lawrence said. After high school, Lawrence studied at Tennessee State University for about a year. He recalled how music continued to inspire him in college. “All I did [in college] was sing, form groups, and write songs,” he said. His path changed when he followed his brother to Florida and discovered Disney World was hiring. Lawrence, 19 at the time, flew to Chicago to audition and landed two jobs with Disney. He host-

Illustration by Sarah Nachimson

ed interviews with guest celebrities and performed for shows like “Tarzan Rocks” and "Festival of the Lion King.” Lawrence said, “Being a cast member, I always call it my college years.” Disney was Lawrence’s chance to find what he described as his individuality as an artist. He often faced internal conflict, asking himself questions like, “Can I do it? Who am I without people on stage

with me?” Gradually, he found confidence as Disney hired him for more work. In a breakroom where the Lion King cast would vocally warm-up, Lawrence spent his time on a keyboard. There, he familiarized himself with the piano’s elements. “That was where the seed was planted for me to become a songwriter. Disney is where it all started for me,” said Lawrence.

Over the years, he grew determined to take his craft seriously. He moved to Los Angeles, where he met Bruno Mars, a fellow then-struggling musician. The collaboration launched Lawrence into fame. He wrote and produced music for himself and well-known artists like Adele, Alicia Keys, and Kendrick Lamar. His work received 18 Grammy nominations and won seven awards including Album of the Year. Lawrence is all too familiar with topping charts, platinum records, and world tours. Through it all, the successful performer still remembers Disney’s impact on him as a young man. Over 20 years have passed since Disney hired Lawrence as a wide-eyed dreamer with little to his name. He described his return to Disney World as “a cathartic experience.” For the Disney resort’s 50th anniversary, he wrote the personal anthem “You Are the Magic.” “So many dormant emotions and feelings sprung to life,” Lawrence said when describing the song. “The idea of writing something that was connected to a part of my life, [the song] just flowed out effortlessly.” With his new ballad for the 50th anniversary celebration, Lawrence aspired to remain true to Walt Disney’s message of finding magic in all things.

S P O R TS

SEPT. 29, 2021

Freshman Lupe Pulotu (3) yells in excitement before a match against Citrus College on November 3, 2021 at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, Calif.

Jon Putman | The Corsair

Athletic Plays Fall sports bring competition back to SMC campus.

Jon Putman | The Corsair

Sophomore Michael Laborde tries a last second shot on October, 13 2021.

Jon Putman | The Corsair

Freshman James Cavanagh listens to his Coach on October 13, 2021.

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

Sophmore point guard Daiquan Copeland makes the game-winning basket against Cypress College on November 4, 2021.

S P O R TS

JUNE 2, 2021

Jon Putman | The Corsair

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

Freshman Savannah Haislip blocks an opponents shot against College of the Canyons on October 27, 2021.

Freshman Goalie Ginger Garret poses for a picture just before a match against LA Valley College on September 29, 2021.

Jon Putman | The Corsair Jon Putman | The Corsair

Middle Right: Freshman QB Sam Vaulton drops back for a pass against Pasadena City College. Middle Left: Freshman Luis Heredia, dribbles the ball down the field past the Bakersfield defender on October 5, 2021. Bottom Left: Sophomore goalie Yosemite Cruz kicks the ball downfield on September 25, 2021. Bottom Right: Freshman receiver Jai Guess tackles a LA Valley College player who intercepted the ball on November 8, 2021. Jon Putman | The Corsair

Jon Putman | The Corsair

C U LT U R E

NOV. 10, 2021

Santa Monica Celebrates Día de los Muertos

Michael Beeson | Staff Writer Narayan Pereda | Staff Writer

n Saturday, Oct. 30, Santa Monica hosted its 11th annual Día de los Muertos event at the city’s Third Street Promenade. The festivities, organized by Downtown Santa Monica Inc., included traditional dancing, live music, face painting, as well as vendors from the Angel City Market. The event celebrated Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is a Mexican holiday originating approximately 3,000 years ago. The holiday was created to show respect and to honor the dead. Today, Latinos, especially Mexicans, from all around the world gather every Nov. 1-2 to celebrate the lives of their past family members and ancestors. The holiday is significant to many people, including Normz La Oaxaqueña, an organizer of the event. “This year has a whole meaning for me and it is something special for me now,” said La Oaxaqueña. This is her first time organizing the event in Santa Monica for Día de los Muertos. She decided to coordinate it because the holiday is a strong part of her culture. La Oaxaqueña is Oaxaqueña, which refers to her connection to the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and Día de los Muertos is one of the most important days to her people. To La Oaxaqueña, the holiday is a beautiful tradition because it commemorates the lives of her past loved ones. “Losing a loved one is sad and tragic, so this holiday allows you to

Jon Putman | The Corsair Día de los Muertos performers get ready for their planned performance behind the main stage at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif. on October 30, 2021.

keep their memory alive,“ she said. There are people in other Latin American countries who celebrate Día de los Muertos, however, the traditions vary from country to country. Lorena Oliveros is a Colombian woman who participated in the event this year. Oliveros shared that her native Colombia incorporates certain aspects of the holiday, which includes visiting cemeteries and lighting candles to honor deceased family members. Oliveros decided to take part in this event because the celebratory at-

mosphere makes her feel like she is at home. What she enjoyed about the tradition surrounding the Latin holiday was the ofrendas, which are offerings made in an altar to dedicate a lost loved one. Throughout the celebration, which continued until approximately 10 p.m., passersby like Ana Hernandez stumbled upon the event on Third Street Promenade. Hernandez is of Mexican descent and Día de los Muertos brings her closer to a part of her cultural identity. Although Hernandez did not have

prior knowledge of the event, she felt gravitated towards it because of the live Latin music performed by various artists. “I just heard the music and I liked the music," said Hernandez. There are several different ways to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, and to keep alive the memory of lost loved ones. Santa Monica combined the most universal aspects of this rich tradition to create a meaningful celebration for the community.

Black Image Center Preserves Memories For Black Families Zipporah Pruitt | Staff Writer

n Oct. 22 through 24, the Black Image Center, a Los Angeles organization created by a group of young photographers, hosted a pop-up event called The Black Family Archive. The exhibit, held at the Community Build Organization Center in Leimert Park, showcased photos of the authentic Black experience in America. The Black Image Center’s mission is to preserve the visual imagery of Black Americans. They do so by hosting workshops and providing equipment for Black families to catalogue their photos and preserve their memories. The organization aims to provide free and low-cost photography services to young artists from disadvantaged communities. They hope to stimulate imagination and empower Black storytellers and creatives. The event is produced by the teams of the artist-led organization known as For Freedoms and Converse. These two groups teamed up in order to make the pop-up that can help Black people connect to their history and preserve their legacies. Maya Mansour, a founding member of

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair Jessica Neal recieves a family portrait after scanning and archiving in Los Angeles, Calif. on October 23, 2021.

Black Image Center, got her start by photographing the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and curated this pop-up. “We wanted to create a space to kind of garner that same excitement that we had for our own family archives… Most of the vendors are Black women.” Mansour said. The event was also backed by vendors of different varieties, including performers and live music. Kicking off the event was art provid-

ed by Adee Roberson, a Black artist who worked with an initiative known as Hear Her Here, which seeks to make a space for Black femme artists. As the event happened, her art, a mural made of portraits of Black people, was on display at the back of the building. “[Roberson] uses her family photos as the raw material for her screen printing practice,” Mansour said. The Black Image Center has many

ways of preserving Black families’ history. The organization provides consultations where those interested can create a preservation plan with an expert on film. Options for families include scanning existing photos to a computer or hard drive or converting digital photos to printed copies. Finally, the Black Image Center also offers rehousing services to keep and preserve damaged, deteriorating and loose photos in a safe place. The pop-up also gifted film to attendees via a featured exhibit dubbed the Free Film Fridge. This was provided by the organizers so that young artists can access additional resources to document Black experience. Film is often a costly barrier to entry for beginner and experienced photographs, and this resource gives them an extra opportunity to further their skills. Mansour provided some final reflections on the event. “I think that our goal, in putting together this event, is really to kind of highlight… the building blocks of Black history,” Mansour said. “It’s been really amazing to see Black families work with Black archivists to bond over how exciting it is to see photos of [their] ancestors.”

O P INIO N

NOV. 10, 2021

Rolling Stones Drummer Steve Jordan Fills Big Shoes Zipporah Pruitt | Staff Writer

drummer. Conversely, Jordan is a thunderous and energetic presence onstage. He has performed with a number of legendary artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Batiste, Bruno Mars, and Beyoncè. Stones superfan, Larry Johnson, who has been to almost every Stones concert in California since 1972 said about Watts’ death, “I think Charlie did his job and did it very well and he was okay with that. Charlie was a cornerstone of the Stones and sadly I would be okay if the Stones called it quits after Charlie’s death. They have nothing to prove.” This is a stance many take as the original drummer, Watts, was an integral part of The Rolling Stones. While Jordan has big shoes to fill, he is more than capable of taking over Watt’s duties as drummer for the band. As many fans wonder what is next after the death of Watts, some believe that the band is close to calling it quits and hanging up their guitars. Just as a rolling stone gathers no moss, these rock stars will keep rolling on, remembering the legacy of their great drummer, while also making great strides towards the future.

essianic, satanic, no matter what you call them, they love to play the blues. The Rolling Stones, or Stones, blew the roof off of Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on Oct. 17, 2021 as they played the second of their two shows in Los Angeles. Their 2019 “No Filter” Tour was the last tour the Stones had with drummer Charlie Watts before his passing on Aug. 24, 2021. Watts underwent a medical procedure and took time off the tour to recover, appointing New Barbarians drummer Steve Jordan to take his place during the tour. Arguably, Jordan is a more than adequate replacement to take over Watts' drumming role, considering his musical expertise and relationship with Watts and the other Stones. Jordan knew Watts for several years and has performed some Stones’ songs as a drummer for original Stone, Keith Richards’ side project X-Pensive Winos. Watts, the original drummer of the Stones, is known by many as one of the greatest drummers of all time, and his drumming has been praised as more clean and precise than other drummers. Watts appointed Jordan to fill in for the 2021 “No Filter” tour in the U.S., and his appointment of Jordan speaks to his belief that Jordan is a more than adequate drummer. In a statement released by the band on Aug. 8, 2021, Watts said, “I really do not want the many fans who have been

Zipporah Pruitt | The Corsair The Rolling Stones open their concert at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif .on October 17, 2021.

holding tickets for this tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation. I have therefore asked my great friend Steve Jordan to stand in for

me.” Jordan, while not the relaxed and calm jazz drummer that Watts was known as, commands respect as a

War On Homelessness in Los Angeles Rashno Razmkhah | Social Media Editor

n Oct. 27, Los Angeles (L.A.) Council President Nury Martinez implemented the 41.18 resolution in the Van Nuys area. Section 41.18 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code prohibits “sitting, lying, and sleeping in public areas.'' Implementing laws that criminalize homelessness is no more than an act of war towards people that are suffering from circumstances beyond their control. Now, law enforcement can arrest and fine the homeless for doing what is necessary to simply exist. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, “homelessness starts rising when median rents in a region exceed 22% of median income… in Los Angeles, the median rent is 46.7% or nearly half of median income.” This

means that the average income in L.A. is not keeping up with the city’s extreme rent prices, causing more people to fall victim to homelessness every day. Tanya Myers, a resident of Aetna Street in Van Nuys, has faced homelessness 14 times within the last 29 years. Along with her husband and 21 year old son, Myers was placed at an apartment in Nov. 2019 with the help of L.A. Family Housing, a housing subsidy. There, she had to tolerate poor ventilation conditions and dehumanizing treatment from the building owners. Additionally, L.A. Family Housing failed to complete routine housing inspections and provide them with the proper resources. Once Myers and her family were evicted from said apartment, they were back on the streets of L.A. due to the high rent prices. “You don't even have to make affordable housing, just make what is available, affordable,” she said

in regards to what the city can do amid the continuous housing crisis. Myers' husband, who was diagnosed with skin cancer, and her son, who suffers from seizures regularly, do not receive consistent treatment through MediCal. These issues do not apply to Myers specifically, but rather the entirety of the homeless community. Some members of the unhoused community still aim to complete their education in spite of their unstable living conditions which is why Santa Monica College (SMC) has partnered up with Safe Place for Youth in order to connect students facing housing insecurity with the proper resources. Sarah Fay, the Campus Peer Navigator at SMC provided some options that students may look out for if they are faced with housing insecurity, “there are two places that are more student-focused, The Opportunity House and Shower of Hope”.

Both of these organizations specialize in helping the homeless community by providing necessary resources. To get in contact with Sarah, email sfay@ safeplaceforyouth.org or call 424-4280159. While temporary housing through social programs are band-aids for bullet wounds, it is essential to continue to advocate for the basic needs of the unhoused members of the surrounding communities and demand policy change against laws that criminalize unhoused persons such as section 41.18 as a more long term solution.

The Corsair - Issue 5 (Fall 2021)

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