Fall 2016 print layout issue 05 by Santa Monica College Corsair Newspaper

NOV, 16 2016 | VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Students Protest on Campus Day After Election (P.3) "Not My President!" A Photo Story (P.6-7)

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Oppression Has A Voice Personal Expressions After The Election (P.9) Narcos: A Sit Down With André Mattos (P.10)

Political Unrest THE CORSAIR • THECORSAIRONLINE.COM • 1900 PICO BLVD. SANTA MONICA, CA 90405 • (310) 434-4340

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VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

EDITORIAL STAFF christian monterrosa ......... Editor-in-Chief corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com september dawn bottoms ..... Digital Editor corsair.digitaleditor@gmail.com bailey peraita ....................... Managing Editor corsair.managingeditor@gmail.com josue martinez ............................ Photo Editor corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com jose lopez ..................... Assistant Photo Editor corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com daniel han.................................. Design Editor corsair.designteam@gmail.com christina kelley.......................Culture Editor corsair.calendarpage@gmail.com troy barnes................................ Sports Editor corsair.sportspage@gmail.com keyarivera-quick.....................Opnion Editor rebecca singleton................ Graphics Editor

A high surf advisory was in effect for parts of Southern California, and local surfers from the area came out to surf by the Newport Beach, Pier on November 4.

RYANNE MENA .................... Social Media Editor

Photo By: Daniel Bowyer

CORSAIR STAFF Daniel Bowyer, Oscar Carranza, Andrea Canizales, Cliff Cheng, Kevin Colindres, Joanna Esquivias, Emily Flores, Samuel Gerstein, Sam Green, Alex Harris, Marco Heredia, Christina Kelly, Kissindre Kimbrell, Daniel Lee, Brian Lewis, Agustin Martinez, Erendira Martinez, Caroline Marriott, Yulia Morris, Dylan Mulcahy, Leslie Plascencia, Brian Quiroz, Martina Rakar, Jasmin Rogers, Brian Schaefer, Gabriel Schittdiel, Jett Sacker, Rebecca Singleton, Jovante Smith, Marisa Vasquez, Rosangelica Vizcarra FACULTY ADVISORS saul rubin .......................... Journalism Advisor gerard burkhart......................Photo Advisor

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FRONT COVER Photo by: Christian Monterrosa. Caption: Self made leaders organize the crowd of protesters on the third night of Anti-Trump Protests in Downtown Los Angeles.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR We were sleeping on the grass. Our camera batteries were on their last limbs, our legs sore from walking for over 5 hours straight. Having been lulled to sleep by a rare moment of silence and calm, we layed on the lawn directly across from L.A. City Hall trying to regain at least a little bit of energy to keep going. Sleeping in 20 minute shifts, It was my turn to stay awake. Suddenly, I heard the sound of running and “Go, go, go.” I quickly sat up to see what was going on and immediately after heard the unmistakable sound of a tear gas canister leaving the metal barrel of the gun that an LAPD officer had just fired. While everyone ran away we picked up our gear and ran towards the action to get a better look. The Digital Editor of the Corsair September Dawn Bottoms and myself were photographing the protest in Downtown L.A. that had formed a day after Donald Trump was elected president. Hundreds had gathered to show their disapproval of the president elect and dozens stuck around in the late hours of the night finding themselves in a standoff with police. If you haven’t seen The Corsair’s coverage of the events, made possible with our talented and dedicated photo staff, be sure to read about it on our online site, which by the way, would be a disaster without September’s creative eye for design and her incredible journalistic integrity. While our print issue is bi-weekly, she makes sure that we have daily content for our website while at the same time editing and managing everything that gets published. Not to mention she works a full time job outside of the newsroom. If you see a blonde, freckle faced girl with a camouflaged backpack and a camera in hand, give her a high-five and buy her a cup of coffee. She’ll most definitely be needing it. And so just like our sudden wake up call by panic, and the calm before the storm on that night, our country has found itself in a similar situation. The calm came in form of the various news outlets ensuring their audiences that Mr. Trump had no chance of winning, as Obama campaigned with Clinton and national polls showed her in the lead, we were sure that a Trump victory wouldn't happen. But we were dead wrong. America now finds itself not knowing what will happen next or how a change of leadership will affect them. I mean, how could they with a president elect who based his whole campaign on generalizations and describing his proposed policy changes as, “It will be the best you’ve ever seen. Believe me.” Ironically enough, I find myself in the same boat as the new president elect. As the new Editor-in-Chief of The Corsair, all eyes are on me as staff and students wait to see what I do next. For now, I will focus on making this newspaper a journalistic powerhouse. This issue has been themed after

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the political chaos that our country finds itself in. From daily coverage of the Anti-Trump protests, to an up close and personal look at who these political demonstrators are and what they are set out to do. I thank you for picking this week's’ issue of The Corsair as we set out to make this newspaper known as the go to publication for students and faculty for any and all on campus news. We have all been thrown a figurative canister of tear gas and The Corsair will continue to run towards the smoke to get a better look. This week, our closer look includes SMC students walking out of their classrooms and marching through campus the day after the election. Then, Staff Writer Dylan Mulcahy goes to visit Santa Monica Airport and investigates the city’s effort to shut it down. In a different take on sports, our new Sports Editor Troy Barnes gives his take on what the future holds for sports and how our modern age has influenced them. Our photo story further shows the events that have been taking place in and around Los Angeles as angry protesters have taken to the streets to show their disagreement with the new president elect. I’m not quite sure how much longer these protests are going to go on, but you can be sure that we’ll be there to cover them. In light of the uncertainty, contributor Alci Rengifo gives his take on how we even got in this situation in the first place while Adam Thomas elaborates on how he saw this coming the whole time. To be fair, he did publish an article prior to the election stating that Donald Trump would win. To further understand the intentions and mentality of protesters, staff photographer Marisa Vasquez and September interviewed individual demonstrators to get their side of the story. Also, staff writer Daniel Lee sat down with André Mattos from the hit Netflix series “Narcos” to talk about what life is like playing an infamous character from the cartel. And finally, contributing writer Riley Boice finds out how cultural upbringing influences the fashion choices of individual students. It was incredibly difficult to put this week’s issue together but it was all made possible by the dedicated and hardworking staff of the Corsair. I would also like to give thanks to Bailey Peraita who has returned as Managing Editor and to Nik Lucaj, my personal advisor and consultant to the Corsair Newspaper. Christian Monterrosa Editor-in-Chief

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NEWS

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

STUDENTS PROTEST DAY AFTER ELECTION Hundreds walked out of class to show their disaproval of new president elect. CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Upon arrival to campus on Wednesday, the campus was eerily quiet with occasional political conversation that broke the deflated silence. Some students walked in a dispirited posture while trying to wrap their brains around the presidential election that took place just several hours prior. However, not all students wanted to be silent. The students of SMC united on Wednesday to protest the election of our 45th President, Donald Trump. Hundreds of students gathered in the quad to show their disapproval of our nation's decision holding signs and international flags, and chanting “Not My President.” Students hugged and cried with their professors as members of SMC faculty and staff gathered as well to spectate on the assembly including SMC President Dr. Kathryn Jeffery. The rally started with the president of the Homeboys and Homegirls Club, Edgar Gonzalez, thanking everyone for gathering last minute to support the cause. A podium was set up with a microphone where several students addressed their fellow peers and share their stories of how the election of Mr. Trump will affect them and their families. “This walk is not just for us, it’s for all the LGBTgroups, it’s for undocumented [people], it’s [against] all the racism and sexism that exists, and we will not allow that in this country, in this school,” said Mayra Torres, a member of the Improving Dreams Equality Access and Success Club, or I.D.E.A.S. club. “Let us stand together in love and in peace.” Gonzalez then led the student activists through the quad as they yelled at the top of their lungs in a very uniform and militarized fashion. “People want to

know, who we are. So we tell them, we are the students.” The voices of hundreds echoed through the SMC campus being noticed by anyone who managed to still get to class after the long election night before. One of those in earshot was Karina Lopez, a member of the SMC Republicans Club. “The United States turned red last night and I get chills thinking about it because it’s crazy. And it just shows how people are sick and tired of being pushed around by their government and that’s really what this is all about,” said Lopez. “I hope that eventually people will see that he’s trying to bring the American public together instead of dividing us.” After reaching Pico Boulevard, the group was met by another Trump supporter who police addressed as Josue. He yelled curse words and insults at the anti-Trump group. “They’re one sided. And that’s what I hate.” said Josue, who claimed to a be a Marine Corps Veteran in Afghanistan. He took off his shirt and ran down the street as he yelled in the faces of Associated Students President Terrance Ware Jr. and Vice President Adrian Restrepo, who were guiding the march and keeping students from flooding onto the street. Among those marching was Jennifer Benitas, a member of the Adelante Club, and an advocate for the upcoming Gender Equity Center on campus. “It doesn’t matter if [Donald Trump] was who you voted for or not. We all have to unite, we all have to come together, we all have to love each other and organize. We can’t let this happen, we can’t just sit back and take it. It’s time to take it all down,” said Benitas. Crossing the streets and halting traffic for moments at a time, the large group

A.S. President Terrance Ware Jr holds a flag outside of the library during a student protest of the election results on Novermber 9. (Photo by: Christian Monterrosa)

eventually came to a stop in front of the library on the main campus. A bullhorn was passed around to anyone who asked for it, including A.S. President Ware who held up an American flag in the middle of the crowd. “When you leave here, you should be empowered, you should go out and do something,” said Ware. “Do not leave here today and do nothing. That makes everything that we have done here today worthless. We are not worthless.” After the demonstration, student leaders and advocates for civil rights gathered around a table to discuss the election and the events that took place on campus.

Students took a knee as they listened to their student president speak about the election results. (Photo by: Christian Monterrosa)

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Some students who gathered from the I.D.E.A.S. club were also DACA students. DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is an immigration policy passed by President Obama as an executive action that exempts undocumented immigrants from deportation if they entered the U.S. before their 16th birthday and before June 2007. DACA recipients are also given a renewable two year work permit. “With Trump’s victory, everything that the country has worked for [for the undocumented community] just took a 180 degree turn and went backwards,” said Carlos Santiago, a member of the I.D.E.A.S. club who was able to get a job at SMC thanks to DACA. “I was able to get the AB540, the Dream Act, and all that stuff.And literally scholarships, internships, all of that, could be taken away from me.” President of the Democratic Club Matthew Linsky felt it was too little too late. “I was at the Democratic Headquarters last night. People were losing their shit. Crying. All races, all genders, everything, and I haven’t seen you guys around. I see you now, but what good does this do? It’s over. The game is over. We didn’t even play the game, so now we’re bitching about losing,” said Linsky. Everyone that marched Tuesday showed every intention of continuing their fight to be heard. Associated Students Director of Publicity Clara Prado, who has experienced her fair share of protesting in her home country of Brazil, gave her input on where she sees the direction of these protests going. “Back home, I did it a lot. The protests in Brazil, and they got really violent. Me and the board [spoke last night] and we were like ‘Okay, we need to be safe we need to make sure everybody is safe’ and I was really worried about [it getting violent],” said Prado. “But it went well, so I’m really proud of SMC.”

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NEWS

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

City vs. Airport

City of Santa Monica Looks to Keep SMO Airport on the Ground DYLAN MULCAHY & ANDREW AONO STAFF WRITERS Standing on the observation deck, the vast expanse of Santa Monica Airport runway stretches out in front of you. To the left, small propeller driven aircraft await students and instructors. Across the way, jets await refueling. To the right, planes prepare for takeoff. Except for the takeoffs and landings, the airport is extremely quiet and calm. Peaceful, even. But underneath the surface, a fierce battle over the fate of the airport has been boiling for decades, longer than most Santa Monica students have been alive. “We know of people flying here as early as 1912,” said Bill Worden, Chairman of the Santa Monica Airport Board of Directors. “It slowly expanded as the second World War approached. [Donald] Douglas was approached by the military to start building planes here.” During World War II, the Federal Government took over the operation of airports around the country and improved them to assist in the war effort. “Well, after the war Congress looked around and they had all sorts of assets around the country that were related to the war,” said Worden, “and one of them were airports everywhere that had been improved with taxpayer money to help the war effort, and this was one of them. Congress decided what they would do is give all this stuff back to the communities, with all the improvements free.” Although free, this gift of an improved airport came with a heavy price tag. “So they basically said if you take it back it’s going to be an airport until we say we don’t need it any more. So the city was happy to get it,” said Worden. Although this agreement, called the 1948 Instrument of Transfer, is more than half a century old, it is still at the heart of the City’s fight to close the airport. Worden believes that the agreement is ironclad and irrefutable, cementing the city’s obligation to run the property as an airport forever. But Jonathan Stein, attorney and founder of Sunset ParkAntiAirport, believes otherwise. He said, “The agreement back in 1948 was an agreement to lease the airport to the government and the government then gave back that lease to the city. That lease ended, by mandate of the federal government, in 1952.” Stein said because the agreement was the termination of a lease and not a transfer of ownership, the rights and obligations of the city to the federal government ended in 1952 with the end of the leasing of the land. Stein adds that although the Federal Government did pay to improve the airport during this time, any obligations that came with the improvements ran out many decades ago. Martin Rubin, founder of the organization Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution, said, “Back in the war effort, World War II, they did things here [that] needed to be done, very important things. That has nothing to do with the private jets that have taken over here.” Indeed, as the years go by, on average the number of propeller aircraft flights continues to decrease while the number of jets using the airport continues to rise incrementally. For residents that live near the runway in West Los Angeles, more jets means greater amounts of jet fuel combustion that lowers air quality in their area. In 1959, with jet technology on the rise, Donald Douglas, founder of the Douglas Airport Company, asked the city to lengthen the runway for the new DC-8 aircraft. The city refused and Douglas moved his jet production operations to Long Beach. But it did not stop smaller, civilian jets from

Santa Monica resident Ed Martin and his son in Clover Park observe a plane preparing for a flight at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport on April 22, 2015. (Photo By: Daniel Bowyer)

using the airport, which they began to do in the early 1960s. For more than a decade now, jet operations have lead to disputes between residents and the city. This included Nestle v. City in 1967, when 232 homeowners in vicinity of SMO sued for damages due to the noise and fumes of jet aircraft. Even though the homeowners lost the case, both noise and fumes have continued to be a theme in the regulation of airport flights and dayto-day operations as well as the city council’s work towards closing the airport. This includes the City of Santa Monica requiring aircraft departing and landing to stay under 95 decibels and a curfew preventing any takeoffs from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The city also implemented fuel requirements to mitigate air pollution, and landing fees. If an aircraft goes outside the limitation, regulators, on behalf of the city, impose a fine on the aircraft company. Over time, this has diverted an increasing number of flights to other airports nearby that are more lax in regulations. To confront these issues, the city has gone as far as adopting ordinances that included a total jet ban in 1975. Two years later, the airport challenged the ordinances and the Federal District Court ruled against the ban. In 1981, the city adopted a resolution stating its intent to close the airport as soon as possible. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and SMAA (Santa Monica Airport Association) counteracted it with a lawsuit against the city. The court ruled against the city, and the airport remained open. Three years passed and in 1984 the city came to an agreement with the FAA known as the Santa Monica Airport Agreement, in which the city agreed to operate and maintain the airport as a viable functioning facility until July 1, 2015. In recent developments, on November 4th, the city filed Unlawful Detainer (UD) actions in the Superior Court of Santa Monica in order to force Atlantic Aviation and American Flyers to vacate Santa Monica Airport. Atlantic Aviation and American Flyers attempted to file a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) through the Superior Court of Los Angeles the day before in order to prevent the City from issuing the UDs, but Superior Court Judge James Chalfant denied the request. In a press release provided by the SMGov newsroom website the day of the filing, Mayor

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Bill Worden, Chairman of the Santa Monica Airport Association Board of Directors, stands on the tarmac of Santa Monica Airport on Sept 29, 2016. (Photo By:Andrew Aono)

Tony Vazquez stated, “Again, private aviation interests tried to thwart the public interest by seeking to preclude the City from having its day in court... Judge Chalfant’s ruling allows the city to move forward with evictions. Finally, the people of Santa Monica will have our day in court.” Following this quote, it was written that, “In the meantime, the Council has directed staff to proceed in an orderly fashion to assert our right to take over all legally-required Field-Based Operations at Santa Monica Airport and to establish a city-run fixed-base operation (FBO) that operates in the public interest and not for private profit.” The action and declaration seemed final as a clear victory for the council. Though upon the arrival of the November 8 elections, at 12:32 p.m., Bill Worden released his own reply on santamonicaairport.info titled “Behind the Iron(ic) Curtain: Welcome To The New People’s Republic Of Santa Monica.” Highlighting the words “that operates in the public interest and not for private profit,” Worden wrote, “What a noble sentiment! How could something as unAmerican as private profit ever have gained a foothold in our bastion of cradle to grave socialist engineering here in sunny Southern @THE_CORSAIR •

California? It must surely be obvious to everyone that no private enterprise could ever operate for the public interest, right?... Let the City Government with its singular track record run everything in town–a single go to place that fits all-fits none. What a concept! It’s not a new idea, merely one that is out of fashion. We’ve had company towns all over the country, so why not revive it here in Bell By The Bay?” A mysterious metaphor to some, to others it shows a deeper struggle between the two. The Santa Monica airport carries a voice ringing for years; ever-present, yet hard to hear. With the city council successfully maintaining its incumbency and Measure V having passed with flying colors, it is at these times one may look to the sky and see the jets overhead. It is there one travels towards the heavens beyond the city, seeing an expanding landscape and ocean as far as the eyes can see. Some may arrive at Santa Monica Airport, reconnecting to the runway and refueling at its stations. But now, the typhoon has subsided and the tenants may soon be evicted. Seeking to provide a park to the residents, the council is that much closer to achieving full control for the rights of its renters.

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SPORTS

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Millenial Sports The Future of Breaking Records TROY BARNES SPORTS EDITOR

On April 13th, 2016, on the final day of the NBA season, Kobe Bryant ended an entire generation of sports. While many other athletes of his generation had an opportunity to write the ending, he seized the opportunity while he addressed the fans after scoring 60 points in the final game of his 20 year career, closing the epic novel that the 90s and 2000s generation of athletes were with two words, “Mamba out.” This year, we’ve seen the retirements of athletes all across leagues of sports. Basketball gods Kobe Bryant,Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett all wait to get their jerseys in the rafters. Peyton Manning and Marshawn Lynch now star in commercials to fill in the void after leaving the NFL. MLB slugger David Ortiz can sit back and remember his 497 career home runs while Michael Phelps counts his gold medals, and soccer legend Ronaldo “Ronaldinho” Moreira will always be remembered as one of the Beautiful Game’s best entertainer in his retirement. All of these names carry the weight of some of the greatest sports heroes to ever exist and they have all set the standard for what the next great sports generation, the Millennials, will strive to attain. The height of that particular standard should make sports fans of all ages excited. Sports thrive off of youth, and in the last 15 years we’ve seen some of the greatest moments in sports history. Whether it be the Lakers 3-peat from 2000-2003, the domination of the Patriots from 20022005, the Red Sox, Yankees, and Giants winning World Series titles, and the indomitable force that Manchester United was in the Premier league winning 7 championships from 2003-2013. But many of the engines of these legendary teams have hung up their jerseys (and kits) in the last few years and many more will follow suit soon. This ending of an era, as heartbreaking to some as it may be, is a very special moment as we now have a new swath of faces to grow with as sports fans as our parents did with the last generation. The framework for the millennials success was laid by the unbelievable talent we saw in the 90s and early 2000s. Many millennials grew up idolizing players like Kobe, Ronaldinho, and Peyton Manning, and with those childhood dreams that come with wanting to be like a legend, many do end up achieving them. With advancements in sports medicine, young athletes are able to stay healthier than ever. Cryotherapy has become a favorite amongst athletes to speed the recovery process and lessen the swelling after games. Many professional sports teams have taken the liberty to provide these cryotherapy tubes within their training facilities. Injuries to ligaments and bones are able to be

mended to put players back in perfect shape with the advancements in robotic surgery. Now that athletes have technology on their side to keep them as healthy as possible, the sky is the limit for their success. Now that our world has become more interconnected than ever, the sports world is seeing a huge influx of international talent in every sport. The greatest example of this are soccer and basketball, both of which heavily rely on talent from countries other than where the league is hosted. The NBA has been very interested in spreading the popularity of basketball throughout the world and now the association has brought in talents from countries from every continent. The foundation of the sports legacies of the 20th century and the technology and globalism of the 21st century have laid the perfect framework for millennials

to become the greatest generation of athletes. The first wave of millennial athletes have already made huge waves in the sports world. In the last five years, millennials have been the top ranked players across all sports. 29-year-old Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and 31-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid have become the iconic faces of La Liga and both are in serious conversation for being named best soccer players of all time with Messi’s 525 career goals and Ronaldo’s 563. Messi recently made history scoring his 500th club goal with Barca and cemented his place as the club’s all time leading scorer. With both being in the prime of their careers, they have already carved their place in the history books. In football, we’ve seen Cam Newton thrill fans with his MVP season and amazing quarterback play mirroring the running ability of players like Michael Vick and Brett Favre which lead the Carolina Panthers to the 2016 Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos. However they subsequently lost due to the strong play of another millennial great, Von Miller, who won Super Bowl MVP. In his third season this year, New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

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On November 6th 2016, the day before Curry made history, Lebron passed Hakeem Olajuwon in all time points scored with 26,970 and moved into the number 10 position in the list of all time scorers. At only 31 and still one of the top three players in the NBA, James is slated to be one of the greatest basketball players in history and in his own words, is “chasing Jordan’s ghost.” If millennials have already left an impact on sports that reflects the generation’s personality it’s a penchant for drama. 2016 has seen such dramatic moments across all of the sports universe from Leicester City’s underdog Premier League championship, to the Cavs’ 3-1 upset, and the Cubs actually being in the World Series but none made such waves as the formation of the so-called super when former MVP Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors. Two NBA MVPs on one team hadn’t been seen since Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley played on the Houston Rockets in 1996. This concentration of talent is unparalleled in NBA history and has every fan outside of the Bay Area lurching at the potential of this team. While many balk at this super team Durant’s decision, whether made out of a certain degree of millennial laziness, created an absolute spectacle of a team to watch. With all the social media available for fans to watch these spectacles it had also connected fans with more than just a love of the game.Acharacteristic that distinguishes this sports generation from the last is the degree of social activism millennial athletes are engaged in. After the tumultuous last few years of police Illustration by: Rebecca Singleton shootings of unarmed Ledecky also set two new world records civilians, athletes have begun to use their in the 400m and 800m freestyle. At only platform and influence to voice their 19-years-old, Ledecky is slated to be concern and disgust about social issues. one of the most dominant swimmers in Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protest by international competition for the next refusing the stand during the national decade and is likely to become America’s anthem in favor of representing minorities next gold medal darling in the next sparked some outrage among football summer games. fans but Kaepernick’s protest inspired Two elephants in the room that are many more to mirror his example and impossible to ignore in the realm of kneel during the national anthem. basketball are Lebron James and Stephen NBA star Carmelo Anthony has also Curry. For millennials making sports voiced his concerns about police brutality history in 2016, these two will forever in America by proactively starting and be remembered. Curry led the Golden funding organizations to enrich at risk State Warriors to the winningest season youth. With the average athlete making in NBA history, becoming the first nearly double of what athletes made in unanimous league MVP and to a 3-1 1995, according to Forbes, such vast lead in the NBA Finals just a game away amounts of money could influence society from solidifying his team as the greatest in very positive ways if this streak of sports attentiveness and activism can of all time. As if he decided to break another record flourish. on whim, Curry hit 13 three point shots The great Boston Celtics coach and in one game against the New Orleans GM Red Auerbach once said, “All records Pelicans on November 7th 2016, breaking are meant to be broken.” And after his Kobe Bryant’s (and Donyell Marshall’s era, many were. We are all witnesses to respectively) record that was set at 12 the next legend to score 6 goals in a game, to drop 82 points, to throw for and stood for 13 years. The other elephant, Lebron James, 560 yards, to hit 780 home runs over lead his team on a historic three game their career, or for an Olympian to drape tear that, for many millennials, will be 24 gold medals across their chest. All the defining sports moment of their lives. you have to do is watch.

has solidified his position as one of the top receivers in the league for years to come at only 24. Baseball has likely had the best sports fairy tale in the last few years with 24-year-old Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs. After being drafted, selected to the National League All-Star team, and being the top pick for National League MVP. Bryant helped lead the Cubs to the once thought impossible goal of winning the World Series for the first time since 1945. Opposing the Cubs in the championship on the Cleveland Indians was 22 year old Francisco Lindor is a rising star in the MLB and could be pivotal in securing Cleveland’s first World Series since 1948 in the coming years. In the Rio Olympics this summer, Katie Ledecky electrified America with her performance that netted her four gold and one silver medal in swimming.

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PHOTOSTORY

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Protesters march the streets of downtown Los Angeles in an anti-Trump rally in Los Angeles on November 9. (Photo By: Daniel Bowyer)

Meg Burton (center) looks out toward the demonstrators gathering along Main Street as Shirley Temple (right) guides her daughter back into the crowd after taking a photo at a poster wall near the Royball Federal Building in Los Angeles, Calif. on November 12. (Photo By: Joce Lopez)

Demonstrators wave the Mexican flag as they take over the 101 freeway in Downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 9. (Photo By: Jose Lopez)

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PHOTOSTORY

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Demonstrators react to Donald Trump's presidential win by through downtown Los Angeles on November 8. (Photo By: Jose Lopez)

"NOT MY PRESIDENT!" Refusing the outcome of the 2016 election

SEPTEMBER DAWN BOTTOMS DIGITAL EDITOR

n major metropolitan cities all over the world, protests have been erupting in the wake of the new Presidential Elect Donald Trump. From East coast to West coast, New York City to Los Angeles, thousands of people have gathered, thousands of voices have bellowed into the streets proclaiming, “Not My President!” In Los Angeles, the protests started in the wee hours of the morning on Nov. 9-- the day Mr. Trump officially won. Hundreds of people gathered outside of Los Angeles City Hall and marched into the morning. From then on the protests continued for five straight days and continue to gather on a daily basis sporadically throughout the city. Nearly 8,000 people gathered this past Saturday, which was the largest group yet. A piñata of Donald Trump’s head was burned on the front steps of City Hall, nearly 200 arrests have been made, and the once newly redeveloped downtown is now littered with “FDT” graffiti representing a common mentality among protesters, “Fuck Donald Trump.” With conflicting responses to these protesters from Donald Trump, it remains unclear if he will make attempts to ease their anger and address their issues. Until then protesters want their concerns to be heard around the world. “It’s good that the younger generation is protesting because they see something awfully wrong with the government the way that it is now. If they feel this strongly, they shouldn’t quit. They should continue until there is a change made in our system. No one knows what that change will be, but if we stop, the change will never happen,” said a 50-year-old protester who prefers to be attributed as Ray in the streets of downtown Los Angeles. FOR EXTENDED COVERAGE VISIT US AT THECORSAIRONLINE.COM •

Demonstrators react to Donald Trump's presidential win by burning a Donald Trump piñata in front of City Hall in Los Angeles on November 9. (Photo By: Jose Lopez)

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OPINION

Trump: How Did We Get Here? ALCI RENGIFO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It happened. Donald J. Trump, the very embodiment of all that is loud and crude about American capitalism, is now the president-elect of the most powerful nation on Earth. But how did we get here? There are many complex observations being made about how Trump muscled his way to the throne, but in hindsight, the rise of a figure like him almost seems inevitable now. Trump won because he offered a roaring, crude voice to the sectors of the population that people in Westwood, Bel-Air and Santa Monica forget even exist. There is a serious undercurrent of anger in this society, especially in the republic’s forgotten corners, that Trump capitalized on. Because the U.S. glorifies “free enterprise” and “personal responsibility,” the masses have few, social examples to follow, so they flocked to a demagogue who spoke in an angry voice, but represents what they are conditioned to believe they should be in a functioning, capitalist society. Trump is the culmination of decades of living in a society that worships celebrity, greed and the drive to define success through affluence. For example we live in a city where it’s considered normal to pay $1,700 a month for a mere room, because everyone is chasing the American Dream and hoping to be more pleasant, less racist versions of President-elect Donald Trump. Over the last 24 hours I have been fascinated by the reactions of liberals on the internet who are blaming the Trump win solely on racism and white paranoia. It is true that xenophobia was a feature of his campaign but liberals are missing the point to their own detriment. Even here in California I am baffled to meet Los Angeles residents who have lived here their entire lives, yet they’ve never been aware that the middle of state is made up of farming communities. Everyone likes to buy cheap plane tickets to go party in Las Vegas but they never bother to consider who they’re

Many Messengers Died to Bring Us This Election ADAM THOMAS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

There are far too many things to say about last week’s election results. Rather, I’d like to take a moment to go after the core problem of this election cycle that around half of the U.S. has been ignoring. I’ll put this bluntly: The news media in the U.S. is broken and if this is ignored it will stay that way. Were you surprised about last Tuesday’s election results? I wasn’t. If you were, it’s time to start cluing in to the fact that you’ve been let down. If not potentially lied to by the very people whose job it was to inform you of what’s going on in the world: journalists. On August 15, Matt Taibbi wrote in a Rolling Stone article entitled “The Summer of the Media Shill” about the fundamentally intolerable state the majority of news outlets had gotten to during the course of the 2015-16 Presidential Election. Taibbi wrote, ”Apart from a few brave islands of resistance, virtually all the major news organizations are now fully in the tank for one side or the other. . . In the same way that Fox used to (and probably still does) save on reporting and research costs by simply regurgitating talking points from the RNC, blue-leaning cable channels are running segments and online reports that are increasingly indistinguishable from Democratic Party messaging.” Taibbi equated this state of affairs to what it was like to live in Communist Russia and how in order to learn about the state of Russia everyday soviets had to rely on outside, often pirate media sources. But in order to learn about the state of the U.S., they could freely listen to Russian propaganda machines who would more or less be free to actually report on what they wanted.

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE flying over. Just look at California’s electoral map. Yes, those coastal bastions of hipsterism like L.A. and San Francisco look bluer than my favorite candy but much of the Central Valley is red. These are the communities where unemployment is high and opportunities scarce. Lacking militant and labor alternatives (as in during the Great Depression), working class Americans are in despair,and they channeled their rage through a corporate demagogue who filled the void. Consider that Trump led in Vigo County, Indiana, the old rabble rousing grounds of Socialist Eugene V. Debs back in the early 20th century. I’m somewhat reminded of the early 2000s when Hugo Chavez, the radical leftist (and much smarter than Trump), kept winning elections in Venezuela. Wealthy and upper middle class Venezuelan friends of mine here in Los Angeles were nearly always baffled and angry. They could not conceive why the majority of that very unequal country would keep voting for this loud firebrand. I remember hearing them mock Chavez backers with the same kind of dismissive, classist vitriol spewed against Trump backers, calling them “dumb blacks” and “ignorant poor people.” This language is similar to liberals I would hear mock Trump backers as “hillbillies” and “white trash.” Clinton herself made a tactical mistake in her infamous, “deplorables” speech when describing Trump supporters. The difference is of course that Chavez, a controversial figure no doubt, was eloquent and a radical socialist. Trump is a gold-minted priest of the Golden Calf. But when you mock the poor and downtrodden, they bite back just ask Marie Antoinette. Ironically, the Democrats in a sense became their own worst enemy when the party elite united to knock over the Bernie Sanders campaign and give Clinton full backing. Sanders spoke in the missed language of the New Deal, of the Franklin D. Roosevelt legacy. But in this post-Cold War world, even the kind of basic reforms Sanders preached reeked of too much socialism for Washington elites. Another irony is that Sanders might have taken votes from Trump, because his populist message was not divisive along racial, ethnic lines. But like the Labor Party in England under Tony Blair in the 1990s, the Democrats sold their souls to

neoliberal capitalism, paving the way for what happened this week. Eight years of Obama saw middle of the road progressive reform, but little relief for people in debt (especially students) or for a working class surviving on part-time employment. Sure there were some historic moments: The legalization of gay marriage, the opening to Cuba, but in the grand scheme of things these do little to close the major economic gaps in a society. As the Greeks, Romans and Karl Marx (a name we shudder at in the empire) knew, societies are very much driven by class war, or what the Romans called “social war.” This was seen in the flesh on election night. Many of us didn’t recognize it because we’re raised with the doctrine that this is a classless society built on everyone being American. What happens now? Trump’s rise might be our Ides of March, that moment when the Roman Republic began its transition into decadent empire. This is not some tiny country, this is the empire that straddles the globe. What happens here will cast a shadow over the world. Already the xenophobic right-wing is on the rise in Europe. Indeed, the first world leader to congratulate Trump was Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s fiercely right-wing National Front. A rightwing axis is now forming and without leftist populist alternatives, it will only get more intense. The future is now unpredictable. It is difficult to imagine Trump actually carrying out some of his crazier campaign promises (the wall) but he will surely run the United States like a supermarket chain. He will offer Americans bad policies dipped in the river of their capitalist daydreams and their deepest, richest fantasies. We as citizens must rediscover radical thinkers, and radical politics. If the Labor Party in England could elect a true populist like Jeremy Corbyn as their leader, then we here can also find leaders of such caliber, men and women, to challenge this new, terrible age we’re entering. The U.S. was once a hotbed of militant labor action. We must rediscover our roots. As Che Guevara once said, “We must not let these harsh times destroy the warmth in our hearts.”

Thus it has been with the U.S. news media in this election cycle; If you actually wanted to learn about the problems Hillary had you would have had to exit the larger left-leaning bubble and read the conservative side of journalism. But if the problems with what is now being called a “Filter Bubble” society could be solved by acknowledging the fact that there is indeed a left-wing bubble along with a right-wing one, that would be easy. You could simply try to integrate some of the media from the opposite side into your life. A tedious but important exercise that I do advocate but won’t be enough (though it’s something that a future app developer will make a mint on once they figure out a way to automate the process). What has eaten away at the heart of journalism in America isn’t just bias or corporatism, but a lack of integrity over basic journalistic principles. Objectivity has been replaced by advocacy at the low end, and adversarial reporting has been replaced by pro-establishment messaging on the high end (a problem that’s been going on since at least the George W. Bush Administration and has not abated during Obama’s tenure). And no matter the size of the outlet basic rules for confirming reports and sourcing are constantly getting ignored, usually in favor of one or the other of these biases. The signs of all of these problems have been popping up more and more lately. A May 5 article in the New York Times about White House staffer Ben Rhodes essentially bragged about creating an echo chamber amongst the White House press corps to push president Obama’s policy agenda uncritically. Gawker media was delivered a massive blow earlier this year due to their incalcitrance over ethical reporting, and Rolling Stone itself lost its court case over flagrantly false reporting over the UVA rape hoax perpetrated by Sabrina Erdely in 2014. But whether it was due to bias or incompetence, the election night reaction from the vast majority of networks and publications that could not possibly foresee Trump’s victory should never be forgotten – reporters were misinforming you in either case. Nor should it be forgiven without serious reform within these outlets

– if you continue to consume the opinions of people who misinformed you, you will continue to be misinformed. I could speak to the problems of our broken media landscape forever, and it’s certain there are multiple factors that have led to this state of affairs, from the economic fallout of outlets as they’ve transitioned from print to online and been unable to properly afford staff, to the effect the internet just has as a confirmation bias machine. The takeaway I’m going to propose for anyone who isn’t looking to improve the profession from within is this: If you know that you were misinformed by news coverage about the election’s outcome, and you should by now, you need to seriously start questioning what else you’ve been misinformed on by the same sources you’ve been listening to for years. I’d highly recommend only looking to news reports for basic facts and trying to ignore the constantly injected opinion. If you must read someone else’s opinion as you form your own on any matter, please for the love of truth, seek out someone who thinks the opposite. Confirmation bias is a very real thing and the only way to break out of it isn’t just to look at data or statistics, as they can always be framed to generate biased results, but to actually acknowledge that there is always another side of an argument. If someone is telling you to “listen and believe,” you need to realize they’re advocating for you to erase your skepticism. If someone insists that there is a “right side of history,” they’re presuming an outcome that is in no way guaranteed. Calling people names for holding “wrong opinions” just means they won’t talk to you, you won’t know what they’re actually planning, and you will never have a chance to convince them of your points. Until trust can be re-earned by outlets, skepticism is the only rational choice to take and the zealous presumption of knowing truth needs to be abolished from your mindset or you’re going to be caught off guard again. Stop shooting messengers for wrongthink and start actually listening without need for belief. It’s the only way any remnant of the political left, or the news media, is ever going to last going forward into a Trump regime.

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OPINION

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Oppression Has A Voice Protesters express how the election affects them personally BY: MARISA VASQUEZ, SEPTEMBER DAWN BOTTOMS, CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA

Katherine:

“I don't want the rest of my countrymen and the rest of the world to think that we agree with what happened. That we think vitriol and racism and misogyny is something that can represent us. I want the people that are marginalized to know that we stand with them. As a woman, As a young person, as a person with student loans and all of that this election affects me directly. I don’t know what will come of [these protests] but I just want to see the power of the people and what can happen. Fuck Donald Trump!”

Josefina:

“Donald Trump in the White House will affect me in many ways emotionally, mentally, and it’s just really something to be scared of but I am gonna be unapologetic, and I’m not gonna be afraid and I’m not gonna let racists, and sexists, and homophobes scare me.”

Stephanie:

“I’m here alone, I came after work and it’s my first protest. It’s beautiful that we are united and protests matter. I was born and raised in L.A. and I’ve never been more proud. This election affects my family, people I know and it affects everybody that has ever been oppressed. It affects so many people that we need to say something! People keep saying that protests don’t matter and won’t do anything, but that’s not the point. It’s our voice, that’s the point! I’ve felt oppressed because of my race, I’m Mexican, because I’m a woman because of the fact that I’m young and I shouldn’t be in politics according to people.”

Sydney: "I am out here to support women, immigrants, muslims, and everybody in between."

Sinead:

“Donald Trump’s election affects me personally because I myself am a black woman and there is a lot of stipulations behind that statements as is, and I have seven black brothers and it honestly just genuinely makes me fear for their lives.”

Liza:

"I'm not going to be effected by a lot of this because I'm a fucking privileged white person, but I think of everyone else and I want to fight for everyone." FOR EXTENDED COVERAGE VISIT US AT THECORSAIRONLINE.COM •

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CULTURE

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Courtesy of André Mattos

Narcos: A Sit Down With André Mattos DANIEL LEE STAFF WRITER

When people think of Colombia they picture beautiful white, sandy beaches with crystal waters and one of the best coffees in the world. Although more recently the country has been put into the Hollywood spotlight for the highly successful Netflix series “Narcos.” Colombia was once home to the Medellin Cartel; One of the biggest drug trafficking groups in history ran primarily by Pablo Escobar. Two of the crucial families of the Medellin Cartel were the brothers Jorge and Fabio Ochoa. In the show, actor André Mattos plays Jorge Ochoa. André Mattos, 55, is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mattos has been in the show business for over 35 years but his family was involved way before he was born. Both of his parents are well-known actors in his home country and even their wedding ceremony took place on a stage. Most of his acting career has been focused in Brazil, but recently Mattos has been shifting his acting from a local star to an international actor. Not only has he participated in Netflix’s “Narcos” but also worked on the movie Pelé: Birth of a Legend directed by Brian Grazer. Grazer has produced numerous blockbuster names such as “A Beautiful Mind,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “American Gangster” and “8 Mile.” When asked in regard of how he heard and got invited to participate in “Narcos,” Mattos said, “Padilla invited me to participate in this outstanding series and I am pretty proud to have done this. Padilla is a great friend. I love, really love, to work with them. [José] Padilla, Wagner [Moura], and Lula Carvalho.” Padilla and Carvalho worked together on RoboCop in 2014, where Padilla directed the movie and Carvalho was the cinematographer. Before doing “Narcos,” the four of them worked together on the movie “Elite Squad” in 2007 and “Elite Squad: The Enemy Within” in 2010. Their friendship was already built before this series but Mattos expresses how all the actors got along together on the set as well. With honesty and laughing, Mattos answered, “Well, this is the nice part. We’d play soccer, we’d watch movies, and we’d get together and sing. And you know? Enjoy this gorgeous country, which Colombia is. Spending time on the beach with the girls, listening to music, drinking… That’s it. Having fun, my friend.”

On a more serious note Mattos revealed some of the challenges he had finding materials about Jorge Ochoa, which are rare and hard to find. Mattos said, “[I prepared] by watching interviews, by reading books, listening to music. Using all the tools available. All the tools in hand.” One of the few criticisms “Narcos” received was making the drug traffickers look like heroes in this show. When asked how he feels to portray this as an actor, Mattos answered in a cautious manner,“This is a very delicate theme for the Colombians. As you know, Pablo Escobar was considered kind of a Robin Hood for mainly poor Colombians… loved and hated by part of them. So, it is a delicate matter, you know what I mean?” Mattos explains how professionally he does not criticize the actions and decisions taken by the individual, but instead focuses more on the character he has to interpret. “As an actor, I’d rather not judge the character’s attitudes. I don’t do this while acting,” said Mattos. When asked if he received any message, positive or negative, from the real Jorge Ochoa Mattos, he started answering jokingly, but also highlighted the importance of maintaining the character’s essence and portraying the story as real as possible. “Jesus, no. We didn’t. Thank God!” said Mattos laughing. “This is a subtle matter because he is still alive. I think that the most important thing we did is to be close to his story. That’s what we did.” Despite having a great time and falling in love with Colombia, Mattos expressed how actors sometimes could get homesick as well and how staying away from family and culture can be a challenge. “[I missed] my daughters, for sure,” he said.“And the fabulous Brazilian barbecue.” Unfortunately for both “Narcos” and André Mattos’ fans, he reveals that he will not be participating on the upcoming season: “Yes, there will be a third season! But I won’t be on it. No, I won’t. I have another job to do.” “I am going back to Brazil this week to film and after that I intend to focus more and more on my international career. That’s why I am here. To improve my English and to be in the place where things happen, Los Angeles,” said Mattos. Back in Brazil Mattos will be filming with Domingos

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Courtesy of Clara Prado

de Oliveira, one of the biggest screenwriting names in the nation. Mattos is also going to direct a short-film and participate in a theater play named “Pluft,” which focuses on the young talents by giving them an opportunity to take the stage. Personally, Mattos believes theater in America focuses on big name productions and “Pluft” would bring the stage light to the younger actors and children. Mattos himself participated in theater on his early years and said how Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, and Fernando Montenegro were his biggest inspirations. In fact, De Niro is still Mattos’ favorite actor. Mattos says there is no such thing as a bad role. Mattos explains, “As I said before; I don’t choose a character, I get prepared for them. So, they are all great for me. I don’t think one was better or worse than another. They are all great, for me.” About his favorites parts and roles, Mattos has no preference as long as he is being himself. He knows the reality and difficulty to get into this highly demanding business. To future actors and SMC students wanting to break into the acting industry, Mattos said, “Study hard and be humble. These are my advices for them… Study hard, hard, hard.” /THECORSAIRNEWS •

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CULTURE

VOLUME 112 ISSUE 05 • NOV 16, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Fashion Is Our Heritage Santa Monica College has an incredibly diverse student body with students originating from California to Uzbekistan, An all too familiar hazy Santa Monica Venezuela and Italy. Their differences morning has given way to the September are on display, not only in the shade of heat. Sun beams down on throngs of their skin or the accents they bear, but students making their way to class in the clothes they wear and the way grabbing a cup of coffee. The walkways they do their hair. On a campus of are warm. The grass and palms are a approximately 34,000, students don’t brilliant shade of green. Students scurry and will never get the opportunity to through the quad. Some lounge on know all of their classmates. Corsairs concrete risers while others chatter loudly can never hope to have a friend in every with friends planted at sporadic intervals other student on campus, but they can along the steps. Still others walk briskly, start developing a deeper understanding and kinship with classmates by looking a little closer at those who surround them. Fashion is a good place to start. Negmatova moved from Uzbekistan six years ago with her family. She speaks impeccable English (her fourth language) and her family is Muslim, as are most in Uzbekistan. They hold Muslim values highly, but she says that in her country nobody is pressured to and her upbringing has been impacted by that. Negmatova reflects on her childhood saying, “My parents always told me ‘you have the right to choose." It shows in her sense of style. “How I’m dressed Basira Negmatova. (Photo by: Riley Boice) now,” she says, “Wearing short-shorts? I could not be dodging one another, in order to make doing that I consider myself Muslim and it wherever they’re headed on time. I respect those beliefs, but I don't think Looking out across the crowd one might it should define who I am. My style just see thousands of bodies, but with a changed when I moved here. It’s been closer look the monotonous stream of pretty Americanized. I was trying to fit students become strikingly different in, you know?” But Negmatova doesn’t individuals. feel her style choices are a rejection of Basira Negmatova stands out among her culture at all. “I know my limits. You the crowd. She, like many others at SMC, know crop tops, showing your stomach? has a distinct style. Today her black hair I don't do that. I can’t do that and that’s is pulled away from her face in a high because of my culture. I think that’s too ponytail. She has a clear complexion, much for me.” she says. strong eyebrows, and sports dusty rose One of the Corsairs here on campus lipstick. Negmatova is wearing black is Joanna Smith, a Los Angeles native, Puma creepers, a fashion favorite at the born and raised in South L.A. Her family moment. She pairs faded denim shorts is African American and Smith says it’s that are high-waisted and a little torn with influenced her life a lot. In a society that a mauve T-shirt and a long black sweater. still in many ways treats African RILEY BOICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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Americans as secondary citizens, Smith and her siblings were raised to always be good representatives of black culture. “Being raised as a black kid, you’re constantly reminded that you’re Black,” she says, “that you can’t mess up and that you have to be ten times better than the next person. You’re reminded to sit up straight, and especially as a black girl — not to be loud because they think you’re loud already. I was taught to always keep these things in mind, but also that I had the right to be who I am.” Nineties inspired fashion speaks to both Smith’s personal sense of style and heritage. “The 90’s are what I think of when I think about black fashion. I look to 90s hip hop artists, what they would wear in groups like TLC and Destiny’s Child, and that influences my fashion,” she says. To her, fashion is not just what you wear but how you wear it, from makeup to hair and accessories. Today, half of her tight curls are tied up in a topknot and the Santa Monica sun glints off her nude lip gloss. She speaks of cornrows, locks, curls and how important hair is

Joanna Smith. (Photo by: Riley Boice)

Today Smith wears high-waisted denim, a cropped army green T-shirt and cream Puma Creepers. She carries a nude bucket bag. Smith’s style is a clear product of the emphasis placed on presentation throughout her upbringing and strong roots in African American culture. Through fashion one can get a glimpse into personal history, influence, honor and opposition of culture. Smith’s highwaisted denim and Creepers allude to the remembrance of the 90’s while to

"Through fashion one can get a glimpse into personal history, influence, honor and o p p o s i ti o n o f c ul tur e." in African American style. Smith also notes that her choices are influenced by perceptions of blackness in American culture. Some things she chooses not to wear because of how she knows she’ll be perceived. She says, “There are certain things, that are ghetto if you wear them. It’s almost subconscious. I don’t really realize I’m doing it, but I choose not to wear things like that. I don't wear big hoop earrings or Timberlands anymore.”

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Negmatova they are a way of adopting American culture. As Smith turns and walks away she fades back into the current of students weaving their way across the quad. She represents one culture among many, a tiny piece of the vast sea of differences, but what Smith and Negmatova share, besides their common outfit choices, is a combination of personal heritage, history and cultural values with the American ones they encounter through their fashion.

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