Volume 2 Fall 2018

September 25, 2018 - Volume 116 - Issue 2 - Santa Monica College - Every Copy of the Corsair is Free, Each Copy After is 25 cents.

SMC’s New Malibu Campus (pg.2) Serial Killer Strikes Santa Monica (pg.2) Fast Track to Fascism (pg.7)

A Cascade of Cultures

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NEWS CONTENT

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 02 •SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Editorial Staff Editor in Chief……….........….Reed Curtis Managing Editor……........…..Pyper Witt Design Editor………..........….Casey Contreras Design Editor...........................Lauri Helin News Editor………….....……Dakota Castets-Didier Culture Editor……….........….Casey Contreras Sports Editor………….......….Dylan Cortez Opinion Editor…….............…Lauri Helin Photo Editor………….......…..Pyper Witt Digital Editor……….......……Nicole Washington MultiMedia Editor…..........….Blake Atwell

Corsair Staff Cristian Vasquez, Will Dicke, Adriel Navarro, Victor Ronderos, Chrissy Clark, Irving Santiago, Yasser Marte, Ricardo Herrera, Jazz Boothby, Oskar Zinnemann, Muhammad Khokar, Bradley Elyghanian, Ana Duraes, Hugh Garbarini, Evan Minniti, Shayn Almeida, Melanie Delgado, Michelle Ayala, Earl Agustines, Austin Sebesta, Brenna Spalding,

Fireworks paint the sky above the outdoor projector screen as the Yellow Submarine film ends at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for the 50th anniversary of the movie created by the Beatles in 1969. The event was the “summer finale” for Cinespia events in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, September 22, 2018. (Pyper Witt/ Corsair Staff)

Jacob Victoria

Faculty Advisors Journalism Advisor ……. Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Reed Curtis

Photo Advisor……........... Gerard Burkhart

Editor-in-Cheif FRONT COVER Alex Flores was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, specifically Inglewood. Flores’ family is from El Salvador. He is now a freshman at Santa Monica College, but has yet to decide his major. He posed for a picture at Santa Monica College's main campus in Santa Monica, California, on September 24, 2018.

(Irving Santiago/ Corsair Staff)

Dear Reader, In the two weeks since our first print edition, the news landscape of both our local community and the nation as a whole has been rocked by breaking stories. From announcements of another potential summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump to the groundbreaking of our new Malibu Campus, this last week alone has been a whirlwind of journalistic significance. Salient to me were the allegations raised against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Watching our nation's reaction to the circus currently occuring on Capitol Hill has reminded me of some of the shortcomings of the field of journalism.

How does one effectively report on what amounts to magnified hearsay?

How does one navigate the pundits acting as megaphones for each political camp’s narrow agendas? Reading coverage of these allegations from other media institutions, I find myself struck by the lack of journalistic rigor present in their investigations.

In printing the news, we are often racing with our media partners to “get the scoop” on a potentially groundbreaking story.

Despite this pressing need for timeliness: it is critical, particularly in a story with such a strong potential effect on the na-

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tional consensus, and particularly given the current distrust of the media in the public sphere, that we maintain the most rigorous standards of journalistic integrity.

The November midterm elections loom near and it is of paramount importance, now more than ever, for the American public to trust their sources of news. A recent poll conducted by Axios indicates that roughly 72% of Americans believe that traditional journalistic institutions regularly report news that they know to be untrue or misleading.

If this statistic bears true, it could prove to be terminal to our ideals of democracy.

Misinformation is rampant, and forces both within and without are making a concerted effort to undermine our democratic institutions. I used to believe that it is the job of the citizenry to stay well informed and inoculate itself against propagandists, but in an era where propaganda and honest reporting are all but indistinguishable I am increasingly of the opinion that it is our responsibility as journalists to be that inoculating force.

As an active reader and reporter of the news, I have thought myself desensitized to the nearly constant stream of violence and vitriol that our society produces. Because of that, it isn’t often that I encounter a story that truly casts a cloud over my thoughts and chills my blood. Over the past weeks, @THE_CORSAIR •

I’ve been following such a story.

In this edition we report on the arrest of a suspected serial killer who seems to be attempting to target the local homeless population. The male suspect is accused of murdering three men with a blunt object while they were sleeping outside, as well as attempting to kill four others in the same manner. As though our housing insecure neighbors didn’t have enough to concern themselves with, these cruel and sadistic attacks have added the fear of unprovoked and targeted killings to their list of woes.

Our student journalists have been following this story closely and summarize its recent developments on page two. In spite of desensitizing incidents such as this, the Corsair will continue in its mission to be an exemplar of journalistic integrity.

Contact the Editor in Chief at corsair.editorinchief@ gmail.com

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VOLUME 117 ISSUE 02 • SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

NEWS

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Malibu Campus Groundbreaking Shayn Almeida Staff Writer Marking the start of construction on Santa Monica College's (SMC) new Malibu Campus, SMC President Dr. Kathryn E Jeffery, Board of Trustees Chair Barry Snell, and the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Shiela Kuehl came together to break ground at Legacy Park, Malibu this past Friday morning, Sept. 21.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonald and City of Malibu Mayor Rick Mullen were also in attendance.

The open, airy two-story design, sitting amidst three acres of pristine Malibu land, will include an educational building with dedicated labs for both arts and sciences, two general education classrooms, a 100 seat lecture hall with raked seating suitable for both film and music events, and a multi-purpose physical space for various activities.

The eco-friendly construction and various sustainability features incorporated by QDG Architecture succeeded in fulfilling all of Malibu city’s “dark skies” standards. Additionally the new SMC campus will provide a space for an interpretive centre to assist in supporting Malibu’s unique historical culture.

Santa Monica College President Kathryn Jeffery (third from right), Sheriff Jim McDonald (center), Mayor Rick Mullen (second from left), and others begin the official groundbreaking of the Santa Monica College Malibu Campus & Los Angeles County Sheriff's Substation on September 21, 2018 in Malibu, Calif. The collaborative project is set to be completed by 2022. (Oskar Zinnemann/ Corsair Staff)

be further enhanced so that Malibu community members have the best possible learning experience right in their own backyard."

Back in October of 2004, the City of Malibu and Santa Monica College entered a Joint Powers Authority agreement to pursue In her speech, SMC Superintendent/ planning for clean water facilities and an President Dr. Jeffery made it a point to educational campus in the city of Malibu. acknowledge the hard work it took to The Authority includes two City of Malibu make the project happen, saying “It took Councilmembers and two members of the teamwork to bring the Malibu Campus SMC Board of Trustees. Another partnership from vision to actuality. Multiple agencies was formed In April 2011, when LA County - including the County of Los Angeles, and SMC entered into a Memorandum of the City of Malibu, and Santa Monica Understanding that would provide a site College - all collaborated extensively to for the new campus, and would include a find creative solutions to fulfilling comcommunity Sheriff’s substation to be built as munity needs within an overall vision of part of the project. education, public safety, and clean water improvements for Malibu.”

Thanks to these partnerships, for the first time since the early 1990's, the City of “SMC’s Malibu Campus builds on a Malibu will now have a police substation legacy of valuable educational services within its own city limits. that the college has offered in the past, ranging from art to general education and SMC contributed $2.5 million for the acnon-credit offerings,” said Dr. Jeffery, quisition of Legacy Park, which serves as a “We’ve envisioned how that legacy might storage site for stormwater and, as part of its

responsibilities towards the Authority’s goal of providing clean water facilities for the Malibu Civic Center. SMC also contributed an additional $2.5 million towards brand new, state of the art facilities for the treatment of wastewater.

According to Malibu officials, the 15-acre Legacy Park - which opened in October 2010 immediately to the south of the future site of the SMC campus - is widely considered one of the most innovative urban runoff and stormwater projects in California, and has won numerous awards. The recently opened wastewater treatment facility - and its complex system of piping, treatment, and discharge through injection wells - is now successfully in operation and the area will provide opportunities for students in the geology, ecology, and life-science specialization classes.

tion and it deserves to have a substation here, as well as all the benefits that come with it, such as an Emergency Operations Center. Now we'll have the ability to more easily bring in helicopters for Operations Control, Beach Enforcement, and our Search and Rescue teams."

Speaking to LA County Sheriff Jim McDonald after the event, he said, "The ability to have a presence, where people can be able to come to the station and talk to the deputies, to be able to talk to the detectives and follow up on any cases that they might have; it's convenient for the public that we serve, but it’s also a tactical consideration for us to have that footprint here to respond from, [for us] not to have to travel 22 miles in - when somebody needs you right now, they need you right now - and that's a hardship for everybody.”

LA County Sheriff Tui Wright, who helps to coordinate one of the states largest search and rescue teams said, "I think the City of Malibu is a world-class destina-

SMC’s Malibu campus construction is expected to be finished in December of 2021 and aims to be open for classes in 2022.

footage showed the suspect going through his victims’ pockets.

Captain Hayes also explained that law enforcement believed Escobar to be homeless himself, and living out of his car, a black 2004 Honda CRV, which was found by law enforcement on Monday after Escobar's arrest.

“A search warrant was served on Escobar’s car today," explained Hayes, " ... we recovered a wooden baseball bat, believed to be the weapon in the two murders, and attempted murder that occurred Sept 16th in Los Angeles. Yesterday, while processing the Santa Monica crime scene, a set of bolt cutters was recovered. Those bolt cutters were believed to be the weapon used in the September 24th attack in Santa Monica.

Escobar’s car, along with the other items are currently being processed for forensic evidence.”

Santa Monica Police Captain Wendell Shirley, in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division, spoke to the effectiveness of the working relationship between the LAPD

and SMPD on Escobar's case, stating, "I want to recognize the the collaborative effort [the SMPD] had with the LAPD. In my opinion, it was textbook."

Hayes made it clear that the LAPD and SMPD would be recommending four charges of attempted murder, and three charges of murder to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office on Wednesday.

Originally from Texas, Escobar is also a person of interest in a Houston case regarding the disappearance of his uncle and aunt Rojelio and Dinora Escobar, who vanished in August. According to reports, family members claimed that they had not heard from Escobar since the siblings were reported missing and that he had recently stopped taking medication for a mental illness.

Addressing the possible connection to the Houston disappearances, Hayes explained, “As of late last night, [the LAPD] have been in contact with the Houston, Texas Police Department’s homicide investigators."

Santa Monica Police Arrest Suspected Serial Killer intersection of 16th Street and Broadway Avenue, just a short distance from that morning’s assault.

Escobar may also be linked to the murder of Steven Cruze Jr., 39, whose body was After a month of brutal assaults through Los Angeles and Santa Monica counties, found underneath the Santa Monica Pier by the Santa Monica Police Department ap- maintenance workers on Thursday, Sept. prehended suspect Ramon Escobar, 47, on 20, 2018. Cruze, a San Gabriel resident and Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Santa Monica, father of two, was not homeless. He often slept on the beach after overnight fishing California, on four charges of attempted trips and worked on fishing cruises in the murder, and three charges of murder.

Identifying Escobar by his distinctive gait Santa Monica area, according to The Los and clothing he had been seen wearing in Angeles Times. previously obtained surveillance footage, Briefing the press on the arrest Tuesday afternoon, Captain William Hayes of the Los a Santa Monica police officer identified Angeles Police Department speculated to the and detained Escobar. motive behind Escobars assaults, stating "it Santa Monica police officers were does not appear [the assaults] were directed responding to an assault with a deadly at any group. I think [the assaults] were a weapon report on 7th Street and Broadcrime of opportunity." way Avenue that left a homeless man unconscious. Upon investigation, officers Reinforcing that idea, The Los Angeles Times reported that two of the downtown found the unconscious man with blunt assaults were caught on video, which force trauma to the head, a common would provide crucial evidence later used injury throughout the assaults. A short to positively identify Escobar. Surveillance while after, Escobar was found near the Andrew Narvaez, Dakota CastetsDidier Staff Writer,News Editor

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PHOTOSTORY NEWS

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 02 •SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

A CASCADE OF C SANTA MONIC Drew Imperato

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Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Drew Imperato is now in his third year at SMC as a neurology major. Imperato chose Santa Monica College because “it was the first place that popped into my head,” stating that where he’s from, “you wake up to the snow, so in LA you get to wake up to the sun.”

Discussing SMC, Imperato states it is the “best community college - I have cliques and established relationships. It’s also a melting pot.“

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Christopher Cheng

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Born in New York, moved to Los Angeles when he was 16 years old. Christopher Cheng is half Greek and half Chinese.

Cheng went to Santa Monica High school and from there started at ASU, then moved back to Los Angeles to continue his education at Santa Monica College. Cheng believes SMC is a diverse campus, stating, “if you look around you see all walks of life, all different colors and opinions and all that.”

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Haytham Hijazi

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Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Lebanon, Hijazi came to Santa Monica College this year to start his college endeavour. He states that he heard about SMC through friends who said it is the best college in California. “It also had the best transfer rate,” says Hijazi, “It’s great to meet new people.”

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PHOTOSTORY NEWS

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 02 • SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

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CULTURES AT CA COLLEGE Roxan Dora

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Born in Iran and moved to California “around two years ago.” Dora finished high school in Los Angeles and is now attending SMC. She is currently taking courses to expand her horizons, but has yet to decide on her major “this is completely a diverse campus. I can find more Persian people here than in my country.”

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Shirley Sanguino

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Born and raised in Bogota, Columbia. Sanguino moved to the United States at age six. She is now an 18-year-old freshman majoring in architecture at SMC. “I chose Santa Monica because I wanted to transfer to UCLA,” says Sanguino. “It’s been a good experience so far, the professors are nice.”

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Eunjun Seo (Luke)

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Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Eunjun Seo (also known as “Luke”) moved to Los Angeles for the weather. “I moved straight here from Seoul a year ago,” states Seo. He is majoring in business and currently taking classes in accounting at SMC. Seo believes that SMC is “really diverse, a lot of people from outside,” and “people are really open minded about everything- like gay people and transgenders.”

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CULTURE NEWS

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 02 •SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Twilight on the Pier Gets a Makeover Adriel Navarro Staff Writer The Twilight Summer Concert Series is back with a whole new look, and a new name to match: Twilight on the Pier. The improved series is taking place on Wednesday evenings for the next three weeks.

Originally commenced back in 1984, concerts originally took place during the summer in Santa Monica. Recent improvements, however, have pushed the annual series to the Fall season, in an effort to make the event safer for everyone attending, as last year's massive turn out raised safety concerns.

About 25,000 to 35,000 people attended the opening headliner, Khalid, in 2017. The crowds weren’t only causing safety concerns, but also had an impact on businesses located on the pier. Once the capacity was met, they could no longer allow the public on the pier, limiting the business of certain pier-side shops and restaurants.

The Santa Monica board deliberated whether to cancel the entire event itself or postpone it for a year or two. According to Lieutenant Saul Rodriguez from the Santa Monica Police Department, there was a discussion about adding more security on site, which could have led to an increase in their regional budget. Certain summertime elements, like tourism, the better weather, and students being out of classes, were all significant factors contributing the oversaturation of the crowds.

Due to high public encouragement, the series was brought back with certain new regulations, like mandatory bag checks that are now enacted upon entrance. The addition

Michael League, left,Jordan Peters, center,Roosevelt Collier, front right and Bob Lanzetti back right performing their first song at Santa Monica Pier's 'Twillight on the Pier' series in Santa Monica, California on September 19th. (Jacob Victorica/ Corsair Staff)

of two new stages, The West End stage and The Pacific Park stage, has brought a whole new cultural aspect focusing on diversity.

The Trapeze School New York’s Los Angeles branch has also become a part of the opening the show on the pier.

According to Executive Director of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, Nejin Singh, the required bag checks were influenced by the era we live in, where mass shootings at public events have become a common

occurrence. Rather than their three-month long series, this season is limited to six shows now occurring on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays. The corporation wanted to establish this new series with more of a “Art-Walk Festival” feel .This now allows them to manage and dissipate the crowds. According Lieutenant Rodriguez, this year has become more manageable, and has a third of the amount attending in comparison to last year.

Art Has No Gender

Hammer Projects: Shadi Habib Allah Andrew Narvaez Staff Writer

Jazz Boothy Staff Writer

On Saturday, Sept. 22, The Hammer Museum, under the guidance of curator Aram Moshayedi, will unveil their second exhibition for the season: Hammer Projects: Shadi Habib Allah. Allah’s creations will transport his viewers to Liberty City, an impoverished neighborhood of Miami, to examine its economic conditions, more specifically, corner stores. The exhibit will illustrate the underground role of community banks that corner stores in Liberty City are fulfilling. Free to the public, doors will open at 11 a.m. for those who wish to learn about a disenfranchised community and its relationship with the current state of welfare.

Allah’s past works have been displayed at museums, such as the Tate Modern, in London, and film festivals, like the International Film Festival Rotterdam. With a background in sculpture, film, installation, and more, the utilization of mixed media is not new to Allah. The Hammer Museum notes his data collection as a means to deal with everyday truths. As seen in

Azell Aneya Lawson is a first year student at Santa Monica College, a Los Angeles native, and an artist. Lawson and I sat down to discuss her inspirations, goals, and some of the hurdles she’s encountered as a creative person. Dressed in a forest green sweater, complete with matching eyeshadow and gold jewelry, Lawson is eye-catching. “I’m an actor,” she states with patent self-assuredness, a quality not all young people possess.

his biography on the Green Art Gallery website, Allah is distinguishing himself through, “research and physical engagement." His biography continues to say, "A common thread is opening up suggestive modes of navigation across circulation networks of people, technologies, objects, images, and economy to examine ideas of use and value and the structures that hold them in place.” This philosophy will continue with the audio clips, pho-

Shadi Habib Allah’s hardened and hallowed bulk beverage packaging sculptures on display at the Hammer Museum on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 in Westwood, California. He shows both necessity and abundance which are a dominant characteristic in Liberty City corner stores. (Andrew Narvaez/Corsair Staff)

tographs and sculptures of Liberty City corner stores presented at the museum.

A codependent relationship between Liberty City denizens and neighborhood corner stores is presented in this display.

“The stores maintain an interdependent relationship with their clientele by allowing customers to buy groceries on credit or exchange food stamps for cash,” according to the official Hammer Museum website.

The United States Department of Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Service states that approximately 41.2 million Americans use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. The exhibition falls under The Consortium Commission, which assists the Mophradat, a non-profit that promotes art from the Arab world to co-commission Arab artists that are new to the pursuit.

The exhibition will run from Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 to Jan. 20, 2019.

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Twilight on the Pier concert series begins each week at 6:30 p.m. and entry is free. There are many interactive activities and discounts for those who wish to check it out. Their final show will take place on Sunday, October 7th, at the same time as their weekly scheduled concerts.

This concert series is great for anyone looking to wind down after classes, go down to the beach, and enjoy some great music and food.

Lawson grew up in South Central L.A. and began pursuing acting at a young age.

“I was a freshman in high school, so I was around 13.” She’s been performing steadily ever since. “I’ve done three shows per year since I was 13, so about 12 projects.

All stage work.” Lawson considers the stage “her base,” but ultimately hopes to transition into film. “I want to do a sci-fi movie. I would do ‘Aliens’. I would be Ripley.”

When she was younger, Lawson attended an acting school, but she “wasn’t really moved” by the roles that she was approached with. “A lot of the roles that came to me were for someone named Keisha or, like, a foster care kid. You know? Like, ‘the ghetto girl’.” Because of this, Lawson says she hopes that representation and opportunities for young people in the film industry will improve. “I would like to see established actors and the entertainment industry open the door to fresh talent. It would be nice to see some new faces.”

When asked who her greatest inspiration is as an actor, she replied without hesitation, “Anthony Hopkins. He’s just like, worldrenowned, and I’m thinking of transferring @THE_CORSAIR •

Azell Aneya Lawson poses for her photo at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, on September 11, 2018. (Jazz Boothby/ Corsair Staff)

to a college in the U.K . He’s just really in depth, and he’s a method actor, so it’s all just really captivating.” Method acting, a technique that encourages sincere and emotionally expressive performances, is something that Lawson hopes to explore more of. When asked about her experiences with method acting, Lawson laughed. “Once we were doing a gender bend of ‘Aladdin’ and I was Aladdin,” she says, “and the actor who played Jasmine and I ended up dating for a little bit. But once the show ended, I didn’t have feelings anymore. So I guess I had used all those feelings for the character.”

Aside from acting, Lawson is a writer, and feels her most creative when she’s exhausted. “When I’m really, really tired. Right before I’m about to fall asleep, I just have the wildest thoughts. Because I write as well, and so as my brain is starting to shut down, I get the craziest ideas. And I think, I have to write that down.”

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OPINION NEWS

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 02 • SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

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Fighting Fascism In America

Illustration by Pyper Witt Evan Minniti Staff Writer The word “fascism” gets thrown around a lot. Many accuse the Trump administration of being fascist, or at the very least proto-fascist. And while there are a number of proTrump Republican candidates that frankly fall into this category, we would probably know by now if Trump had a sinister fascist agenda. After all, it took Mussolini, Hitler, and Franco mere months to lay the foundations of totalitarian states that would murder millions.

The Trump Administration has been around for almost two years. While certainly a very reactionary administration, one that defends and is supported by fascists, labeling the administration itself as fascist blurs who the actual American extreme right are as well as our ability to assess the threat that they pose. More than that, it establishes a completely unrealistic sense of defeat among the left at a time when it is necessary to go on the offensive against the right.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), there are 653 hate groups that fall into the categories of Alt-Right, anti-Immigrant, anti-LGBT, anti-Muslim, Christian identity, Holocaust Denial, Ku Klux Klan, Male Supremacy, neo-Confederate, neo-Nazi, neo-Volkisch, Racist Skinhead, Radical Traditional Catholic and/or White Nationalist in the United States. In 2017, 16 separate terrorist attacks were committed by right-wing extremists. That is 10 more than 2016. In addition, SPLC estimated that over 100 people have been killed or wounded by alt-right groups since 2014. Perhaps the most terrifying of these groups is Atomwaffen, whose young online-recruited members have military training and extensive plans for future acts of terror.

This shows that there is a potent domestic terrorist threat coming from the far-right, originating from decades of hysterical paranoia planted in the American mindset by the bipartisan, cynically named “War on Terror.” With the Trump Administration in office, these right wing elements have felt emboldened enough to come out of the shadows and strike more openly. With this being said, it is clear that these are tiny minorities within larger American society.

The largest public demonstration fascists and the extreme right could muster in recent memory was the first Unite the Right event in Charlottesville, Virginia held in August 2017. There they gathered a few thousand fascists, whose murderous actions don’t need to be repeated here. However, this doesn’t even begin to compare to the millions who showed up for both Women’s Marches or March For Our Lives. The right wing can never hope to pull that off. Not only that, but they are actually losing ground to the left.

This is the real reason why the fascists have resorted to terrorism. Despite Trump being in office, there has been a massive shift to the left among young people: according to the Wall Street Journal, roughly half reject the capitalist system. Democratic Socialists of America has grown by leaps and bounds in the last year and a half, and Bernie Sanders remains the most popular American senator, and possibly the most popular American politician. According to the Center For Economic and Policy Research, of the 262,000 workers who joined unions in 2017, 201,000 are below the age of 35.

What is needed now is not despair about a menacing fascism, but to continue the shift to the left in American society. The best way to defeat both the Trump administration and the violent fascist groups on the fringes is through solidarity and action against the deep inequality and racism that capitalist society in America has kept alive. With a greatly strengthened leftwing and labor movement, this process may have already begun.

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SPORTS NEWS

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 02 •SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

The Corsairs are off to a Rough Start

Dylan Cortez Sports Editor Contributing Reporting by Cristian Vasquez The Corsairs finally find their first win in week 4 against Compton College.

The Corsairs come back strong after a tough 56-0 lost two weeks ago against Bakersfield College. Santa Monica College (SMC) has finally earned their first win of the season this Saturday against Compton College Tartars after starting off their first three games winless. SMC won the game 30-6, holding Compton to one touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Compton went for a two point conversion that the Corsairs did not allow.

SMC has allowed 179 points in just four games which is very dangerous for their team. The teams offense is following far behind only scoring 89 points this season, just about half of those points were scored in their first game against L.A. Southwest College.

The Corsairs are being led by interim Head Coach Kelly Ledwith. He came to SMC last season as the Defensive Coordinator straight out of Western State Colorado University. SMC is the sixth college Ledwith has coached, but the first school he is guiding as the Head Coach. The six teams have brought him 15 years of experience, showing his qualification for the job.

Over the offseason, Ledwith focused mainly on preparing his new players for college football, especially since a significant amount of the teams incoming freshmen had never played on a high school team. “This year we have a very young team, 65 freshmen

The Santa Monica College Corsairs confront the Compton College Tartars before the first play on the Corsair Field in Santa Monica, California. (Ricardo Herrera/ Corsair Staff)

and only 20 sophomores…mixing all of these guys together is going to take time,” says Ledwith. During the summer, they stuck to the very basic techniques, from teaching receivers how to properly catch a ball to teaching linemen proper formations.

Despite their struggles, Ledwith sees great potential from this young squad.

Running back, #5 Christoph Hirota, had an unofficial visit with recruiters from the University of Hawaii over the summer. “It

is early in the season, but I have gotten over ten e-mails from various coaches from Division I and Division II schools that want my players.” Hirota is currently averaging 91.5 yards per game and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Having a player you can count on to run hard out of the backfield gives any coach a feeling of relief.

As the season moves forward, Ledwith encourages the Corsair fans and students to come out and support the team during its

upcoming home games. “I think we are going to have a very successful season despite our start…I hope we get the Santa Monica community to come out and support our players… and represent the school well and get nice crowds for our final three home games.” The Corsairs are preparing to play 1-3 Victor Valley College this Saturday in Victorville.

Both teams are in last place in their conference and a win for SMC could change that.

Rams stay undefeated, defeat Chargers in first-ever "Battle for L.A." Blake Atwell Multimedia Editor Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and the Rams are off to a perfect start in 2018, including a 35-23 victory on Sunday (9/23/18) over the Chargers.

LOS ANGELES, CA- For the first time since 1994, NFL football is finally back in the city of angels. The inaugural “Battle for L.A.” featured third-year Rams star quarterback Jared Goff torching the Chargers defense, in a 35-23 victory.

Goff completed 29 of his 36 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns, while Pro Bowl running back Todd Gurley led the Rams ground attack with 105 yards and one score. Leading 21 to 13 early in the third quarter, Goff tossed a 53-yard bomb to Cooper Kupp. Quarterback Philip Rivers responded nearly four minutes later for the Chargers, completing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams.

Leading by eight points, an 11 play, 77-yard drive capped off by Robert Woods’ second touchdown catch of the day sealed the Rams third straight win. “Tough, hardearned win today against a great football team,” Rams Head Coach Sean McVay said. “[The] defense ended up having to have some tough stops against what we know is a great offense.”

Rivers threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, including a 42-yard first quarter dart to Williams. Two of Williams’ four receptions (81 yards) were touchdowns. Chargers running back Melvin Gordon gained 80 yards and one score on 15 carries. “It’s not an every Sunday occurrence [that] you see the ball FOR EXTENDED COVERAGE VISIT US AT THECORSAIRONLINE.COM •

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going up and down on that defense, like we were able to do,” Rivers said. “I leave this game encouraged,” he added.

Since moving from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2016, the Chargers have compiled a 10-9 record in their 2017 season, and are 1-2 overall this season. San Diego’s only NFL team spent 56 years in the city before departing for the StubHub Center in Carson, California. The Chargers current home only seats 27,000 people, but a new stadium is currently being constructed in Hollywood Park that will house both the Chargers and Rams. The Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park (LASED) will span nearly 300 acres and hold more than 70,000 people.

The Rams called Cleveland home for nine years in the 1930’s and 40’s, before moving to Los Angeles in 1946. 48 years of Los Angeles football ended in 1994, when the Rams traveled to St. Louis, Missouri. A 2016 return to Los Angeles brought excitement back to the franchise, but few wins.

After a 4-9 start, the Rams fired coach Jeff Fisher and hired Sean McVay. Just 32 years-old, McVay has brought a resurgence to the organization. His first season at the helm saw the Rams grab their first NFC West Division title since 2003 and a 11-5 record. The Rams acquired several big-name talents throughout the offseason, including cornerback Marcus Peters and deep threat Brandin Cooks. A perfect 3-0 start to 2018 has brought Super Bowl level expectations to the Rams, as the franchise tries to capture their first championship since 2000.

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