CORSAIR
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
Jose Lopez Corsair Former SMC student, Nansi Cisneros stands in front of the Mexican consulate in Downtown Los Angeles. Cisneros is currently searching for her brother, who was kidnapped last October in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
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News
ICC election
PG 5 Letters & responses Opinion
Photostory
PG 6-7
Food for yourself
Arts & Entertainment PG 9 Smc grad shows film
PG 10
Sports
Track heads to state finals
Nansi Cisneros is still searching for her brother. On the afternoon of Oct. 19, in the small city of Tala, Mexico, 30 miles from Guadalajara, someone came for Javier Cisneros. A white Toyota Tacoma pulled up to Javier’s home where he was with his friends. Men in bulletproof vests exited the car, brandishing shotguns. His mother, who lives six houses down, came out when she heard shots fired. She watched as the men dragged her son away from the house and into the car. “Mom, me van a matar,” he screamed, which means “Mom, they are going to kill me.” Javier joins a long list of disappearances and kidnappings that have drowned Mexico in a silent sorrow since the Drug War erupted in 2006. Cisneros, a former Santa Monica College student, does not know where her brother is, or if he is even alive. Now, she is determined to find out what happened to her brother, and hopefully reunite with him. Since former Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent in the army to practically invade large swathes of Mexico to fight the
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Chronicle of a kidnapping
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cartels in 2006, an inferno of violence has gripped towns and cities as criminal gangs fracture, new cells form, and turf rivalries intensify. There has been little respite under the new administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto. Even the lauded arrest in Feb. of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, kingpin of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, by the Mexican army has done little to quell the raging turf wars. Instead communities still live under the shadow of the criminal underworld’s ferocity. “It has been violent,” Cisneros said. “They’ve found bodies in pieces in trash bags. It’s been all over the country, but in the pueblos in this area they’ve kidnapped a lot of people. A lot have been young.” The kidnapping rate in Mexico has been steadily growing. According to the country’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography, there have been 105,682 kidnapping cases in Mexico the last year, with many more possibly going unreported. “Six months ago, a guy from this town, whose family has been here for a long time, was arrested and he’s in prison now for kidnapping people from his own town,” Cisneros said. “There are different cartels fighting for this area.” Cisneros grew up in Los Angeles along with her brother, and studied at the Teton Science School in Kelly, Wyoming, an institute which specializes in scientific fields. She studied for a certificate in field ecology, before attending SMC. Her brother, who is a tattoo artist, was not born in the United States, and was deported back to Mexico after an altercation with a police officer. “He would get into a lot of fights,” she said. “In one of the fights, he had a fight with an undercover cop. He was picking up his girlfriend from school.” In Mexico, Javier married and had a Kidnapping continued on pg. 12
War’s inferno Alci Rengifo Arts & Entertainment Editor There’s a humming in the restless summer air. The searing horror of war, both ancient and modern, is felt all too closely in the play “Ajax In Iraq,” a production now being staged at Santa Monica’s Miles Playhouse by the No Man Apart Physical Theatre Ensemble. Written by Ellen McLaughlin and directed with modernist force by John FarmaneshBocca, the play tells two parallel stories; the ancient tale of Ajax, Greek warrior during the Trojan War driven mad by the goddess Athena amid the slaughter and bloodshed as written by Sophocles, and the story of A.J., a female U.S. soldier serving in Iraq amid a group of soldiers unsure of why they’re stuck in a distant, dangerous land. The play touches on the issues of imperialism, nationalism and rape in the army with a powerful eloquence and moments that capture the human scope of war and its profound sadness. The Miles Playhouse is an excellent venue for this kind of production. The interior is intimate and designed like a classic, almost English hall with lamps designed to evoke ancient candles. Farmanesh-Bocca introduced the play emphasizing that this is the first time it is staged in Los Angeles. What followed was a potent mixture of philosophy, choreography and drama. The play begins with American soldiers dancing in a tight march with Ajax, played by Aaron Hendry, in the lead, clad in ancient armor and cape, to Awolnation’s “Sail.” Emma Bell, blonde like a Valkyrie, appeared as the goddess Athena, piercing the ground with a spear. Her opening monologue is a riveting, disturbing commentary as two actors in silhouette reenact an army rape in a tent. Athena essentially calls on the audience to imagine what is happening inside in all its horror. This sets the tone for the rest of the play. We meet a group of female soldiers playing cards who engage in sexual banter with male members of their squadron. It seems like typical, lurid conversation, but one female soldier lies in her cot, A.J., played by Courtney Munch. It does not take long for the audience to realize she is being repeatedly raped by her commanding officer. Athena then introduces us to Ajax, a strong and ferocious warrior who is denied the glory of inheriting the armor of mighty, fallen Achilles during the Trojan War. Athena inflicts Ajax with madness and he goes on a rampage, slaughtering men and sheep to the confused horror of his loyal troops and war bride Tecmessa, played by Alina Bolshakova. The power of “Ajax In Iraq” is how it connects the broad theme of war through the ages. Like Chris Hedges’s book “War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning,” McClaughlin’s script connects the wars of Greek classics like “The Iliad” with the madness of today’s imperialist ventures. For in the rage of the ancients we find the same, driving violence of today’s militarized culture. In one darkly hilarious moment Athena tells the audience, “you really thought the Trojan War was fought over a blonde? She was pretty, but come on, no one is that pretty.” In one memorable section, Laura Covelli Ajax continued on pg. 9
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2 contents
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
E D I T O R I A L S TA F F Henry Crumblish····· Editor-in-Chief c o rs a i r. e d i t o r i n c h i e f @ g m a i l . c o m Elizabeth Moss·Digital Editor-in-Chief c o rs a i r. w e b e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m David Yapkowitz······Managing Editor c o rs a i r. m a n a g i n g @ g m a i l . c o m Ronja Jansz···········Health & Lifestyle c o rs a i r. l i f e s t y l e p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Alci Rengifo····· Arts & Entertainment c o rs a i r. c a l e n d a r p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Jonathan Ramos······· Opinion Editor c o rs a i r. o p i n i o n p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Trev Angone·············· Sports Editor c o rs a i r. s p o r t s p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Jimmy Janszen············· Photo Editor Rachel Porter············· Photo Editor c o rs a i r p h o t o e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m David Veta················Design Editor c o rs a i r. d e s i g n t e a m @ g m a i l . c o m Jhosef Hern····················Illustrator c o rs a i r c a r t o o n @ g m a i l . c o m c o r s a i r s ta f f Brandon Barsugli, Scott Bixler, Cesar Clarke, Amalia Darin, My’sson Downs, Mia Duncans, Elin Ekdahl, Paulina Eriksson, Carlos Espinosa, Walter Flores, Rachel Gianuario, Qalil Ismail, Sarit Kashanian, Nick Kovalenko, Aaron Leaureaux, Juan Lopez, Malin Lord, Jazmin Martinez, Christophor McGovern, Delmy Moran, Adrien Piteux, Liz Phillips, James Powel, Patrick Shanley FA C U LT Y A D V I S O R S S a u l Ru b i n & Gerard Burkhart AD INQUIRIES: c o rsai r. admana g er@g m ai l . co m (3 1 0 ) 4 3 4 - 4 0 3 3
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Jose Lopez Corsair
The A-Alikes rock the stage at the Belasco Theater in Downtown, Los Angeles during the United We Stand concert on Saturday, May 10.
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volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
Courtney King voted vice-chair of ICC Juan Lopez Staff Writer The new Associated Students board for next year has been completed. With the Inter-Club Council election, each club had a vote with each of their ICC representatives casting their votes. Maya Kaitel, former vice chair, was voted ICC Chair. Former AS Presidential candidate Courtney King won her desired position of ICC Vice-Chair. German Club president Rizwan Rashid won the position of ICC communications officer with no opposition after a few candidates dropped out. Kaitel listed her previous experience with all facets of ICC as vice-chair, including paperwork and extending help with all forms. After winning, she said “I have no words that can properly express how much I love the ICC.” Former AS presidential candidate King captivated the room with grand statements. “Do you know that there are 29, 537 students? All of those students keep me up at night wondering how I can make this place better,” said King. “There is so much more that I could do to make this world better and I’m going to start with you.” King soon after delved into humor by expressing her desire to hold tea parties and Nerf gun battles. She even made a slight joke about the hypothetical collaboration between Astronomy, Geology, and Bike clubs trekking by bike to see scenery and stars saying, “Every one of these students might have something to look forward to this weekend.” In a more serious tone King said of club members, “You’re going to get skills to be better people and then you’re going to go
on,” she paused to reach for a miniature crafted representation of the earth, “to change the world.” With her short speech, King managed to also fit in plans to create more committees for more events, building up ICC infrastructure, and improving publicity. “There’s 350 students for everyone in this room right now, we need to improve club visibility,” said King. For communications officer, Rashid made a speech to let the rest of the ICC find out more about him, saying he will be there for any club member and promoted collaboration between clubs. He ran for the position seeking a leadership role after three semesters with the German Club and involvement in ICC. Votes were collected by AS directors in attendance, including President Ty Moura. Current ICC chair Jasmine Jafari and communications officer Sarah Yosef counted the votes by hand as the meeting went on as normal while being facilitated by Kaitel. During this time, Moura presented an upcoming online survey to ask ICC clubs their opinions on AS, she added, “It’s been a pleasure serving you this year, I’m glad I’ve had this opportunity.” AS president-elect Pablo Garcia extended an invite to ICC members for an event to help bridge the gap between clubs and AS. “We have a huge number of students already involved,” said Garcia. “We’re hoping to be able to work with them so that they can help attract other students into getting involved.” After the announcement of her win, King pulled out a small crafted crown and placed it atop her head. “For all of next year, I want ICC to informally stand
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news 3
Juan Lopez Corsair Santa Monica College Inter-Club Council vice-chair elect Courtney King makes a humorous post-election statement to ICC representatives at the ICC meeting in Business 117 on Thursday, May 8.
for the Interaction of Classy Clubs,” she declared to those in attendance to uproarious laughter. ”I for one, am wearing a dress.” King once again became more serious in an interview after the meeting saying, “Before this it was all talk, now I have to do the work.” She added, “Next year is going to be so amazing, none of the students
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will ever have anything to compare it from before.” King then went on to discuss the incentivizing of club memberships and participation with Garcia through recognition and seeking more club members through casual bi-weekly gettogethers outside of ICC meetings and ICC social.
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4 opinion
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
A group of Santa Monica College staff members decided to draft and send two letters signed by several faculty regarding our March 26 pole dancing cover story. The story in question covered an awards ceremony at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion hosted by the Pole World News organization which promotes pole dancing as an athletic, recreational sport. We are hereby publishing the letters in full.
The fifth issue of the 2014 Corsair, the cover of which is hotly disputed.
Dear Colleagues, May 12, 2014 To the Corsair and SMC Community: The March 31 (International Women’s Month) Corsair featuring a cover and ‘center fold’ of pole dancing has prompted a great deal of consternation on campus. As the Corsair serves the educational mission of SMC, as do clubs on campus, and anything for which students earn credit, we assume that editorial boards are under the pedagogic guidance of their advisors. If students are hoping to work for Rupert Murdoch, the cover and ‘center-fold’ may serve a purpose, prurient though that may be. It is ironic that misogynistic journalism is a device utilized to sell papers by the “mainstream” media, and the Corsair is free. (Attached is a document picturing the issue in question; A partial article is currently posted at http://www.thecorsaironline. com/arts-entertainment/2014/03/25/ pole-empowerment/). The article, copy, and photos appear to be devoid of any critical consciousness
regarding this topic. The Corsair’s choice to present pole-dancing as a ‘feature article’ does not excuse its failures - the prototype of the commercial media as purveyors of sexist “soft” porn in the guise of entertainment notwithstanding. The article fails to provide investigative reporting of any kind - not of the larger sociological or economic context of this ‘sport’ as a cash cow of the sex industry, nor of the venues which are conduits for global human trafficking. There is no data, no interviews, beyond those of a handful of dancers and observers, in short, no research or apparent awareness of the implications of an inordinate quantity of newsprint devoted to images of women, of a particular age and ethnicity, engaged in images that engender sexist stereotypes. Perhaps, the Corsair, and by extension the SMC community, would benefit from a policy that establishes Media Studies 10 (Journalism, Gender, and Race) or a similar such course (i.e. sociology) as a corequisite or pre-requisite for working on the
Corsair newspaper. This is an article that many students and faculty, male and female, feminists and humanists, found to be more than offensive: it was an attack on the values of inclusion and citizenship touted by SMC. The topic, of course, may have been covered in any number of ways. Perhaps as an article investigating feminist perspectives - which might think to tap SMC resources by actually interviewing professors who teach women’s studies at SMC. Reaching out to our own inhouse scholars may have informed student reporters of the importance of how a topic is framed: as a matter of ‘individual choice’ made by participants, or as a sociological phenomenon involving the objectification/ commodification of young women’s bodies, which has led to the pornification of women’s sports in general. Perhaps such a conversation might even have triggered the thought that there are more interesting and empowering examples of
women, and of women’s sports, that would be appropriately and so emphatically celebrated during National Women’s History Month. Finally, it speaks to the need to restore a faculty centered Women’s Council on campus, based in a Women’s Center, and strengthened by a dedicated Women’s/Gender Studies program - a truly great educational opportunity for the SMC community. It is also our hope that SMC faculty, in partnership with Administration, will initiate a strategy to re-establish a faculty centered Women’s Council /Center on campus, and develop a dedicated Women/ Gender Studies program at SMC. The issue at hand is a particularly pressing one given the data indicating that 1 in 5 female students are assaulted or raped during their college career. We thank you for your indulgence of yet another “faculty_all” email, and hope that you will agree that this is a campus-wide issue worthy of the attention of all of us.
Signed, Brenda Antrim, Patti Delvalle, Wilfred Doucet, Christina Gabler, Gail Livings, Ricki Manoff, Bob Massey, Christina Preciado, Eileen Rabach, Christipher Stiles, Elizabeth Vance, Christina Ghanbarpour, Gloria Heller, Julia Stein, Eleni Hioureas, Laura Campbell, Elisa Meyer, Mary Jo Stirling, David Burak, Catherine Edelmann, Uri Hertz, Diana Engelmann, Diane Arieff, Diana Aghabegian, Susan Caggiano, Ed Markarian, Sherri Bradford, Heather Smith, Julie Chekroun, Christine Schultz, Alan Buckley, Eric Oifer, Amber Katherine, Richard Tahvildaran, Jim Stramel, Brian Lawson, Christine Holmgren, Marco Llaguno, Guido L. Davis Del Piccolo, Dianne Berman, Wendy Dishman, Melanie Klein, Bert Cueva, Stephen Londe MD, Bill Selby, Alex Schwartz, Carol Womack, Marissa Tiamfook, Susan Hunt, Sheila Laffey, and Paris Poirier
Next step for the Corsair May 13, 2014 Dear Corsair and SMC Community: Fifty plus faculty members have signed on to the attached letter concerning the March 31 (International Women’s Month) Corsair. The issue, featuring a cover and ‘center fold’ of pole dancing, has prompted some discussion - which is to the good – but also some distraction and misunderstanding. The letter does not target students. It does question the role of advisory oversight of the Corsair in the production of this article. It does not advocate censorship. It suggests ways that the article might have presented the topic in keeping with the educational mission of SMC. The letter does not discuss the Corsair in general. It is about a particular issue of the Corsair that devoted three full pages (cover and centerfold), with select photos, to a particular subject in a particular way. The letter does find this article misogynistic and expresses concern about a hostile campus environment. In short, the letter is not about pole dancing, nor relevant to the imprimatur of legitimacy discovered beneath the skirt of Oprah or Dorothy Chandler or Madeleine Brand. It is true that the larger purpose of the letter is meant to engage faculty in the crises now plaguing college campuses, including SMC. Campus sexual assault has reached epidemic proportions. It is finally being addressed by mainstream media, highlighted by Obama’s comments and current scrutiny of campus policy at
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UCB, USC, Brown and other campuses. The Federal Government has launched a website, NotAlone.gov, and is urging colleges to survey students to determine the prevalence of sexual assault on campus and possibly require such a survey in 2016. The Department of Education oversees federal regulations and has expressed the need for colleges to tighten procedures and increase preventive measures. It is faculty who woman the barricades here. Every semester several students (typically female/LGBT) come to the offices of accessible faculty, traumatized by sexual assault, rape, or harassment - or concerned about things on campus, such as this Corsair issue. There is no place on campus that bears their name (i.e. Women’s/Gender Center or Program) signaling where resources might be available for them. The Crisis team is an important response team, and psych services does all that they can. However, when the women’s college/center was defunded and eliminated on campus, it left a vacuum. Concerned faculty, staff, and students need to be networked on more than an ad hoc basis and with some anchor (analogous to Adelante and Black Collegians). Most colleges still retain women’s/gender centers and programs. We remain behind the curve on this at the expense of our students and hope that SMC community will unite to address this student need.
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opinion 5
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
We hereby publish our responses to the letters. They address the issues raised in the criticisms launched against the article and the wider implications of the action that has been taken. The first response is by Alci Rengifo, author of the article in question and the second by David Yapkowitz, Managing Editor of The Corsair.
In response to the inquisitors
Alci rengifo Arts & Entertainment Editor
As the writer of the piece in question I will respond here to the accusations made directly at the article “Pole Dancing Olympics.” There appears to be a serious misunderstanding here as to what journalism entails. The article was a report about a specific event, an awards ceremony, on a specific evening, in a specific place. As a reporter I could only write about what I was seeing before me. It was not an opinion piece and The Corsair is not some ideological publication with a specific, political agenda. It can’t be, we have conservatives, liberals, in-betweeners and anarchists on our staff. The letter accuses me of lacking in any “critical consciousness” in the writing. This is quite ludicrous considering there is a great deal of critical observation in the piece and even a sense of irony through out. This was even obvious to Angelina Murphy, a writer for UCLA’s feminist magazine Feme. She wrote me a kind e-mail where she believed I was too critical of the dancers’ profession. She pointed out the moments where I wrote about the “sexual character of the activity” and “it’s hard to wash away the scandalous spirit of this particular sport.” The letter accuses the article of advancing the objectification of women, yet I clearly describe a moment where a performer licks her award in a provocative manner in which I write “If pole dancing ever wants to be dignified there should be a change in protocol.” There seems to have been a lack of comprehension concerning the style of the piece. This is, after all, a post-literate age. The article was a snapshot of the imagedriven world these performers inhabit. But just because you might not like the lifestyle of the women in the article, it does not mean they do not deserve a space to speak,
Dear faculty David Yapkowitz Managing Editor I’d like to start by explaining something about journalism. When covering an event, be it a football game, a campus lecture, an Associated Students meeting, or even a pole dancing awards event, it is supposed to be “devoid of any critical consciousness.” Unless of course it’s an opinion piece, which our March 26 pole dancing feature story was not. A good journalist is impartial, unbiased, and reports exclusively on the who, what, were, when, and why, as the article did. There is also a difference between primary and secondary sources. For example, I certainly would not consult a sports historian for information while writing a Santa Monica College basketball game story. Perhaps the crafters of the letter would benefit from actually familiarizing themselves with the principles of journalism, which are highly stressed by instructors in our esteemed communications department. I’d also like to point out that I’ve taken Media 10, and we discussed, in depth, issues such as the portrayal of women in the media and my professor made sure to include varying points of view, not just a biased, slanted opinion like the writers of the letter are supporting. It makes me wonder what kind of material is presented in their classes, as
or the courtesy of having their words be read. Like all human beings, these women deserve respect. They are choosing to be professionals in this field. Yes, it’s a physical, sensual field, but the event covered was not related to the porn industry and it did not take place at some dive stripe club but at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion where the LA Opera performs. I myself share some of the criticisms leveled at the world depicted in the article. We live in times dominated by consumerism and commercial exploitation, which has spread into the realm of the body and sexuality. People have been turned into commodities and the media diminishes our sense of self worth by glorifying specific, physical ideas of how we should look. But the role of journalism is to capture the world as it is now, not as we would like it to be. The letter slams us for not “reaching out to our in-house experts.” The problem is journalism is apparently out of the letter’s authors’ field of expertise. Even the photos are less jarring then, perhaps, the work of world-renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark. Her work captures in unflinching honesty the world of those living in the underground, in shanty neighborhoods or the bowels of urban America. When I sent a copy of the letter and article to Noam Chomsky, considered by many to be the world’s most prominent intellectual, his simple reply was “sounds crazy to me.” It could be that the authors of the letter simply did not comprehend the nature of the writing in question. Indeed, words failed professor Christina Preciado, one of the letter’s prime backers, when she approached our table during Club Row and used expletive language against our publication, dismissing the paper as “bullshit.” If we’re going to discuss positive role models and examples to others, consider that while Professor Preciado chose crude, thuggish language against a campus paper
while being surrounded by other students, the dancers featured in the article carried themselves with dignity and articulated their answers in a discussion with wit. Yes, the article was published during National Women’s History Month, and so we presented a unique view into how some women are living their lives in a sport out of the mainstream. The letter chastises us for not choosing better “role models” for women’s empowerment. But what diminishes these performers in comparison to say, the women who achieve power in the corrupt halls of government or shark-infested waters of Wall Street? I recently had the opportunity to participate in a closed door meeting at UCLA with the United States Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power. I can honestly say that I felt a clearer sense of honesty and authenticity coming from the dancers, who perform a particular, physical sport, as opposed to a woman who uses bureaucratic lingo to justify bombing Libya, desiring to bomb Syria and now uses hysterical language to antagonize Russia and risk a major war, all at the service of even more corrupt, vile males. It is offensive for the letter to link the piece to the pressing issue of addressing the very real danger of harassment and assault women face on college campuses. My mother fled the civil war that engulfed El Salvador in the 1980s. I grew up in a home well aware of what it’s like for a woman to survive in a very dangerous terrain where rape, assault, kidnapping and torture were daily realities that could come at any moment at home, in the street, and even in movie theaters when the violence reached peak levels. To also accuse our paper of pushing “soft porn” and “women stereotypes” is yet another joke. Our staff features some incredibly talented, independent, women editors who have won first place awards at state and regional conferences. In fact, they
were all asked to read the pole dancing piece and offer their input before it was published. To diminish their place of work displays the ironic, lack of research on the part of the Salem inquisitors who wrote the letter. The great fault of this letter is that it assumes that we, the newspaper staff, and you, the general student reader, are not smart enough to form our own observations and opinions. By suggesting that certain classes, which happen to be taught by some of the authors of the letter, be made into pre-requisites to be in the paper’s staff is a sly form of gatekeeping. It suggests critical thinking cannot come through research and experience, observations and investigating. Should we consult the film department every time we publish a movie review? And what if a conservative-minded student decides to denounce Professor James Stramel, one of the letter’s most prominent signers, for providing texts that might be seen to advocate swinging, open marriages, and other out-of-the-mainstream sexual practices? George Orwell would surely weep. One of the letter’s most glaring moments accuses the article of being “an attack on the values of inclusion and citizenship touted by SMC.” This is a strange statement to make. Are the women featured in the article some form of female sub-species who do not deserve to be mentioned or included as citizens in a newspaper report? It is as if the authors would like to classify what should be considered worthy of inclusion and citizenship. The dancers interviewed in the article even described their chosen profession as a form of feminism. They have chosen their line of work and believe their sport is empowering and valid. If the authors of the letter wish to judge them that is their decision, but it is no excuse to defame our publication. As the anarchist militant and feminist Emma Goldman once said, “if I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”
I have had fellow students complain to me before about professors who teach from a biased point of view and discourage differing opinions in class. I also find it disrespectful to myself, and to my fellow Corsair staff members that none of our strong female profile stories were mentioned at all. We’ve covered several strong female role models who are part of the SMC community including theater instructor Janie Jones, communications department chair Nancy Grass-Hemmert, performing arts students Nina Cremer and Alberta Keys, SMC basketball star Imani Holloway, Ukrainian SMC student revolutionary Svitlana Kostenko, as well as the SMC tennis and softball teams. Our covers have included esteemed actress Megan Mullally, Laura Kleppin, who was the highest placing American in the LA Marathon, and SMC tennis star Jessica Goldbeck. Not to mention an opinion piece on why Women’s Empowerment Month is important and needs to be more universally recognized. It’s also incredibly disrespectful personally since the writers of the letter had the audacity to mention a greater discussion of women’s sports when a look through my byline at The Corsair will reveal several articles on women’s sports including women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, and even the much ignored cheer squad. Perhaps the most disrespectful to me is
no mention of my March 12 opinion story on women’s sports, which was written specifically for Women’s Empowerment Month. Now I certainly do not write for the validation of others, I don’t care what other people think of what I have to say. I do it because I love to write. But if you’re going to accuse people of being “purveyors of sexist soft porn under the guise of entertainment” and “attacking the values of inclusion and citizenship touted by SMC,” then you might want to make sure that you have ammunition to support your claim, like all good journalists are taught. To accuse the staff and advisors of The Corsair of being champions of sexist culture without any requests for discussion prior to submitting the letter is not only slanderous, but also ignorant of how The Corsair, and journalism in general, functions. We have a wide diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and opinions on staff. I myself come from a very strong Mexican family that is filled with empowered women, including my activist immigrant mother who is heavily involved with the women’s organization Code Pink. None of them, including my mother, ascribe to the ignorant and archaic beliefs of “feminism” that are touted by the writers of the letter, beliefs that really are sexist and exclusionary. My parents divorced when my little sister was very young, and as a
result I practically raised her. Now, at the age of 16, she’s more a woman than many so-called “feminists.” If anything, we’ve learned that race is a far more crucial issue that society is afraid to discuss. After all, Clippers owner Donald Sterling didn’t single out women, he singled out AfricanAmericans. The women in my family, as well as other women of color, have long felt excluded from feminist movements. The movements have been traditionally dominated by white women of privilege, that a family like mine, who grew up dirt poor in a tiny Mexican ranch as well as the heart of South Central LA, can’t possibly relate to. Lastly, I want to say that this letter has not put a damper on our staff, nor has it made us evaluate our content. We stand by the integrity of our writers and photographers, who are taught by the finest professors SMC has to offer. We will continue to run our paper as we have; a paper that continually wins multiple awards at various state and national conventions, and was recently honored at the May 7 Board of Trustees meeting. I also want to leave my fellow students with this thought: take into account the biased point of view these professors are touting, and with summer and fall enrollment currently ongoing, ask yourselves if you really want to subject yourselves to a semester of censorship.
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6 photostory
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
Cheyenne’s Garden of Eden Rachel Gianuario Staff Writer Living in a house with the luxury of a lawn and backyard is not a reality for most students who are not living at home. The average studio apartment’s kitchen doesn’t allow for a lot of food storage. The combination ultimately results in dining out a lot and eating unhealthy dishes because, more often than not, they’re cheaper. For a determined environmental sudies major like Cheyenne Morrill, this is a reality she does not accept. In her small Palms apartment, shared with multiple roommates, Morrill found a way to maintain a healthy, organic, sustainable, cheap lifestyle that is truly rewarding. Her flat is an ordinary, two-story complex, with cramped outdoor space shared by multiple families. Anyone would be surprised to find that behind the complex, in a space
previously only used to store trash bins, is an inventive organic treasure trove. In her backyard, which only receives four hours of sunlight a day, Morrill manages to keep more than a dozen fruits and vegetables healthy, happy, and providing her with fresh produce every day. “It’s not much, but it’s a lot,” she says. She created a garden of Eden in a city of steel and smog. Previously a fashion design student at the University of Dubai, Morrill quickly became frustrated and disillusioned with her education there and her life in the Middle East. “Everything is fake there,” she said, adding that all of the food is shipped there because the environment is too harsh to grow produce. Slowly, the food Morrill consumed and the lifestyle there began to make her feel sick. So, when she was 21, she left behind her mother, stepfather, brother, and three adopted sisters for America where she was originally born. After returning to Los Angeles and enrolling at Santa Monica College, Morrill changed her major to environmental studies and began living the kind of recycle-conscious life she has longed for since she was a child. “Everything that you need already exists and somebody’s getting rid of it. Everything is already here for us, so why buy new stuff,” she said. She grows all of her plants out of containers she found in alleys or dumpsters. Most of her plants were either gifted from farmers markets, nurseries, or even found in her homemade vermicompost(highly nutritious worm casing compost). She never throws away any used soil or plant, unless it is compromised by disease. Besides reusing her materials, Morrill makes a conscious effort to avoid throwing things away in the trash, or as she calls it, “the black bin”. Her garden, she says, changed her life and everything about her. From her raspberries, strawberries and dinosaur kale to her highly sought after blueberries by neighboring blue jays, her garden is her family. While her garden affords her daily healthy food options, she laments eating them. “I feel bad for eating plants all the time. They’re living
Cheyenne Morrill poses for a photo in her garden on Wednesday, April 23. Most of Morrill’s diet consists of food grown in her own garden.
A young strawberry begins to sprout in Cheyenne Morrill’s garden on Friday, April 25 in Los Angeles, Calif. Strawberries are one of the best producing plants in Morrill’s garden and happen to be one of first fruits she has planted.
things, they’re alive. So that’s why I just try to give them the best life they deserve,” she said. She explains that love is the most important thing to give to her plants. “I look at all of my plants, I look at all of their leaves, that’s love. Giving them the attention that they deserve, because they are providing you with their life, basically.” While Morrill dreams of having her own farm and living a sustainable, healthy life, she also feels it is her duty to educate others about how simple being a gardener really is. Anyone with the space to grow, should be growing, she says, adding that, “A garden just needs love, you just need to be a caring person to have a garden.”
Photos by Christophor McGovern
Vegetables begin to sprout in an old drawer in Cheyenne Morrill’s garden on Wednesday, April 23 in Los Angeles, Calif.
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photostory 7
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
Starting your own garden Step 1: Get a crate
Step 2:
Step 3: Mix/even the soil
Step 4: Layer a top soil
Place a burlap sack in the crate
Cheyenne Morrill waters her garden on Friday, April 25, in Los Angeles, Calif. Morrill usually waters her garden twice a day but before she waters her plants she checks for bugs or any other factor that can cause damage to her plants.
Gardening Maintenance
Cheyenne Morrill holds up a pepper plant that has been stricken with a disease on Friday, April 25 in Los Angeles, Calif. Morrill isn’t familiar with what disease or perhaps bug that has attacked her pepper plant. Morrill had checked on them the previous day as well, but problems can happens very fast. It’s not difficult or hugely time consuming. Five minutes, going over the plants twice a day can save the precious yield from your own garden.
Cheyenne Morrill poses in her garden on Friday, April 25 in Los Angeles, Calif. Morrill makes an everyday commitment by eating organic foods.
“Everything that you need…already exists and somebody’s getting rid of it. Everything is already here for us, so why buy new stuff.”
A local blue jay sits on a fence in Cheyenne Morrill’s garden on Friday, April 25 in Los Angeles, Calif. Blue jays are prone to eating the garden’s blueberries so caution must be taken when they are in the area.
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Cheyenne Morrill checks the moisture level of her plants on Friday, April 25 in Los Angeles, Calif.
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& entertainment 8 Arts
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
SMC dancers prepare for Global Motion & Synapse Alci Rengifo Arts & Entertainment Editor
Elegant footwork on the studio floor was on display as the Santa Monica College dance department prepared its fleet of dancers for the upcoming Global Motion and Synapse dance shows that have won wide acclaim during previous semesters. The first of these spectacles will be Global Motion, which will be held at The Broad Stage at the Performing Arts Campus on March 16-17. Male and female performers gathered at the campus gym over the last two weeks to do a run through of Global Motion, which features dances and stories from
Ronja Jansz Corsair A ballerina rehearses for the upcoming Global Motion dance show.
Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. Sri Susilowati, an SMC dance instructor and one of the directors of the Global Motion program, is very excited about the upcoming performances. “We have 12 different pieces and the theme of the show this semester is storytelling. The stories could be contemporary, classical or folk,” said Susilowati. “The most challenging thing is rehearsal. Some of our dancers for example, have never done Irish step dance. In one semester they learned. That’s a big accomplishment.” Guest Irish choreographer Mora Clerkin was on hand to oversee the rehearsals of a piece that dives into her native country’s folk roots. “I selected a Celtic legend, it’s about one giant in Ireland and how he is being followed by a giant in Scotland and he’s very afraid and luckily his wife saves him, as usually happens,” she said. Isabela Pruma, an SMC dance student, is looking forward to the costumes and hopes that the audience will be moved by the strength of the performances. “There are going to be a lot of exciting outfits,” she said. “There are a lot of flowing movements. I hope people who come will want to get up and dance.” Echoing Pruma’s sentiments, SMC dance student Cruz Guzman also hopes the audience takes something out of the dances, as well as learn about other cultures. “It has been fun, it has been a learning experience. You learn about other cultures,” she said. “I hope they[the audience] understand the emotions we’re portraying.” A few days after, another group of dancers and instructors gathered to run through Synapse, the show that instead of emphasizing global culture, focuses on more personal, contemporary forms of dance.
Carlos Espinosa Corsair Global Motion World Dance Company reherses at SMC on Thursday, May 8. The company is composed of SMC students who learn, rehearse and perform world dance styles.
Luciana Tarantino, an SMC dance student who is participating in Synapse, is eager about performing in the program for the first time. “I wanted to try something new,” she said. “It’s challenging but rewarding. It’s broadening my horizons. The hardest part is the back to back rehearsals, six hours a day.” Joining the production is guest choreographer Jordan Signs, who found inspiration for a piece in the phenomenon of sleep paralysis.
“I get it[sleep paralysis] a lot, I’ve experienced it a number of times in cycles,” she said. “I worked with the dancers twice a week for an hour and a half.” Helping lead the way for Synapse is SMC dance instructor and choreographer Angela Jordan, who is very enthusiastic about what’s in store for the audience. “There will be a variety of styles, great technique and great artistic vision,” said Jordan. “And of course great dancing.”
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volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
from Ajax on pg. 1 steps out, dressed as Gertrude Bell, to explain British colonial plans for the Middle East and how Winston Churchill essentially invented countries like Iraq by redrawing the borders of what used to be the Ottoman Empire. Meanwhile an American soldier also paces the stage confused about how the Bush administration first invaded Iraq under the pretext of stopping Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction program, only to switch the mission to “exporting democracy” once it turned out there were no such weapons. Here the writing draws a fine thread that connects the histories of Western interventionism in the Arab world. The set design was impressive in the way it combined the feel of an ancient Greek theater with a modern military base. Boxes of ammo were placed next to classical Athenian columns. The music was a mix of orchestral pieces such as the soundtrack from the movie “There Will Be Blood” and modern songs by Garth Brooks and Dead Pool. This gives the production a unique, timeless quality. The performances added to the power of the text. Munch played A.J. with a gutwrenching angst. She is being abused by
a superior while surrounded by a conflict that makes little sense. Hendry’s Ajax is a hurricane. He plays the role with intensity but also sadness and despair. Here is a great man ruined by the poisoned chalice of terrible conflict. When he faces his shocked men and realizes what he’s been doing the moment is heartbreaking. The play is a brilliant tragedy for our times. US soldiers are even cast as a Greek chorus, and the themes are broad and universal. It is about the Iraq war, but it is also about emotional scars and trauma, about overcoming humiliation and also about questioning the powerful, especially when the powerful send men and women to die for causes that only benefit the imperial state. There is a powerful moment where the cast in unison sings “Little Black Submarines” by The Black Keys. They emphasized every word like poetry. “Ajax In Iraq” is riveting drama but also a reflective commentary on the generations living under the shadow of a post-9/11 world. It is political, but more importantly, very human. The show will be playing at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica through June 1.
SMC grad screens short film at USC
Liz Phillips Corsair Jennifer Miguel, a current USC film major who transfered from SMC, talks after the screning of her short film, “Rainbow Boy”, Her film was screened in the Eileen Norris Cinema Theater on the USC campus on Monday, May 12th.
Patrick Shanley Staff Writer
Jhosef Hern Corsair
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On Monday night at the University of Southern California’s Eileen Norris Cinema Theater, the student filmmakers of the 310 Green course presented their current work. In total, 18 short films written, directed, shot, and edited by the students themselves were shown to the audience. The films covered a wide range of genres. Dramas, comedies, horror, and even a western were showcased. Among the filmmakers whose work was shown was Jennifer Miguel, a former student at Santa Monica College. Miguel, who just finished her first full year of film school at USC, screened her first film titled, “Rainbow Boy.” The film, which focuses on a young woman attracted to a man whose sexuality she’s not entirely sure of, was one of the night’s only comedies and elicited some of the loudest applause of the evening. “I’d like to thank everyone who worked on the film with me,” said Miguel, addressing the crowded theater after her film ran. “I’d like to especially thank those I found on Craigslist, I’m glad you weren’t Craigslist killers.” After the show, Miguel revealed a slightly autobiographical inspiration for the film. “For some reason I feel attracted to guys
(S1S) (S3S)
who turn out to be gay,” she said. “All my classmates initially hated the idea, and thought I was trying to make some sort of statement, but all the time it was meant to just be a lighthearted comedy.” The film was well received by the audience, with laughter erupting at the appropriate cues and an audible “aww” at the film’s denouement. Miguel was pleased by the crowd reaction to her first project completed as a USC student. “I was glad that it got the reaction I was aiming for,” she said. Though “Rainbow Boy” was Miguel’s first film produced as a film student at USC, it was not her first production. While at SMC she directed two other shorts as part of the film production courses headed by Professor Salvador Carrasco. “I feel like SMC prepared me a lot. Most of what I know I learned at SMC,” she said. The USC 310 screenings are held twice a year, at the end of the Spring and Fall semesters respectively, and offer a chance for students to showcase their work and for audiences to catch a glimpse of potential rising stars in the filmmaking industry. The sense of camaraderie between the filmmakers themselves and the support exhibited by the audience created a pleasant atmosphere and made for a successful event.
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10 Sports
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
Breaking down barriers Trev angone Sports Editor There he was in all his glory. Only seconds after being drafted with the 249th overall pick by the Saint Louis Rams, Michael Sam could not help but let the emotions pour as he and his boyfriend Vito Cammisano celebrated with a kiss, after being the first openly gay player selected in the National Football League Draft. Immediately following Sam’s public display of affection, social media sites such as Twitter exploded with bigoted diatribes in response to his intimate moment with his boyfriend. As unbelievable as it may be, one of the culprits was current Dolphins backup safety Don Jones, who tweeted “omg” and “horrible” immediately following the kiss. You would have thought after being so close to the NFL’s biggest black-eye last season, he would have known when to keep his mouth shut, and just focus on actually getting on the field, instead of warming the bench in South Beach. Jones has since been fined and suspended by the Dolphins. Another documented outburst came from one of the landmark foot-in-mouth offenders, Ole Miss point guard Marshall Henderson. Henderson has made a living off of being a bottom-feeding troll during his collegiate career, frequently gesturing and yelling obscenities at crowds during road games. Henderson tweeted, “Boycotting sportscenter til this michael sam nasty ass shit is off…. My brothers are 7 and 11 and saw that!!! #Sickening.” Marshall followed up his first tweet with, “Im sorry, but I DO NOT AGREE WHATSOEVER that should be shown to where innocent eyes can see!!!” Fortunately the statements that really matter and have a real impact, managed to outshine
the close-minded tweets of the few during such a landmark moment. One such rallying cry came from President Barack Obama. President Obama said he, “Congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams, and the NFL for taking an important step forward today in our Nation’s journey.” And that, “From the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove everyday that you should be judged by what you do, and not who you are.” Sam courageously came out publicly on Feb 9 in an interview with Chris Connelly on ESPN’s daily news program “Outside The Lines.” Before Sam’s announcement, no player had ever come out publicly in NFL history. Sam previously came out to his teammates before his senior season, and also came out to his father a week before he did so publicly. Following Sam’s announcement, the Galveston Daily News quoted Sam’s father, Michael Sam Sr. as saying he was, “oldschool, a man-and-a-woman type of guy,” and said, “I don’t want my grandkids raised in that type of environment.” Sam Sr. has since proclaimed that he was, “terribly misquoted.” But the Times maintains that he was quoted, “accurately and fairly.” Coming out following his senior season was courageous for many factors, but maybe the most commendable was the fact that it was the decision, that likely lead to Sam falling to later draft rounds, potentially losing him anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. Although some scouts would have you believe that a poor NFL Scouting Combine led to Sam slipping to the later rounds, it is widely regarded that Sam’s announcement had the most direct influence in his seventh round selection. Before making his announcement, Sam was expected to be taken anywhere between the third and fourth rounds. When considering the awards and accolades Sam garnered during his time with the Missouri
Tigers, it’s even harder to explain such a steep slide. His awards include, Consensus All-American, Co-Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, first–team All-SEC, and first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Sporting News, American Football Coaches Association, and Football Writers Association of America. Sam was also a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, Hendricks Award, and Lombardi Award. Sam’s season highlights include a forced fumble returned for a touchdown during the 2014 Cotton Bowl, which secured the victory over Oklahoma State. He also finished the season with 11.5 sacks, and 19 tackles for loss.
Rachel Gianuario Corsair
Since being drafted, Sam has the best selling rookie jersey on the NFL’s website. Sam’s jersey was more popular than any other draftee, except for quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. Living in an age of revolutionaries like Sam, makes me proud to be an American. Especially during a time that still condemns and even executes lesbian, gay, and bi-sexual people in different parts of the globe. If we can support Michael Sam as a country and build him up for the world to see, maybe his heroic decision will one day come to change government policies and minds alike. Maybe Sam, with the USA behind him, will come to change the world.
Corsairs looking to finals Jay Singer Staff Writer The SCCC Track and Field Finals were held in Riverside this past weekend, and an astonishing 10 members of the Santa Monica College track and field team were there to represent the Corsairs. The day started with eliminations for the the women’s 4x100 relay team, as they did not qualify for the state finals. Also failing to qualify for the state finals were distance runners Terrence Luevano and Ashley Bootesaz, despite running close to their personal bests in the 1500-meters. The competition was fierce, with California’s fastest competing for only a few qualifying spots. But the SMC athletes took it all in stride. Luevano and Bootesaz already have plans to compete in the Jim Bush Meet at the University of California, Los Angeles on June 7. SMC’s best chance at qualifying for the state finals appeared to be in jeopardy during the 400-meter race featuring Toya Johnson. His starting blocks slipped as the race began, and he fell to the ground, catching himself with his hands. The race was restarted, but it appeared that the slip may have unsettled him and impaired his focus during the race. Although Johnson got off to a rough start, he accelerated in the last turn and continued to gain ground on the field until he crossed the finish line in first, qualifying for the state finals. “This race was one of the best I have ever competed in. I felt relaxed and confident,” said Johnson. “The race really started the last 200 meters when I started to see where everyone was and I started to plan my
kick. It was a little late but I was blessed to have the strength to pass everyone. I had so much energy left at the finish line that I gave out a loud roar. I could have run another 50 yards.” About three hours later he had to anchor the 4x400 meter relay. By the time the baton was handed to Johnson for the last leg, he was behind most of the pack. Again he managed to kick it in gear for the last half and passed several runners to secure fifth place for the team, a mere .08 seconds behind fourth place. Although they finished fifth, they were able to secure a spot in the state finals at Mt. San Antonio College next Saturday, due to the fifth place Northern California team placing two seconds slower than the Corsair. SMC 4x400 meter relay member Drew Brown initially expressed disappointment with the team’s fifth place finish, but ultimately felt that qualifying for the 4x400 was a “blessing”. With Head Coach Larry Silva unavailable this week, coaching duties will fall on legendary track coach Joe Douglas, who founded the Santa Monica Track Club in 1972 at SMC. “The athletes I have coached have set 37 world records and earned 25 Olympic records,” said Douglas. “If you want to be good you should be in bed before 11p.m. I kicked a couple of men off the team because they were up late. You have to be disciplined if you want to be good.” SMC will head to Mt. San Antonio College this Saturday for the state finals. Although it has been a standout season thus far for the Corsairs, they will be facing their toughest competition yet
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Jay Singer Corsair Toya Johnson of SMC wins first place in the 4x400 meter race over second place finisher Anthony Fowler from College of the Canyons at the Southern California Community College Finals at Riverside City College on May 10.
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news 11
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
Persian Culture Festival celebrates Iranian culture Alci rengifo Arts & Entertainment Editor Students were given a chance to taste and hear the foods and music of Iran on Tuesday when Santa Monica College’s Persian Club held a special, one day event called The Persian Culture Festival. The event was held on the main quad and was sponsored by the Associated Students. Persian food, such as rice and chicken kabab, was handed out for free to those willing to wait in line and crafts and other artisan works were put on display to celebrate the arrival of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. A DJ also blasted modern Persian pop through loudspeakers that drowned out all other noises and created a fun and culturally informative atmosphere. Iran is one of the most important, talked about countries in the world right now and so for both Iranian students and organizers, this was a unique opportunity to celebrate one of the world’s oldest cultures with both Persians and non-Persians alike. Saina Vosogsi, liason for the SMC Persian Club, said, “We are trying to introduce our culture. The good thing is we had a lot of non-Persians come. I hope they enjoyed it. This year was pretty crowded.” Vosogi was born in Iran and moved to California and currently studies engineering at SMC. She added that, “most of us like it here. It’s a good environment to study and the education level is very high.” Vena Negasvan, an international student from Iran said, “I hope Americans see that Persia means friendship.”
Nancy Tellez Corsair SMC student Steven James Mayorga, expresses his artistic talent by spray painting a frame that “reflects his feelings” on Tuesday, May 12 at the Persian Day event at the SMC quad.
Club Olympics 2014 Last Friday, clubs and groups from around the campus gathered for a day of sportsmanship and friendly competition. Representatives from a myriad of clubs and even the Associated Students participated in a series of athletic activities. With a warm spring sun embracing the quad, Santa Monica College students participated in an obstacle course that included marshmallow balancing, played soccer, enjoyed the merriment of sack races, and even initiated a soaking wet water baloon war. To quell hungry stomachs, the AS offered complimentary Chipotle meals that practically flew off the tables. It was engaging and a different way for students to spend their Friday afternoon .
James Powel Corsair Trae Smith, president of the club Generation Of The Future, participates in the sack race portion of the first event of Club Olympics held on the quad on Friday May 9 at Santa Monica College. James Powel Corsair Director of Student Outreach-elect Robert Espinoza is splashed by a water balloon during Water Balloon Volleyball at Club Olympics held on the quad on Friday May 9 at Santa Monica College.
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12 news
volume 107 issue 11 • may 14, 2014 • santa monica college
from Kidnapping on pg. 1 daughter, who is now seven-years-old. The marriage ended in divorce, but Javier never lost devotion for his daughter, Cisneros said. During her time at SMC, Cisneros helped form a campus group known as the Revolutionary Student Collective. It was comprised of members who shared an interest in politics and found inspiration in movements like Mexico’s Zapatistas and Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. A car accident forced Cisneros to quit her studies for a while, and she found work as a pharmacist. She had come home from work when her older brother Adrian Cisneros, who lives in Texas, called her with the news that their brother was kidnapped. Cisneros drove immediately and arranged a flight to Guadalajara. Upon arrival, she found her mother distraught. “She had tried to run after the truck,” Cisneros said. “But while this was happening there were people outside. When they saw the commotion, they all ran back into their houses.” When the police arrived at the crime scene, the situation did not get any better. “I was on the phone with one of the cops and I said ‘you have to secure the crime scene and take my mom’s statement,” she said. “He said, ‘no, you have to wait until 10 a.m.’” The day after the kidnapping, Cisneros’ sister, who lives with their mother, went to the local police station and was brushed off. “They said they had other cases; too many cases they were working on,” Cisneros said. So far, the family has not received an update, or a police report on the kidnapping. “They’re afraid because they know who did it, or they’re involved,” Cisneros said. She suspects, along with other residents, that the police might be in league with local narcos which would explain the lack of progress in investigating the ongoing rash of kidnappings. Even the house where the kidnapping occurred remains an untouched crime scene with shell casings and dried blood still on the floor. This past Sept. the Associated Press reported on the capture of at least four Mexico City police officers who were
Jose Lopez Corsair Nansi Cisneros has a heartfelt moment while sharing the story of her kidnapped brother during an interview at Santa Monica College on April 29.
involved in kidnappings around the metropolis. How far this trend extends into places like Tala remains unclear. For Cisneros, the wave of kidnappings and murder are but one symptom of a country with a system that is fatally ill. “You have cops that get paid eight dollars a day. They’re not going to risk their lives. Then you have other people offering them twenty dollars a day to look the other way,” she said. According to Cisneros, a valuable track of highway that runs through Tala has become the prized object of the local narco wars because of its importance as a route for smuggling drugs. Still, she insists on visiting the Ministerio Publico (Public Ministry, where the police
Jose Lopez Corsair Nansi Cisneros shares a photo of her kidnapped brother during an interview at Santa Monica College on April 29.
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are headquartered) regularly to demand answers that never come. Since the evening of the kidnapping, Cisneros’ mother has been afraid to walk out anywhere, and the family has now changed locations for safety. In Tala, this is not uncommon. “People who experience this just move,” Cisneros said. “They leave, and never come back.” The shadow of the cartels and their terrible violence has left her neighbors in Tala afraid, and no one will come forward with information. “I have received messages from people saying, ‘I am so sorry for what happened to your brother. I saw everything, it was terrible,’ but no one wants to give information,” she said. “No one wants to talk.” Cisneros still has no answers as to why her brother was kidnapped. Other, similar disappearances have ended in terrible, macabre fashion. “They found a girl, she was naked, she was dead,” Cisneros said. “This was a block away from where my brother was taken.” Cisneros has made frequent trips to a local mortuary where the dead are put on display for families to identify. When the dawn finds tattooed corpses in town she makes the dreaded journey alone to see if finally, her brother has been found. “If the body isn’t too decomposed, they show it to you,” she explained. “Fortunately it’s never been him.” Sadly enough, this isn’t the first time members of Cisneros’s family have been engulfed by the local violence “One of my cousins was raped and beheaded in 2005,” she revealed. “It was in the same town, she was 20.” In 2013, Human Rights Watch issued a report detailing at least 140 disappearance cases in which the involvement of federal agents was suspected. In April, Cisneros returned to California for a few weeks to try and make contact with the Mexican embassy to no avail. “I’m thinking the ambassador is here, he’s safe, while people go missing everyday. I’ve emailed so many people and get nothing,” she said. Cisneros and her family have even reached out to social media for possible answers, despite the possible danger and unreliability @t h e _ c o r s a i r •
involved. Anonymous emails and phone calls have arrived with false leads. One such Facebook message resulted in Cisneros and her mother wiring money to a bank account number after information on her brother was promised, only for the source to then disappear. A source of frustration in the United States is that while Cisneros has received many words of support from friends and local activists, there isn’t much follow through in terms of actions. “I have a lot of friends who step up and say ‘I’m going to do this and that,’ and then, nothing. I know they have their own lives and it’s not priority,” Cisneros said. “I know what I’m doing is dangerous, but it doesn’t matter. I know my brother would be doing even more.” For now, she has made contact with the group Nuestra Aparente Rendicion (Our Apparent Rendition), a movement of families demanding answers over their disappeared loved ones in Mexico who organize marches and activities to raise awareness. Families and others who have gone through similar situations, have reached out to her sharing their stories and tales of government inefficiency. Cisneros believes that Mexico’s situation can only change if the people awaken from their despair and change the system itself. “The people have to get angry enough to make it change. If they don’t stand up for themselves nothing’s going to change,” she said. In the meantime, Cisneros has only been able to contact her brother in the night, in her sleep when she dreams . “I saw myself going to one of our family properties in Tala,” Cisneros said with tears swelling in her eyes. “I open the door and the first person I see is my brother sitting in a chair, he looked at me and I couldn’t believe I had him in front of me, looking back at me. I kiss his forehead and I tell him how much I’ve missed him and that I love him. He just smiled, but he never said a word. Then I woke up.” Her story is but one in a firmament of sorrow as she asks who will return her brother, and a nation asks, who then will dry Mexico’s tears?
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