Portland State Vanguard Vol. 72 Issue 35

PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

VOLUME 72 • ISSUE 35 • AUGUST 28, 2018

T S E T O R P S R E D N PORTLA

R O B A L N O S I R P

NEWS OUTLAW TALKS PATRIOT PRAYER, OCCUPY ICE P. 4 OPINION CORPORATE CRIMINALS NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE P. 14

CRIME BLOTTER

Aug. 20 Theft

Aug. 22 Vandalism

At 4:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of multiple labels being stolen off of art exhibits. CPSO later received another report of label theft at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 23.

At 1:45 p.m., a staff member reported damage to the rear tire of his bicycle, which was locked to a bike rack outside the building.

Smith Memorial Student Union—Littman Gallery

Fiona Spring

A dog at large

Peter Stott Fielld

Aug. 21 Theft

AUGUST 20–25

SMSU

SMSU, Millar Library

At 1:58 p.m., a staff member reported both tires stolen from his bicycle outside the building. At 3:30 p.m. on the same day, a non-student reported his bike tires stolen from in front of the library.

Harrassment

University Pointe Apartments

At 8:03 p.m., officers responded to a dispute between non-student roommates. One roommate was reported to have assaulted the other, but had left the scene by the time officers arrived. Police stood by while a third roommate moved their belongings to another apartment.

Disturbance

Montgomery Residence Hall

At 7:52 p.m., officers responded to a report of a verbal argument between two students.

CONTENTS

At 8:30 p.m., officers were dispatched regarding a loose dog attempting to take a soccer ball from a student, resulting in a minor injury.

Aug. 24 Vehicle break-in

Parking Structure 3

At 11:45 a.m., CPSO received a report from a non-student regarding their vehicle parked on the third floor of the structure. The vehicle’s window had been broken and property taken.

Aug. 25 Warrant arrest

Science Research and Teaching Center

At 11:39 p.m., a non-student setting up camp on the north side of the building was found to have an arrest warrant. The non-student was taken into custody and transported to Multnomah County Detention Center.

CONTENT WARNING: P. 5, 10–11 CONTAIN MATERIAL REGARDING VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ABUSE.

COVER DESIGN BY SAVANNAH QUARUM NEWS HOLGATE MANOR TENANTS WAGE RENT STRIKE

POLICE CHIEF COMMENTS ON PORTLAND RALLIES, ICE OCCUPATION

P. 3

FORMER TRUMP LAWYER, CAMPAIGN MANAGER CONVICTED

P. 5

HILL TO HALL

P. 5

INTERNATIONAL FULBRIGHTERS DEPART PSU

P. 6

VENEZUELAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN ECUADOR

P. 7

THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD

P. 10–11

P. 4

COVER PORTLANDERS RALLY IN SOLIDARITY WITH NATIONAL PRISON STRIKE

P. 8–9

ARTS A REFLECTION ON BOOTS RILEY’S ‘SORRY TO BOTHER YOU’

P. 12

‘THE MUTILATOR’

P. 13

COMICS

P. 13

OPINION CORPORATE CRIMINALS

P. 14

WHY ARE WE STILL DEBATING ABORTION?

P. 15

STAFF EDIT ORI A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Evan Smiley MANAGING EDITOR Nada Sewidan NEWS EDITORS David Gillespie Fiona Spring INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Marena Riggan ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Matthew Andrews OPINION EDITOR Katherine Piwonka ONLINE EDITOR A.M. LaVey

COPY CHIEF Missy Hannen COPY EDITOR Justin Knipper Contributors Lukas Amsden Adam Bruns Cory Elia Andrew Gaines Shandi Hunt Charlie Rose PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Brian McGloin MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Emma Josephson

CR E ATI V E DIR EC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sydney Bardole

T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale

LEAD DESIGNER Robby Day

TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Damaris Dusciuc Long V. Nguyen Annie Ton

DESIGNERS Lisa Dorn Lisa Kohn Savannah Quarum DIS T RIBU TION & M A R K E TING DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGER Evan Smiley

A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher

To contact Portland State Vanguard, email info @psuvanguard.com MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.

A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print every Tuesday and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.

NEWS

HOLGATE MANOR TENANTS STRIKE IN FACE OF NO-CAUSE EVICTIONS SHANDI HUNT On Aug. 1, 14 tenants of Holgate Manor—an apartment community that housed many people on low and fixed incomes, refugees and immigrants for nearly 40 years—voted for a rent strike, citing a 9.9 percent increase in rent, disruptive construction noise and unaddressed health and safety violations as the primary motivators.

In January 2018, the 82-unit apartment complex was purchased for $12 million by Pacific Transwest Real Estate Inc., a company owned by California investor Fred Kleinbub. Pacific Transwest is currently managed by Princeton Property Management of Portland. Since the acquisition, the rent has increased with no attempts made to remedy issues with the complex.

“Some tenants have had the city do health inspections [in their units],” said Anthony Bencivengo of Portland Tenants United. The inspection found fire code violations including smoke detectors having been being removed from units as well as faulty wiring. It was also noted that a majority of the complex’s units— including those that had been recently remodeled— still contained old windows with mold damage.

There was concern that Princeton Property Management would evict the tenants following the rent strike. According to Margot Black, a member of Portland Tenants United, “They haven’t issued 72hour notices yet.” Black explained such notices “would come before an eviction notice.” Negotiations are continuing with PTU focusing on getting tenants demands met using the “rolling strike model.”

In March 2018, the tenants of Holgate Manor received a letter offering them money and incentives if they were to move out ahead of scheduled renovations to the complex. “The original letter was written only in English,” Bencivengo said. According to Change.org, there are eight different languages spoken by the residents who live in the complex, some of whom do not speak or read English. According to Willamette Week, addressing this language barrier had been one of the demands from the tenants.

Bencivengo explained that due to ambiguity in the letters, “a lot of tenants thought they’d be forced [to move out].” He went on to say, “it was never explained that wasn’t the case.” Residents were offered moveout contracts, which consisted of accepting a cash offer of up to $4,200 by the owner—equivalent to the relocation assistance value for no-cause evictions in Portland—and an additional $1,000 if the offer was accepted in the first month.

However, as Black explained via email, “It’s not that they had to accept the offer in the first month, they had to move out in that first month, and they didn’t get the [relocation money] until turning in their keys.” If tenants accepted after the first month, they would only receive the initial cash incentive, which would have been required in the case of a no-cause eviction pursuant to the standards laid out by the Portland City Council’s Mandatory Renter Relocation Program.

The consequences for not accepting the offer of a payout within a month of receiving the letter was a 9.9 percent increase in rent, an amount that falls .01 percent below a 10 percent increase which kept Kleinbub and Pacific Transwest legally untouchable by the Portland City Council’s requirements.

Kleinbub owns a number of buildings in the Portland metropolitan area through his companies, Apache Ventures and Pacific Transwest Real Estate. They include Mitchell Court—now rebranded as the Arleta— off Southeast 72nd Ave, which was purchased by Kleinbub for $5.3 million in 2015. Kleinbub also owns the City View Apartments on Southwest 10th and Boulder Garden in Clackamas and the Sandringham Apartments, just east of the Lloyd Center.

“We really don’t know what Princeton intends to do or how they’ll respond to this strike,” Bencivengo said, going on to say that they “hope they meet the demands [of the Holgate Manor tenants].”

“In reality, we aren’t going to let anyone get kicked out,” Black said. “We hope as a Portland property management company that they’ll do the right thing.”

LISA KOHN

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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NEWS

POLICE CHIEF OUTLAW COMMENTS ON PORTLAND RALLIES, ICE OCCUPATION DAVID GILLESPIE After an August 4 rally organized by right-wing protest group Patriot Prayer in downtown Portland left at least four protesters injured and four arrested. The Portland Police Bureau—particularly Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw—is facing accusations from media and other national organizations that PPB officers’ use of force at the rally took things too far.

The use of pepper spray, rubber bullets and flashbang grenades—dubbed aerial distraction devices—against protesters during the rally has been criticized in media. Outlaw initially responded the day after the rally by ordering an investigation into the use of such non-lethal weapons, KOIN 6 News reported. In response to accusations of protecting Patriot Prayer, Outlaw said, “I think it’s ridiculous for any one group to think I would favor someone who is supposedly associated or allows white supremacists to be a part of their group, just as it’s ridiculous for me to favor anyone that intentionally comes to bring physical harm amongst other people. We have to be neutral, and we call it down the middle.”

Many groups remain convinced that PPB acted inappropriately during the rally, and that such patterns of aggressive behavior have become a concerning status quo. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon responded to Outlaw’s initial response regarding the rally in a statement reading, “The Portland Police Bureau’s response to protest is completely unacceptable in a free society. The repeated use of excessive force, and the targeting of demonstrators based on political beliefs are a danger to the First Amendment rights of all people.

We call on the Portland Police Bureau, Mayor [Ted] Wheeler, and Chief Outlaw to immediately end the use of weapons, munitions and explosives against protesters.”

Two weeks after the nationally publicized rally, Outlaw gave an interview to conservative talk radio host Lars Larson to further discuss the event and her thoughts on antifa, the self-proclaimed anti-fascist movement that has become a regular presence at protests in Portland and across the United States. A full transcript of the interview is included in Willamette Week’s coverage.

A few minutes into the interview, Larson asked Outlaw if she believed that antifa was a terrorist organization. “I don’t have an opinion on whether any organization is a terrorist group,” Outlaw responded. “We [PPB] focus on behaviors. I will say that [antifa’s] intention that day was to cause physical harm and confrontation.” She went on to accuse antifa protesters of throwing projectiles, setting off smoke bombs and “showing up in flak jackets and bringing guns and wearing helmets.”

The PPB Twitter page posted frequently during the rally, tweeting pictures of confiscated weapons such as batons, shields and pepper spray. Although there was no mention on their Twitter account of any guns being confiscated or observed during the event, the PPB has since stated that both the protesters and counterprotesters had been observed with firearms but that, due to fear of igniting an already volatile environment, no attempt was made to approach the individuals with said firearms.

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PPB OFFICERS STAND ACROSS SW NAITO PKWY ON AUG. 4. BRIAN MCGLOIN/PSU VANGUARD When asked about views on antifa’s ideology, Outlaw addressed accusations that she and the PPB had been in the practice of protecting Patriot Prayer, a group viewed by many as one that leans toward white supremacy. “The fact that I, as a very obvious African American female police chief, have been accused by those within that group or those who support that group, as being a supporter and protector of those who are believed to be white supremacists—if that’s even the case—is ridiculous,” Outlaw said. “It’s one thing to come out and speak out and exercise your right to free speech, but all that extra that they brought along with it, to me, completely railroads what they say and who they say they are.”

Outlaw has recently faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. While many on the left question her motives when it comes to police action during the slew of rallies in Portland this summer, she and Wheeler have received no shortage of complaints from conservatives after the weekslong occupation of the local Immigrations and Customs Enforcement facility. When protesters camped on federal property, the mayor’s office initially pledged to remain as uninvolved as possible, claiming that the issue more appropriately fell under the purview of federal authorities.

When Larson questioned Outlaw on the issue, she was quick to come to Wheeler’s defense. Outlaw said she was initially supportive of the decision to leave the issue to the federal authorities. However, she said when the time came, she felt she had the

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

authority to make a decision independent of Wheeler. “When I went to the mayor and said ‘Look, this isn’t sustainable’...he was extremely supportive and said OK,” Outlaw said. “I wasn’t asking for permission to go out and clear this camp. I said, ‘This is what’s going to happen, and here’s how it’s going to happen.’”

Outlaw told Larson PPB took measures to warn the demonstrators well in advance that they were going to clear out the camp. “My concern is the safety of everybody,” she said. This approach led to the raid being largely uneventful, involving no injuries or arrests. By the time PPB came to vacate the premises, it was estimated that only a dozen demonstrators remained, with the remaining members choosing to leave the area prior to police arriving.

Outlaw said her concern for public safety was also present during the Aug. 4 rally, and blamed the defiance of certain protesters for the events that unfolded. Outlaw reiterated PPB’s stance that protesters were told to leave the area prior to the use of non-lethal force. “We told [them] to leave,” she said.

“At what point does somebody say, ‘Well, why didn’t you obey the dispersal order?’ There’s been no focus on that, but there’s been focus on our tactics.”

The investigation into the tactics used during the rally and allegations of injuries sustained as a result are still ongoing, and those who wish to file complaints or firsthand witness accounts regarding the rally are encouraged to fill out an online form or call (503) 823-0146.

NEWS

FORMER TRUMP LAWYER, CAMPAIGN MANAGER CONVICTED ADAM BRUNS

Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s campaign manager from June–August in 2016, was found guilty of eight financial crimes including two counts of bank fraud, five counts of tax fraud and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account on Tuesday, Aug. 21. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on 10 additional charges, prompting Judge T.S. Ellis to declare a mistrial.

On the same day, Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer from 2006–May 2018, pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws by submitting payments to two women who claim to have had affairs with Trump. Cohen said in his plea that he did so “in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office,” for the “principal purpose of influencing [the] election,” prompting speculation that the president may face legal proceedings, The New York Times reported.

Also according to The Times, Trump’s lawyers have said they consider the charges against Manafort to have less relevance to the administration than those against Cohen. Manafort’s charges largely concern his actions in managing his own money—namely that he hid funds from the IRS in foreign accounts to avoid taxes and that he lied to banks to obtain fraudulent loans.

Robert Mueller, the special counsel assigned to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election, directed Manafort’s prosecution. Though neither Trump nor his campaign are directly implicated in the charges, the case is the first successful prosecution by the special counsel investigation. Trump told

reporters on Tuesday the Manafort case “doesn’t involve me…

It had nothing to do with Russian collusion.”

Cohen’s case, however, may implicate Trump directly. If what Cohen said in his plea deal is true, Trump as a candidate directed Cohen to make secret payments to two women who claimed to have affairs with Trump, one of them the adult film actress popularly known as Stormy Daniels.

Whether these payments represent a violation of campaign finance law is up for debate, according to an analysis by Steven Nelson, a White House reporter for The Washington Examiner.

If the primary reason for the payments was to protect the Trump campaign from public backlash due to publication of the alleged affairs, then the payments were an illegal campaign contribution. However, Nelson writes, an argument might be made that Trump primarily made the payments to protect his personal reputation, which would not be illegal under campaign finance law.

Responsibility for actually determining whether the payments were illegal would fall upon anybody that is assigned to investigate Trump. The Justice Department has long held that a sitting President cannot be indicted on criminal charges.

However, this question has never been tested in a court of law, and no language in the Constitution specifically prohibits such prosecution. Assuming the Justice Department continues to hold this position, the only way for charges against the president to proceed would be following impeachment or departure from office.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

AUG. 21: SENATOR CALLS FOR APRIL 17: WILL PRO BASEBALL COME AUG. 26: SHOOTER KILLS TWO, INWHEELER’S RESIGNATION OVER TO PORTLAND? JURES 11 AT FLORIDA VIDEO GAME OCCUPY ICE PDX The Oregonian reported The Portland Diamond TOURNAMENT

APRIL 12-20 FIONA SPRING

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Tuesday introduced a resolution in response to the Occupy ICE protests that broke out across the United States earlier this summer, asking his fellow senators to “[express] solidarity with the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who bring human traffickers, drug traffickers, gang members, and violent criminals to justice” and calling for the immediate resignation of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, “so that a leader committed to protecting all law-abiding citizens and public servants from harm can assume the duties of Mayor of Portland.” In the resolution, Cassidy criticized Wheeler’s initial hands-off approach to the 39-day protest at the Portland ICE facility, which Portland Police Bureau officers eventually cleared on July 25.

AUG.22: OREGON RETAILERS CAN’T RESTRICT GUN SALES BASED ON AGE

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries suggested in a memo released this week that Oregon retailers who restrict firearm sales based on age are in violation of state nondiscrimination laws. Hannah Brumbles, an 18-year-old Columbia County resident, filed a civil rights complaint with the state, claiming a Walmart store in St. Helens, Ore. discriminated against her by refusing to sell her a firearm because she was under 21.

Project submitted formal proposals for one of two sites near downtown Portland for a new baseball stadium. The first site is the current Portland Public Schools headquarters in the Rose Quarter; the second is an industrial site owned by Esco. Lawmakers have attempted to bring Major League Baseball to Portland since at least 1996.

AUG. 23: PENDELTON MAN SENTENCED TO JAIL FOR YELLOWSTONE BISON HARASSMENT

Raymond Reinke of Pendleton, Ore., has been sentenced to 130 days in jail for harassing wildlife, interfering with law enforcement and disorderly conduct after a video of him drunkenly harassing a bison in Yellowstone National Park gained national attention. Reinke, who is banned from Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks, will undergo court-ordered chemical dependency treatment.

AUG. 25: SEN. JOHN MCCAIN DIES AT 81

Six-term U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain died at age 81, according to a statement from his office. McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in July 2017. On Aug. 24, McCain’s family announced in a statement his decision to discontinue medical treatment.

Two people have been killed and several others injured after a single shooter opened fire at a “Madden NFL 19” video game tournament being live streamed from a mall in Jacksonville, Fla. Authorities say they believe suspect David Katz of Baltimore, who was in town for the tournament, used at least one handgun in the attack before fatally shooting himself.

Nine other people who were injured in the attack are in stable condition after being taken to hospitals. Authorities say two additional people were injured as they fled the scene.

AUG. 27: HARRIET TUBMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL REPOPENS

On the first day of Portland Public Schools’ 2018–19 school year, Harriet Tubman Middle School reopened for the first time since 2012, serving sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students who would previously have attended Boise-Eliot, Irvington, Martin Luther King Jr. and Sabin schools. The school, which members of Portland’s Black community protected through protests in the 1980s, later became Harriet Tubman Young Women’s Leadership Academy—the district’s last remaining singlegender school—before the PPS School Board voted to close it, citing low enrollment.

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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INTERNATIONAL

FULLBRIGHTERS DEPART PSU MARENA RIGGAN

Portland State’s Intensive English Language Program welcomed 35 international students on July 22 from a variety of countries for training in academic and cultural expectations. The Fulbright Program has provided opportunities to over 380,000 academics and professionals since 1946 in the hopes of finding solutions to international issues.

On the morning of August 11, they departed for their host universities, which they will call home for the next two–five years.

COURSTESY OF ANDREAS SIHOTANG

COURSTESY OF NAZAR ABBAS

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ANDREAS SIHOTANG

STANLEY KOUASSI

KUPANG, TIMUR, INDONESIA

ABIDJAN, COTE D’IVOIRE

Andreas Sihotang received a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering in 1999 from the Institut Teknologi Bandung; however, his focus changed after working with refugees fleeing riots in East Timor, which became Timor-Leste post-referendum.

During that time, he worked on the border between Indonesia and Timor-Leste with the UN’s World Food Program, and in June 2001 he began working as a project coordinator for World Vision building peace between clashing Christian and Muslim communities in Central Sulawesi. In 2009, Sihotang received a scholarship from the USAID to study in the U.S. and received a master’s degree in conflict transformation with a concentration on peace and development in May 2010 from the Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. After contributing a total of 16 years to World Vision Indonesia throughout his career, he will spend the next four at the University of Missouri in Columbia as a doctoral candidate in public affairs. Back home, he has a wife and two young children who will join him this December.

Stanley Kouassi began studying in 2004 at the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouet Boigny (INPHB), located in the city of Yamoussoukro, and graduated in 2009 with an Ingénieur d’Etat—a civil engineering degree in the French education system. While working for construction and economic development firm Louis Berger, he became aware of a need for sustainability over profit, which inspired him to pursue green civil engineering with a special focus toward bio-based and recycled materials.

Kouassi first became interested in Fulbright in 2011 after a professor and former Fulbrighter encouraged him to apply. He is now at Washington State University working toward a Master of Science in Bio-Based Materials. After obtaining his degree, he wants to be a teacher and create curricula around sustainable materials. He also aspires to open a consultant firm and enter into politics to create unity in his country.

COURSTESY OF STANLEY KOUASSI

NAZAR ABBAS

ZAHRAA YOUSIF

BAGH, KASHMIR, PAKISTAN

MANAMA, BAHRAIN

Nazar Abbas began studying at the Mirpur University of Science and Technology in 2010 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2014.

Though he originally became involved in the field due to his parents, over time it has become his passion. Abbas first began preparing for the Fulbright Program four years ago working as a research assistant for a year at the National University of Science and Technology. He will pursue a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He also hopes to act as cultural ambassador clearing misconceptions about Pakistan. Abbas would like to earn his doctoral degree either at Georgia Tech or Stanford, and he hopes to help send people to Mars in his lifetime. Back home, he has four brothers and two sisters, of which he is the youngest, and a fiancé who is also studying biomedical science.

Due to her interests in art, design and math, Zahraa Yousif decided to pursue a degree in architecture, though what most drew her to the field was the human element and how architecture can act as a spatial experience. In 2012, Yousif began working for the nongovernmental organization AIESEC focusing on youth empowerment, and in 2014 she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Bahrain. After leaving AIESEC in 2015, she worked with one of Bahrain’s most celebrated architects before going to Mexico to work with the marketing startup Wave México.

During this time, Yousif became interested in organizational performance, and in 2017 she was accepted into the Fulbright Program. Now at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., she is pursuing a Master of Education in Organizational Performance and Leadership. In the future, she would like to restructure universities to be more student-oriented and help nonprofits fulfill their potential output.

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

COURSTESY OF ZAHRAA YOUSIF

INTERNATIONAL

JOURNEY OF HAJJ MARENA RIGGAN

THIS YEAR, THE FINAL PILLAR of Islam known as Hajj began on August 20 in the 1,439 year of the Hijiri—Islamic—calendar. The five pillars of Islam are religious obligations required of practicing Muslims. The four other pillars are: the shahada, or declaration of faith; salah, the five daily prayers; zakat, almsgiving for the needy; and sawm, fasting during Ramadan. Saudi Arabian census figures put the number of pilgrims making the journey at 2,371,675. Here is a short description of the rites of Hajj.

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1. MIQAT–MASJID DHUL HULAIFAH

2. MECCA–MASJID ALHARAM AND THE KAABA

3. TENT CITY OF MINA

4. ARAFAT

Miqat is the outer boundary of Mecca, of which there are several points of entry including Al-Juhfah, Qarn Ul Manaazil, Yalamlam, Dhaatu Irq and Dhul Hulaifah (featured here). At this point, pilgrims enter a state of ihram, where men and women dawn simple white garments, which consists of two pieces of white cloth for men and a dress and head covering that shows the face and hands for women.

Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in Islam and is home to the largest mosque in the world, Masjid al-Haram. Masjid al-Haram is home to the Kaaba, which is regarded as the Bayt Allah, or House of God. Upon arrival, pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times, a ritual known as Tawaf.

After performing Tawaf, pilgrims spend the night at Mina, the largest tent city in the world.

On the second day of Hajj, pilgrims come to Mount Arafat for prayer and reflection. This is the most important day of Hajj, and the pilgrimage is not valid without the day at Arafat.

5. MUZDALIFAH

On the third day, pilgrims leave Muzdalifah and return to Mina to perform Ramy al-Jamarat, the act of throwing seven stones at columns representing the devil.

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8. MINA

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7. MECCA–TAWAF AND SAII

9. MECCA–FINAL TAWAF

After spending the day at Arafat, pilgrims arrive at Muzdalifah to spend the night below the stars. Stones and pebbles are also collected for the next rite.

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6. PLAIN OF MINA

Pilgrims return to Mina for the next two–three nights where they will perform Ramy again on each day.

To complete the Hajj, pilgrims return once again to the Masjid al-Haram to perform a final Tawaf around the Kaaba, however many Muslims also choose to visit Medina, the second holiest city in Islam.

After performing Ramy, pilgrims return to the Masjid al-Haram to perform a second Tawaf around the Kaaba. Additionally, pilgrims will walk seven times between the two hills Safa and Marwa, a ritual known as Saii.

THE VENEZUELAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN ECUADOR LUKAS AMSDEN As Venezuela’s economic recession worsens, over two million people have fled to countries nearby, Ecuador being one of the top destinations. “This year, 423,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador through the Rumichaca border, many planning to continue south to find work in Peru,” Reuters reported.

The state of emergency is intended to organize support for migrants who do not have humanitarian refugee status in Ecuador.

Santiago Chavez, the vice minister of human mobility, said the initiative would “give an effective and forceful response in benefit of the

AUGUST 23, 2018—VENEZUELANS CROSS THE BORDER BETWEEN ECUADOR AND COLOMBIA IN SEARCH OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES. COURSTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS preservation of those entering Ecuadorian territory.”

However, hundreds are now stranded at the border after the Ecuadorian government implemented a policy to only accept migrants with passports, whereas the previous policy only required ID cards. In response to the new regulation, some have entered illegally, such as 32 year old Caterina Gomez who spoke out. “I left my whole life behind,” she said. “If they say we can’t continue, we’ll just walk anyway.” It’s estimated only half of the migrants in Colombia hold passports.

Migration Director of Colombia Christian Kruger has been vocal against the new regulations, noting they have only increased the illegal entry of migrants. “Demanding passports from a nation that does not have them and whose government does not facilitate the issuance of this document is to encourage irregularity,” he said. The UN Refugee Agency has also voiced its concern around the new regulations with regard to human traffickers and armed groups preying on migrants.

Maly Aviles, one of the migrants stranded at the border, said it would be suicidal to return to Venezuela. She’s not alone in expressing this sentiment. Briceno, another migrant stuck without a passport said, “To return is to die. If we have to die here looking for a better life for our families, then we’ll die. It’s better than dying in Venezuela [and] not doing anything. We won’t return.”

Colombia is hosting discussions with Ecuador and Peru over the Venezuelan migrant crisis on August 27 and 28, and Ecuador will hold a regional summit in September with 13 Latin American countries.

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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COVER

PORTLANDERS RALLY IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL PRISON STRIKE FIONA SPRING

Prison inmates across the United States began a nationwide strike on Tuesday, Aug. 21, demanding improvements to living conditions, greater access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform and the abolition of penal labor, which strike organizers say amounts to modern-day slavery.

Around noon on the same day, approximately 35 people gathered in downtown Portland’s Chapman Square to rally with representatives of Abolish ICE PDX in solidarity with the strike. “Our intent is to amplify the voices of those who are currently incarcerated in the intolerable, dehumanizing conditions of modern day slavery,” organizers stated on the event’s Facebook page.

Later, a group of five dancers representing the Multnomah indigenous peoples performed in the square before ralliers returned to chanting, “Prisoners are people too.”

Around 4:30 p.m., the group moved to the eastern end of the square across the street from the Multnomah County Justice Center to join a noise demonstration organized by local activist group Portland Assembly. Organizers said the purpose of the demonstration was to show solidarity with the people inside the center. Protesters continued chanting as they blasted music until the crowd dispersed around 5:30 p.m.

“I’m here today [because] I have been to jail and seen the living conditions in there,” said an attendee who identified themself as Jonathan. “I can only imagine how much worse it must be for those in actual prison.”

Jailhouse Lawyers Speak—the collective of incarcerated people spearheading the strike—said in a press release the strike was organized in response to the April 2018 riot at Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Bishopville, S.C. The riot lasted eight hours and resulted in at least seven inmate deaths and 17 injuries.

“Seven comrades lost their lives during a senseless uprising that could have been avoided had the prison not been so overcrowded from the greed wrought by mass incarceration, and a lack of respect for human life that is embedded in our nation’s penal ideology,” organizers wrote.

The demonstrations, which organizers say will include work strikes, sit-ins, commissary boycotts and hunger strikes, will last nearly three weeks, from Aug. 21 to Sept. 9. These dates are historically significant—the former marks the anniversary of the death of Black activist and author George Jackson, who was shot and killed in San Quentin Prison in 1971 after allegedly taking three correctional officers and two inmates hostage in an escape attempt. The strike’s end date commemorates the anniversary of the 1971 Attica Prison uprising in upstate New York.

While it is unclear how many of the approximately 2.1 million incarcerated people in the U.S. will participate in the strike, protest action has been confirmed in California’s Folsom State Prison and a detention center in Tacoma, Wash., as well as a jail in Halifax, Nova Scotia, The Guardian reported.

On April 24, JLS released a list of 10 national demands guiding the strike. In addition to demands related to prison living conditions, access to education and rehabilitation programs, laws and policies governing the sentencing and parole processes, and inmates’ legal rights, including the right to vote and

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SAVANNAH QUARUM to file lawsuits, organizers are calling for the abolition of penal labor, which they refer to as “prison slavery.”

“All persons imprisoned in any place of detention under United States jurisdiction must be paid the prevailing wage in their state or territory for their labor,” the statement reads.

Prison labor issues recently received national attention when the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced the state’s use of prison labor in fighting wildfires on Twitter. These inmate firefighters were paid $1 per hour plus $2 per day, Vox reported.

According to a 2017 report by the Prison Policy Initiative, the average minimum daily wage for incarcerated workers working regular prison jobs in the U.S. is 86 cents, down from 93 cents in 2001. In Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Texas, most prison jobs are unpaid. Inmates assigned to work for state-owned businesses earn an average of 33 cents to $1.41 per hour, about twice as much as people who work at the institutions in which they are incarcerated. However, these types of jobs are in the minority.

Prison labor was a major topic of discussion at a panel organized by local group Asians4BlackLives Portland on the evening of the first day of the strike. The event, held at the office of the Multnomah County chapter of Unite Oregon, featured activist, educator and Portland State alumna Walidah Imarisha and Jarell Lambert of Liberation Literacy, a social justice reading group that meets at Portland’s Columbia River Correctional Facility in addition to representatives from local branches of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party,

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

Black Lives Matter and Critical Resistance.

“Prisons are functioning as a way to basically get essentially slave labor,” said the AAPRP representative who identified themself only as Claudia. “Cheap labor to offset what should really be jobs that are paid [and] that are a way for people to meet their basic needs.”

Imarisha also made reference to slavery in her discussion of the issue, referencing the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which in 1865 abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. “Connecting prisons to slavery is absolutely important,” she said. “Massive amounts of money are being made off of prisons, but…it’s not quite enough money being made to justify the prison apparatus, so it cannot be the only reason. It actually can’t be the main reason. And the main reason we have this massive prison system is as a mechanism of social control.”

“I believe in the abolition of prisons,” Imarisha continued. “I believe that we will never have true justice as long as a single prison exists in this country, in this world. And in the same framework of abolition democracy, we can’t just say we want to abolish this without saying what does real justice look like and how do we begin to grow and build that? You don’t cut away weeds to just have an empty lot, you cut away weeds so that then you can have a garden. So what are we wanting to plant in the space that we are fighting so hard, [that] people are giving their lives to create?

How are we going to grow that future that we want to see in that space?”

COVER

PRESS RELEASE:

NATIONAL PRISONERS STRIKE AUGUST 21 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2018

Men and women incarcerated in prisons across the nation declare a nationwide strike in response to the riot in Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison in South Carolina. Seven comrades lost their lives during a senseless uprising that could have been avoided had the prison not been so overcrowded from the greed wrought by mass incarceration and a lack of respect for human life that is embedded in our nation’s penal ideology. These men and women are demanding humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform and the end of modern-day slavery.

These are the NATIONAL DEMANDS of the men and women in federal, immigration, and state prisons:

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An immediate end to the racial overcharging, over-sentencing, and parole denials of Black and brown humans. Black humans shall no longer be denied parole because the victim of the crime was white, which is a particular problem in southern states.

detention under United States jurisdiction must be paid the prevailing wage in their state or territory for their labor.

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An immediate end to racist gang enhancement laws targeting Black and brown humans.

The Prison Litigation Reform Act must be rescinded, allowing imprisoned humans a proper channel to address grievances and violations of their rights.

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No imprisoned human shall be denied access to rehabilitation programs at their place of detention because of their label as a violent offender.

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State prisons must be funded specifically to offer more rehabilitation services.

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Pell grants must be reinstated in all U.S. states and territories.

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Immediate improvements to the conditions of prisons and prison policies that recognize the humanity of imprisoned men and women.

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An immediate end to prison slavery.

All persons imprisoned in any place of

3

The Truth in Sentencing Act and the 4 Sentencing Reform Act must be rescinded so that imprisoned humans have a possibility of rehabilitation and parole.

No human shall be sentenced to Death

by Incarceration or serve any sentence without the possibility of parole.

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The voting rights of all confined citizens serving prison sentences, pretrial detainees, and so-called “ex-felons” must be counted.

Representation is demanded. All voices count!

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

9

INTERNATIONAL

August 21

THIS WEEK

around the

August 19–26

Poland

During the morning show broadcast Fox and Friends, FOX News violated Poland’s new law regarding the Holocaust when the on-screen graphic used the phrase “Polish death camp” while referring to Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The new law comes after two revision cycles this year which specifically ban the phrase “Polish death camp” in an effort to “shield Poles from blame for crimes against humanity committed during the Nazi occupation,”The Intercept reported.

Ongoing

Europe Since the start of 2018, over 41,000 people have been infected with measles resulting in 37 deaths so far, with the highest concentration of outbreaks seen in Serbia and Ukraine, followed

by Georgia and Greece. In Ukraine alone, over 23,000 people have been infected, and 14 have died in Serbia. The World Health Organization attributes the outbreak to the current immunization rate of Europe, which averages at 90 percent immunized but has areas as low as 70 percent. To ensure against outbreaks like this, the WHO reports immunization must be above 95 percent of the population.

August 19

France

Following a bridge collapse that killed 43 people in Italy on Aug. 14, the French government released an audit on Aug. 19 addressing bridge infrastructure throughout the country.

According to the audit, 840 bridges are at risk of collapse, and approximately 4,000 are in need of repair. However, this number does not account for privately maintained bridges or those maintained at a local level.

Borno, Nigeria Hundreds of people have fled after Boko Haram fighters attacked the Malari village at around 2 a.m. While one survivor counted 19 people killed, an aid worker reported the number at 63. As a witness reported to Al Jazeera, security personnel in the village made no attempt to interfere when the attack occurred.

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PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

Afghanistan

Three buses carrying over 150 passengers on the way to Kabul from northern Afghanistan were captured by Taliban forces on the morning of August 20. Security forces responded by conducting a rescue operation, freeing 149 passengers that same day, though 21 were still being held hostage.

Unrelated, according to the National Directorate of Security via Afghan news agency TOLO News, alleged leader of Daesh—the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group—in Afghanistan Abu Sayed Orakzai was killed on the night of August 25 during an airstrike in Nangarhar Province. Ten other Daesh fighters were also killed during the strike.

Ankara, Turkey

August 19

August 20, 21, 25

Separately, on August 21, as President Ashraf Ghani gave a televised broadcast celebrating Eid al-Adha, around 30 rockets hit the presidential palace where he was stationed. An official stated the attacks came from two seperate locations in Kabul involving nine assailants, four of which were killed and five who surrendered.

August 20

Around 5 a.m., gunshots were fired at the U.S. Embassy from a moving vehicle. Six rounds in total were fired; however, the embassy was closed for Eid al-Adha, and there were no casualties. Two men were detained as suspects later that day. Both men confessed, and a pistol was located. The shooting comes at a time of tension between the U.S. and Turkey as the Turkish courts move ahead with the trial of an American pastor accused of terrorism and espionage.

WORLD

August 23

Yemen

Following another Saudi coalition attack, 9 adults and 22 children are dead after an airstrike targeted a camp for internally displaced peoples, as reported by Democracy Now. The IDP camp was located approximately 12 miles away from the strategic port city of Hodeidah. According to witnesses via Al Jazeera, there were two strikes, the first of which killed five people and injured two, while the second killed the remaining 26 as they attempted to leave the area by bus.

Ongoing

August 21

Over 300 people have been killed by floods since monsoon season began in May, with over 350,000 forced out of their homes and into camps. According to Al Jazeera, the southwestern state has experienced rainfall 37 percent higher than the average expectation.

As the region faces a shortage of water and medical supplies, five airlines including Air India, Jet Airways, Air Vistara, Qatar Airways and Emirates SkyCargo have all agreed to donate relief aid, flying in equipment, supplies and medical personnel.

While giving the 43rd Singapore Lecture, State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi spoke on military actions against the Rohingya Muslims, stating, “We, who are living through the transition in Myanmar, view it differently than those who observe it from the outside and who will remain untouched by its outcome.” During the speech, Suu Kyi would not recognize military wrongdoing on Myanmar’s part and could not give any timeline for when the Rohingya would be able to return.

Kerala, India

Singapore

INTERNATIONAL

August 20 Ongoing

British Columbia, Canada Wildfires continue to devastate the region as more than 760,000 hectares (approximately 1,888,000 acres) are now destroyed. Over 3,000 people have been evacuated thus far with another 4,400 more told to evacuate on August 24 and 23,500 on evacuation alert. More than 4,000 personnel are working on the ground to fight the 545 fires currently raging.

Iceland

A pregnant fin whale is dead due to the whaling company Hvalur hf. Photos showing employees at the Hvalfjörður whaling station pulling the fetus away sparked outrage on social media after it was shared by the marine conservationist organization Hard to Port. According to conservationists, it is common for fin whales to be pregnant at this time up until the new year. The law allowing fin whale hunting will expire at the end of 2018.

August 21

Guatemala

August 19–20

Ring of Fire A series of earthquakes occurred in a 48-hour period affecting Venezuela, Indonesia, Bolivia, Japan and Fiji, with the largest earthquake registered at magnitude 8.2 located 174 miles off the coast of Fiji. At least 69 earthquakes were recorded in the region, 16 of which were at least magnitude 4.5 or higher. Indonesia alone was hit with two earthquakes just hours apart from each other on August 19, with the first one recorded at magnitude 6.3 and the second at 6.9.

Telesur journalist Rolanda de Jesus Garcia Hernandez was investigating claims of illegal logging near an indigenous community when employees of Oxec aggressively approached her and her team and attempted to take their cameras, after which the team left the area. After getting separated, Garcia said she was approached by six men with machetes who threatened to rape and kill her.

She escaped after promising to never return and reported the incident to the police. Oxec denies any responsibility.

August 21

Global

Muslims around the world celebrated the second Eid of the year which began on August 21. Eid al-Adha, meaning festival of sacrifice, is considered to be the greater Eid, celebrating the test of faith of Ibrahim—Abraham, as he is referred to in the Quran—when he was commanded to sacrifice his son Ismail, who was spared by God and replaced with a ram for sacrifice instead. The day is often marked with sacrifice of animals, and the Hajj—Islam’s fifth and final pillar—occurs at this time.

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

CRITICAL CONSUMPTION A REFLECTION ON BOOTS RILEY’S ‘SORRY TO BOTHER YOU’ CHARLES ROSE

CAUTION: SPOILERS I’m not much of a movie-goer; I felt a bit uneasy every time I gave my money to the mouse company to be reminded of how much I liked Star Wars as a kid. Sure, there are indie and arthouse films, but they have the same problems as all art communities: a lack of reach to people outside those niche communities. The dominant cultural conversation must then come from blockbusters, as we saw earlier this year with Black Panther and Ready Player One. In the world of click bait, think pieces and hottakes, anything that keeps people arguing on Twitter and Facebook—increasing corporations’ ad revenue—wins.

I first heard about Sorry To Bother You from an article by Nathan J. Robinson at Current Affairs. A surreal comedy about union-organizing and taking on corporate exploitation? I was sold. I finally had a film I was excited to lay down money for that spoke to my alienation.

The film industry finally found a way to get $9 out of me with a movie about how much capitalism sucks.

The film’s politics are no surprise, considering self-proclaimed communist Boots Riley directed it. Protagonist Cassius Green—yes, money puns—wants to join his fellow low-level workers at the telemarketing company Regalview to strike for better wages, but management pegged him for a promotion because he learned how to use his white voice to make more sales. Once he becomes a power-caller, Cassius realizes what he’s selling: slave labor from WorryFree, a company that exchanges food and housing for lifelong labor contracts.

I spent weeks trying to come up with a cohesive thought about Sorry To Bother You. Ever since I saw it, I haven’t stopped trying to wrap my head around what was happening and what I thought about it. There are so many nuanced themes: alienation and dehumanization under modern capitalism, the lingering effects of slavery, the encroachment of tech companies into our lives or the phenomenon of code-switching or so-called white voice. It is impossible to untangle the film in a single viewing, let alone three or four.

When I first saw Sorry to Bother You, I thought Cash’s decision to move up seemed unprecedented. It seemed his decision to become a power-caller was made in an instant; the security that upper-class life brings is hard to pass up. When the system rewards individual achievement over action, or when

12

pleasing one’s bosses means life or death, crossing the picket line can be inevitable.

We consume media and social movements that reflect our anxieties to release our pentup anger toward despotic institutions. We sell out. Most people’s economic realities require selling out, though. Cassius was on board with unionizing and hating power-callers until he saw the size of his paycheck when he moved up. That paycheck moved him out of a broken-door garage and got his uncle out of debt. When a paycheck could mean the difference when eviction or medical treatment is on the line, people will do whatever they can to survive—even if that means rejecting their values.

I hope the message of Sorry To Bother You becomes something more than a pointless commodity in the growing anti-capitalist market. “Eat The Rich” T-Shirts, Anti-Capitalist notebooks, the best-selling Chapo Trap House book—all of these direct the frustrations of potential radicals toward the same commodity fetishization they want to overthrow. We perform the marketable identity of anti-capitalist, defined by the books we read, the music and podcasts we listen to and the things we buy. Consumption—not creation—is what defines us.

But at least the growing interest in kitschy, gauche caviar socialism indicates a change in the wind. We are increasingly critical of the institutions that perpetuate our social ills.

Lately I’ve been discussing labor and politics more sincerely with friends, family and coworkers. And if people become inspired to go to protests, join the Democratic Socialists of America or donate money to labor movements, then I’m all for the minor capitalist indulgences that get people there.

The other hope I derive from all this is renewed interest in labor movements. Workers around the world have rediscovered their collective bargaining power to hold out for radical change. There have been successful strikes in Amazon warehouses across Europe, and right now, U.S. prisoners who make pennies an hour for compulsory labor are holding a massive strike for better wages.

The conflict in Sorry To Bother You is not between Cassius and his friends or a cokehead CEO and his employees, but between an entire class of people and the power structures that exploit them, and the film thus points us in a direction where radical social change seems possible.

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

SAVANNAH QUARUM

ARTS & CULTURE

GARBAGE DAY

‘THE MUTILATOR’ DIRECTOR: BUDDY COOPER | YEAR: 1984 | BEST HORROR MOVIE THEME SONG: YES!

ANDREW GAINES Slasher movies were a dime a dozen in the ‘80s. It can be difficult to know which ones are worth your time though, unless you want to wade through a lot of really bad ones to find gems among movies that seem intent on putting you to sleep between lackluster kills. For every Friday the 13th or The Prowler, there’s at least one Madman or Blood Beat.

The Mutilator, originally released in 1984 as Fall Break, certainly doesn’t have any difficulty grabbing its audience. The group of doomed teens isn’t anything to write home about, but the killer isn’t some masked nobody or a local legend—he’s the main protagonist’s dad! Drunken and furious about his son accidentally killing his mother as a young child, the titular mutilator takes a variety of sharp instruments to his son’s friends as revenge.

The familial connection is fairly unique among slasher movies, but where the film really separates itself from the pack is in its gore. With makeup and special effects handled by Mark

Shostrom, who worked on Evil Dead II and the first three Nightmare on Elm Street films, the kills in The Mutilator are far more vicious than your average low budget slasher film, including one kill I doubt I can even describe here—you’ll know the one when you see it. Big Ed, the murderous father, refuses to use the same weapon twice, and by the end of the movie we’ve seen teens die from axes, pitchforks, outboard motors and giant fishing hooks.

Running at a tight 86 minutes, the film doesn’t bore you, and by the time credits roll you’ll feel like you’ve witnessed a whirlwind massacre. The bloody cherry on top of this ludicrous mess is its theme song, which is maybe the catchiest, most inappropriate theme I’ve ever heard to a slasher film. “Fall Break” is a feel-good ‘60s throwback jam about teen romance that feels like it was intended for a very different movie. I’m glad it wound up in this one because when the song kicks in for the second time at the end of the film, it’s maybe the funniest punchline you could possibly imagine.

COURTESY OF OK PRODUCTIONS

SAVANNAH QUARUM

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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OPINION

CORPORATE CRIMINALS

WHAT CONSUMERS CAN DO TO COMBAT UNETHICAL MONEY GIANTS KATHARINE PIWONKA In the United States, the capitalist economy rests on the shoulders of big money corporations. I’m no economist, but I’ll wager that capitalism isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Food, fashion and beauty products are all goods consumed en masse as a result of convenience and low prices. The corporations who produce these cheap goods consistently prioritize profits over people, actively contributing to the wealth inequality gap and environmental devastation.

How are these big-money corporations getting away with practicing some of the most disgraceful ethics? Largely, because no one knows how to keep them accountable. Capitalism today allows corporations to get away with inexcusable indiscretions that many consider criminal.

It’s time for consumers to take back the power and expose corporate criminals who take advantage of the system.

EXPOSING THE FASHION AND FOOD INDUSTRIES

The fashion industry has an infamous history when it comes to shady production and advertising practices. Child and slave labor, dangerous working conditions and devastating negative impacts on the environment are all characteristics of how a large portion of clothes are made today. Inditex, considered the largest apparel retailer in the world and Zara’s parent owner, might be the worst of them all.

In 2015, Inditex faced fines in Brazil for accusations of employee abuses. Two years later, notes were found in clothes from a Zara store in Istanbul from workers abroad that read, “I made this item you are going to buy, but I didn’t get paid for it.” Most recently, Zara, including brands H&M and Marks & Spencer, was discovered buying materials and goods from factories that pollute and devastate local people’s health in Indonesia, China and India.

Zara and Inditex profits have not been slighted by scandals.

Sales have risen 9 percent in Zara stores and 41 percent online in the past fiscal year, boosting yearly profit by 7 percent.

Low prices, unreal runway-to-storefront design turnover and low production costs make fast fashion so cheap. Inditex’s fast fashion business model is what other companies are quickly trying to replicate. This is a big problem.

The food industry is not much better. Nestle, one of the most profitable corporations worldwide today, gets away with criminal activity like no other. In the ‘70s, Nestle misled breastfeeding mothers from less economically developed countries into buying unhealthy and inadequate breastfeeding formula.

There are still countries today that boycott Nestle for this reason. In a more contemporary context, Nestle is the world’s largest producer of bottled water, a practice that wreaks havoc environmentally. Nestle’s criminal kicker is the 2018 lawsuit against them for unlawful and undisclosed child and slave labor in chocolate production.

Inditex in the fashion industry and Nestle in the food production industry are not the only corporate criminals in their respective fields. Tyson Foods pollutes U.S. soil at unprecedented levels, Pepsi Corporation routinely cuts down our rainforests, and Amazon has become a power-abusing corporate giant shaking local economies to their cores.

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LISA KOHN

CAPITALISM FOR CONSUMERS

Today, capitalism in the U.S. is a system that benefits massive corporations more than employees or consumers. Some may say capitalism isn’t a choice in the U.S. today—consumers play by the game or risk social and financial insecurity. “Americans are ruled by a corporatocracy: a partnership of ‘too-big-tofail’ corporations, the extremely wealthy elite and corporatecollaborator government officials,” stated Bruce E. Levine in a 2011 Huffington Post piece.

However, I disagree. Consumers have great potential for power when we decide to partake in the marketplace. We live in a time of excess, and purchasing goods from unethical companies isn’t necessary. Avoid fast fashion by thrifting, buying used and buying less, or research sustainable brands. We shouldn’t be purchasing from massive food corporations that don’t actively support global health and abuse their customers.

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

The classic advice to opt for local brands and businesses to support the local economy is invaluable. Giving money to our neighbors, rather than corporate oppressors, helps diversify the local economies, is better for the planet, and balances unequal economic power.

We may have to participate in capitalism, but we don’t have to support corporate criminals. While recognizing the financial need to have access to products, consumers can collectively stay educated about purchasing decisions and, in the meantime, demand better production practices in large corporations.

Big business holds an unproportionate amount of power today. It’s time for consumers to take back this power and hold corporate criminals accountable.

OPINION

WHY ARE WE STILL DEBATING ABORTION? DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN SCIENCE, LAW AND BELIEFS MISSY HANNEN United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently created a Religious Liberty Task Force to ensure “[federal] employees know their duties to accommodate people of faith,” Sessions said. As Vox put it, “Sessions characterized America as an implicitly Christian nation under attack from secularists.”

Meanwhile, The Justice Department under Sessions has backed anti-abortion centers. So I thought I’d settle the abortion debate once and for all: Abortion is legal—supported by Roe v. Wade and the 14th Amendment—and all debates surrounding it are based in Constitutionally protected beliefs, not science or law.

WHERE SCIENCE BEGINS AND ENDS

When does life begin? This appears to be a simple question, and to science, it is. In “Abortion and the Limitations of Science,” a 1981 article in Science magazine, Brian Zack states, “The scientist…is justified in defining life, and defining human, and concluding that within this scientific conceptual model, the fertilized egg of a human being is in itself a human life.” Zack goes on to state that while defining life is easy and incontrovertible, “the law wants to know...[at] what stage of development shall the entity destined to acquire the attributes of a human being be vested with the rights and protections accorded to that status”?

This is a question of morals and beliefs—something science simply can’t answer.

ENSOULMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS

If one believes the moment an egg is fertilized and becomes a zygote, it is an individual with all the rights and protections the law provides already-born people, that would therefore mean killing a zygote would be committing homicide; this is quite a compelling argument. On the other side of the fence, the potential mother is the primary focus, and her inalienable rights prevail. The zygote is simply a cluster of cells and is not afforded human rights.

Peter Singer, a professor of bioethics at Princeton, states, “Membership of the species Homo sapiens is not enough to confer a right to life on a being. Nor can something like self-awareness or rationality warrant greater protection for the fetus than for, say, a cow, because the fetus has mental capacities that are inferior to those of cows.” And we don’t see pro-lifers picketing slaughterhouses, do we.

Here’s the fun part: I’m a believer in souls. I firmly believe when I had my abortion a few years ago that I was, in fact, killing a soul, a person. In my mind, I commited homicide, and that’s something I’ve had to make peace with on a deep level.

But the First Amendment states my beliefs cannot and will not be preferred over another’s, which means abortion will remain legal as long as the First and 14th Amendments stand.

Besides the fact that most Americans support upholding Roe v.

Wade, it must be clear that this is not a legal or scientific issue: It’s an issue of beliefs. And if your beliefs conflict with mine, well hey, let’s live in the U.S.—a country where we’re allowed to have different beliefs and talk about them. But don’t for a minute tell me having an abortion should be illegal, as your Constitution and laws support it.

WHERE LAW BEGINS AND ENDS

Lawmakers must make these decisions, and in fact, they have. In the landmark case Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled abortion is federally legal, citing a right to privacy not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution but protected under the 14th Amendment. Question then: Do people in the so-called pro-life camp want to overturn Roe v. Wade? Do they understand that they’d also have to overturn the 14th and First Amendments?

The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Congress cannot legally make laws that give preference to one religion over another; that’s pretty damn straightforward.

We’ve appealed amendments before; that’s how slavery ended. But to appeal the First Amendment—often seen as the foundation for the entire Constitution and therefore the foundation of the United States itself—would have drastic consequences. Donald Trump is already restricting the press, so I can see his base actually going for a repeal of the First, but I shudder to think of the changes that would follow. Think North Korea.

Science cannot determine whether the zygote is a person or not, and your beliefs on the matter cannot be preferred over another’s, a la First Amendment. The law has already decided when a woman is allowed to terminate such life; The only debate now is ensoulment.

LISA KOHN

PSU Vanguard • AUGUST 28, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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CJ Claringbold

AUGUST 28–SEPTEMBER 3 COMMUNITY

FILM & THEATER

ART

MUSIC

BOOK DISCUSSION: THE POWER BY NAOMI ALDERMAN THE SLIDE INN 5:30 P.M. • FREE Maybe if women could shoot electricity out of their fingertips, the world would change. Discuss!

TUESDAY BLUES: LIVE MUSIC FT. TEVIS BOSSANOVA BALLROOM 7 P.M. • $7–15 Beginner blues dance lesson included. Learn to strut, then dance to live blues by Virginian artist Tevis at this POC & LGBTQ+ safe event.

WORLD’S LARGEST FREAK SHOW DANTE’S 8 P.M. • $7 W/ PSU ID Hellzapoppin’ Circus Sideshow enlivens your Tuesday night with sword swallowing, knife throwing, and “a real-live half-man who walks on his bare-hands in broken hot shards of glass on fire.”

FREE SPEECH: CARPE DIEM WILDFANG WEST 6:30 P.M. • $5 Fierce female-identified storytelling at a clothing store “where tomboys call home.”

POETRY PRACTICE SPACE INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING RESOURCE CENTER 6:30 P.M. Special guest Cosper Onstott joins this monthly gathering of poets and writers to share a new generative writing game called Sugar, Porridge, Spoons.

EDNA’S BLOODLINE (2017) WHITSELL AUDITORIUM 7 P.M. Canadian director Eva Wunderman will be in attendance at this screening of her 2017 documentary about explorers of the Northwest Passage, “a globe-spanning investigation of origins and familial connections.”

RE-RUN THEATER 1983: THE YEAR IN VIDEOS THE HOLLYWOOD THEATRE 7:30 P.M. • $7 W/ PSU ID ‘80s music wouldn’t be what it is without the videos to go with it. Immerse yourself in MTV’s pop music heyday with all the videos that can be squeezed into two hours.

HARVEST PARTY AT THE PSU ORCHARD SW 12TH AND MONTGOMERY 10 A.M. Help harvest Asian pears and plums for the Food Pantry and get the orchard ready for fall.

TOP DOWN ROOFTOP CINEMA - ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) PSU PARKING STRUCTURE 2 7 P.M. • $9 W/ PSU ID John Carpenter’s 1981 vision of a post-apocalyptic metropolitan nightmare is best viewed from a downtown rooftop.

BACK TO THE FUTURE, THE MUSICAL PARODY! FUNHOUSE LOUNGE 7 P.M. • $19.85 21+ The Funhouse crew does its usual ‘80s-movie-turned-into-a-musical thing (cf. Evil Dead the Musical, Die Hard the Musical, et al). Featuring 14 original songs and, presumably, a time-travelling sports car. Runs through Sept. 29.

THE LAST MOVIE (1971) HOLLYWOOD THEATER 7:30 P.M. • $7–9 Dennis Hopper follows his successful directorial debut—1969’s Easy Rider—with a star-studded metaWestern in Peru.

FRI AUG 31

EMERGENCY SHELTER INTAKE FORM ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL 6 P.M. Oregon Symphony Orchestra performs pop-classical wunderkind Gabriel Kahane’s oratorio about homelessness and income inequality. It’s a live recording project with all donated proceeds benefiting “a consortium of social service agencies.”

THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940) WHITSELL AUDITORIUM 7 P.M. • $6–9 In John Ford’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel, a young ex-con with no hopes for the future travels with his family in search of work, justice and prosperity. Not at all relevant in 2018. Also a good movie.

KAIA KATER THE OLD CHURCH 8 P.M. • $20–25 The banjoist and singer-songwriter performs at The Old Church as part of the Minor Key series.

GEORGE COLLIGAN LIVING ROOM THEATERS 8 P.M. • FREE Jazz pianist and PSU professor plays one of his regular free shows in the Living Room Theater lounge.

SAT SEP 1

EIGHT HOURS DON’T MAKE A DAY (1972) WHITSELL AUDITORIUM NOON • $5–10 Five episodes in eight hours with a few intermissions and a dinner break from controversial German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder (World on a Wire, Berlin Alexanderplatz). Also screens Sunday.

AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951) HOLLYWOOD THEATER 2 P.M. • $6 Gene Kelly, Vincent Minnelli, George Gershwin and a whole bunch of sets designed to look like a Paris that was, thanks to the Nazis, mostly gone. Also screens Sunday.

MIKE GAMBLE LIVING ROOM THEATERS 8 P.M. • FREE The experimental guitarist and Creative Music Guild artistic director performs in the Living Room Theater lounge.

SUN SEP 2

SAMURAI REBELLION (1967) HOLLYWOOD THEATER 7 P.M. • $7–9 Eternal samurai actor Toshiro Mifune stars in Masaki Kobayashi’s epic. Part of Hollywood’s Samurai Sunday series.

MARGARET CHO HELIUM COMEDY CLUB 7:30 P.M. • $30 Cho is selling out her four-night run at Helium (they’ve already added late shows on Friday and Saturday), so get your tickets now.

GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC CRYSTAL BALLROOM 9 P.M. • $35–40 It’s George fucking Clinton. It hasn’t sold out yet. You don’t have to work Monday morning, right? With openers Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf.

MON SEP 3

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) [REVISED] REED COLLEGE LAWN 3 P.M. • FREE Portland Actors Ensemble has been touring this weirdness—all of Shakespeare in 90 minutes—all summer long, culminating in three shows at Reed this weekend.

SERIAL MOM (1994) HOLLYWOOD THEATER 7:30 P.M. • $7–9 In 1994, John Waters made a movie with Kathleen Turner, and the world was never the same again. Part of Hollywood’s Mondo Trasho series.

IT’S GONNA BE OKAY! EASTBURN TAPROOM 8 P.M. • 21+ Local comic Barbara Holm’s free weekly standup showcase.

TUES AUG 28

SEED TO PLATE BRUNCH COOKING CLASS THE SIDE YARD FARM 10 A.M. • $85 Learn to prepare a complete farmy brunch, including bloody mary pickles and the mass poaching of eggs.

WED AUG 29 THU AUG 30

MADELINE’S MADELINE (2018) CINEMA 21 VARIOUS SHOWTIMES • $6.75-9.25 Independent filmmaker Josephine Decker’s third feature.