Serving the Rio Hondo Community
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Volume 53 Issue 5
A KILLING JOKE: A Call to THE DANGERS OF CLOWNING AROUND
Political Action ZACKARY MEJIA Managing Editor
The Future Forum, an association of young Democratic representatives seeking to address issues and opportunities that affect millennials, co-hosted a forum by the same name with Rio Hondo College. The legislators and audience engaged in a discussion on controversial issues such as climate change, police accountability, student debt and the power money has in politics. The town hall style meeting with Rio Hondo students and members of the House of Representatives occurred Oct 24 in the Administration of Justice building at the base of the college. The forum was moderated by Brandon Pablo Lean, Rio Hondo’s elected student trustee and organized by Russell Castaeñeda-Calleros, director of government and community relations. California representatives Grace F. Napolitano, Norma Torres, and Eric Swalwell spoke with students and community members about the importance of millennials not only voting in this election, but also partaking in political activism. Congresswoman Napolitano stressed the importance of our representatives having transparency and being held accountable to their constituents, stating “That is our title, US House of Representatives, not US House of Politicians.” The first issue to catch steam was the influence that money has in elections and policy making. Congressman Swalwell spoke about a
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Piece portrayed drawn by Mirina Mireles, the second place winner of Art Guild’s Chalk Walk competiton on October 21, of the DC Comics character, The Joker. The Joker is the main villian of Allen Moore’s graphic novel, The Killing Joke (1988) ANGELO TORRES Co-Editor-in-Chief
Over the past few weeks, clown sightings throughout the country have caused police stations to take precaution, several commercial brands to distance themselves from clown imagery, and countless aggressive encounters. Sightings first became prevalent in late August, when reports of clowns emerged from Greenville, South Carolina. The city’s police department’s website details four incidents, all occurring within a three-day timespan. “In each of the four Greenville City incidents, there has been no indication of any attempt to contact or lure children into the woods,” reads a report on the GPD website. Since the initial reports
in the Greenville area, clown sightings have grown into a trend and epidemic, one that has since proven to be much more serious and dangerous than a few isolated practical jokes. Another incident involving a clown occurred outside the suburbs of the Bay Area, in Concord, October 5. The suspect attempted to kidnap a one year-old girl, after initiating in a short discussion with the girl’s mother. KTLA’s Mariel Turner reported on the incident. When the man attempted to grab the child, the mother “kicked him repeatedly in the shin. He fled on foot after the mother fought back.” The epidemic has since caused a panic on social media sites. In addition to creating a stir in the public consciousness, clown sightings are being imitated, not just throughout the country,
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but around the world. The Guardian reports of an incident involving a knife-wielding man in a clown mask, scaring a group of pre-teens in County Durham, United Kingdom. The man chased the children to their school, where they were reported unharmed, but under major distress. While the threat has spread internationally, a major concern for Whittier and local areas are the impending threats to the community in the coming weeks, and specifically on Halloween. The Pasadena Star-News reported on several clownthemed social media accounts threatening to attack Southern California communities, including the newspaper’s city, Pico Rivera, and Whittier. Jeff Piper, Chief of Police for the Whittier Police
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Department, has since published a statement responding to community fear. “My staff has responded on a few calls in which no subjects were identified or located. Neither the Whittier Police Department nor any other law enforcement intelligence group have received any information at this time that would suggest these rumors are anything other than just rumors,” Piper says in the statement released October 6. “I have also directed my staff to be extra vigilant regarding their patrols around schools and places where large crowds typically gather.” Piper ends his statement urging citizens to report any suspicious activity in relation to these clown sightings and threats.
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