Your Community Connection since 1994
Including Inglewood Airport Area • Baldwin Hills • Crenshaw/LA • Ladera Heights VOL. 24, No. 44
October 29, 2015
Opposing Perspectives of Violent Classroom Video Halloween No-No List By Veronica Mackey
B
y now, the horrific video of a teenage girl being slammed to the floor (while still in her chair) and literally dragged across the floor of the classroom by a sheriff’s deputy has been played countless times. It cements into the minds of watchers the harsh reality that violence and racism in America will never end. What happened at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina should never have happened. No less, while a black principal stands idly by and says and does nothSheriff’s Deputy Ben Fields slams a high school ing to minimize the assault. girl to the floor in Columbia, South Carolina. Students, with the exception of Niya Kenny (arrest- the class), sat frozen, afraid fate. Kenny said she was ed for allegedly disrupting they might meet a similar admonished for crying and
Deputy Ben Fields
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Fields taking down Carlos Martin, ten years ago.
praying for the girl. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said the incident was not racially motivated. However the dynamics are eerily familiar. White Student Resource Officer and Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Fields, slams a black unarmed teenager (name not released) to the ground when she does not obey his order to leave. He then throws her across the room. A fellow officer offered the defense that Fields cannot be racist because he is dating a black woman. Black girlfriend or not, we’ve seen this movie before. A white cop “loses it” when an unarmed, nonviolent black civilian does not cooperate. He becomes frustrated and decides to teach the person a lesson by beating, even shooting them. In July, we saw another case of a white officer slamming a tiny, bikini-clad 15 year-old black girl to the ground in Texas, literally handling her like a rag doll. Her offense? Talking back. (Continued on page 6)
Inglewood’s Newest Ambassador
W
By Thomas Bunn
ho doesn’t love a good surprise? A room full of people, all eager to see your face as you open the door to a celebration in your honor is one of the most heart-warming experiences in the world. And if you’re caught too off guard, it can bring you to tears. In the community room of City Hall, balloons inflated (Continued on page 2)
COMING SOON THE BEST OF INGLEWOOD
Visit www.inglewoodtoday.com & see page 6 ➤
I
s it okay to be politically incorrect on Halloween? Apparently, no. According to MSNBCs website, a group called DoSomething.org is keeping tabs on costumes that are offensive, racist or just in poor taste. The site has a campaign which rates costumes, with one-star reviews for racist costumes, for example. Keeping with the theme, “We’re a Culture, Not a Costume,” the site seeks to “educate people about cultural appropriation—and why it’s (offensiveness) still not okay even on Halloween.”
Topping this year’s list of costumes that have sparked public outcry are: 1. Caitlyn Jenner. The Halloween costume of reality TV star Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner’s Vanity Fair cover lit up social media when it was released in August by retail company Spirit Halloween. Criticism ranged from general offensiveness to those saying it disrespected the transgender community. Change. org has circulated a petition asking the company to stop producing and selling the costume. The petition has received more than 18,000 signatures. (Continued on page 7)