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NEWS •
Student provides support for survivors of sexual assault
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POLICE BLOTTER MARCH 4 - 9
NEWS
ARREST MARCH 5 •
Hunt Hall, officers responded to two nonstudents who reported an attempted robbery. Shortly after meeting with the victims, a suspect (nonstudent) was located and apprehended.
ASSAULT MARCH 4 •
West Deck, unknown person(s) dropped or threw a plastic beverage bottle from the deck that fell and struck the victim in the shoulder. Subject was evaluated by Medic but refused transport.
INFORMATION ONLY MARCH 4 •
Lot 27, officers responded to assist CMPD. CMPD received a call from two non-students who had followed a hit and run suspect onto campus. The victims stated that the suspect fired shots at them. The suspect’s vehicle was located by CMPD off campus and an arrest was made in reference to this incident.
SEXUAL ASSAULT MARCH 9 •
Off Campus, UNCC PD was notified of a sexual assault that occured off campus, on the walkway nar EP 138 heading toward Campus Walks Apartments.
For more information on Mecklenburg County arrests, visit arrestinquiryweb.co.mecklenburg.nc.us
Ifc cDlls sQs Four chapters suspended at UNC Charlotte for hazing, national attention rises
By Daniel Watson Last December, Maxwell Gruver, an 18-year-old Curtis. freshman at Louisiana State University, died during a The discussions resulted in a delay of IFC recruitment Phi Delta Theta ritual in which he was forced to drink for the spring semester. alcohol. An autopsy found his blood alcohol level was .495 “The goal was not to push back recruitment, the at the time of his death, which is more than six times the goal was to bring in an expert consultant. Due to the legal limit. time that it took for him to go to each Gruver is one of four fraternity pledges chapter and the community as a whole, who lost their lives to hazing in recruitment ended up being pushed 2017. Recent incidents have placed back a couple of weeks,” said Curtis. a national spotlight on Greek life Phi Delta Theta Vice President, Greg and sparked much discussion. The Rush, acknowledged the fact that the “IT’S AFFECTING national attention has hit home for the Interfraternity Council (IFC) executive US ON A LOT. board at UNC Charlotte has taken Greek community at UNC Charlotte. this influential time to address its own “It’s affecting us a lot,” he said. THERE WERE ONLY “There members. [were] only 119 kids signed 119 KIDS SIGNED “The main goal was education,” up for IFC recruitment for the spring. said IFC President and Sigma Alpha I’ve been here for four years and that UP FOR IFC Epsilon brother Jake Curtis. “Our idea is the lowest it’s ever been. I think it’s RECRUTIMENT... was that we really can’t bring in new a combination of rush being pushed members into our community if our back and the bad publicity that IFC THE LOWEST current members are not prepared or fraternities have gotten over the IT’S EVER BEEN.” years.” educated enough to do so.” Within the past year, IFC has lost Despite the media portrayal, UNC four chapters: Delta Chi, Lambda Chi Charlotte administration believes that Alpha, Phi Sigma Kappa and Sigma IFC is headed in the right direction Phi Epsilon. That 25 percent of UNC especially Director of Student Conduct Charlotte’s Greek life was suspended and Academic Integrity Jonathan Adams. PHI DELTA THETA VICE PRESIDENT due to hazing related incidents such as “Our IFC has done an outstanding job GREG RUSH providing alcohol to minors, physical in providing opportunities for members injury, disruption of University Activities of our fraternities to have sincere and failure to comply with the Office of conversations about the culture of the Student Conduct. organizations and the alignment of decisions and values,” “Hopefully, this will open up some honest conversations he said. “By continuing those conversations and helping that the IFC executive board can have with these members of the community better understand the policy, chapters one-on-one, to kind of talk about what problems IFC and the Office of Student Conduct can collaborate they’re seeing within their chapter and the community to create an environment centered on responsibility, and how to address those, specifically with hazing,” said accountability, development and community.”
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MAR. 13, 2018
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Dr. John Cox creates an impact in and out of the lecture hall By Alexandria Sands A year ago, UNC Charlotte students met in the Student Union rotunda, carrying signs that protested the president’s travel ban. Muslims, Latinos, blacks, whites, female, male, gay and straight, all united, and among them, one white, middle-aged man stood out, as he made his way into the center of the crowd. With all eyes on him, Dr. John Cox removed his jacket, revealing his T-shirt that read “Refugees welcome.” Cheers and clapping filled the building, many of which belonged to his students. One of those students was Casey Aldridge. “Dr. Cox does a good job supporting students by showing up and most importantly, by recognizing and deferring to student leadership,” he said. “He knows how to show real solidarity, not just lip service.” Cox’s interest in social justice stems from his childhood. Growing up just a few blocks from where the Greensboro sit-ins took place in 1960s, he was actively aware of racism. “I was fortunate that my folks really educated us to be vigilant and sensitive and knowledgeable, but also to be a force against racism,” he said. However, his interest piqued at Appalachian State University, where he took classes about Latin America and the Holocaust. After graduation, he took a break from schooling, worked as a labor organizer and got involved in human rights issue and an anti-war movement. In the late 90s, Cox decided to attend graduate school at UNC Chapel Hill. Following graduation, Cox founded and directed the Genocide and Human Rights Center at the Florida Gulf Coast University. He was there for five years when he heard of an opening at UNC Charlotte. When offered that position, he didn’t hesitate. “I accepted within like one minute,” he said. “When you’re offered a job as a professor, you’re suppose to kind of delay and negotiate ... but I was very happy to come back out here cause
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I’ve spent most of my life in North Carolina … this is really my home.” He’s published two books while working as the Director of the Center of Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights at the university. In February 2016, he published “To Kill a People: Genocide in the Twentieth Century,” one of the only small, concise books that overviews holocaust and genocide. He was inspired to write a book that covered the history in a broader context. “Even still today in 2018, the holocaust is often taught as if it came out of nowhere and is a complete aberration in human history,” Cox said. “When in fact, it was really the culmination or it was the product of all sorts of terrible trends in European and in Western history. That is, Hitler and the Nazis didn’t have to invent anything, whether antisemitism, racism, even the conception of trying to kill a people because of who they are.” His book took about three years to write. “[My writing process is] probably similar to my students’ processes of writing their papers, which is that I work better when I have 12 hours before deadline. It is kind of ironic,” he said, jokingly. Chapter by chapter, he received feedback from other experts in the field. One of his graduate professors, Chris Browning, read the book. “John is an example of someone who has managed to combine scholarship in the form of publishing several books, teaching and dedicated civic engagement and activism that utilizes his historical knowledge,” Browning said. Even with help from others, though, Cox jokes that the book is not perfect. “You know what, still a typo will slip through no matter what,” he said. “I tell my students, I really do, you have to proofread everything ten or 15 times.” Cox’s keeps a sense of humor despite teaching courses on heavy topics. He says what keeps him going
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is his study of resistance. “I see resistance and rebellion,” he said. “I see people in small and large ways asserting their dignity. I see other people extending solidarity to oppressed people … I don’t think anyone is immune and definitely no society is immune from being lured into mass violence and support for mass violence ... Fortunately, there’s never been a regime that ever came to resemble George Orwell’s ‘1984’ where independent thought and solidarity and resistances were completely snuffed out.” And what keeps him happy is Carolina basketball and Barcelona soccer. He also enjoys reading, working out, traveling and music. His newest hobby, though, is hanging out with his stepkids. Cox said “I do” a few months ago to a professor he met while she was teaching at UNC Charlotte. Both are involved in immigrant and refugee rights in Charlotte. Their most recent project is with Queen’s University’s new social justice center. Cox also works at the Latin American Coalition, where he provides testimony for people at risk of deportation. He’s also been involved at the International House. On a recent visit there, he ran into four of his previous students. He says surprise interactions with alumni like them are some of his most gratifying experiences as a professor. “Those are the kind of things that sustain all of us professors,” he said. “There are days when all of us professors and instructors come out of a class and feel slightly down, we’re like ‘man half the class was zoned out’ ... but I just always see evidence that I’m reaching people and I’m learning from my students too.” Cox plans to stay at UNC Charlotte until his retirement. Currently, he’s working on another project, co-editing a book with historian Adam Jones called “The Routledge Handbook of Genocide Studies” that will publish in either 2019 or 2020.
Security Check Campus safety issues are causing students anxiety and people are wanting answers
OPINION
By Jenna Jenkins Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Blog It’s been said before that it’s problematic how desensitized I am when it comes to how slack campus safety has been this past month. Personally, I would not call my reactions desensitized, but I’m not necessarily shocked by these comments either. Why would I be surprised when nothing is being done to stop what’s going on? I’ve grown up in a world where things are always dealt with after the fact. Although this ideology can be okay in trivial situations, the same can not be said for student’s safety. Sure, there are procedures put in place for victims during an attack (blue lights, defense classes, etc.), but how about something preventative? Despite my familiarity with the phrase “it’s better to be safe than sorry”, I don’t often see it put into practice. Instead, I find myself and those around me a lot more comfortable with the saying “it’s better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” The latter, heavily centered around retroactive approaches, doesn’t do much for the most important step to keeping a campus safe: being proactive. At Washington State University, prevention is mentioned close to ten times throughout their campus safety website. As for UNC Charlotte’s website, the word can be found three times—all programs again focused towards victims, not towards assailants. When you compare the two approaches, WSU had a total of 5 sexual assault and harassment reports in 2013. Charlotte has reached almost half of that number in the month of February alone. Despite how effective preventive approaches prove to be, UNCC continues to blame the victim, even including this statement in the University’s Annual Security Report: “The major theme of all the University’s campus crime prevention programs is to educate members of the UNC Charlotte community on how not to be
a victim.” For instance, at the bottom of emails notifying students about criminal activity on campus, the recommended safety precautions involve walking in groups and even keeping flashy jewelry hidden. Yeah, let’s blame campus robberies on someone’s accessories, that’s truly insightful. It is not a student’s job to constantly live in fear of an attack, it is the job of the university to make sure that they don’t happen in the first place. And if the campus is dead set on only educating the victim then outside public speakers, paid for by the school, should be made available to everyone, unlike the recent Harm Reduction Symposium that was offered to only Greek life council. The fact is, bad behavior has normalized. We need to spend more time correcting children while they are young instead of ignoring their behavior and blaming it on “boys being boys” or “they’re just kids having fun.” The pattern of
unconcerned parenting and an indifferent society leads to an escalation of an innocent push or kiss in the schoolyard to an assault or rape behind a parking deck. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “strategies focused on a potential perpetrator attempt to change risk and protective factors for sexual violence to reduce the likelihood that an individual will engage in sexually violent behavior.” The same principle applies for any kind of aggression. It’s not too late to switch the focus of safety programs from victims to offenders, it just needs to be done now. An example of this would be to swap one of the offered defense courses out for a program like “RealConsent,” a program geared towards addressing perceived social norms as well as the misconceptions about what sexual violence is and is not. Another course proven to be successful that deals with youth violence is called STRYVE, a program that works with communities to stop youth violence before it begins. It’s simple changes like this that can be the difference between two harassment cases in a month and two in a year. I’m not here to say that the only reason people become criminals is because their actions were excused as a child. I am saying that education about campus safety is almost always geared towards potential victims, continuing to leave potential assailants in the dark about the damage their actions can cause to other people. I can say with full confidence that everyone I know has a common goal of stopping violence, but it seems as if those in charge of our safety have stopped working towards that goal. The CDC offers the public several approaches and resources to use that are going to waste. It is high time that the root of aggression and assault is stopped at the source, not once it becomes an even larger epidemic.
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SPORTS
THE SEARCH FOR A NEW AD Inside the extensive search for the new Athletic Director
By Kathleen Cook Photo provided by Charlotte Athletics After Judy Rose announced her retirement from the Director of Athletics position in early January, the hunt to fill the void began in the Chancellor’s office. “Searches, sometimes when they search for a chancellor it can take up to a year, but in the case here, we wanted to get started quickly and see if we could get it done in a reasonable amount of time,” Chancellor Philip DuBois said. The first step in the pursuit for a new director was to create a search committee of 10 stakeholders in Charlotte Athletics, including former athletes, professors and members of the UNC Charlotte Athletic Foundation Board. “The process there is you’re trying to find people who broadly represent categories of constituencies of athletics. For example, we have people concerned about academic issues, so I had two faculty members on the committee, both of whom had been presidents of the faculty council,” DuBois said. After the committee was established, DuBois turned his attention to hiring a search consultant that would help compile a list of prospective hires. Complying with state laws, DuBois and his staff had to request proposals from groups. They received submissions from 12 firms, and eventually selected Turnkey, a firm from New Jersey. “What impressed me about them is that they had done a lot of Power 5 AD searches. I was a little bit biased going in about Power 5 because they
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represent large, complex athletic departments, and the people that work in them know a lot about what a great Athletic Department would look like when it’s fully baked and more mature,” DuBois said. Turnkey’s Gene DeFilippo worked with the group and created a list of 13 candidates comprised of people he knew were looking to become and athletic director or sitting AD’s at various institutions. The search committee evaluated DeFilippo’s list and thinned it down to nine possibilities. Those nine individuals were invited to interview with the committee the last week of February. “We interviewed them off-campus at a secret location. We did that because, if for example, you had a sitting AD in your pool, they would not want to be exposed for fear they might lose their job at their present institution. It turned out we didn’t have any sitting AD’s, but it was still a good idea because we didn’t want to start a lot of chatter, particularly on social media, about who the candidates ought to be,” DuBois said. After the initial interviews, the group narrowed the prospects down to two individuals: Mike Hill and Phil Esten. Those two traveled to Charlotte again for another round of interviews that began with dinner with the Chancellor and his wife and then continued with various members of the Charlotte community.
“They both have extensive interviews. At the end of the day, we asked everyone who talked to the candidates to send us a rating, highly recommend, recommend, do not recommend. They were both evaluated by about 45 people, so we had a lot of input,” DuBois said. “After I looked at all of the input, which came in Tuesday by 6 p.m., after the second candidate had been here, I made the selection and then called Mike Hill and offered him the job, and he took it right away. The other candidate, that’s a very hard call to make because they’ve thrown their emotions into the idea of being the AD here,” DuBois said. After Hill accepted the position, the next day the two parties’ lawyers had to negotiate the terms to the Memorandum of Agreement or Memorandum of Understanding. The groups agreed to a document at 4:45 p.m., which was just in time to get it approved by the Board of Trustees to unanimously approve the document at their 5 p.m. appointment. With all his focus being on filling the void at that position, DuBois is relieved the search is complete. “We’ve done nothing else around here for about a month and I’ve got a large job to do in other areas. I’m glad it’s over,” Dubois said. “I’m very satisfied with it, I think we did it the right way, got it done quickly. We had the right kinds of people in the discussion and we got a great, great Athletic Director.”
JADA MARTIN: DRIPPING IN FINESSE
By Zach Timmons
The elevator in the Student Union opens, and Jada Martin emerges, flanked by some of her teammates. It’s Thursday night, and the women’s team has just scored a big home win over rival Old Dominion, holding the Monarchs to a season low 43 points. But, instead of adorning the usual green and white uniform, Number 10 steps out wearing a bandana, sleek black tee, complemented with a light beige jacket, jeans and a pair of classic Timberlands. The butters! Straight from the ‘90s. Smooth like her game, dripping in finesse. Simply put, it’s a tough fit. Tough. Fit. Incidentally, those two words describe Martin’s role on Charlotte’s team perfectly. In being one of the three senior leaders on this roster, Martin has proven herself to be tough and reliable, while also fitting in and taking on the role of a defensive stopper. She has weaved herself into the fabric of this young roster, providing crucial minutes when called upon and also scoring timely baskets. So, how exactly did she get here?
The Come Up
Martin stands on the home baseline in Halton Arena near the bench. She stands underneath the banners and jerseys of former Niner greats in the rafters. She pauses, savoring the moments before an afternoon weight lift. How again did she get here? Just two seasons ago, Martin was playing ball at Spartanburg Methodist, where she averaged 9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 dimes per contest as a sophomore. During that year, she had five doubledoubles and started in every single contest. She then transferred to Charlotte, where she became the very first walk-on under coach Cara Consuegra. Prior to that year, Consuegra had never held walkon tryouts. Martin continued to impress on and off the floor, and that spring, she earned a scholarship. Fast forward and Martin found herself on the floor quite often. Whether defending on the perimeter or hitting threes or securing offensive boards, Martin is always in the right place at the right time. She quotes Joel Embiid when asked about her journey: “trust the process.”
“It’s definitely a tough process, and it can definitely get frustrating at times,” Martin said. “But as long as you keep confidence, believe in yourself and work hard, everything does pay off in the long run.” She looks off to the side to the coolers of water and Powerade. Her practice jersey hangs from her hands as she considers her next thought. “My advice to people that are trying to go DI and transfer over? I would say just work hard,” Martin said. “Like, you’ve got to work hard and have that mentality that, regardless of what’s going on around me, I’m gonna do better. If I wanna do better, I gotta put in the work and it’s all gonna pay off.” It’s clear that work ethic has gotten Martin to where she is today. There’s no shortcuts, no ifs, ands or buts, no ways around it. After playing in 10 games last year as a junior and scoring her first points against UTSA, Martin has been on the court more consistently for the 49ers this year. Martin is the head of the snake in the 49ers zone defense, and she is also a lockdown individual defender when given the opportunity. But don’t get it twisted. Martin is more than just a defender. Against South Carolina State this year, she hit a big three in transition before also securing an offensive rebound and putback a few possessions later to give Charlotte momentum. She also had scoring performances against Coppin State, FIU, and Western Kentucky. “It’s kinda different because I’m in a position where I don’t play as much because I transferred in. But at the same time, I’m expected to be a leader, just because that’s how I am,” Martin said. “I’ve always been a leader. It’s kinda tough, but at the end of the day, it’s about the team and the leadership that the freshmen need coming in. It’s big. It prepares the program for years to come. So, I still do my best to lead the freshmen, trying to lead as best I can on and off the court.”
Know Your Role
Martin, or J-Mart, as she is called by her teammates and friends, has always been one to play her role. Though it’s just a nickname, J-Mart could easily be an acronym: “Just Mounting At the Right Time.” Consuegra noted J-Mart’s emergence
in the February 26 episode of Gold Mine Live. “The kid just completely won me over,” Consuegra said. “Not just because of basketball, but just her spirit, her enthusiasm. She’s a hard worker, she’s willing to do anything that I ask her to do for the team... Quite frankly, she’s earned herself an opportunity to play.” Consuegra continued to note the importance of Martin’s play, even though not everything she does pops up in the box score. “She pushes our kids. Defensively, she’s super solid for us. I know when we really need a stop, I’m subbing J-Mart in. She’s just made us better in so many different ways and I’m really thankful that I had those walk-on tryouts that day.”
Last Ride
“Starting at guard... a five-foot-eight senior from Winnsboro, South Carolina... Number 10... Jadaaaaaaaaaa Maaaaarttiiiiinnnnnn!” The crowd goes wild as Martin emerges from the smoke-filled tunnel. It’s something that all athletes dream of: their name being yelled over the loudspeaker as the music booms and the arena goes dark. Tonight, another dream comes true. On Senior Night, J-Mart earns her first career start against Florida Atlantic, and she doesn’t disappoint. The Niners lead wire-to-wire and send Martin, Ransom and Jamison-Myers out on a high note with an 83-69 win. “She’s one that’s always ready. Whenever we put her in-- and obviously she got a great opportunity tonight, and she made the most of it-- she was ready,” Consuegra said after the FAU game. “She’s a kid that cares about her teammates, and she cares about doing things well at a high level. That’s just a contagious energy that comes from her and she brings it every single day, and it’s made our team a lot better.” Martin, with flowers in hand, prepares to walk off the court at Halton Arena for the final time as a player. She knows that the team’s mission isn’t finished yet, but for the moment, she can relax and enjoy this time of serenity. Her sneakers squeaking on the hardwood, Martin exits, with her jersey drenched in hard work. It’s not just sweat though. Jada Martin is dripping in finesse.
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LIFESTYLE
SPRING CLEANING BASICS
The season of cleanliness is upon us By Matthew Harter Photos by Pixabay Spring is approaching. Charlotte’s weather may still have a few curve balls to throw at us, but warm and sunny spring days are just around the corner. A bright 70-something day on campus is hard to beat. Nevertheless, it is important to remember the other official trademark of spring: Spring Cleaning! If you are looking for a great way to be productive and boost your mood, paying your dorm some attention is a great way to start. Here are four ways to get your dorm looking and smelling up to snuff. Change your Linens: It is easy to get caught up in the flow of school. You have to go to class, complete assignments, and study for quizzes and tests, all the while attempting to keep your personal and social life in balance. Do not let yourself sacrifice basic cleanliness because of this. The general rule of thumb is to change and wash bed sheets and bath towels once every week. By doing this, you allow your comforter and mattress to breath, as well as preventing foul odors from accumulating. Line and empty trash when needed: Let’s get this straight: Allowing garbage to accumulate for weeks on end is nothing short of a war crime against your nose. Making sure to empty your trash when it is full or foul smelling will significantly cut back on the unholy stink emulating from under your doorway. The best way to make emptying your trash can a breeze is by lining it with trash bags. This helps keep all your trash in one place, and additionally prevents trash-juice from forming at the bottom of your bin. In some cases, purchasing a lid for your trash can may be necessary. (Pro-Tip: Putting food scraps directly into you dorm’s trash room instead of in your dorm room will eliminate the most offensive trash can odors).
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Bathroom Essentials: For those of you in Niner Nation fortunate enough to have a personal bathroom, this is for you. As Uncle Ben once said, “With power come great responsibility.” For those you with personal bathrooms, it translates roughly to “Don’t let what your doing in the bathroom be cleaner than the bathroom itself”. Seriously, if your feet are sticking to the floor when you walk in, or the shower has turned from a pearly white to a used-tissue green, arm yourself with some gloves and some cleaner and lay siege to that nastiness. Any major brand shower cleaner from Walmart or Target will get you shower back in shape. Dollar store multi-purpose cleaner is a sure bet to dealing with countertops and toilets. This should be done weekly. Cleaning Staples: I’m talking about the fundamental principles of cleaning here: putting laundry in the laundry basket, not leaving food out to rot, cleaning out your microwave (as well as staying away from microwaving strong smelling foods such as seafood and popcorn), vacuuming your floor and rugs at the very least once a month, and occasionally opening your window to air your room out. If you only take away one thing from this article, make it these fundamental cleaning principles. The beauty of these basic cleaning activities is in their simplicity. Everything that I just listed is doable in under 15 minutes, and will fix your dorm situation in a jiffy. If you follow these simple steps you will be well on your way to looking and feeling like a champ. Coming back to a clean and pleasant dorm after a stressful and confusing day is almost as nice as the approaching spring weather. Good luck on your cleaning journey!
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BURIED A&E TRUTHS
by Julie Brown Photo courtesy of Netflix/20th Television I have never been so thoroughly satisfied, yet completely disappointed, after finishing a series as when the credits of the new Netflix original series “Seven Seconds” flashed across my screen. Released Feb. 23, “Seven Seconds,” follows a family’s fight for justice against a police coverup surrounding the death of a young black teenager. Allow me to shatter your hopes now, there is no happy ending. Creator and writer Veena Sud triumphs with her harshly realistic depiction of the human lives and emotional hardship behind racial injustice. The profound acting allowed me to become further immersed into the far-reaching web of hurt, anger and deceit built after Brenton Butler’s death. “Seven Seconds,” however, is not without flaws. Unlike Veena Sud’s “The Killing,” there is no mystery to start this series. The first episode begins with officer Peter Jablonski’s (Beau Knapp) frantic drive to the hospital, when he accidentally hits a teenager riding a bike. Viewers immediately know the suspicious circumstances behind what may appear to be an unfortunate hit and run accident and are then led on a roundabout plot full of inconsequential filler while the series attempts to catch up. These ambiguous sub-plots lead to unnecessary character ties and many unanswered questions. The series also adds exaggerated character weaknesses in what seems an attempt to humanize the individuals portrayed and explain their convictions. Brenton’s attorney, KJ Harper
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(Clare-Hope Ashitey), especially has a needlessly tragic incident in her past to possibly explain her alcoholism and detachment issues. Peter Jablonski also endured an abusive father and a stillborn child, perhaps fueling his drive to protect his family above all else. Even quirky detective Joe ‘Fish’ Rinaldi (Michael Mosley) with a distant daughter and a wife that cheated on him with many of his previous police force, consequently lives a withdrawn life at home with several dogs and develops an attachment to the young, runaway heroin addict Nadine (Nadia Alexander). Throughout “Seven Seconds,” there are seemingly insignificant cues hinting at the issue of race and what it means for Brenton’s life and his family’s success in fighting for justice. In episode one, Brenton’s parents, Latrice Butler (Regina King) and Isaiah Butler (Russell Hornsby), rush to the hospital after receiving a call notifying them that their son had been injured. Upon arriving, they hurry to the reception desk to ask about their son Brenton’s condition. The receptionist becomes annoyed, replying to the parents that a Benton been admitted, and they had given her the wrong spelling. This minor detail illustrates the hospital’s indifference to a critically injured young black man, so much so that they don’t even enter his name correctly. The final episode ends with another important cue as KJ Harper leaves the courthouse and turns to peer at the “Lady Justice” statue,
holding uneven scales. This shot hints at the continual racial injustice received at the hands of the law, with law enforcement always on the upper hand. Aside from race, “Seven Seconds” tackles many other difficult issues including religion, veterans re-entering civilian society, substance abuse and LGBTQ acceptance. Latrice and Isaiah Butler are prominent members of their church community, but after losing their son begin to question their faith. Latrice particularly questions how God could let her son die alone in a ditch, while the person responsible walks free. After episode eight, “Bailed Out,” reveals that Brenton was not involved in a gang, but in a relationship with gang member Kadeuce Porter (Corey Champagne), Isaiah Butler struggles to accept that his son was gay. He seeks the advice of his church pastor, who comforts Isaiah with reassurance that God had created Brenton exactly as he wanted. After Kadeuce testifies that he was in fact Brenton’s boyfriend, Isaiah finds him beaten in his motel bathroom and it’s assumed he was attacked because of his relationship with Brenton. Overall, “Seven Seconds” proves a meaningful and honest series that resonates especially well given recent racial struggles throughout the country. Veena Sud’s authentic take on race in the criminal justice system is sure to continue an important conversation.
ACROSS 1 Medicare section for doctors’ services 6 Number of sides on most game cubes 9 Fit of __: irritated state 14 Western neighbor of Wyoming 15 Omelet meat 16 Finnish hot spot 17 Deck 18 Some Little League eligibility rules 20 *Samsung Galaxy, e.g. 22 Aberdeen native 23 Salty waters 24 Eastern neighbor of Wyoming: Abbr. 26 Sewn loosely 29 Put together, as IKEA furniture 33 Pale 34 Urge forward 35 Curtain holder
36 Reggae relative 37 *Trick that’s “pulled” 39 Bit of energy 40 Capek sci-fi play 41 Jerk 42 Taxi meter amount 43 Tickle the fancy of 45 Puts up with 47 Big name in banking 48 “So that’s it!” cries 49 Heavy hammer 51 *Optimist’s perspective 57 Barbra with Oscars 59 Ballet skirts 60 Donates 61 NHL surface 62 Layered cookies 63 With 21-Down, dictation taker’s need 64 Bobbsey girl 65 Group described by the starts of the answers to starred clues
DOWN 1 Apple seeds 2 “The Voice” judge Levine 3 Pro __: in proportion 4 Needing a drink 5 Crocheted baby shoe 6 Persian monarchs 7 “Othello” villain 8 Marvel Comics mutants 9 Pitchfork-shaped Greek letter 10 Sean Penn film with a Seussian title 11 *Yeast-free bakery product 12 “Do __ others ... “ 13 Dawn direction 19 Reduce 21 See 63-Across 25 What a stet cancels 26 Iraqi port 27 Invite to one’s penthouse 28 *Hairpin turn, e.g. 29 “Are not!” response 30 Dalmatian mark 31 Sitcom producer Chuck 32 Boundaries 34 “__ just me ... ?” 37 Royal decree 38 Goes off script 42 Narrow crack 44 Astronaut Collins 45 “That feels good!” 46 Inning half 48 Poet Nash 49 Inbox list: Abbr. 50 Going __: fighting 52 Reason to roll out the tarp 53 Peruvian native 54 Cal.-to-Fla. highway 55 Couples 56 She, in Sicily 58 Prefix with -bar or -tope
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