A Father Allegedly Shot Dead His Gay Teenage Son Over His Sexual Orientation.
Prince’s Teal Blue Cloud Guitar Auctioned for 700K
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News Observer Bakersfield
Volume 44 Number 10
Celebrating Our 40th Anniversary 1977- 2017
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
FREE!
Wednesday November 8, 2017
Defending DACA Why I Organized a Walkout
By Marisol Sanchez Verdin South Kern Sol On Oct. 10, 2017, 17-year-old Golden Valley High School student Marisol Sanchez Verdin helped organize a three-school walkout in protest of the Sept. 5, 2017 rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) under the Trump Administration. The recent walkout follows a legacy led by fearless Kern County teenagers who have sought reform and change for immigrant rights since the 2006 walkouts. In the mid-2000s, more than a thousand Kern County high school students skipped class and rallied in downtown Bakersfield and CSU Bakersfield in support of immigration reform. Verdin’s account of the October rally is a reminder that the divide still exists, especially in Kern County, and that immigrant rights are as important as ever to resolve. On Oct. 10, along with more than one hundred students from three different high schools, I helped organize a protest in support of friends and family members who are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The DACA program has allowed those brought to the United States as children to come out of the shadows, to feel like they finally belong not only in Kern County, but in America. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Trump Administration’s Sept. 5 memorandum began the phasing out of DACA, leaving only a brief deadline window of Oct. 5 for accepting renewal requests. That deadline has passed. Now it’s up to Congress to help any and all recipients whose DACA and work authorization expires by March 5, 2018. That’s also the same window the Trump Administration is giving Congress to come up with a solution. Will Congress save the Dreamers like they did once before? They have to. In the meantime, hundreds of Kern County DACA recipients now exist in immigration limbo. This has brought back fears of being separated from families and mass deportation. All of this is why we had to march. We had to do something. I began Golden Valley High School’s contribution to the three-school protest and march with social media posts of a DACA-rally flier. I sent the information to more than a hundred students. Some students began spreading the news though by the time first period ended I got on top of a concrete block to urge students to join our DACA protest. Many joined us. At least fifty-five students marched to South High School. When we arrived we chanted “Rebels, Rebels, Rebels!” and “Let’s go, Rebels!” I could see in many South
High students eyes that our sign of unity was motivating them to march too. Students from both schools then continued on to Bakersfield High School where more students joined what was to become a nearly eight-mile march to the Liberty Bell in downtown Bakersfield. By this time 105 students had joined our DACA protest. We were a huge success. Our willingness to march, rally, and chant loudly drew the attention of media outlets. They helped amplify our message. Our message was this: DACA has allowed nearly 800,000 students to work and continue their education in America. That’s a lot of people. Not everyone realizes that about 15,000 of the nearly two million DACA-eligible immigrants in the U.S. reside in Kern County. That’s according to a 2016 report from the Migration Policy Institute. And more: DACA individuals are just people like you and me. They’re very educated and highly productive. Our DACA brothers and sisters contribute to our economy by holding jobs, paying taxes, going to school, and buying products. They need to be able to obtain valid driver’s licenses, and to be able to work and go to school without living in fear of deportation. During our march we chanted “Sí se puede,” “Education not deportation” and “Save DACA.” But not everyone agreed with what we were doing. Several adults stopped to say things like, “Why are you fighting for other’s education if you’re just walking out of school?” My reaction? Our protest wouldn’t have the same effect if we didn’t leave school. The truth is, we do care about our education. That’s why we’re fighting for those who need to continue to receive the support of the DACA program. We were also criticized for not carrying an American flag. One of the marchers brought a Mexican flag. I wasn’t going to stop him from expressing pride over his heritage. As for me, I didn’t need to carry a U.S. flag to prove my American pride or citizenship. Although if I had one I would have waved it along the march route. In the end, any negativity gave us more fuel to continue our rally. And you know what? Not one of us gave up. We were determined that no matter how long it was going to take, or what anyone said, we were going to do finish what we started. I’m proud of all the students who came out to support. I asked fellow Golden Valley High student Anthony Montalvo why he was protesting. “I have family and friends who are protected under DACA and are afraid to speak up,” he said. That’s true. If we don’t speak up, who will? No limits should be imposed on any individual for wanting to achieve an American dream. My dream is for DACA to stay. We need Congress to make the right decision in favor of immigrants. The window is short. They only have a few months. So, how do I feel today? Sure, it was a long march, but I had lots of energy and spirit that day. It felt like I was accomplishing something important for the Dreamers. I was very proud. In fact, the entire march and rally was a dream come true—I’d always wanted to start a protest. I was born in America. This is my home. I love this country. I’m proud to say I have an uncle who is a Marine veteran. I love my freedom. I love America. I have every right to stand for what I believe in. And I believe in continuing to be a voice for DACA-eligible immigrants until change happens. This is only the beginning. Marisol Sanchez, 17, is a student at Golden Valley High School. She joined South Kern Sol’s youth reporting team in October.
Former Bakersfield native ex-pro football Anthony McClanahan (46 years old)is accused of murdering his wife, Keri “KC” McClanahan (28 years-old). McClanahan played at Washington State before a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys.
Does Your Vehicle Have a Dangerous Air Bag? (NAPSI)—A few simple steps protect your family and loved ones. You may be driving a vehicle with a defective driver’s side air bag, passenger’s side air bag or both. If you have one of the following vehicles, please call your local Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge or Ram dealership to schedule a FREE repair: The Problem Here’s why: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 34 million vehicles have defective air bags, which can cause serious injury or death in the event of a crash. Even a minor fender bender can cause these air bags to explode, spraying metal fragments into drivers and passengers. A Solution Fortunately, there is a solution, repairs are FREE and Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealerships have plenty of new air bags available to replace them. You don’t even have to take the vehicle back to the same dealership from which you bought it; any authorized dealer can make the free repairs. Learn More For further facts, or if you are not sure whether your vehicle is part of this, you can: 1. Go to recalls.mopar.com and enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), found on the driver’s side dashboard near the windshield or the inside driver’s side door. 2. Get in touch with your Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge or Ram dealership. 3. Call the dedicated toll-free number: (866) 2206765. Se habla espanol.
Bakersfield Ex-Pro Footballer Suspect in Wife’s Murder
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ A former professional football player has been named by Utah police as the prime suspect in his wife's killing. Park City police said Friday that 46-year-old Anthony McClanahan is suspected of killing 28-year-old Keri “KC'' McClanahan inside a condominium. The Deseret News reports prosecutors in Summit County, Utah, are reviewing possible charges against McClanahan. He remained jailed in Utah on charges filed Friday related to the alleged kidnapping of his son from another relationship. The boy was taken from Arizona and later found with McClanahan in Salt Lake City. It isn't clear if he has an attorney who can comment for him. McClanahan is from Bakersfield, California, and played at Washington State before a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys. He then played four years in the Canadian Football League.
Casino Shooting 1 Injured & 1 Dead BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) _ Authorities say a man has been killed outside a Bakersfield casino and a wounded man found across the street is considered a person of interest in the shooting. Kern County sheriff's Lt. Ian Chandler says deputies were called to the Golden West Casino at about 5:30 p.m. Friday. They found a man dead in front of the main entrance. The wounded man was located across the street at a market but there's no word on his condition. Chandler says several other people were hurt as they tried to run out of the casino after the shooting but they had only minor scrapes from falling down. He says a gun was found at the scene but there's no word yet on what sparked the attack. The casino has been closed.
Black Students in the Nation’s Capital Deserve Better By Lynette Monroe Program Assistant, NNPA ESSA Media Campaign In my role as the program assistant for the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Public Awareness Campaign, I closely followed the proposal process for the District of Columbia’s ESSA plan. I have to admit, I was disappointed by t h e final version of the plan submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. Overall, D.C.’s ESSA plan is, at best, an incomplete assignment. The ‘to be continued’ tone of the plan could be partly due to the discontent expressed by many community members during the final stakeholder meetings. Parents and educators alike expressed concern about the lack of resources and implementation strategies to support the Office of the State
Superintendent of Education’s (OSSE) aggressive goals for academic proficiency and high school graduation. The participants at the meetings noted the glaring socioeconomic disparities throughout the district and the unique resources required to increase achievement in each ward. One could conclude that OSSE’s aggressive academic goals are mirroring the affects o f a rapidly gentrifying city that continues to marginalize the needs of its majority Black residents. According to District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), 71 percent of their student population is Black and 70 percent of the entire student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch. In August, DCPS released the latest scores for tests under the Partnership for As-
sessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC). Black students showed the smallest improvements with a 4.8 percent increase in English Language Arts proficiency and a 2.1 percent increase in math proficiency. In both categories, less than 20 percent of Black students achieved proficiency in reading and math. This increase is compared to a 6.2 percent increase in English Language Arts proficiency for Hispanic students in the district and a 9.6 percent increase by their White counterparts. Similarly, Hispanic students showed a 5 percent increase in math proficiency while White students increased their proficiency by 4.8 percent. According to the PARCC assessment, less than 30 percent of Hispanic students are proficient in reading and math. While more than 80 percent of White students, according to PARRC, exhibit proficiency. White students make up just 10 percent of the DCPS student population. DCPS needs to try harder to raise the test scores of its Black students. DCPS should also quickly work to reaffirm their commitment to expanding college and career support for students, especially Black students. At a recent town hall meeting hosted by the National Newspaper Publishers Association in Atlanta, Ga., Vickie B. Turner, a school board member for District 5 in the DeKalb County School District, encouraged participants to reach out to parents, who were not present at the town hall and who are not engaged, declaring “we are preaching to the choir.” Nevertheless, we all share a responsibility to educate our children. Some parents may not be able to dedicate as much time to participate in their child’s education as others. You can help out by dedicating an hour, as often as you can, to make sure Black parents are present, represented, and fighting in the best interest of our children. “It takes a village” is not just a cliché or an excuse to discipline a stranger’s child. It is a vow to develop the whole child, irrespective of his or her parent’s shortcomings.
Warren Martin is the son of Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin.
Chief’s Son is Officer Involved in Police Shooting
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) _ Authorities say a man was fatally shot by California police during a foot chase following a traffic stop and the officer involved in the shooting is the son of the city’s police chief. Investigators have not identified the man shot Saturday in Bakersfield or said what led up to the shooting. KBAK-TV reported Sunday that the officer involved has been identified as Warren Martin, the son of Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin. The chief has elected to recuse himself from the investigation and review process. Officials say Assistant Chief Greg Terry has been assigned to oversee the probe. Authorities say the man who was shot took off on foot after being pulled over in his car. He was shot during the chase. Officer Martin has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.