THURSDAY
NOVEMBER 17, 2016 Vol. LI No. 9
Volunteers from St. Vincent de Paul unbox Thanksgiving turkeys. See story on Page 5
FREMONT, CA OHLONEMONITOR.COM
Bay Area protests election results TOMI BOYD OPINIONS EDITOR
• Latinos from Mexico are rapists, drugrunners, criminals -- we will build a wall to keep them out. • Muslims are terrorists—we will deport them; send them back from where they came. • Global warming is a construct of a competitive market structure. In the wake of Donald Trump’s election, it is messages like these that have struck fear into communities nationwide. In the Ohlone College community, students and faculty have come together in solidarity to support one another through open dialogue. Immediately after the results of the presi-
dential election, the STEP Up Ohlone team, a mental health and wellness program, released a message to the Ohlone community connecting them to election stress support through the JED Foundation. The JED Foundation listed simple steps to reducing election-based stress, including limiting social media time, spending time with supportive friends and family, and engaging in pleasurable and meaningful activity. In the closing statements of Ohlone’s Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 9, Trustee Ishan Shah remarked “today was a tough day for people who believe in a lot of the things that we believe in here at the college…keep faith, remember the Continued on Page 6
JULIAN MONCALEANO/MONITOR
Personal notes decorate the Unity sculpture at Lake Elizabeth.
Mueller show
TOMI BOYD/MONITOR
Students react to election MIRA CHANDRA NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF PAUL MUELLER
Crestone, Photographic Exhibition by Ohlone professor and artist, Paul Mueller, above, at Louie-Meager Art Gallery from Nov. 7 - Dec. 8. Story, photos on Page 4.
Protesters gather in Oakland after the presidential election outcome.
In case you haven’t heard (which I doubt) Trump is our new president-elect. Although we’re not the only state completely shocked by the results, given how liberal and progressive Californians are, mass hysteria has broken loose at the prospect of having a misogynistic, bigoted, racist-and one could argue-- a rapist of a president. Violent protests have broken out against Donald Trump, in the hopes our federal government will hear them out. But protesting his unavoidable presidency is futile. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want Trump to be the leader of our “free” world, but I’m not going to protest against him-- here’s why: 1. What will happen because of these protests will not be change, but a further perpetuation of complacency. People will protest, realize “voicing their opinion” has not made any modification in who becomes our president, and then believe it doesn’t make a difference to oppose an unfair status quo or
OPINION injustice. And finally -- when the time comes to actually band together and rise against decisions made by our federal government -- there won’t be any passion, because people will feel there is no point in opposing an oppressive regime or unfair state of affairs. So the passionate protestors we see today will have grown complacent, inevitably enabling the unfair treatment they want to stop. 2. Where was all this rage filled passion to support Hillary Clinton before and during the general election? 3. How can people who didn’t vote, who cast a write-in vote for Harambe (11,000 votes, I’m not making this up) or for Mitt Romney, be upset by the election’s results when they in part contributed to his success? 4. For whoever is protesting, there is no real goal other than to “voice an opinion” and proclaim “Donald Trump is not my president.” News flash: our government is more than aware of the unrest plaguing America.
If the goal is for feelings to be recognized and anger to be acknowledged-- the best, most convenient and peaceful means to do so are right at our finger tips; A.K.A. The Internet, and to be more specific: social media. Instead of protesting the president-elect, we need to unite and focus on what’s more problematic: the policies which may be created, reformed and pushed through by a right-leaning federal government. Given Trump’s racist and misogynistic rhetoric, it can be assumed he intends on repealing reproductive health care laws, instigate violent immigration policies, impose gun laws with barely any regulation and more. When and if any of his major policies are accepted and enforced, that is what the American people need to fight against. Moving away from Trump protests, what’s truly disheartening is not the fate of this country alone, but the deep divide between people in our country, the dissatisfaction of so many Americans that has manifested itself in the form of desperation and ugly nativism, Continued on Page 3