dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 113, NO. 40 • SINCE 1908
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013
GAMECOCKS
LET ONE
SLIP
AWAY
Olivia Barthel / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Tailback Mike Davis said he wanted to go for it on fourth down late in Saturday’s game against Tennessee. Coach Steve Spurrier called two timeouts before punting the ball.
Connor Shaw doubtful for Saturday’s game against Missouri with knee sprain Danny Garrison
DGARRISON@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
South Carolina football has had consistency issues all year, but many fans thought that last week’s dominant showing at Arkansas would be a turning point in the season. However, the Gamecocks’ youth-driven mistakes
caught up with them Saturday, falling 23-21 in Knoxville, Tenn. to Tennessee on a last-second field goal. “They won the game,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “A play or two here or there, we had a lot of careless penalties today that, in a close game, they come back to haunt you.” Tennessee looked to be in control from t he beginning of the game, forcing South Carolina to go three-and-out on its first two offensive possessions and
recovering a Gamecock fumble on their third drive. The Gamecocks (5-2, 3-2 SEC) were on the wrong side of the turnover battle for the whole game Saturday, giving up possession on one of their two fumbles and giving up the ball again on senior quarterback Connor Shaw’s first interception of the year. Shaw’s day wouldn’t get any better as he went down with a left knee strain late in the fourth quarter while taking a sack. The senior had to be helped off the field SHAW • 10
Officials propose Five Points fixes Opinions vary on source, solution of problems downtown Thad Moore
TMOORE@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
In the week after a stray bullet paralyzed an 18-yearold USC student, most people have agreed that Five Points has a problem. But opinions vary on just what that problem is. City leaders, business owners, students and residents have pointed variously to big-picture challenges — gangs, a “revolving door” judicial system and a lack of collaboration between local police departments — and to smaller-scale struggles, like a hard-to-enforce loitering ordinance and crowded sidewalks late at night. “I don’t know that we have a 100 percent accurate idea of what’s going on,” said Columbia City Councilman Moe Baddourah , who represents Five Points and is running for mayor. The range of opinions has led to a broad range of suggestions, from requiring bars to close at 2 a.m. and blocking traffic on weekends to raising the state’s minimum sentences and passing a stricter loitering ordinance in the city. But each appears tied, at least in part, to the area’s growing popularity, from a USC-centric village to a regional hangout. Interim Columbia Police Chief Ruben Santiago said Five Points is now frequented by residents of Camden, Sumter, Orangeburg and other nearby towns, who come to hang out and not to visit businesses. Debbie McDaniel, a longtime Five Points business owner, said t he crowds on a recent night were “astounding.” Elijah Ngugi, who drives a taxi nearby, called them
“unpredictable.” Santiago said language in the city loitering ordinance makes it difficult to enforce in Five Points, where most people move around, even if they’re only hanging out. USC President Harris Pastides said the packed sidewalks led him to think the area’s roads should be blocked off on weekend nights, one of five suggestions he made last week as he called Five Points unsafe after midnight. The Five Points Association said in a statement late Friday afternoon that it was “adamantly opposed” to that and another of Pastides’ proposals — mandatory 2 a.m. bar closings. “Neither addresses the real issue in Five Points — gang violence,” the statement says. Ryan Kay, owner of the Harden Street bar Pinch, agreed that a regional gang problem is “boiling over” into Five Points and said that its reputation for popular nightlife helped attract them. “Any time there’s an easy target, it will attract criminals. A young, intoxicated student by themselves is an easy target for a criminal,” Kay said. “Every entertainment district in every city in every part of the world has these issues. It’s not something specific to Columbia, and it’s not specific to Five Points.” Larry Sypolt, a former FBI analyst who is also running for mayor, said the string of high-profile incidents in the area — from the beating of Carter Strange in 2010 to the shooting of first-year business student Martha Childress this month — also owes to a county-wide crackdown on nuisance clubs that has driven such businesses into city limits. Mayor Steve Benjamin, the third candidate FIVE POINTS • 3 A forum on safety in Five Points is planned for 4 p.m. today on the Russell House Patio.
Men sought in connection with Childress shooting last week Amanda Coyne
ACOYNE@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
T he C olu m b i a Pol ic e Depar t ment is seek i ng three men in connection w it h t he shoot i ng of fi rst-year business student Mart ha Childress. The men may have gotten into an argument with shooting s u s p e c t M ic h a e l Ju a n Smith, who is accused of firing a shot after a fight broke out at a Five Points gas station. Po l i c e s a y S m it h w a s seen on sur veillance
v ide o c om m it t i ng t he c r i me . T he y a l s o s aw these three unidentified men on sur veillance tape and are hoping the community will be able to identify them and report them to Crimestoppers at 888-CRIME-SC. Childress, who was waiting for a cab near t he Five Points Fountain around 2:30 a.m. Oct. 13, was not the target of the shooting. T he bu l let st r uc k her in the spine and family Courtesy of Columbia Police Department members say she is now These two men are among the three sought by paralyzed. the Columbia Police Department for questioning.
Marshall Harkness / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
The Gamecock Pantry will open in McBryde this month.
Pantry serving more than food Student Government intiative to open later this month Sarah Thomas
NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
The soon-to-launch Gamecock Pantr y will offer much more than food to students and other members of the USC community in need. The Student Government initiative that was a staple in Student Body President Chase Mizzell’s campaign will officially open later this month, but has already served its first student, Mizzell said at an early October student senate meeting. In addition to providing food, it will help students who are dealing with sickness, unemployment, depression, stress or any other sort of issue they may be facing, said its director, Claire Kimpton. The pantry and its staff will try to find help for those who may need counseling, legal assistance or help paying rent. “Students are wanting and needing someone who cares to make this a better place,” said Kimpton, a fourth-year international studies and business management student. “It’s about a caring heart and a caring hand. What a better way to do it than with food? Being able to feed someone and hold their hand and letting them know you can relate to them (is what it’s all about).” SG officials began discussing the project more than a year ago with other students, faculty and staff. The pantry is a simple solution to filling students’ essential needs, Mizzell said. “There are real students with real needs. This is going to be part of the solution,” Mizzell said. The pantry is not just for students who are poor, Kimpton said. It is meant to provide resources that all students need to succeed. Everything will be kept confidential and anonymous. “One of the main points that the pantry stresses is seeing these issues as circumstances and situations
INSIDE
PANTRY • 3
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SPORTS
MIX
VIEWPOINTS
WEATHER
Jadeveon Clowney took advantage of one-on-one coverage against Tennessee.
USC alumna Jenna McSwain has released her first jazz album, “Wax and Wane.”
Editorial Board: Proposed solutions for Five Points crime do not all address the biggest issues.
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