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Volume CXVIII, No. 5
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Thursday, March 24, 2016
Thursday, March 24, 2016
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Activists clash over local Confederate Flag rally
National The U.S. has felt the shock of the terrorist attacks abroad, and cities are currently tightening security standards in response. President Obama has said the U.S. “will do whatever is necessary to support Belg ium.” New York, for instance is increasing security in high-risk areas in the state and has increased their counterterrorism resources. Other major U.S. cities like Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia have heightened their security, even though there are currently no existing threats. Both major Democratic and Republican candidates have publicly denounced the attacks and declared support for Belgium.
International A series of terrorist attacks have occurred internationally in the past few weeks. In Belgium, two suicide bombers detonated. They have been identified as El Bakraoui and Khalid El Bakraoui, although two other men still have yet to be identified, one of whom is on the run. Sadly, 31 people were killed and 270 were wounded. There is a potential link to the Paris attack several months ago where 130 people died. Some of the individuals involved in the terrorist attacks resided in Belgium for some time, including the sole surviving member of the Paris attackers. Currently, Belgian officials are on high alert and the U.S. is now warning citizens to be careful when traveling to Europe in the wake of these incidents.
This week’s “Top Stories” were compiled by Kayla Britt with information from CNN (www.cnn.com) and Project Syndicate (www. project-syndicate.org)
Students and professors oppose a rally celebrating the flag at the Peace Light Memorial B y J effrey L auck C ontributing W riter On Saturday, March 5, hundreds of protesters gathered beneath the Eternal Peace Light Memorial in support of and opposition to the Confederate Flag. The Gettysburg chapter of the Sons of Confederate veterans acquired a permit to hold a rally in support of the flag, prompting Gettysburg College history professor Dr. Scott Hancock to get a permit for a counter protest at the same time and place. Roughly 20 anti-flag protesters, including a handful of Gettysburg College students and professors, met near the Abraham Lincoln statue outside Stevens Hall at 1 p.m. to meet before heading to the rally. These protesters, led by Dr. Hancock, took this opportunity to prepare their message for the pro-flag demonstrators. Striving for a more holistic interpretation of the flag’s history, the demonstrators agreed with individuals’ first amendment right to fly the flag, but stressed that the flag has a history rooted in racism and oppression. The protesters posed for a picture next to the Lincoln statue before marching over a mile to the Eternal Peace Light Memorial on Oak Hill. When the anti-flag protesters reached the Peace Light, they were met by an unexpected group of other protesters who had also come to oppose the continued use of the Confederate flag. These protestors, dressed mostly in black and hiding their faces while flying black flags, were a collection of activists who had heard of the Confederate flag rally and organized their own counter-protest through Facebook. They came from all over the region – Baltimore, Freder-
Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey Lauck
Photo Credit: Democracy Matters
A group of Gettysburg students, faculty and other community members, led by Dr. Scott Hancock, prepared a message for the pro-flag demonstrators. They are pictured in front of Stevens Hall. ick, Altoona, Carlisle, Reading and even Washington, D.C. – to protest against racial hatred and stand in solidarity with those who believe the flag is a symbol of oppression. This group, lacking a leader or a name, took to the megaphone to voice their opposition to the Confederate flag, often doing so with the use of expletives and vulgar language, much to the chagrin of many of the pro-flag demonstrators and other anti-flag protesters. Altogether, about 50 people came out to protest the Confederate flag rally. “There’s a reason the KKK and Dylan Roof use that flag – it’s because they know the history of that flag,” Dr. Hancock said at the protest. “If the Sons of Confederate Veterans would be honest and recognize that history and wanted to change the symbol that would be one thing. But that’s not what they’re doing,” he continued.
An African American protester with the Facebook activist group said that she sees the Confederate flag as a symbol of hatred and oppression – not freedom. “I hope that one day we won’t have to stand out against this. Someday I just want to come here to enjoy the park,” she said with a laugh. About 50 yards away, the Sons of Confederate Veterans held their own rally in support of the flag. The group listened to speeches from members of the group and even broke out into singing “Dixie” and shouting the “rebel yell” at one point. “This flag is a part of our nation’s history,” remarked one pro-flag demonstrator who attended the event dressed in a blue officer’s frock coat, portraying Union general John Newton. Another pro-flag demonstrator from Lynchburg, Virginia explained that he was there to celebrate his family’s heritage in the
29th Virginia infantry, a unit that served in the Confederate Army. “We want unity – not division,” he said. “That’s why we’re under the Peace Light.” At times, the protests seemed far from peaceful. At one point, chants of “Black Lives Matter” from the anti-flag protesters were answered with chants of “All Lives Matter” on the pro-flag side. Members of the Facebook activist group used their megaphones to shout phrases like “The South will not rise again! Your heritage is hate!” and “Hey hey! Ho ho! Your racism has got to go!” Following a violent demonstration by the Ku Klux Klan a few weeks ago in Anaheim that left fivepeople in critical condition with stab wounds and other injuries, tensions were high for many of those present. “The 1st Amendment protects the freedom of speech for
both groups,” said Chief Ranger Jeremy Murphy of the National Park Service. “We have two separate areas for the two groups to keep the demonstration peaceful. We also have federal law officers, Cumberland Township police, Pennsylvania State patrol, and the Gettysburg Borough police here in case anything happens.” In between the two barricades, an older woman stood flying an American flag that she said was her father’s burial flag. “My father served at Okinawa in World War II, and this is his flag,” she said. “I’m here because we should be united. We are Americans first – we are Democrats, Republicans, Northerners, and Southerners second.” She wanted demonstrators on both sides to remember that “this flag is why we are able to protest.”
Series of laptop thefts reported on c a m p u s The campus is on alert after a total of five laptops were stolen in the past month
B y J amie W elch W eb M anager Students at Gettysburg College are on high alert this week after a series of laptop thefts around campus have shaken the community of trust on campus to its core. The thefts occurred at various locations on campus in the period from Feb. 10 to March 17, according to the Gettysburg College Department of Public Safety. A total of five laptops were stolen. The first incident occurred on Feb. 10 in Bream Gym. A student said that his laptop was stolen from the second floor men’s locker room between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. The laptop had been left unattended. The laptop stolen from Bream Gym has been recovered and the
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responsible person has been identified. According to DPS, the person identified was a Gettysburg student who is being dealt with through the college’s judicial process. Since criminal charges were not filed, the name of this student is not public information. The next three thefts occurred in Musselman Library in the evening hours of March 3. In all cases the laptops had been left unsecured and unattended at the time that they were stolen. No suspects have been identified in this case. DPS declined to comment on the status of the investigation into these thefts citing the fact that this is still an active DPS investigation. Most recently, on the evening of March 17, a laptop was reported stolen from
an unsecured vehicle parked outside the College Union Building. DPS said that investigation into this theft is ongoing and that a responsible party has not yet been identified, but did comment that they do not believe there is any connection between this incident and the library thefts on March 3. These thefts follow a series of thefts between Oct. 2014 and Dec. 2015 involving items including a ring, pendant, bracelet, a television, camera equipment, gaming equipment, and games that were stolen from residential facilities, and over 100 DVDs that were stolen from Musselman Library. The two employees believed to be responsible for a majority of these thefts are no longer employed by the
Money in Let’s Talk Weird News, American politics About Poetry - Democracy pg. 2 column, Matters, pg. 3 pg. 2
College. Executive Director of Public Safety William Lafferty said in an email to the Gettysburgian that some, but not all of these recent thefts were reported to the Borough police department, which is conducting its own investigation into the matter. Lafferty said the decision of whether or not to report the incident to Borough police was solely up to the student, and in many cases the student opted not to report. Lafferty also said, “Laptop thefts are crimes of opportunity and in nearly all cases, the laptops were left unsecured and unattended.” Lafferty told the Gettysburgian that DPS has stepped up patrols of common spaces where students gather and study and has communicated with em-
Apple, the FBI, and cybersecurity, pg. 4
ployees of those areas to be vigilant and report concerns immediately. He also offered several tips to help students reduce the likelihood of theft. First and foremost, do not leave personal items of value in unattended or unsecured offices or spaces. Students should take items with them or ask a trusted friend/colleague to watch over the items. Second, students should lock their devices in a safe place when not in use or use a cable lock that wraps around a desk or chair leg. Lafferty also suggested applying distinctive paint markings (such as indelible markers) or engravings to one’s laptop to make it unique and easily Continued on page 2
Managing The Fight for pots-break Reproductive Justice, stress, pg. 7 pg. 7