theTorch stories that matter
APRIL 11, 2018
VOLUME 53, EDITION 10E
EUGENE, OREGON
Transfigurations / pages 4 Hack for a Cause / page 6 Letter to the editor / page 8
Lane students shine at art walk
photo by Anna C.K. Smith / photojournalist
“Queen of Wands,” Frédérique Cháteau, Acrylic on Canvas
photo by Anna C.K. Smith / photojournalist
Culinary student Zoe Curtis focuses on the flambé dessert made and served at the First Friday ArtWalk.
computer animation by Dmitri Hunt / LCC student
Art programs band together to spotlight Titan talent Jeffery K. Osborns Editor-in-Chief Lane Arts Council presents First Friday ArtWalks, year-round art tours that visit multiple destinations throughout downtown Eugene. On Friday, April 6, the first stop of the art walk was at Lane Community College’s Mary Spilde Downtown Campus in the Center for Meeting and Learning. The venue featured work from LCC art programs. On showcase were student work from visual, performing and culinary arts. Fine and Media Arts students displayed work ranging from sculpture and ceramics to charcoal, print and multimedia design. The guided tour was guest hosted by Angela Norman, the Market Director of the Lane County Farmers’ Market. Norman is an artist, working as a painter and printmaker, and also holds the title of MECCA’s Board Treasurer. To kick off the event,
Norman spoke to a crowd of over 200 attendees, including LCC students, faculty and community members. This marks the second year that Mary Spilde Downtown Campus housed work from Lane students during the event. “The arts are for everyone,” Ellen Osterkamp, LCC faculty instructor said. “Arts education is essential to learning. It’s essential to engaging young people and their creativity, building their confidence and you’ll really get a glimpse of that tonight.” iMac stations lined a wall of the Center for Meeting and Learning, displaying student work, including a computer animation project completed by 17-year-old student Dmitri Hunt. Hunt created an animated sequence including a catapult launching a fireball inside of an environment that he designed. Hunt’s project surpassed all expectations of the introductory class and impressed classmates and the instructor. Two rooms were available at the event, offering a cinema experience and showcasing student work on large projector screens. Second year multimedia design student Georgia Harter had two productions on display at the art walk, one being a music video in which Harter collaborated with former Titans Christopher Hawkins and indie rock singer Jesse Pino. continued on page 3
2
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
NEWS
theTorch The independent student newspaper of Lane Community College
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
‘I will be that voice’
THE STAFF Editor-in-Chief
Jeffery K. Osborns
Production Director Cat Frink
Art Director Diana Baker
News Director Dylan Plummer
Reporters
Marek Belka Janelle Dutton Mckenzy Gausnell Noah Noteboom Fiona W. Corrigan Sabrina Piccolo
Photojournalists
Nathan S. Calkins Anna C. K. Smith Sterling S. Gonzalez
Business Director Jordan Jones
Web Designer Josh Chatfield
Content Distributor Gabriel Collins
News Adviser Charlie Deitz
Printer
Oregon Web Press Albany, Oregon
LETTERS AND GUEST COLUMNS • Letters to the editor should be limited to 300 words. • Guest columns should be limited to 700 words. • Please include the author’s name, phone number and address (for verification purposes only). • The Torch reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, grammar, spelling, libel, invasion of privacy and appropriate language. • The Torch cannot guarantee publication of letters or guest columns, and may not be able to reply to all submissions.
POLICY
• The Torch is editorially independent and
reserves the right to publish at its discretion. All web and print content is the property of the Torch and cannot be republished without editorial permission. • Up to two copies per issue, per person of the Torch are free; each additional copy is $2.
CONTACT theTorch Lane Community College 4000 E. 30th Ave. Eugene, OR 97405 (541) 463–5655 @lcctorch
facebook.com/LCCTheTorch Emails: editor@lcctorch.com letters@lcctorch.com advertising@lcctorch.com tips@lcctorch.com
photo by Anna C.K. Smith / photojournalist
Major Margaret Witt pauses and reflects on a comment made by an Army sergeant about the disparity between the ways gays and lesbians were treated in the U.S. military. Close to two dozen people attended Maj. Witt’s appearance as part of the Lane Speaker Series.
Air Force major at center of landmark court case speaks at Lane Marek Belka Reporter 13,650 members of the U.S. armed forces were discharged in the 17 years that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was official military policy, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. One of them was Major Margaret Witt, a highly-decorated flight nurse and Iraq War veteran whose face appeared on Air Force recruitment posters in the 1990s. Like a true soldier, however, Maj. Witt didn’t stop fighting. On April 5, Maj. Witt visited Eugene as the latest guest of Lane Community College’s Speaker Series. She shared the stories about her youth, military career and how her civil rights case changed her life and the lives of thousands of other soldiers. Maj. Witt also warned the audience to be vigilant about the rollback of LGBTQ protections at the military, state and federal levels. Maj. Witt, now retired, became an icon of the LGBTQ civil rights movement when she sued the Air Force after being suspended and discharged in 2004. The lawsuit received national attention as it made its way through various circuit courts and appeals, eventually leading to Maj. Witt’s reinstatement to the Air Force with full benefits in 2011. That same year,
the Obama administration repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, paving the way for openly gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals to serve in the armed forces. Maj. Witt was invited by the administration to attend the signing of the repeal. “I didn’t get the pen,” Maj. Witt recalled, referring to the presidential practice of giving the pen that signs a bill to guests at signing ceremonies. “But I did receive a copy of the actual bill that repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Instead of a traditional podium speech, Maj. Witt opted for a more intimate conversational-style event, facilitated by KLCC reporter Tiffany Eckert. Roughly two dozen people — including Maj. Witt’s wife, Laurie — attended the event, which added to the intimacy of the evening. Throughout the evening, Maj. Witt gave detailed accounts of the experiences and obstacles that eventually led to her landmark court case. Even before being outed, she acknowledged that being a woman in the military presented its own hurdles. “All my life, I was told I could do anything, then suddenly I couldn’t because I was female,” Maj. Witt said. “And they never gave me a good enough reason. Give me a better reason to not do my job.” She explained how watching members of her church and school community become ostracized after coming out to their families opened her eyes to the hostility that many LGBTQ people face. As a result, Maj. Witt didn’t reveal her sexuality to her parents until the night before the press conference announcing the lawsuit. “I told my parents I was being discharged because I was a lesbian, and my dad said ‘Well, you’re going to fight
this, right?’” Maj. Witt said. “After that, I knew I could do it. I had Laurie, I had my parents. Bring it on.” Having the support of her family and loved ones was critical to Maj. Witt’s ongoing fight, but she also acknowledged the fellow service members who stood up for her during her court battle. Lawyers for the Air Force repeatedly called members of Maj. Witt’s unit to the witness stand, attempting to prove that her sexuality was bad for unit morale. All of them had nothing but glowing testimony about Maj. Witt’s service. “They were my heroes,” Maj. Witt said, her voice wavering with emotion. “They were there for me, and they were there for all of us.” Maj. Witt also cited Colonel Grethe Cammermeyer, who successfully sued the Washington National Guard after she was discharged for being a lesbian in the early 1990s, as a personal hero. “She was Norwegian, a Washingtonian, and someone I looked up to,” Maj. Witt, who grew up in Tacoma, Washington, said. “She handled herself with dignity.” When asked about the Trump administration’s looming ban on transgender soldiers serving in the military, Maj. Witt became visibly animated and came to their defense. “We need to protect the honor and service of transgender members of the military,” Maj. Witt said. “I have the opportunity because those in the military cannot have a voice, they cannot fight from within. I will be that voice. I’ve got their back, and I’ll speak out.” After the event, Maj. Witt spoke privately with students and faculty members, signed copies of her 2017 memoir “Tell,” and snapped a few selfies with attendees.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
3
NEWS
Ceramic art by Willis Reising displayed April 6 at the First Friday Artwalk at LCC's Mary Spilde Downtown Campus.
photo by Anna C.K. Smith / photojournalist
continued from page 1
“Seeing our video on the big screen, after my team and I poured over a hundred hours of work into it, filled me with a sense of pride and accomplishment,” Harter said. “I’m very grateful that the Multimedia Design program has given me the opportunity to work with such talented and open-minded people.” One room at the venue offered some live theater by theater arts students Zoe Wassman and Bryce Milke. Wassman and Milke presented a 10-minute narrative of a set of Siamese twins going through a break-up, encountering emotional struggles along the way. Jefferson Goolsby, the Faculty Coordinator of the Media Arts program, along with the multimedia design production students, curated the media arts portion of the event over the course of five days. Goolsby and the students overcame several obstacles — including corrupted files and playback discrepancies — but prevailed through persistency
and continued brainstorming. “For as stressed out as we were leading up to the event, the show went surprisingly smooth,” Harter said. “I feel an overwhelming sense of support from all the instructors at Lane and I am so grateful to have learned so much from all of them,” Harter said. “Thank you.” Additional art walk stops included the Broadway Commerce Center, InEugene Real Estate, Karin Clarke Gallery and MECCA. The second art walk stop at the Broadway Commerce Center featured the ArtCore Spring Student Showcase which displayed art by students at five local middle schools. The next First Friday ArtWalk will be May 4th. The guided tour will start at 5:30 p.m. at Vistra Framing & Gallery and will visit various galleries and studios in downtown Eugene. Art walks are from at 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. and are free to attend.
Lane Sheriff’s deputy charged with rape Deputy placed on unpaid administrative leave pending investigation Marek Belka Reporter A Lane County sheriff ’s deputy pleaded not guilty to rape and other charges stemming from an incident in Springfield on March 19. Matthew Allison Hitson, 40, who has worked for the Lane County Sheriff ’s Office as a correctional officer for the last three years, faces two charges of first-degree rape, as well as charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor and delivering marijuana to a minor. He has been placed on “unpaid administrative leave pending resolution of criminal charges,” according to a Lane County Sheriff ’s Office press release. LCSO has confiscated his badge, weapon and uniform. The survivor of the assault, who has not been publicly named, is an 18-year old woman in Springfield. Police in Springfield contacted the LCSO when they opened the investigation into Hitson on March 21, and arrested him on March 23. He was held in the Lane County Jail in downtown Eugene until March 29, when he was transferred to the Linn County Jail for “security reasons,” according to Sheriff Byron Trapp. “The Sheriff ’s Office is saddened a member of the organization may have been involved in actions that lead to the above charges, and the impact it has on our community,” the
LCSO said in a news release. “The conduct reported is not acceptable, and fails to meet the standards expected of members of the Sheriff ’s Office.” The suspended deputy is being represented in court by Bryan Boender, a Eugene-based lawyer. Boender could not be reached for comment, but released a statement on behalf of his client on March 26. “We are at an important time in our country’s history. Issues of gender equality are, rightly, taking center stage,” Boender said. “Now more than ever, we must respect the facts, law, and the legal process before we rush to judgment. Justice cannot be served when it is based on accusations alone.” Hitson’s arrest is the latest in a string of controversies involving law enforcement in the Eugene/Springfield area. Last year, Eugene police captain Sam Kamkar was placed on paid leave for five months after he was accused of sexual harassment by a female officer. The LCSO faced accusations of racial profiling and bias in 2017, which were highly publicized in local media. In mid-March, news broke that the Eugene Police Department disregarded one-third of 911 calls. A sexual assault of a University of Oregon student on March 20 went unreported by the Eugene Police Department for two days, stoking fears among students that the attack was connected to the recent robberies and assaults around campus. “I think it’s [expletive] that I’m afraid to go outside at night because of some predator,” Tricia Walsh, a student enrolled at both the University and at Lane Community College, said. “Because if I did, and something happened, I can’t even rely on the police to help me.” If convicted, Hitson faces a minimum of eight years and four months in prison under Measure 11 guidelines for mandatory sentences. He is due back in court on April 30.
4
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
NEWS
(From upper left to right) Terrill Thompson, Zem Chance, Rose Downing and Trisha Driscoll perform in the 1998 play “Transfigurations” at Eugene’s Very Little Theatre. The play follows the journey of self-understanding from ten transgender and gender-diverse individuals from Oregon. photoa by Nathan S. Calkins / photojournalist
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
NEWS
"Finally, someone gets it!" Transgender and gender non-conforming experiences shared through stage readings Sabrina Piccolo Reporter In 1998, ten Oregonians who identified as transgender told their stories in a play called "Transfigurations" written by Eliza Roaring Springs and Deltra Ferguson. Two decades later, the play acts as a time capsule for their true stories, now told through the voices of new actors. On Saturday, April 7, a staged reading of "Transfigurations" took place at the volunteer-run Very Little Theatre. Minority Voices Theatre, a project of the VLT that strives to represent minority and marginalized communities in staged readings of plays, collaborated with TRANS*ponder, a non-profit organization that aims to provide support and resources for the transgender community, to present the play. This was the first time transgender and gender-nonconforming actors performed in this play, the MVT website stated. When the play was written, it was considered unsafe for actors who were not cisgender to perform. As the audience trickled into the room, lively chatter muffled the creaks of the wooden floor. Lights on the seats dimmed, and ten music stands to hold scripts were illuminated in the center of the stage. Empty chairs stood behind them until they were filled by ten performers donning a variety of dark and bright colors in their dresses, scarves, skirts, slacks and jewellery. The play, a mixture of witty dialogue and the harsh realities of being transgender and gender non-conforming in a world in which being cisgender often seems to be the assumed default, invoked hearty laughter at some points and complete silence at others. Each character’s story was unique. Fish, played by Terrill Thompson, is a transgender man struggling with being in a body that is not in line with how he feels, a somewhat similar story to Charlene’s, a transgender female veteran played by Trisha Driscoll, who, at one point in her life, had to juggle three identities: Charlene, her “in-between” identity and “Charlie the soldier.” The characters also shared experiences of bullying and lack of understanding from those around them. Billie, played by Kamiel Foskey, recounts escaping into a canal as a child to avoid getting into a fight with other children, and Dana, played by Leslie Prieto, describes being told that she would simply grow out of being transgender. Other experiences included job loss, suicidal thoughts, police violence and coming out to family and coworkers, but they
were united in a shared search for acceptance and identity. As Travis, played by Zem Chance, puts simply, “What the hell am I?” After a brief intermission, the six Trans Monologues took place, allowing transgender and gender-diverse members of the Eugene community to tell their personal stories. Five of the six monologues were first-person stories, and all were followed by loud applause from the audience. Rose Downing, who played Jackie in the play, told the story of how her father had locked her in a closet when she was a child for being “too gay,” making her so scared of her femininity that she did not come out as a transgender woman until her father died. Thompson began his monologue with a humorous anecdote of having half of his body patted down by a man and the other half by a woman in an airport. “Finally, someone gets it!” he said. The Trans Monologues concluded with Oliver Lumbra, a 13-year-old boy, and his mother. Oliver explained struggling to tell his mother that he was transgender despite his family being supportive of the transgender community. His mother, Brooke, concluded, “I love Oliver no matter what.” MVT was founded by Carol Dennis and Stan Coleman in January of 2017 as a way to respectfully represent minorities as well as include the entire community, not only professional actors. Prieto, for example, had helped start Eugene’s annual LGBTQ and ally prom called Pink Prom and considers herself an ally of the transgender and gender-nonconforming community, but does not consider acting her strength. “You do it because it’s the right thing,” she said about performing in the play, “not because it’s comfortable.” Dennis also said that MVT strives to open people’s minds “through the arts [by] speaking to their hearts,” but puts a special emphasis on creating a sense of belonging. “Find community,” Chance said when asked what advice he would offer to someone struggling with their gender identity. He also encouraged those people to be accepting of themselves, especially since many “trans people think they’re not trans enough.” “Be patient,” Thompson added, “You don't have to know today what you’ll be tomorrow.” Each character in "Transfigurations" reflects the story of an individual and each Trans Monologue did as well. Nonetheless, all stories and experiences were united in a search for self-acceptance and self-discovery, a concept captured in a question 13-year-old Oliver Lumbra posed in his monologue: “I’m a work in progress, but aren't we all?” MVT’s upcoming productions, which will continue representing marginalized communities and diversity, will be listed on its website. According to the MVT website, an encore performance of “Now I Am Your Neighbor,” a play about the true stores of Lane County immigrants, is likely to take place in September or October this year.
5
6
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
NEWS
photos by Nathan S. Calkins / photojournalist
Conner Lindsley, Genevieve Mallins, Andy Darnall and Ash Levy present their project for the Hack for a Cause challenge to LCC instructor Jan Halvorsen. Hack for a Cause is a 64 hour challenge to find creative solutions to pressing community issues and projects.
64 hours of coding The Eugene Hack for a Cause is a platform for volunteers to create solutions for various community issues. This year, there are 11 challenges that the community faces. Teams had from 8 p.m. on Friday to noon on Sunday to invent creative ways to solve these problems. “This is a bridge between nonprofits and people with the tech talent in town,” Megan McMillan said. McMillan is a software engineer at CBT Nuggets and was a part of the planning committee for Hack for a Cause. In the mix of the 34 teams that participated in the event, there were multiple Lane Community College students who joined the competition. One of the teams included Andy Darnell, a game art major at LCC. Darnell’s team took up the challenge of the augmented reality comics in the overpark garage. “We want people to experience Eugene’s tech innovation and prove that we are on the forefront of new tech,” Darnell said. The teams worked around the clock with sponsors, charities and businesses in the
community to design their project. The projects ranged from establishing websites for community charities to designing a poster to be put up somewhere in Eugene. The posters created by Darnell’s team will be in the stairwell of the Parcade Arcade parking garage. With the effort from all of the members, the group was able to generate an augmented reality poster based on retro video games to represent Eugene’s dedication to technology. “We used iconic landscapes from video games like retro Donkey Kong,” Darnell adds. “We also did a Mario influenced underwater level, a Zelda-influenced fantasy level and a Kirby influenced level.” Working into all hours of the night, the teams were able to construct solutions for numerous organizations, including 15th night, Adventure! Children’s Museum, Egan Warming Center, 20x21EUG Mural Project by City of Eugene Cultural Service’s Public Art Program, Parenting Now!, White Bird Clinic, TRANS*Ponder and Glimmer Technology. Participants were inspired to provide a helping hand to these groups through their passion for technology. “It’s our love for technology and how it’s being integrated into art,” team member Brittany Polley said. The third annual Hack for a Cause once again brought together a need and a solution for pressing issues in the community. The challenges were met with various solutions that can be seen all around Eugene, including the new augmented reality poster created by a few Lane Community College students in the Overpark garage on 1000 East 10th Ave.
LCC’s Hack for a Cause team Andy Darnall, Conner Lindsley, Genevieve Mallins, Ash Levy, Misty Holmes and Mac Bohlman present their project to the judges. Industry professionals reviewed projects and hosted workshops throughout the weekend-long problem-solving event.
Mac Bohlman puts the final touches on her team's Hack for a Cause project. The team collaborated to create an augmented reality art piece that will be in the Parcade Arcade parking garage in downtown Eugene.
The silicon shire’s brightest tech minds tackle real-world problems Mckenzy Gausnell Reporter
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
7
NEWS
Hate crimes spike in 2017 After three year decline, Eugene sees 98% jump in incidents Mckenzy Gausnell Reporter Hate crimes in the Eugene area have nearly doubled from 2016 to 2017, according to the newly released Hate and Bias Report from the Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement organization. According to the report, “of the 87 crimes reported in 2017, arrests were made in 20 cases. Of the charges cleared by arrest, eight were motivated by race, seven by either sexual orientation or gender identity, three by ethnicity and two by religion, four cases remain open, one was unfounded, one was declared exceptional and 61 were suspended or inactive with no more leads.” The report shows that Eugene is experiencing the increase of hate crimes in all areas of the city and this affected most neighborhoods at least once in 2017. However, there are certain areas that are consistent hotbeds for the rising hate activity. “We traditionally see trends in the downtown area and towards the West University area,” Katie Babits, a Human Rights and Equity Analyst at HRNI, said. Even though there is no exact reason why these areas are experiencing the most hate crimes, there is speculation behind the cause. “Higher percentages of population is one theory and the other is downtown is a more commercialized area that attracts more people,” Babits said. Many different demographics are targets, but some are being victimized more than others. According to the report, hate activity based on religion has more than doubled, most acts being against Jewish communities. Race has been a constant motivator for hate crimes and continues to grow. “We see the highest number of hate crimes happen to people of color,” Babits said. “Race is a motivator in 36 percent of hate crimes and 29 percent of crimes that are categorized as hate affected the African American community.” Along with the reported hate crimes, there were an
additional 65 reported hate crime acts using vandalism. The most frequent victims were Jewish or African American communities, and 37 of these incidents were classified as criminal acts of hate, according to the HRNI report. The HRNI offers resources to victims of hate crimes in Eugene. Community organizations like National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Centro Latino Americano, Latinx Alliance and the Lane County Victims Services are equipped to help victims of hate crimes recover and heal from their experience. “Our program primarily has two functions,” Babits explained. “We compile data into an annual report and we connect victims to resources.” Many Eugene agencies are working toward raising awareness about the rising hate activity. In particular, the Community Alliance of Lane County is running the Stop Hate campaign to create a comfortable environment for the community and for the nearby campuses.
“Having LCC, the U of O and other colleges in the area, we are going to have folks who are more outraged by hate and want to take action to stop it,” said Michael Carrigan, senior program staffer at Community Alliance of Lane County. The CALC work with the community to spread the Stop Hate campaign, especially in areas affected by hate activity. “We track hate activity throughout Lane County and when it happens we respond with our Stop Hate campaign,” explains Carrigan. “The Stop Hate campaign organizes rallies, puts up hate free zone flyers, and goes door to door in residential areas that affected by hate activity. We provide them with contact information for us, the police and government agencies that challenge hate activity in the community.” CALC can be reached through the contact information on their website or by attended various events. The community still continues to work toward a hate free environment for all residents to be in.
Gun owners for gun control Lobby group pushes for November ballot initiative Fiona W. Corrigan Reporter The Oregon group Gun Owners For Responsible Ownership is pushing to bring a ballot initiative to Oregon’s November election that would require gun owners to abide by four new regulations. A shooting at the Clackamas Town Center that killed Oregon residents Cindy Yuille and Steve Forsyth was what inspired the ballot initiative. The shooter, Jacob Roberts, opened fire with a stolen assault rifle. Roberts had spent the night at a friend’s house the night before. “The friend had a bunch of different guns, a number of which were laying around,” explained Jenna Yuille, member of the board of directors of GOFRO and daughter of a victim of the shooting. “The shooter took one of them and used that gun to go murder people at the Clackamas Town Center, including my mom.” The other victim, Steve Forsyth, is the brother-in-law of another member of the board of directors, Paul Kemp. “You never think this is going to happen to you and your family,” Yuille said. “I started getting involved after that in the gun safety movement. I want to make a difference in my mom’s name.” One of the four things the law would require is for gun owners to “store and transfer
their weapons with trigger locks or in tamper-proof locked boxes,” which could have prevented the Clackamas shooting. “If the guns had been locked up it would have been that much harder for the shooter to take them and go murder people that day,” Yuille said. Some community members worry that these storage requirements could delay one from protecting themselves in the event of a home invasion. “In the case of defending yourself inside your own home, if going for a firearm is your first go-to for self-defense, keeping it locked and secure is probably not the most efficient way of doing it,” Richard Lewis, second-year Lane Community College student, said. Others think the law would be excessive. “If you are going to leave the house, locking your gun up is a good idea, but if you’re in your own home, it shouldn’t be a finable offense to have the safe unlocked,” second-year Lane student Rebecca Streeter said. In addition to the storage requirements, the ballot initiative would require gun owners to directly supervise any child who uses their gun, report a lost or stolen gun to the police within 24 hours of when they knew or should have known of the gun was missing, and be fully liable for an injury caused with their gun, unless the injury results from self-defense or defense of another person. “At the very least, these rules will help to keep the guns out of the hands of the youths,” second-year LCC student Charles Vessel, said. GOFRO is “the only group of gun owners in the nation that advocates for gun safety specifically,” Yuille said. “It’s really vital that we improve the standards that we have for what needs to be a responsible gun owner.” The ballot is currently in the signature stage, but GOFRO is confident it will be a part of Oregon’s November election.
8
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
OPINION
Letter to the editor
photos courtesy of Ryan Miller, LCC student
LCC student Ryan Miller crouches with a AR15 “Short Barreled Rifle.” Miller had to go through an additional background check and pay a registration tax stamp in order to have the barrel under 16 inches.
LCC Student Ryan Miller poses for a headshot.
Opposition to 'Guns Remain the Same' opinion piece By Ryan Miller, LCC student I’m going to avoid addressing the author’s appeal to emotion logical fallacies. Instead, I’ll address some of the “facts” that are brought up in the opinion article. I find it fascinating that there is a claim that “all the evidence” apparently supports his position when that is simply not the case. He also makes no attempt to show any of this evidence that supports his idea that more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens cause more issues. I can, in fact, cite a counter-example with the city of Kennesaw, Georgia. The
According to LCC student Ryan Miller, “Contrary to popular belief, silencers do not make a gun totally silent.” Miller owns a Savage 10FCP-SR in .308 with the option of adding a silencer.
city made it mandatory for all homes to have a firearm. Obviously, exceptions were made for individuals with felonies or mental conditions that would prohibit them from using a firearm. According to CNN, the town has had one murder in the last six years and has a violent crime rate below 2 percent. This stands in stark contrast to the claims made by the author of the opinion. Something else that gun control advocates like to ignore is all the evidence that demonstrates that gun control simply doesn’t work. Many cities like Chicago, Detroit and Washington D.C. have some of the most strict gun control laws on the books; they also have exceptionally high numbers of homicides and violent crimes. If you were to remove these cities with strict gun laws from our nation’s statistics, the United States drops significantly in the ranking of gun deaths by country.
With over 300,000,000 guns in the hands of private citizens in this country, it would be nearly impossible to enforce any sort of nationwide gun ban. Even if you attempted a buyback program at a flat rate of $200 per firearm (an astronomically low valuation of most firearms) you’re looking at there being a cost of $60 billion to American taxpayers. That also assumes that your average gun owner is willing to turn in their firearms. That has also been demonstrated to be a dismal failure. In the aftermath of the Newtown school shooting, Connecticut passed a law requiring all “assault weapons” to be registered with the state. Only 50,000 firearms were registered which means that tens, if not hundreds of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens became felons overnight. This civil disobedience demonstrates what kind of colossal failure any sort of firearms confiscation would be in
this country. While I shouldn’t have to remind people, it’s worth mentioning that the first battles of our nation’s revolution, Lexington and Concord, were fought because British troops were marching on the colonists’' military supplies. In the face of tyranny, the point at which our founders decided to take up arms against their government was when they were attempting to disarm the civilians. Americans don’t have a tradition of giving up their firearms willingly. The author of the “The Guns Remain the Same” explicitly asks you to forgo your logic at the end of their article and instead resort to emotion. I would instead ask you to use the reasoning and problem-solving skills we are supposed to be learning as students and think through the issue. It’s only then that we can have a truly educated discussion on the topic.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
9
SPORTS
Titans muzzle St. Bernards
photos by Noah Noteboom / reporter
Sophomore first baseman Jackson Soto sharpens his focus as he awaits a pitch. Soto recorded three hits and two runs in the April 9 doubleheader victory against Mt. Hood at Titan Field.
Lane earns three wins to open conference play Reporter Noah Noteboom The Lane Titans baseball team opened its conference play against the Mt. Hood St. Bernards in a five-game series. The Titans won the first game and earned the shutout at Titan Field, 3-0 on Apr. 3. The Titans then traveled to Gresham and lost back-to-back games on Apr. 8. In the final two games of the series, the Titans hosted the St. Bernards, again at Titan Field, hoping for a better result that they got over the weekend. In their first game of a doubleheader on Apr. 9, the Titans squeezed by Mt. Hood with a 3-2 victory. Mt. Hood wasted no time getting on the scoreboard first when outfielder Jason Garcia batted in one runner to put the St. Bernards ahead early. Through the first five innings Mt. Hood racked up five hits and two runs. Meanwhile, Lane was struggling to make contact on the ball with just one hit and one run in the first five innings. The bottom of the sixth inning was the turning point in the game as Lane starting catcher Jimmy McDonald hit a shallow single to right field which drove in sophomores Tielar Murray and Lane Kashiwamura. The Titans regained the lead, 3-2 as McDonald got credit for two RBI’s. Following the end of the third inning, Lane did not allow any hits or runs from Mt. Hood. This helped them secure a 3-2 victory in the first of two games on Apr. 9.
Lane starting pitcher Jesse Davis hurls a pitch during the Titans 3-2 victory over the Mt. Hood St. Bernards on April 9 at Titan Field. Davis has signed his letter of intent to pitch for the University of Washington Huskies next spring.
Lane pitcher Jesse Davis earned the win, striking out five batters and allowing just five hits. Aaron Hutchinson picked up the save on the mound for Lane. It was three batters up, three batters down for Mt. Hood in the first inning of the second game of the afternoon doubleheader. Freshman Charlie Patterson earned the start on the mound for the Titans. In four and a half innings Patterson allowed just one hit and struck out five Mt. Hood batters, two in the first inning. It took the Titans more than three innings to get points on the scoreboard. In the
bottom of the fourth inning Lane outfielder, Tim Storms drove in two runs when he hit a double to center field to give the Titans their first lead of the game, 2-1. It was a busy fifth inning for both teams. Mt. Hood recorded one hit and also scored one run to tie the score at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. Titan outfielder, Colton Sakamoto recorded his second hit of the afternoon on a fly ball to outfield. Soto followed his lead and smashed a double past the Mt. Hood outfielder which drove in Sakamoto and landed himself on second. After he put himself in scoring
position, Hank Forrest hit another double and pushed the Lane lead to 4-2. Later in the sixth inning, Sakamoto batted in two RBI’s and Lane continued to perform on the offensive end extending their lead to 6-2. Lane shutout Mt. Hood in the final inning to secure their third conference victory of the season. With their victory, Lane jumped into third place in the Southern Region conference. They continue their conference play when they play the Clark College Penguins in a five-game series starting on Apr. 10. Clark is currently second in the NWAC standings.