WEDNESDAY JULY 20, 2016 VOLUME 106 ISSUE 5 www.UniversityStar.com
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Over 200 people gathered at the Hays County Courthouse for Black Lives Matter march Jul.17. PHOTO BY RUSSELL REED | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
BLACK LIVES MATTER marches through San Marcos for peace JeriLynn Thorpe News Reporter @jerilynnthorpe The Black Lives Matter organization in San Marcos invited the community to march for unity and justice Sunday evening. The event brought together hundreds of people from San Marcos, Texas State and surrounding areas for a night of solidarity. Texas State junior, Russell Boyd, organized the march along with 12 other Texas State students and alumni. “This was motivated in response to the recent tragedies that have happened around the country, along with the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando
Castile and in mourning of the five officers in Dallas,” Boyd said. Many BLM allies in San Marcos contributed resources for the event. San Marcos Police Department volunteered their time to patrol the event while other members of the community donated water, food, sound equipment and vehicles. One city council member, four members of clergy, EMS and a criminal defense lawyer were among those in attendance. The march began at Greater Bethel Baptist Church and continued to Hays County Courthouse where the organization’s leaders spoke on their personal experiences of mar-
ginalization, racially profiled encounters with police and what people can do to make a change. Chelsea Jordan, Iowa State alumna, came to the event because she feels if change does happen, she wants to say she was a part of it. “It is an issue, not just for black people, but everybody. We see the issues and we are ready for change,” Jones said. “Black lives matter too. We want everyone to know we aren’t just here as standby people. And that needs to be said.” Of the many issues addressed, a standout concern among the organization was politics and getting the community out to the polls.
Associate Professor of History at Texas State, Dwight Watson, was one of the first speakers at the courthouse. Watson opened with thanking the SMPD for being kind and courteous, but didn’t shy away from what history has shown him. “Every 20-30 years, we fight a fight on police brutality,” Watson said. “You all must get politically active. Elect people that will go to office and reflect things that are in your interest, not theirs.” Boyd said that in order for the country to support the BLM movement, there needs to be conversations within the homes of “privileged” people.
“What can people do who possess privilege in order to ensure that people of color are receiving the same amount of justice and equality,” Boyd said. “It starts with an open and honest conversation. There needs to be a lot of reform and change within the political system as far as people who possess privilege and are not allies to the community. That comes from, really, a strong sense of voting among minority communities.” Activist Skyller Walkes read aloud a poem in response to the murder of Castile and encouraged the community to put action behind their thoughts and prayers.
“I know that we are here to incite change,” Walkes said. “We are showing up at the table, but here’s the thing, we are showing up at the table, and we are equipped to have the discussion. We are no longer going to be prawns in a system that doesn’t recognize our humanity.” In closing, the leaders read the proclamation given to them by Mayor Daniel Guerrero, establishing July 17 as Love and Light Day. Currently, BLM in San Marcos is in the process of planning several initiatives to promote voting and making sure leaders are deputized to get people to register to vote.
CITY
Community contributes to making San Marcos a familyfriendly enviornment “Greetings from San Marcos” mural July 18. San Marcos was rated in the top 10 for worst cities in the US for families by WalletHub.
By Bri Watkins Assistant News Reporter @briwatkins17 WalletHub ranked San Marcos as one of the worst Texas cities to live in for families due to its lack of affordable housing. San Marcos has experienced a tremendous population growth over the years which has strained the regional and local housing market, said Kevin Burke, economic development and downtown administrator for the city. “The supply of new homes has not kept pace with demand, and as a result, housing in San Marcos has become less afford-
able,” Burke said. The City of San Marcos is moving in the direction of developing new housing stock at all price points. Blanco Vista, Cottonwood Creek and Kissing Tree are among the current developments under construction. To expand the residential and mixed-use master plan communities, the City has granted entitlements for several other developments expected to break ground soon. “The addition of this significant volume of highquality new housing stock is expected to relieve price pressure on the local housing market and contribute to the amenities and hous-
PHOTO BY VANESSA BELL | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
ing choices that make San Marcos a desirable community,” Burke said. With a vision to make a more affordable housing market for families, the city offers many programs which create a familyfriendly community. The Youth Services division in the Parks and Recreation Department hosts a variety of family-oriented programs including Movies in your Park, Daddy Daughter Dance and a Fall Family Ball. The city also provides summer camps, events for children with disabilities and training workshops. “The Youth Services division of the Parks and Rec-
reation Department is constantly looking at ways to partner with organizations to host more programs for children,” said Jessica Ramos, Youth Service Manager. Although San Marcos is home to the fast growing university, Texas State, the Youth Services division has compassed a partnership with the institution. “Without their help, we would be unable to host many of our programs,” Ramos said. The Therapeutic Recreation students serve in some of the programs including Fun Fish Day, an event for children with disabilities.
Youth Services also receive volunteer help from many Texas State students for the Fall and Spring carnivals. Along with programs hosted by the city, the San Marcos Public Library also contributes to assembling family activities. The San Marcos Public Library is a popular place for residents of Hays County. The library holds a collection books, CDs and DVDs for children and adults. During the summer, the library has provided over 100 free programs designed for babies through teens including story times, puppet shows, crafts and Lego Mania.
A variety of different programs are held Tuesday nights for families to enjoy quality time together, said Library Director Diane Insley. The library has collaborated with other agencies, organizations and individuals to provide young citizens with a rich literary experience including a monthly tradition of ‘Fired Up for Reading’ presented by the city firefighters. Firemen read stories, demonstrate equipment and give tours of the fire trucks to children. Residents can visit the San Marcos calendar to get more information on dates and times of events.