Wrongly accused: death penalty in Tenn. under scrutiny NEWS >>pg. 2
@UTKDailyBeacon
Editorially independent student newspaper of the University of Tennessee since 1906
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Wednesday, November 19, 2014
America’s favorite Brits have done it again ARTS & CULTURE >> pg. 3
Issue 64, Volume 127
Johnson, Williams accused of forcible rape Troy Provost-Heron
Sports Editor (@TPro_UTDB)
Two Tennessee football players, senior linebacker A.J. Johnson and redshirt sophomore cornerback Michael Williams, are currently under investigation for an alleged forcible rape that occurred at The Woodlands of Knoxville
apartment complex early Sunday morning. According to a Knoxville Police Department report obtained by The Daily Beacon on Tuesday afternoon, one 19-year-old woman, who is a UT student, told police she was raped by Johnson and Williams at 1:45 a.m. She said the attack lasted 45 minutes. The other victim in the report, also a 19-yearold woman, claims that
• A.J. Johnson
Williams sexually assaulted her, but also stated that she will not pursue charges, according to a KPD press release that was released Monday. The woman has since returned to Florida, where she attends another university. The woman who said she was raped was transported to UT Medical Center, according to the report. No charges have been filed against either player. On Monday, Johnson and
Williams were suspended from all team-related activities, approximately three hours after Tennessee head coach Butch Jones announced at his weekly media luncheon that the investigation did involve football players. The investigation began at approximately 2:57 a.m. Sunday when officers and investigators responded to White Avenue to look into a rape and sexual assault allegation.
More than just jeans
O f f i c e rs obtained a search warrant and searched the apartment at The Woodlands on Sunday night as part of the investigation. The investigation is ongoing. This is not the first legal incident Johnson has encountered in his time at UT.
See JOHNSON on Page 5
Forum to reveal first hand Ferguson experiences Tanner Hancock Copy Editor
Carrie Bilbrey works on some denim pieces in the Marc Nelson Denim shop. Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon
Knoxville denim shop nurtures local art scene Liv McConnell Special Projects Editor
Marcus Hall is a man who knows his roots. When deciding where to establish the flagship store of his Knoxvillebased clothing line, Marc Nelson Denim, he didn’t go far from home. “This is the neighborhood I actually grew up in,” Hall said. “My grandparents lived two blocks from here, and that was one of the places I considered home. So to actually be able to open up a storefront and start doing productions right here, it is a dream come true.” The interior of the Warehouse District store, now in its ninth week of operation, holds true to the American-made standards Hall and his denim line embody. Classically masculine elements make
up the décor, including a cowhide rug, a case of old Coca-Cola bottles and the flag that flew above Hall’s first Knoxville business. “Everything is very, very Knoxville and very local,” said Andy Jones, public relations head of Marc Nelson Denim. “All of the shelves, counters and benches came out of a single cherry tree we bought here locally on Craigslist. All the wood you see we cut, made and finished right here in this space.” Equally local is the interior bricking. The exposed brick walls are the salvaged remains of the McClung Warehouses, which burned down in February. Most other architectural features, like the tiled walls and dressing room doors, are the handiwork of Warehouse District businesses, like forK design across the street.
Southern author knows how to shock ARTS & CULTURE >>pg. 3
Marc Nelson uses Smooth Ambler Whiskey to custom color their Whiskey Stained Jeans. Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon
Jones maintained that a number of the neighborhood businesses have reported positive changes since Marc Nelson opened its doors. “I really think we’re leading the charge here in the Warehouse District by saying, ‘We’re doing this here,’ and other local businesses are coming out and being a part of it,” Jones said. “We’re hearing from the local neighborhood telling us how positive the impact has been here.” For Hall, one of his favorite aspects of the
new space is its potential for entertainment. The store has already been transformed on several occasions into an offbeat venue, hosting local bands like The New Romantics for Halloween. “There’s a lot of cool things happening in this area,” Hall said. “We’ve got Saw Works next to us, which is cool because when we’re having a party you can go right next door and get beer if your keg runs out, which we did Friday night. It was a real party.”
Opinion: UT victim-blaming culture needs to stop VIEWPOINTS >>pg. 4
Immersion into Knoxville’s art and music scene is a goal of Hall and Jones, and one they have already made significant progress toward achieving. “What we’re really hoping to do with this space is showcase a lot of great indie, local music and local art,” Jones said. “We really feel that with what we do, we are a real part of the arts community in Knoxville.”
See NELSON on Page 3
Ferguson, Missouri, was once an obscure St. Louis suburb. Now the town is associated with police brutality, American racial tension and a widely-supported social movement. Several UT students and Knoxville residents recently traveled to Ferguson to protest the Aug. 9 death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American man who was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a Caucasian police officer. On Wednesday night in the Alumni Memorial Building, they will share their experiences in Ferguson and discuss the broader political situation underlying the highly-publicized death. The Tennessee-based Highlander Center selected the participants to travel to Ferguson in order to participate in the area’s social activism. The center works to promote “grassroots movements” in the South to promote widespread social justice and equality. Ann Richardson, a lecturer in the history department and a member of the planning committee responsible for the forum, hopes the event will highlight connections between Ferguson’s racial climate and that of Knoxville. “This is Missouri, we’re in Knoxville -- what do these two things have to do with each other?” Richardson asked. Richardson said she sees the death of Michael Brown at the hands of a police officer as a symptom of larger racial issues in the nation, citing the death of AfricanAmerican teenager Vonderrit Myers last month in St. Louis as evidence to that effect. “It feels like an epidemic,” Richardson explained. “How many more young people or young men in this society are gonna die before we all just step back and say ‘Wait a second, what’s going on here?’” Richardson ultimately sees the forum as an opportunity for students to discuss the controversial issues surrounding Brown’s death. Having lived during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Richardson said the next generation is responsible for continuing the legacy of improving race relations. “These shootings are an indication that there is more work that needs to be done (by America’s youth),” Richardson said. See FERGUSON on Page 2
Lady Vols look to end losing trend against Gamecocks SPORTS >>pg. 6