free
WEDNESDAY
jan. 25, 2017 high 36°, low 30°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Title IX
P • Finding her sound
Attorneys from the Office for Civil Rights held a meeting Tuesday regarding the investigation into Syracuse University's handling of a sexual assault case. Page 3
dailyorange.com
Milan Chaney has gone from rap battles in the Bronx with her brother to gracing the stage in Syracuse with a poetic performance at the Westcott Theater. Page 11
S • Rising back
Syracuse men's basketball went into the half trailing against Wake Forest. But the Orange battled back and beat WFU, 81-76, on Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome. Page 20
city
Sanctuary status pondered
Life
under Trump PART 2 OF 3
By Chieh Yuan Chen staff writer
MARTIN MARTUCCI, a transgender student at Syracuse University, is worried about what could happen to the rights of LGBTQ people during a Donald Trump presidency. ally moreo photo editor
Tough love
Trump presidency leaves LGBTQ community anxious By Haley Kim
asst. copy editor
M
artin Martucci had been wearing men’s clothes for years. But it was only when he was volunteering at a local museum as a tour guide and adults started using male pronouns that he considered he might be transgender. Martucci, a freshman architecture major at Syracuse University, formally came to that conclusion in December 2014. Many of those close to him have long been sup-
portive — at the beginning, whenever friends used the wrong name or pronouns, they would donate a quarter to a jar. But now, in 2017, Martucci finds himself worried about his basic rights because of his gender identity. With Donald Trump’s recent inauguration as the 45th president of the United States, Martucci, like other members of the LGBTQ community, is unsure about the future of LGBTQ issues, such as transgender bathroom laws and same-sex marriage. Some concerns among the LGBTQ community stem from
Trump’s selection of former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice president, given Pence’s controversial record on LGBTQ issues. Yet while experts said there is reason for alarm — especially for the transgender community — they also pointed out it is unlikely that gains already made will be taken away. David Rayside, a professor of political science and sexual diversity studies at the University of Toronto, said he thinks the Trump administration isn’t likely to pursue much legislation related to LGBTQ see lgbtq page 6
city
Special SPD task force to investigate homicides By Jessica Zuk
contributing writer
The Syracuse Police Department is currently implementing a special task force to investigate murders in the city following its deadliest year yet in 2016. The idea for the Homicide Task Force, which will exist through SPD's Criminal Investigations Division, had been circulating
within the police department for years. Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner officially announced its establishment during her State of the City address on Jan. 12. The task force will consist of one lieutenant, one sergeant and eight detectives working to investigate homicides in Syracuse. Sgt. Richard Helterline, who is part of the Criminal Investigation Division at the SPD, said
in an email the idea for the task force had "been passed around" for years but was delayed due to staffing issues.
30
Number of homicides in Syracuse in 2016
But with the increased number of homicides in 2016, the issue became a particularly urgent one to address, Helterline said. Additionally, the police department was recently able to transfer more detectives to its investigations unit because SPD had a new class of recruits graduate from its field training program, Helterline said. see task
force page 6
Born in a refugee camp in Kenya, Khadijo Abdulkadir came to the United States at the age of 15 without knowing a word in English and was immediately thrust into an American high school. She is now a junior studying international relations at Syracuse University. Abdulkadir is also the Women’s Empowerment Project program coordinator at Syracuse Refugee and Immigrant SelfEmpowerment, a group in the city devoted to advocating for the local immigrant and refugee population, according to their website. “I have gone through so much and there is a lot of ideas that women should not be educated, women should not be out of the house and women should not do this and that,” Abdulkadir said. “That really bothers me, and I have to deal with that on my own.” Abdulkadir said she cried of happiness when Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner reaffirmed Syracuse's status as a sanctuary city at the State of the City address earlier this month. In that speech, Miner said city resources, including those of the police, would not be used to enforce federal antiimmigration policies. A sanctuary city is a city that protects undocumented immigrants even if they are in violation of federal immigration laws. President Donald Trump has previously proposed deportation of such undocumented immigrants, which could put refugees in the city of Syracuse at risk. Miner's comments, though, made Abdulkadir feel welcomed as part of the Syracuse community, she said. Last year, she went back to Kenya to visit the refugee camp there. Reflecting on her upbringing at the camp, she said she feels blessed to be a citizen of the U.S. But at the same, it was painful, knowing that many of the people at the camp could not emigrate to the U.S., she said. “There is no person in this world that is an illegal immigrant,” she said. “We are all humans just because paperwork defining us doesn’t make us unhuman or anything different.” Rebecca Miller, director of programs at RISE, said it was an emotional moment and a positive sign to hear Miner announce that law enforcement agencies will not be used to enforce anti-immigration policies in the city. Miller also said there is misunderstanding in how the community and the country see refugees, basing see sanctuary page 6