PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD
VOLUME 74 • ISSUE 8 • OCTOBER 22, 2019
Portland State students work with veterans facing deportation
NEWS PORTLAND STATE OF MIND EVENT COVERAGE INTERNATIONAL TURKEY INVADES NORTHERN SYRIA TO CREATE SAFE ZONE • OPINION BILLIONAIRES ARE AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO DEMOCRATIC SOCIETIES
CRIME BLOTTER
Oct. 15–19
SOPHIE CONCANNON OCT. 15
OCT. 18
Theft At approximately 9:30 p.m., a Portland State student reported theft of unattended property that had occurred a half hour earlier at the Millar Library.
Domestic Disturbance At approximately 1 a.m., CPSO responded to a disturbance between a PSU student and a non-student.
At approximately 11:30 p.m., Campus Public Safety officers responded to a PSU student who reported theft of unattended property. The report occurred on SW Montgomery and Broadway.
OCT. 17 Fire Alarm At approximately 5 p.m., CPSO and the Portland Fire Bureau responded to a fire alarm with smoke and no fire. The cause was listed as an overloaded dryer.
Bicycle Theft Between Oct. 15–18, CPSO received reports of three bicycles being stolen. One occurred at the Millar bike garage, one occurred at the University Technology Service Building and one occurred at Montgomery Residence Hall.
OCT. 19 Vandalism Campus Public Safety officers responded to a report of a broken window in the Urban Center.
CONTENTS COVER BY BRANDON PAHNISH NEWS HILL TO HALL OCT. 14–18
P. 3
INTERNATIONAL CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT REACHED BY KURDS, TURKEY
P. 10
PORTLAND STATE OF MIND
P. 3–6
CATALONIA DEMANDS RELEASE OF INDEPENDENCE LEADERS
P. 11
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR SPEAKS ON POWER OF BYSTANDER RESISTANCE THE FUTURE OF TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE
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OPINION BILLIONAIRES SHOULDN’T EXIST
P. 12
PANEL OF EXPERTS DISCUSS OREGON’S OPIOID CRISIS
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ELLEN RICHSPLAINS FRIENDSHIP WITH WAR CRIMINAL
P. 13
PSU PROFESSORS, EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON SHORTCOMINGS OF ELECTRONIC ELECTIONS
P. 6
ARTS & CULTURE DISMANTLING AMERICA’S RACISM
P. 14
COMICS
P. 15
EVENTS CALENDAR
P. 16
INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
P. 7
COVER REPATRIOT OUR PATRIOTS: NONPROFIT STARTED BY CURRENT AND FORMER PSU STUDENTS HELPS VETERANS FACING DEPORTATION
STAFF
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Nada Sewidan MANAGING EDITOR Marta Yousif NEWS EDITORS Sophie Concannon Dylan Jefferies INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Madison Cecil ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Bruna Cucolo OPINION EDITOR Anthony Montes SPORTS EDITOR HIRING
ONLINE EDITOR Sangi Lama COPY CHIEF Hannah Welbourn CONTRIBUTORS Hanna Anderson Kameel Assad Gregory Retz Quinn Stoddard Nick Townsend Teri Walters PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Alex Wittwer MULTIMEDIA EDITOR HIRING
P. 4
P. 8–9
PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR John Rojas
A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood
LEAD DESIGNER Sam Person
STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale
DESIGNERS Brandon Pahnish Dana Townsend DIS T RIBU TION & M A R K E TING DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGER Dylan Jefferies T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow George Olson Tien Pham John Rojas
STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher To contact Portland State Vanguard, email info@psuvanguard.com
MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.
A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
NEWS
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR SPEAKS ON POWER OF BYSTANDER RESISTANCE SOPHIE CONCANNON
OCT 14–18 HANNA ANDERSON
OCT. 14: PETITIONS TO RECALL GOVERNOR FAIL TO SUBMIT NECESSARY NUMBER OF SIGNATURES
Two petitions, both with the goal of putting the recall of Oregon Governor Kate Brown on the 2020 ballot, have failed after not reaching the necessary number of signatures by the deadline on Oct. 14. Both petitions started on July 15—the earliest a recall could be filed against the governor for the 2020 ballot—and had 90 days to collect the required signatures. One petition, sponsored by Oregon Republican Party Chairman Bill Currier, only fell 10% short of the 280,050 signatures required. A second petition also failed while its chief petitioner, Michael Cross, insisted they reached 290,000 signatures. Secretary of State Beverly Clarno reported only 23,926 sheets were submitted. As each sheet can not hold more than 10 signatures, the petition failed to reach the requirement.
OCT. 14: LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST SECRETARY OF STATE AFTER REJECTION OF BALLOT INITIATIVES
Following Oregon Secretary of State Beverly Clarno’s rejection of Initiative Petitions 35, 36 and 37—which would have tightened Oregon forestry laws regarding clearcuts and aerial pesticides—backers of the potential ballot measure have filed for a lawsuit. The lawsuit, which was filed on Oct. 11 in Marion County by attorney Jesse Buss, alleged Clarno was too strict concerning the “Single Subject” rule for ballot initiatives and asked a judge to overturn the rejection.
OCT. 17: OREGON SENATOR INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO PROTECT TECH USERS’ PRIVACY
Senator Ron Wyden, D–Ore., introduced a new bill to the United States Senate to better protect consumer’s privacy and impose harsh penalties on tech companies who lie to the Federal Trade Commission regarding their protection of user’s data. The legislation, titled the “Mind Your Own Business Act,” would guarantee users a way to opt out of the tracking and sharing of their personal data, via a national “Do Not Track” system, as well as allow for the hiring of more staff to the FTC to police the market of online data and establish minimum security standards. Under the proposed legislation, if companies are found to be lying to the FTC, they could be fined up to 4% of their annual revenue and possibly face prison sentences.
Former PSU professor, Holocaust survivor and lifelong activist Laureen Nussbaum spoke about active bystanding, addressing the validity of unconventional forms of contemporary and historical resistance. During an Oct. 14 speech in Smith Memorial Student Union, Nussbaum, who was born in Frankfurt and migrated to Amsterdam after the rise of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, said the absolute minimum one could do was make those in power uncomfortable. “I found that very often, when people talk about the war years we have this very simple division of perpetrators, victims and bystanders,” Nussbaum said. “It isn’t that simple. The bystanders can be compliant, or they can actively be on the lookout for clandestine action.” Nussbaum pointed to her own history as a Jew under German occupation of the Netherlands as an example of resistance in an unlikely form. “There was resistance, and it was resistance that was much more sustaining than destroying,” Nussbaum said about the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. “The Dutch were excellent at forging papers...finding shelter to hide people, and [had] a very good underground press.” An example of an unconventional form of bystander resistance that Nussbaum noted was Hans Calmeyer. Calmeyer, a German official based in the Hague who oversaw petitions regarding the legal status and identification of Jews, changed the status of over 3,700 registered Jews to save them from deportation—including the status of Nussbaum, her sister and her mother. Nussbaum said Calmeyer was a staunch anti-Nazi from the beginning and asked for an administrative position to undermine Nazi efforts.
According to Nussbaum, when Calmeyer transferred petitions to his superior, he marked children of mixed marriages as half-Jewish, which allowed them to take off the yellow star and prevented their deportation from Amsterdam. “That was step number one that Calmeyer had [taken]...using the law against the people in power,” Nussbaum said. Nussbaum also detailed the risks Calmeyer was taking by changing the status of Jews and putting himself in a vulnerable position. “The Nazis looked over his shoulder all the time. They felt he was fielding way too many opinions and positions...because it was very much suspect how many cases he decided in favor.” Nussbaum’s advice for resisting in the modern world addressed alienation and social groups. “I think there is a very strong propensity of people to think in terms of us and them...I think it’s in all of us,” Nussbaum said. “I think whenever we think in terms of us and them...our religion, or our nationality or our school...we have to fight it.” On her efforts, particularly surrounding nuclear disarmament after she moved to California in 1957, Steven Fuller of the Germanic Languages department spoke highly on her accomplishments. “Every single political event I ever went to, every progressive left-wing event that I went to, the Nussbaums would beat me there,” Fuller said, referring to Nussbaum and her late husband. “She was present, ever present.” Nussbaum, now 92 years old, has been active in lobbying for various causes after retiring from PSU. Her recent efforts include trying to get an uncensored version of Anne Frank’s diary released to the public.
OCT. 18: GROUP OF OREGON JUDGES ASKS STATE SUPREME COURT TO BAN COURTHOUSE ARRESTS
In a meeting held on Oct. 18, the Uniform Trial Court Rules Committee—a part of the state judicial system—voted to recommend that anyone inside of a courthouse, especially if appearing in court for any reason, be safe from arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Judges in favor of the vote explained immigrants, regardless of their legal status, had become afraid of appearing in court out of fear of being deported. Opponents to the decision, however, were concerned the possible rule could raise tensions between deputies and ICE agents and possibly lead to confrontations between the two.
LAUREEN NUSSBAUM SPEAKS OF HER EXPERIENCE GROWING UP IN NAZI-OCCUPIED EUROPE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF RESISTANCE. ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
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NEWS
THE FUTURE OF TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE
LGBTQ+ LEADERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH DISCUSS RESEARCH REFORM, TRANSGENDER HEALTH NEEDS GREGORY RETZ Portland State, in collaboration with Oregon Health & Science University, held a forum on Oct. 18 to discuss healthcare obstacles transgender and gender diverse people face and the efforts to solve them. The forum was made up of LGBTQ+ leaders in public health who are making changes and maintaining progress not only in the way they gather data but the way care is provided. “There has been little to no public health surveillance of transgender populations in the United States,” said Alexis Dinno, a professor of epidemiology for OHSU and PSU. “So those questions of population health and mortality cannot be answered with the precision we give to cisgender people.” Transgender and gender diverse people often have been studied in research designed for cisgender people. This
means the impact of survey data which misrepresents gender through limited options can potentially have vast and unforeseeable consequences. Dinno encourages understanding of the difference between gender and sex and said the concepts should be segregated not only in daily life but in the methods in which populations are studied. “Divorcing gender from any imperative of sex productively liberates a human being’s potential,” Dinno said. Jae Downing, a professor at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, posed the question of how LGBTQ+ people can avoid being erased in research. “We need research that is reflective of all of our health needs beyond just HIV—one of the primary health needs asked for in our community is access to gender-affirming care,” Downing said.
Gender-affirming care can refer to many different types of care gender diverse people seek out, including hormone therapy and surgery. “We still don’t quite know what the level of demand is for services,” Downing said. “In fact, most gender-affirming surgeries are paid for out of pocket, which means those who can’t pay go without care.” Medicare is the largest health insurance program in the nation. However, Medicare only covers gender-affirming care in some states, including Oregon. According to an Oregon Healthy Teens survey of eighth graders, gender diverse teens are three times more likely to commit suicide. “There is nothing about being a gender diverse teen that means you have to feel like this,” said Julia Przedworski, a senior research associate at OHSU. “This is not part of a gender diverse experience.”
PROFESSOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY ALEXIS DINNO SPEAKS AT THE TRANSGENDER HEALTH PANEL HELD AT PSU. ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD
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PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
NEWS
PANEL OF EXPERTS DISCUSS OREGON’S OPIOID CRISIS AT PUBLIC FORUM HELD AT PSU
(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) JUDGE ERIC BLOCH, AMANDA RISSER, KATU-TV HOST STEVE DUNN, OHSU STUDENT MORGAN GODVIN AND JIM POLO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND GIVE INSIGHT TO THE OREGON OPIOID EPIDEMIC. ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD QUINN STODDARD A panel of experts discussed Oregon’s opioid crisis, including prescription drug abuse, addiction and dependency, as well as possible solutions through patient and public education. The event held on Oct. 14 as part of the Portland State of Mind festival—titled “What Can Be Done About the Opioid Crisis”— consisted of panelists who discussed Oregon’s ongoing opioid epidemic, particularly prescription drug abuse.
OREGON’S OPIOID EPIDEMIC
Opioids, a class of drugs found naturally in the opium poppy plant, work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief. Opioids include prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone and fentanyl and illicit drugs such as heroin. “More than 1 billion pain pills have flooded the United States by drug makers since 2006, and Oregon ranks among the highest in the nation among prescription painkiller abuse, addiction and overdoses,” said PSU Interim President Stephen Percy in the events’ opening remarks. In a recent national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Oregon ranked second in the nation for non-medical use of painkillers such as prescription opioids. “When you look at 15 different metrics of assessing our states’ mental health system—everything from access to support for services—we don’t rank well,” said Dr. James Polo, medical director of Regence BlueCross Blueshield of Oregon. Panel members also discussed factors that contributed to the prevalence of this issue within the country. “I graduated from
medical school in 2002,” said Dr. Amanda Risser, senior medical director of substance abuse disorders for Central City Concerns. “When I was a resident, what we were taught was that opioids were the most effective treatment for chronic pain.” “I’ve got the largest drug court in the state: We’ve got 180 [cases] on a given day,” said Eric Bloch, a Multnomah County circuit judge. “The majority of those folks are addicted to heroin now; and of that, the vast majority of those folks began their journey into opioid addiction through legal prescriptions.”
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
To combat the opioid crisis, the panelists agreed that patient education is a potential way forward. “I do think we are making headway,” Polo said. “At Regence [BlueCross Blueshield] we’ve spent a tremendous amount of effort working to educate providers, and we’ve created tools that patients can use to take into [see] their doctor to have a discussion about opiates.” Alongside patient education, the panelists and audience members discussed ways Oregon as a community can begin to move forward in providing aid to those addicted to opiates. One proposal was to create safe injection centers—a practice conducted in Europe and Australia, as well as other places around the globe. While there are no legal safe injection sites in operation within the U.S., there is significant advocacy to instate them. Panel members also discussed ways to move forward in providing more access to care to those in need. “The people needing those services don’t get there—they don’t know about it, they’re
not guided there. They’re not connected up in a comprehensive system,” Bloch said. Bloch announced that the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission has been meeting and working toward creating a state-wide, comprehensive plan to address the issue. He went on to say the plan will be put before state legislature in January 2019. “The plan is essentially going to say, with respect to prevention, with respect to intervention, with respect to treatment and recovery, these are the things we should be measuring and monitoring to give direction to efforts going forward,” Bloch said. Changing the narrative and stigmatization around opioid abuse was another roundly agreed-upon solution by members of the panel. Audience member Erik Kilgore, founder of Henry’s Uncle, a registered non-profit dedicated to aiding those experiencing addiction, weighed in, “What we’re trying to do is really to try and reduce the stigma and shame around addiction.” “It’s wonderful that almost 100 people showed up—to take their night and come here and listen and collaborate—that’s a big thing,” Kilgore said. Panel members included: Eric Bloch, a Multnomah County circuit judge; Dr. Amanda Risser, senior medical director of substance abuse disorders for Central City Concerns; Dr. James Polo, Medical Director of Regence BlueCross Blueshield of Oregon; and Morgan Godvin, a PSU Public Health student who added their own personal experience with addiction and recovery.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
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NEWS
PSU PROFESSORS, EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON SHORTCOMINGS OF ELECTRONIC ELECTIONS
BRANDON PAHNISH TERI WALTERS Portland State faculty and cybersecurity experts spoke about the dangers of electronic voting by outlining the shortcomings of current technologies that make us susceptible to hacking, as well as discussing potential solutions. Former election official and mathematician Stephanie Singer from the Center for Public Service gave an example of a Washington, D.C. election that officials had invited to be hacked in order to test the system out on a relatively low-risk election. “[They] found out that in fact [someone] had hacked the test,” Singer said. Singer also said auditing from reliable sources is an important precaution. If electronic voting systems are the only form of evidence, voting officials wouldn’t be able to tell if there are any disparities. Singer suggested a test in which voters mark both electronically and on paper to test the accuracy of electronic systems. “Voters mark their ballot…and [then officials should] take a random sample of voters using appropriate statistical protocol...that is what everyone should do.” Computer Science Professor Charles Wright focused on how voting machines could potentially be hacked. Wright said hacked electronic voting computers could potentially flip entire states. Wright used the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore as an example. “How many votes would it take to flip three states?...[for the] 2000 presidential election…less than 300 votes.” Nirupama Bulusu, a professor from the department of computer science, spoke on blockchain voting, which is voting done online from home.
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“Voters sign up for the service with their email [and] complete their identity verification. [They] will receive a ballot…once submitted, the voters name is encrypted and added to a secure blockchain…then [they will] receive an anonymous receipt,” Bulusu said. Bulusu said there were arguments both in favor and against the use of blockchain voting. “[Blockchain voting] boosts participation in elections…provides access and ability to those posted overseas…[and] decentralized systems are harder to alter or destroy than centralized systems.” However, Bulusu said that ultimately due to security issues found in experiments that used the system for votes that the “results didn’t actually match the actual results from the Blockchain election results… they differ statistically…in voter identification.” “Blockchains are great for voting, but identification [processes] aren’t that great,” Bulusu said. “We should use the old voting system unless we’re sure identification works correctly. Blockchain isn’t ready yet to be used for civic voting.” Professor Wu-chang Feng went over what actions PSU is taking to bridge the education gap in cybersecurity. Feng detailed a cybersecurity camp hosted by PSU for high school students, which includes education that “teaches [students] how to prevent phishing,” as well as teaching other security tools. Feng said it was important to teach the next generation about issues surrounding cybersecurity and voting. “We have to be able to teach what’s coming next… [especially since] we’re shifting a lot of our focus to the cloud,” Feng said.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
INTERNATIONAL
THIS WEEK 1
around the
WORLD
Oct. 14–19
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1
Oct. 14
KYIV, UKRAINE
Approximately 20,000 protesters marched through central Kyiv in reaction to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s deal with Russia, which grants pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine special status and allows them to hold their own elections. Nationalist groups and veteran associations organized and led the protests against the plan. According to The Guardian, a recent poll revealed the majority of Ukrainians are against granting eastern Ukraine special status despite the violence that has been ongoing since 2014. “We are for peace, but we want it done differently,” protester Ludmyla Linnyk told Reuters. “We also want our boys not to die, but we want our land to remain our land and that there are no enemies on our land.” 2
Oct. 16
KENYA
Kenya’s Ministry of Education announced hundreds of informal schools would be closed by the government following the collapse of a school in September. The school collapse killed eight children and injured dozens more. The collapse was blamed on poor construction and overcrowding. According
to Al Jazeera, the collapse led to the government tightening regulations on schools. The thousands of students attending the informal schools that will be shut down will be transferred to public schools close by, but many of them are already overcrowded. 3
Oct. 16–17
MINDANAO, THE PHILIPPINES
At least five people died due to a 6.3 magnitude earthquake centralized near the Philippines’ second-largest island of Mindanao on Oct. 16. Over two dozen people were injured. The earthquake triggered several landslides, one of which killed a mother and her child, according to Al Jazeera. Hospital patients were evacuated to the streets and residents were advised to avoid buildings that may have been structurally damaged by the earthquake. The Independent reported a 5.3 magnitude aftershock occurred the following morning on Oct. 17. 4
Oct. 16
KANDUNA, NIGERIA
In the third raid of October, police freed over 600 students from schools in Nigeria, many of whom were chained to walls, molested and beaten. The schools, called Almajiris,
educate about 10 million children. Authorities have performed several raids on the schools in October and released more than 1,000 students. Police arrested the owner of the facilities, along with two teachers. Police also told Reuters newcomers and misbehaving students were separated and placed in buildings where they experienced regular abuse. “No responsible democratic government would tolerate the existence of the torture chambers and physical abuses of inmates in the name of rehabilitation of the victims,” Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in a statement in support of the police raids, according to Reuters. 5
Oct. 19
SIBERIA, RUSSIA
At least 15 gold miners died after a dam collapsed and partially flooded a mining encampment in remote Siberia. As a result of the dam collapse, two dormitories at the mining camp flooded, injuring 16 people and leaving another 13 missing. The New York Times reported the dam was not registered or approved by Rostechnadzor, Russia’s agency for “technological and ecological oversight.” Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered state agencies to investigate the disaster and prevent additional damage to neighboring communities.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
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COVER
REPATRIATE PATRIOTS NONPROFIT STARTED BY CURRENT AND FORMER PSU STUDENTS HELPS VETERANS FACING DEPORTATION HANNA ANDERSON AND DYLAN JEFFERIES A new nonprofit started by former and current Portland State students works with veterans facing deportation by providing them with services, information and support to help them remain in the United States. Repatriate Our Patriots, a nonprofit started in February of 2019 by Brandee Dudzic, a PSU conflict resolution alum, has been working with veterans across the country facing deportation as well as veterans who have been deported. By providing legislative and general advocacy, writing governor’s pardon packets and advocacy for individual’s needs, Repatriate Our Patriots said it has successfully helped multiple veterans through every step of the naturalization process, allowing them to return and remain in the U.S. PSU student and Repatriate Our Patriots Secretary and Treasurer Jennifer Martinez-Medina witnessed this process firsthand. Her brother Albert Martinez, a U.S. Army veteran, was deported in 2005 after serving time in prison for drug-related charges. As of yet, Martinez has been unable to return to the U.S. “When he returned [from active duty] he was having a little bit of trouble reintegrating, so he kind of fell into a little bit of drug
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use and things like that,” Martinez-Medina explained. “And so once he was in that legal procedure...he didn’t know that he could actually be deported. He had no idea. We had no idea.” “This was prior to all the organization and advocacy that’s happening now,” Martinez-Medina said. “So I think now that conversation is starting to change.”
REPATRIATE OUR PATRIOTS CURRENT CASES
Another veteran helped by Repatriate Our Patriots is Jose Segovia-Benitez, who enlisted in the Marines in 1999 until his honorable discharge in 2004, following two tours of duty in Iraq, where he suffered a traumatic brain injury. After having difficulty reacclimating to daily life due to severe post-traumatic stress disorder, Segovia-Benitez served a prison sentence related to violent offenses and drug possession. On the day of his release, Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents brought him to the Adelanto Detention Center in California where he would spend the next two years detained, according to The Guardian.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
Repatriate Our Patriots spent over a year with Segovia-Benitez advocating on his behalf. Dudzic was packing for a flight to El Salvador on Oct. 14, where she would meet Segovia-Benitez for the first time after his release from the detention center and continue to work with him to offer whatever support Repatriate Our Patriots could offer. Segovia-Benitez called Dudzic, and while the detention center phones hampered the quality of the call, he talked about how much he looked forward to being outside again. “Whatever happens will happen,” Dudzic told him, “and I know that you’re worried about it—and I won’t tell you not to worry about it—but don’t worry about anyone else. We’re all grown-ups, we’ll adjust and we just will take the day as it comes.” Just earlier that week, Repatriate Our Patriots successfully crossed a deported veteran, whom they were working with, from Tijuana back into the U.S.; now it was starting to look like another client would be getting deported. “This one is a devastating blow for me personally,” Dudzic stated in regards to Segovia-Benitez. “[I’ve] spent a year with Jose as an advocate.”
COVER
JORGE SALCEDO RETURNS TO CONNECTICUT AFTER HIS DEPORTATION TO PERU. SALCEDO SERVED EIGHT YEARS IN THE U.S. ARMY AND WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED IN 2002. COURTESY OF BRANDEE DUDZIC
VETERANS FACING DEPORTATION
According to Dudzic, one doesn’t need to be a citizen before they are allowed to join the U.S. military. Instead, potential recruits need to be a lawful permanent resident or a green card holder. About 5,000 noncitizens enlist in the military each year, according to the Department of Justice. But serving in the U.S. military provides noncitizens with a new path to citizenship. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, after having served a year during peacetime, or any time on active duty during periods of hostility, noncitizens may apply for naturalization. The process and no step therein is simple—the majority of it rests in bureaucratic confusion, according to Dudzic. In the often-lengthy meantime, these U.S. veterans are at risk of being deported. “All the military does is provide a path to citizenship, but that path is extremely confusing,” Dudzic said. “Today, in 2019, a typical immigration attorney would probably tell you the same thing.” Dudzic said even those who knew naturalization would not be automatic were not aware of how confusing the process would be. “In between all of these wide spaces of time, you’re being deployed, you’re changing duty stations—none of this paperwork follows you,” Dudzic explained. If a noncitizen veteran commits certain felonies before this process is completed, they are subject to deportation,
regardless of whether or not their time was served in a U.S. prison. “It’s like every time you go somewhere else, you start all over again,” Dudzic said. “And if you throw in the fact that people come back with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries or any other issue that prevents them from being able to have any structure to their life.” “Without someone really holding your hand and walking you through that process and making sure you’re doing all those things—which there usually isn’t—that’s how [veterans can get deported].”
MOVING FORWARD
Dudzic and Martinez-Medina said others can get involved to help support their efforts and advocate for deported veterans as a whole. As a nonprofit organization, they explained how donations and volunteers are vital to keeping the organization working. Repatriate Our Patriots offers various opportunities for volunteers, from helping to walk veterans through the naturalization process to advocating for the issue in Congress, as well as helping run events and spreading awareness. “I really feel like there’s an advocacy space for anybody,” Dudzic explained. “No matter what they wanna do, we have something for them to do. We just need to know what they want.”
Dudzic expressed interest in a partnership with the PSU Veterans Resource Center but said that possibly because of shifting directors, the idea fell through—for now. Dudzic said, “I kind of got the feeling that [the VRC] saw this as an immigration issue; so I’m hoping that a new director will see that and be like, ‘oh wow, that’s a really big deal.’” Dudzic and Martinez-Medina explained that even as immigration law and reform are increasingly talked about, stories like these are at risk of being overlooked. “Current legislation right now is the Repatriate Our Patriots act, and the Veterans Rescind Protection Act, and if you look at the co-slots for these bills, it’s all Democrats,” Dudzic said. “I think that’s the biggest indicator this issue is being seen as an immigration issue, not a veterans issue, because, where [are] the [Republicans]?” Martinez-Medina added it shouldn’t be just an immigration or a Democratic issue, but a veterans issue as well. “It’s something across the board,” Martinez-Median said. “As a society, we value military and service members, or at least we value our service members that have served, and that’s what... the thread [is] in all of this.” You can learn more about Repatriate Our Patriots on their website at repatriateourpatriots.org.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
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INTERNATIONAL
CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT REACHED BY KURDS, TURKEY
TURKEY THREATENS TO 'CRUSH THE HEADS' OF REMAINING FIGHTERS
FIRE BILLOWS THICK BLACK SMOKE FROM THE SMALL BORDER TOWN OF RAS AL-AIN, SYRIA, WHERE TURKISH AND KURDISH FORCES CLASHED ON OCT. 18, 2019. LEFTERIS PITARAKIS/AP IMAGES MADISON CECIL Syrian Kurds and Turkey agreed to a five-day ceasefire on Oct. 18 in order to allow Kurdish fighters and civilians to leave the border area between the two countries. After President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of United States troops from northern Syria on Oct. 9, Turkey invaded the country, seeking to create a so-called safe zone for the thousands of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Turkey’s invasion began with air strikes against several towns along 150 miles of the Syrian-Turkish border. The air strikes disproportionately affected two towns, Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ain. “There is a state of fear and terror among the people here and the women and children are leaving town,” Akrem Saleh, a journalist in Ras al-Ain, told The New York Times. By the end of Oct. 9, five civilians and three Syrian Democratic Forces fighters were killed in the Turkish airstrikes, according to authorities. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group, however, reported as many as 11 people were killed by the end of Oct. 9, eight of which were civilians. The ceasefire agreement between the SDF, which represents Kurdish fighters, and Turkey applies only to the so-called safe zone, an area whose borders are unclear and are still debated. The U.S. government—which has historically supported the Kurdish fighters until the withdrawal of troops—said it believes the border of the safe zone extends approximately 20 miles into northern Syria. The Turkish government believes the zone extends the same distance but also said it reaches the Euphrates River, which borders Iraq.
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Less than 24 hours after the ceasefire agreement was made, there were reports Turkey had violated the agreement and attacked several locations with a high civilian population, including a hospital, according to CNN. “SDF are committed to the ceasefire, but from last night [Oct. 18] until this morning [Oct. 19] we are seeing shelling on Ras al-Ain by the Turkish military and its mercenaries on SDF and civilian Kurdish targets, and in particular on the Ras al-Ain hospital in the city this morning,” Merivan Qamishlo, SDF press commander, told reporters, according to CNN. Between Oct. 19–20, Turkish forces reportedly killed 16 additional SDF fighters and injured three more, despite the ceasefire agreement. Following the continued attacks, Kurdish fighters abandoned Ras al-Ain, leaving in an 86-vehicle convoy carrying SDF fighters and several wounded civilians. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made an announcement on Oct. 20, stating if all SDF fighters did not withdraw from the safe zone the country was attempting to construct, Turkish forces would “crush the heads” of those who remain. “If [the ceasefire agreement] works, it works,” Erdogan told reporters, according to The Independent. “If not, we will continue to crush the heads of the terrorists the minute the 120 hours [of the agreement] are over. If the promises that were made to us are not kept, we will not wait like we did before, and we will continue the operation where it left off once the time we set has run out.”
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Turkey faced criticism from the international community for its invasion of Syria and the continued attacks against the Kurds despite the ceasefire agreement. NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, called upon Turkey to “act with restraint,” while the German Foreign Office sent out a tweet claiming the invasion will “further undermine the stability of the whole region.” “This risks destabilizing the region, exacerbating humanitarian suffering and undermining the progress made against [the Islamic State], which should be our collective focus,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement. “Turkey has shown considerable generosity in hosting so many Syrian refugees. But we will not support plans for returns until the conditions are in place for a voluntary and safe return home.” Trump has also faced international and domestic bipartisan criticism for the decision to fully withdraw troops from Syria. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi criticized Trump, saying he had a so-called meltdown during discussions about the situation in Syria, and claimed “dangerous opening [has] been provided to [IS], Iran and Russia” as a result of the withdrawal. “Pray for our Kurdish allies who have been shamelessly abandoned by the Trump administration,” U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted. “This move ensures the re-emergence of [IS]...I urge President Trump to change course while there is still time by going back to the safe zone concept that was working.”
INTERNATIONAL
CATALONIA DEMANDS RELEASE OF INDEPENDENCE LEADERS MADISON CECIL Following the imprisonment of nine politicians in favor of Catalonia’s independence, approximately 525,000 people took to the streets of Barcelona in protest. Catalonia, a wealthy, semi-autonomous region in northern Spain, held an independence referendum in 2017, but the referendum was deemed illegal by Spain’s constitutional court soon after. The 2017 movement was shut down by Spanish authorities, and dozens of pro-independence leaders were arrested while others fled the country, including former Regional President Carles Puigdemont. Puigdemont turned himself in to Belgian authorities on Oct. 18, days after Spain renewed the warrant for his arrest. Authorities took Puigdemont’s statement and questioned him before he was released, pending a hearing regarding the warrant for his arrest on Oct. 29. Al Jazeera reported Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine politicians to prison sentences from nine to 13 years on charges of sedition and misuse of public funds on Oct. 14, 2019. Three other leaders of the movement in 2017 were found guilty of disobedience but face no jail time. The punishment of the independence leaders triggered the protests currently taking place in the region. “Catalans tried for a long time to demonstrate to the world that we can achieve significant change through democratic, peaceful means, but we were slapped in the face,” said Adrià Alsina, former grassroots pro-independence group ANC spokesman, to AP News. “At least the violent protests in France or Hong Kong or Ecuador are achieving some of their goals. Ever since [Oct. 14] the people who had the moral authority to stop this, they are in jail.”
Protesters have thrown gasoline bombs, acid, stones, firecrackers, nails and bottles at police attempting to control the protests. One firecracker hit a police helicopter, but no serious damage or injury was caused. Protesters blocked parts of the border between France and Spain as part of their protests. Roads have been barricaded with burning trash cans and tires. The Guardian reported that on the first day of protests, the demonstrators attempted to take over Barcelona-El Prat airport, resulting in the cancelation of 57 flights. “We have been in this independence movement for seven years already, and we are fed up,” one protester who asked to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation from the police, told AP News after he was struck by a rubber bullet in the face by authorities. “We’re standing up now.” Estimates placed the total cost of damages done at €1.1 million, or $1.23 million, by Oct. 17, according to AP News. Authorities arrested at least 16 people on Oct. 16 and said any violence by the protesters will be punished. “Throughout this week, as you well know, there have been violent incidents in Catalonia,” Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said at a press conference, according to Reuters. “They have been organized…by groups who are a minority but are very organized. Their actions, as we have already said, will also not go unpunished.” Democratic Tsunami, a non-violent, proindependence organization run by an unknown group is one of the main organizers of the protests, but Spain has yet to be able to shut the online-based group down. After a Spanish court ordered any web pages associated with Democratic Tsunami to be shut down, the organization created a new URL address, avoiding the shutdown of their website.
A PROTESTER DRAPED IN THE ESTELADA, THE CATALAN INDEPENDENTIST FLAG, THROWS A STONE DURING PROTESTS IN BARCELONA, SPAIN ON OCT. 18, 2019. BERNAT ARMANGUE/AP IMAGES Catalonia’s independence movement has been ongoing for eight years with at least one rally held annually, according to BBC. At this year’s independence rally in September, 600,000 people showed up to call for the region’s independence—the smallest turnout in the rally’s history. BBC reported those involved in the movement believe the region pays too much in taxes and is supporting the poorest parts of Spain. Catalonia has its own flag, language, parliament and anthem, encouraging protesters to call for their fiscal independence from Spain. Leaders of the movement are calling for an end to the violence, believing their message will be tainted by the minority groups participating in the violent outbreaks, which have resulted
in the injury of at least 96 people by Oct. 18, according to BBC. “The independence movement is not and has never been violent; we have always condemned and condemn violence,” Catalan Regional President Quim Torra said in a press conference. “These incidents cannot be allowed in our country. There is no reason or justification to justify any act of vandalism. The protests must always be peaceful, and that is how we don’t lose rightness.” Torra is in favor of Catalonia’s independence from Spain and told the region’s parliament on Oct. 17 that another independence referendum should be held, though it is yet to be announced if this will happen. The protests are expected to continue if the imprisoned politicians are not released.
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
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OPINION
BILLIONAIRES SHOULDN’T EXIST JOHN ROJAS KAMEEL ASSAD billionaires are an existential threat to democratic societies. The history of humanity and of this earth is not one of billionaires, and the conditions necessary to maintain them have been conquered not by reason, not by resolve, but by force and at gunpoint. A billionaire is defined as someone with total assets—investments, cash and other assets—worth over $1 billion, which can be accrued in a few ways: These assets can be inherited from a family member; previously existing assets have been invested for a return that leads to the accumulation of more than $1 billion; or an individual works and is paid enough to earn over $1 billion. For the third scenario to be possible, an individual’s yearly salary would have to equal $50 million to earn $1 billion within 20 years, before taxes and excluding any expenses. Generally speaking, we can assume that a billionaire accumulated their wealth through inheritance—such as one-third of the members of the Forbes 400—or investment. The United States tax code only exacerbates the unequal distribution of wealth, and according to two University of California Berkeley professors, the effective tax rate on capital has dipped below income tax rate for the first time in U.S. modern history. If already being wealthy is more profitable than working, the wealthy will increasingly command a larger proportion of wealth among a smaller population. French economist Thomas Piketty demonstrated this scenario in 2013 in his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, writing that capital gains returns causes a “global dynamic of accumulation and distribution of wealth characterized by explosive trajectories and uncontrolled inegalitarian spirals.” Whenever this has happened in the past two centuries, income inequality
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grows and the growth rate of world output— production—decreases, Piketty stated. The conditions that create a billionaire are the material conditions that support them. It is necessary for billionaires to have social, military and political control, and they achieved this through patronage, campaign donations and blackmail. Billionaires also maintain social control through their monopoly of the media and their influence on the U.S. education system, including promoting charter schools and supporting forprofit colleges that defraud students, as in the case of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Billionaires also preserve international control through oversight of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization: three of the world’s largest economic development and trade organizations, which have received scrutiny for pushing neoliberal, austerity measures on developing countries. The ideological hegemony necessary to maintain billionaires ignores the bloody foundation of their existence. Throughout history, billionaire’s steered U.S. foreign policy, maintaining control through union-busting, anti-communism, international military intervention and international regime change via the National Endowment for Democracy and the non-profit industrial complex. In the 20th century alone, wars have been waged against Iraq, Afghanistan, Grenada, Vietnam, Korea and more, and billionaires supported regime change, oppression and coups in Latin American countries to ensure dangerous chemicals and cheap
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
labor could be utilized in resource extraction efforts by American companies. The billionaire owners of the United Fruit Company provoked a bloody civil war in Guatemala to ensure the company maintained complete control of the country’s only export route and squash land reforms that would have seized a tiny portion of the vast land they owned. The company, with the help of the CIA and U.S. state department, successfully orchestrated a covert operation that ended with a military coup and the ouster of Guatemala’s democratically elected President Jacobo Árbenz in 1954. During the second World War, Nestle subsidiaries in Germany were found guilty of using Nazi slave labor during the Holocaust, and George W. Bush’s grandfather, Prescott Bush, managed accounts for companies profiting from Nazi businesses. In fact, the only American to be positively referenced in Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf wasn’t a politician, general or religious figure. It was billionaire Henry Ford, who was also an owner of an independent newspaper that spread antiSemitic propaganda. The claim “should a billionaire exist?” at its crux is actually another question entirely: Is the exploitation of labor, the oppression of marginalized people and the purposeful underdevelopment and neocolonialism of the Global south an acceptable price to pay for the existence of the billionaire? For there is no billionaire without capitalism, and there is no capitalism without slavery, colonialism, genocide and exploitation. A world without billionaires is a precondition for a world where all people can live with the right to dignity.
OPINION
ELLEN RICHSPLAINS FRIENDSHIP WITH WAR CRIMINAL ANTHONY MONTES Ellen DeGeneres lecturing activists about political civility perpetuates the culture of impunity for the rich and powerful. After receiving some flak on social media for watching an NFL game with Former-President George W. Bush, DeGeneres defended their friendship on her show, saying, “just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be friends with them.” Unfortunately for DeGeneres, she used this line of reasoning on the only exception to the rule.
WAR CRIMINAL
Bush isn’t a racist uncle who wants to “build a wall” or a friend who believes the national debt matters—it doesn’t. Perfectly reasonable people can have policy disagreements and continue being friends, but Bush is a war criminal responsible for displacing millions and killing roughly 250,000 Iraqi and Afghan civilians in a disastrous “War on Terror” that destabilized the entire region, launching the United States into the Orwellian forever wars that we are still in. According to a 2018 “Costs of War” report from Watson Institute at Brown University, since the 9/11 attacks the U.S. spent nearly $6 trillion on war efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. To put it into perspective, $6 trillion could cancel all medical debt and student debt, make tuitionfree public colleges for the next 50 years and still have enough money to build over 7 million units of affordable housing. Instead, it went into bloated Department of Defense coffers and the pockets of opportunistic warlords comprising the military-industrial complex. If DeGeneres isn’t bothered by the war crimes, then maybe Bush’s 2004 endorsement of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages may? He used it as a wedge issue in his successful reelection bid; propositions banning same-sex marriage on the state level helped turn out Republicans as well. When Bush had the power to be an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community—DeGeneres being a member—he chose to acquiesce to the hardliners in his party and attacked the few civil rights the community had at that time. The Bush presidency is a shit stain in our modern history: a time when the rich received generous tax cuts while private debt nearly doubled, and bankers crashed the economy forcing millions out of their homes—wiping out one-third of Black wealth in the process—while the culprits received trillions in relief. DeGeneres’ obliviousness doesn’t stem from a place of malice; it comes from a position of privilege and a worldview shaped by living as millionaire actor for several decades now. She isn’t on the receiving end of the policies brutalizing the poor and working class or the wars destroying the lives of multiple generations of Middle Eastern families.
POWER AND PRIVILEGE
DeGeneres’ deference to powerful people is a result of systemic inequities in our two-tiered justice system, in which the powerful break laws without fear of castigation while the poor receive the harshest punishments for the same crimes. A 2018 report by economists from the Brookings Institute and Federal Reserve highlighted these disparities, stating that boys from the bottom 10% of income distribution “are about 20 times more likely to be in prison in their 30s compared to boys born into families in the top 10%.” The U.S. criminal justice system favors those who hold capital—for those who hold capital hold power—and while the system pours $182 billion a year in the prisonindustrial complex to incarcerate a disproportionate amount of poor, Black and brown people, it lets people like Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein drag his feet and work the American legal system. Weinstein—who is being charged with raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006—has been accused by over 80 women of sexual harassment and assault since 2017, when reporter Ronan Farrow published a story exposing Weinstein’s alleged abuse. The allegations proceeded the #MeToo movement, the closest thing to a reckoning for the powerful as 263 celebrities, politicians and CEOs were accused of sexual misconduct, including Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose among others. The unfortunate reality is these men were enabled by a rotten system that lets the crimes and misconduct of powerful people—mostly men—slide as long as everyone plays along to get along, and the thing about powerful people is they know other powerful people. Earlier this year, former U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned after revelations that he brokered a favorable plea deal with convicted sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein in 2008, allowing him to serve 13 months in a county jail and up to 12 hours a day, six days a week at his beachfront office. Before elites lecture about civility, they have an obligation to use their status to promote social and criminal justice for survivors, not just of sexual abuse, but also survivors of war and U.S. militarism.
DANA TOWNSEND
PSU Vanguard • OCTOBER 22, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
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ARTS & CULTURE
DISMANTLING AMERICA’S RACISM AUTHOR LAWRENCE LANAHAN DISCUSSES ALLYSHIP, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
NICK TOWNSEND “Let knowledge serve the...dismantling of structural racism,” an alteration to Portland State’s current motto came from Urban Studies and Planning Associate Professor Lisa Bates at the end of a public talk with Lawrence Lanahan on Oct. 15, and in many ways the alteration is emblematic of the book Lanahan came to campus to discuss. The Lines Between Us: Two Families and a Quest to Cross Baltimore’s Racial Divide, Lanahan’s first book, focuses on two families steeped in the systemic racism and class structures of modern Baltimore, tracing the “lines” back to the Fair Housing Act of 1968 in a narrative that touches on activists, the Supreme Court, real-estate developers and white supremacy. According to Lanahan, the book is a heavily researched, in-depth look at the forces that shaped Baltimore into the deeply divided and segregated place it is today, with vastly different standards of living and mortality rates for its Black and white residents. Lanahan dates the beginning of his reporting on structural racism to Hurricane Katrina, which hit right as he started journalism graduate school at Columbia University. “I love New Orleans; it was a total race and class story, and I was like, ‘alright, while I’m here, I’ll write about race and class.” What followed was a series of freelance stories about the post-Katrina diaspora of poor Black residents, but the race and class beat stuck with Lanahan. The book came following a year-long series he produced during his tenure at WYPR, Baltimore’s public radio station. The series, also called The Lines Between Us, reported on the factors that divided Baltimore’s residents into white and Black in modern times. The series was remark-
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able for its balance between guests who were outside policy experts and guests who were Baltimore residents experiencing the issue at hand. Lanahan was adamant on this point. “It is not about feel-good stuff, it is: Are you decentering yourself, are you decentering whiteness, are you supporting Black people and Black communities?” he said. “We were an all-white staff on that show. I got money. I hired somebody Black.”
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Lanahan’s work is also influenced by his own background. Raised in Bel Air—a well-off, predominantly white suburb in the Baltimore metro area—Lanahan recalled having a very foggy and mediated image of the city center as a dangerous place.
Today, Lanahan and his family live in a diverse community in Northeast Baltimore city, which he said should be a model for more communities in the region. Lanahan also briefly outlined the history of formal segregation in Baltimore up through the Fair Housing Act, using an illustrative doodle he drew on the whiteboard of Baltimore City and the surrounding metro counties. Professor Bates, alongside Lanahan, discussed larger themes behind segregation, using the Portland area specifically to engage Lanahan on the similarities and differences of the two regions when it comes to structural racism and inequality. Lanahan argued that his book, while focused on Baltimore, could be applied to any metropolitan area in its analysis of power. “The key question is: who benefits?” Lanahan asked. He was also quick to note the dissimilarities between Baltimore and West Coast cities he’s touring, saying that West Coast cities are unique in the influx of jobs and lack of housing they face, whereas Baltimore faces countless foreclosed homes and little economic opportunity. However, Lanahan argued that a common thread binds the issues across America: “The song remains the same, but different regions change the tune. So, what’s the song? I think it’s white supremacy.” Lanahan’s book reflects the enormous amount of work left to be done to dismantle America’s systems of white supremacy, but it also shows there are many Black and white communities willing to put in the work and challenge the structures of power. Lanahan hoped the knowledge contained within his book will serve those looking to take on the responsibility of transforming the American landscape for the better.
COURTESY OF LAWRENCE LANAHAN
COMICS “TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE”
“TRAINING MONTAGE”
DANA DANA TOWNSEND TOWNSEND
Bruna Cucolo
OCT 22-28 ART
MUSIC
FILM & THEATRE
COMMUNITY
TUE OCT 22 WED OCT 23 THU OCT 24 FRI OCT 25 SAT OCT 26 SUN OCT 27 MON OCT 28
“EXQUISITE CREATURES” OMSI 9:30 A.M.–5:30 P.M. $15 See art and science come together through 3D displays of specimens from around the world.
WAGE WAR, LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES, POLARIS, DAYSEEKER HAWTHORNE THEATRE 7 P.M. $18 Mosh all night to metalcore.
GRINDHOUSE FILM FESTIVAL: ‘THE BURNING’ HOLLYWOOD THEATRE 7:30 P.M. $9 A 1981 film directed by Tony Maylam where revenge with hedge clippers is among summer campers.
TESSI SHOW QUARTERWORLD 4–9 P.M. $3 A musical Tesla Coil, Tessi, provides you with music through technology blaring out sounds as loud as Monster Truck shows.
“STELLAR” ROSELAND THEATER 7 P.M. $25 PRESALE, $35 AT DOOR RAW, an international arts organization, allows you to experience multiple forms of art, from a pop-up gallery to vendor booths to live performances.
LUKAS GRAHAM AND LAUREN DUSKI CRYSTAL BALLROOM 8:30 P.M. $35 Danish pop band who brought you “7 Years” and previous The Voice contestant come together to give their fans a night they will never forget.
‘ARRIVAL’ OMSI 8 P.M. $7 Numerous spacecrafts appear from around the world, so it is up to the military to contact alien lifeforms.
UNDERHILL HAUNTED HOUSE VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM 7–10 P.M. $20 Experience four haunted houses, each one unique to its theme.
“PERPETUATING FAMILY SYSTEMS” PORTLAND STATE WHITE GALLERY NOON–5 P.M. FREE PSU alumni and local Portland Artist Olivia Kincaid takes contemporary portraiture in different ways to relate to family systems.
SARA BAREILLES VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM 8 P.M. $31–145 Throwback to an unwritten “Love Song.”
‘MODEL MINORITY: DO THE MATH’ PORTLAND CHINATOWN MUSEUM $15 5:30–7 P.M. A documentary reflecting on the consequences of Asian American stereotypes, followed by a discussion with producer Darby Li Po Price.
QUEER CLIMBING NIGHT PSU REC CENTER 5–7 P.M. FREE All body-positive people are welcome to climb together and create a community.
“THE EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE” CAMERA WORK GALLERY 9 A.M.–6 P.M. FREE Artist Karen Klinedinst from Baltimore is an exploring photographer of nature, place and the environment.
NOAH KAHAN WONDER BALLROOM 8 P.M. $20 Folk-infused music that will get you moving to the beat of the drums.
‘WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE’ LLOYD CENTER MALL 7–9:30 P.M. $20 + FEES Encounter the seasonal scares The Reformers will give you in their latest production.
PORTLAND NIGHT MARKET 100 SE ALDER STREET 4–11 P.M. FREE Over 100 vendors will be present, including music, merchants, drinks, food, art and community.
“FREAKYBUTTRUE PECULIARIUM” THE FREAKYBUTTRUE PECULIARIUM AND MUSEUM 10 A.M.–7 P.M. $5 The different, unique arts are created out of imagination, or even nightmares!
COMMON KINGS ROSELAND THEATER 8 P.M. $22 Listen to some reggae from Orange County, California.
‘ME...JANE’ NEWMARK THEATRE 5–6:30 P.M. $15–34 Imagination of a child teaches even adults.
‘STRANGER THINGS’ HAUNTED CORN MAZE BELLA ORGANIC PUMPKIN PATCH & WINERY OPENS AT DARK $20 This Netflix show inspired haunted corn maze will get you running from spooky things all while having to avoid Demogorgons.
“THE MARK LEGACY” PORTLAND ART MUSEUM 10 A.M.–5 P.M. $17 W/ STUDENT ID This exhibit shows around 20 works of art donated by Melvin “Pete” Mark Jr. (1926–2017) and his wife Mary Kridel Mark (1930–2008).
SHOVELS & ROPE AND JOHN PAUL WHITE CRYSTAL BALLROOM 8:30 P.M. $30 A folk/acoustic band that will get you all in your feels.
‘THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE’ HOLLYWOOD THEATRE 9:45 P.M. $7 W/ STUDENT ID This 1974 film will get you in the Halloween spirit.
AMPLIFY KINDNESS! PDX MITTLEMAN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER 1–4 P.M. FREE All ages, religions, ethnicities, genders and more will come together to create kindness tokens that will be taken home and then can be given away as acts of kindness.
PAINT NITE: CHOOSE YOUR FALL DESIGN BETHANY PUBLIC HOUSE 7 P.M. $43 Get crafty with friends as you go from blank canvas to your own unique masterpiece.
TIFFANY YOUNG WONDER BALLROOM 8 P.M. $25 Easy-going pop vibes to start off the school week.
NIGHT OF THE QUIZZING DEAD HOLLYWOOD THEATRE 9:30 P.M. $6 Be quizzed on horror and nonhorror films. Halloween costumes encouraged and rewarded.
THE PUMPKIN PATCH SAUVIE ISLAND 9 A.M.–6 P.M. PRICES VARY Go out and pick your pumpkin to carve, decorate or just leave out for Halloween.