EL
PAISANO RIO HONDO COLLEGE NEWSPAPER est. 1964 Serving the Rio Hondo Community
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Volume 53 Issue 10
Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro Dead at 90
JAKE LAURELL Reporter jake.laurell7011@my.riohondo.edu
Fidel Castro passed away Friday, Nov. 25. Castro’s brother and current president of Cuba, Raul Castro, announced his death Friday on Cuban television. No cause of death is known, but he had been in poor health since 2008. Castro led the Cuban Revolution and declared himself leader after achieving victory. As a communist state, Castro established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1961 and repelled an uprising during the US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in the same year. Cuban-US relations, through Russian proxy, reached a fever pitch during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Castro was sworn into office of the prime minister in 1959 and maintained this position until 1976 when Cuba ratified its constitution. He became Cuba’s president and maintained this position until 2008, when his brother took over as head of the state. The infamous leader of Cuba was both hero and villain when it came to the rule of his people and abroad. The former dictator fervently suppressed any political opposition with totalitarian policies. Castro used firing squads and gulags during his rule. Thousands fled to the United States in exile. Castro, along with fellow revolutionary Che Guevara,
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DIEGO CRESPO
Despite multiple assassination attempts Fidel Castro lived through 11 U.S. Presidencies from August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016
assisted failed rebellions of spreading communism to other Latin American countries. His support helped the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola from 1975 to 1989, and successfully helped repel the Somali invasion of Ethiopia in 1978. Though a communist, the ideology Castro implemented socialist policies for all of Cuba. He expanded social services to all classes in Cuban society on an equal basis and made education and medical programs free for anyone. Under his rule, Cuba achieved near-universal literacy.
Relations between Cuba and the United States warmed when President Obama talked of reopening a U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. Obama said in a statement that the past decades of this “outdated approach” has floundered and failed in the regards of advancing our interests. Under Obama, the US had lifted its 54-year-long trade embargo against the island nation. President-elect Trump and his transition team have stated dissatisfaction towards Castro and his regime. Trump took to Twitter jubilantly stating “Fidel Castro is Dead!” and “Today, the world
marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades.” “Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty, and the denial of fundamental human rights. While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve,” the president-elect continued through Twitter. Mike Pence also ex-
pressed his view through social media, “The tyrant #Castro is dead. New hope dawns. We will stand with the oppressed Cuban people for a free and democratic Cuba. Viva Cuba Libre!,” the Vice President-elect shared on Twitter. In an interview with CBS4, Trump criticized Obama’s efforts in renewing relations with Cuba calling it a “very weak agreement.” Trump also stated to CNN that it was “[Okay] to bring Cuba back into the fold.”
Assault at Ohio State University Leaves One Dead and 10 Injured
XAVIER ALATORRE News Editor
xavier.alatorre1457@my.riohondo.edu
In a series of tweets early Monday morning, Ohio State University warned students of an active shooter on campus, reports the Los Angeles Times. However, as details have come in, it is clear that the assault on campus involved an automobile and a butcher knife, according to CNN. At 9:56 a.m. EST, the university issued a shelter-in-place warning and canceled classes for the rest of the day. The tweets advised students to run, hide, or fight. Run, hide, or fight is a protocol for people to follow in an active-shooter situation. People are advised to run if they are able to evacuate, hide if evacuation is impossible, or fight, as a last resort, if escaping or hiding is no longer an option. At 10:02 a.m. EST, shortly after its initial tweet, the campus warned students to avoid
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TOM DELONGE / THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH VIA AP
Police rush to the scene of the reported assault at Ohio State Campus.
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the campus. Ten patients arrived at three different hospitals - OSU Wexner Medical Center, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, and OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital - in the vicinity of the campus. Hospital officials claim that nine victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition. One victim is in critical condition. An hour-and-a-half after the tweets were posted, and after the assailant was killed, the university lifted its shelter-in-place warning and claimed the scene was secure. The suspect used his car to plow through pedestrians on a street corner. After the initial assault with his vehicle, the suspect pulled out a butcher knife and began chasing people. Witnesses and campus officials initially believed the suspect was using a firearm after hearing gunshots. Police have not determined a motive for the attack.
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