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RELATED CONTENT A4: Contributing columnist Carlton Wilcoxson, a St. Louis native, shares his thoughts on Ferguson and Darren Wilson.
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Thursday | December 4, 2014
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AP PHOTO I CHARLIE RIEDEL
Protesters gather near the Ferguson Police Department, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. Missouri’s governor ordered hundreds more state militia into Ferguson on Tuesday, after a night of protests and rioting over a grand jury’s decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a case that has inflamed racial tensions in the U.S.
‘Home’ for the holidays
JAMES HENDERSON III Chief Reporter | @jendersoniii
W
ar zone. This term has been used to describe farreaching places that are going through devastating and violent wars. America has been devoid of war fought on the homeland for the majority of its history. However, the term war zone has been used to describe the sights, sounds and feelings one experiences when setting foot on the streets of Ferguson. “It felt like I had stepped back into the times of the Civil War,” said senior
Corey Tabb Jr. when describing the scene of his hometown. This feeling of a war-torn battleground was what many Bearcats returned home to for their Thanksgiving break. Freshman Robert Barnes said the media coverage did not cover half of what was seen in the area and the feeling of the damage is prevalent everywhere. He said no matter where you turn, you can see the effects of the destruction. “The brunt of the damage was on West Florissant Avenue, but there was damage all over Ferguson,”
Barnes said. “For instance, a coffee shop by where I live was destroyed. You would think that some things would be left alone. I mean, why destroy a coffee shop? But, apparently no one was safe.” Junior Courtney Powell watched the entire scene unfold the night of the decision and was overcome with emotion at what she saw. “The whole situation was sad,” Powell said. “When I saw the decision and what happened, I called my mom and cried.” Powell said seeing the events caused enough fear that she pushed
back her trip home a day. “We wanted to give the city a day to calm down,” Powell said. “My friend and I drove home, and we said that we would rather go anywhere but home for the holidays.” With all of this in mind, she said she was still not prepared for what she actually saw. “It was still very shocking coming home,” Powell said. “West Florissant was a way I had commonly took home, but now, it was destroyed and closed down.” These three all described the same thing: Destruction. Sophomore
Myles McIntyre encountered a similar scene and worried this entire situation will deter business. “Some of those businesses won’t even return,” McIntyre said. “Because the entire area has become a high risk area.” Barnes compares the town to something one would see in the Middle East. “We’ve had Palestinian men and women come to our churches and explain how to make homemade gas masks,” Barnes said.
SEE FERGUSON | A5
Student details realities of living with disability CHRIS ROUSH News Editor | @ChrisRoush30
For Devin Williams, life at Northwest is a little different than it is for other students. He enjoys spending time with his family, friends and loves to watch mixed martial arts. The only difference for Williams is that he is legally blind. Williams, blind since birth, was diagnosed with Coloboma, an eye abnormality that occurs before birth, with retinal disease when he was two years old. Colobomas are missing pieces of tissue in the structures that form the eye. The disease is related to Williams’ kidneys, and his enlarged left kidney does not work and his right kidney works at 90 to 95 percent function. “I wasn’t born with an optic nerve in my left eye,” Williams said. “It was removed when I was six. In my right eye, I have Coats’ disease, and is caused from retinal detachment.” Coats’ disease is a very rare congenital, non-hereditary eye disorder that causes full or partial blindness. Besides eye related issues, Williams has to watch the amount of soda he drinks because of the kidney failure that accompanies the disease. However, from a vision standpoint, he is still able to see objects and people up close. “Being legally blind would be, maybe like, having astigmatism, you have to wear glasses. My version of it is having to walk around with my cane and feel for things in front of me,” Williams said. “I can see, but my range isn’t that far. I can see big things, but I can’t tell people from that far away.” Eventually Williams’ vision will disappear completely, but for now he can still see shapes, colors, shadows and people up close. However, Williams is not letting this disease hold him back. He loves to follow mixed martial arts which allows him to escape from the daily grind of classes and homework. “I like to look at some of the stuff
they do,” Williams said. “I am a big Randy Couture fan. I like Anderson Silva and there’s a good 40 or so people that I watch.” When Williams was deciding on a future profession, he had to think of something that would not limit him because of his disease. His answer: radio. “Mainly because when I listened to it, it was like a job that no one can deny me for,” Williams said. “You don’t have to look at the radio to see what is going on. It is strictly listening and behind the microphone, unless I said something about it, no one would know my eye condition, and I would be viewed as normal.” At Northwest, the radio practicum falls under first-year teacher Phil Beskid. He said the department will help Williams and make the needed adjustments to make sure Williams is able to continue to his education. While William can’t see completely, Beskid said this will not hinder his dreams of working for the radio. “It gives you a platform to send out your message, whatever that might be, you want to be creative by producing radio drops and that’s one aspect that you can really express yourself,” Beskid said. “The other is turning on the microphone, and being able to express your opinion or improve the knowledge base of your listeners. “I think it’s also beneficial for a student with a disability; no one knows there is any type of vision issue. It’s really just a place where you won’t be judged and he can still get out his message, however he wants to.” While Williams is an underclassman and still has a while before graduation, he is already thinking of ways he can spread his message through a career in radio. He believes people should fully understand someone’s abilities before making assumptions. “I want people to make sure they know someone’s condition, and how much they see before you start generalizing and placing them into a category,” Williams said. “People are different, people with different eye
SHAWNA KINGSTON | NW MISSOURIAN
Despite being able to see shapes and colors, Williams still requires a walking stick to assist him on campus.
diseases that are worse than mine are constantly helped and they may not want all the help.” Williams said that there are schools and classes that help individuals who can’t see be able to wash clothes and do dishes. The only thing that Williams can’t do is drive, but he is able to read messages on his phone, and if he can’t read something he enlarges the print or turns on the voice command. A graduate of Lee Summit North High School, Williams had a tough decision when it came to finding a
college. He says the small-town atmosphere at Northwest helps him feel comfortable. In his first semester at Northwest, Williams joined the fraternity Phi Delta Theta. Williams says family is an important part of his life and joining a fraternity made him feel at home. “I really wanted something to do that I can rely on a group of people and I went to an event that they (Phi Delta Theta) were hosting and all of the guys treated me like I was normal.” While being in a fraternity and working toward a degree, Williams
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always remembers a special individual that was always there for him. “I’m very close to my mom. My mom has raised me on her own since she was 16,” Williams said. “She has adapted and raised me.” Williams knew people would treat him differently because he couldn’t complete see, but he says that people shouldn’t be treated any differently just because they have a disability. “I’ve always wanted people to treat me the same way that they would treat other people,” he said.