Attempted murder masked as self-defense OPINION

A string of ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ shootings reignites debates on U.S. self-defense laws

Editorial

According to the Gun Violence Archive, 2023 has been an extremely deadly year for the United States — 13,022 deaths as a result of gun violence have already occurred. This is a nation where doing the mundane tasks of life can lead to injury or death for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A string of shootings in the past week has taken the spotlight out of the tens, if not hundreds, of shootings that occur weekly across the nation because of their relation to “stand your ground” and other selfdefense laws.

On the night of April 13, Ralph Yarl was sent to pick up his younger siblings from a friend’s house around 10 p.m. A wrong address and doorbell ring later, Yarl was shot twice — once in the head and once in the arm — by 84-year-old Andrew Lester, according to the Associated Press. No words were exchanged between the two before Lester opened fire on the teen, shooting Yarl through his front door.

Texas’ war on labor

Commentary

By Jake Mireles

Opinion Editor

In Texas, where the sweltering and unpredictable climate can make even the most menial jobs extremely intense — and even dangerous — common labor rights often taken for granted may soon meet the chopping block. According to the Texas Tribune, House Bill 2172 and Senate Bill 814 — pioneered by Republican legislators and supported by Governor Greg Abbott — would significantly impact local government’s ability to regulate labor.

These bills, if passed, would make it so that local governments cannot levy labor-related ordinances that require more employee accommodations than what is mandated by the state. The bills would also nullify any existing local ordinances that act to strengthen employee labor rights as well.

Texas is already one of the worst states when it comes to labor rights and protection.

According to KUT 90.5, Texas has no state-mandated accommodations for pregnant employees, breastfeeding employees or paid leave. Additionally, Texas does not guarantee protection for outdoor workers from the heat, and ordinances relating to mandatory water and shade breaks are more often implemented at the local or municipal level.

Lester was taken into custody by Kansas City Police, where he was held for 24 hours and then released pending charges.

This shooting has garnered national attention and has emboldened discussion around the U.S. selfdefense laws — specifically “Stand Your Ground” laws that are more popular in conservative states.

Additionally, as a right-towork state, Texas hinders the ability for employees to organize and form unions. “Right-towork” laws “prohibits unions from collecting dues from the people who benefit from their activities.” These policies make organizing in the workplace extremely difficult, as it drives up the dues for existing union members, discouraging them from taking collective action.

The Republican Party of Texas is conducting a blatant and insidious war on the rights of laborers. While it may be conducted on the misleading premise of protecting small businesses and further strengthening the already booming state economy, there is one party that will always come out on the bottom if these bills pass — the workers. Economic prosperity cannot be achieved by attacking and weakening those at the bottom while enriching and expanding the power of those at the top. Our focus should be on strengthening the foundations of our society, and one foundation will always be its laborers.

Protecting polls or destroying democracy?

Commentary

By Nate Henneke Staff Writer

For as long as the United States government has been around, it has always been a democracy doing the best it can to protect our democratic ways of life. Maintaining equal access to political elections is vital if America hopes to give every citizen a voice in our government. Voter manipulation in America is nothing new, from the poll taxes of the Jim Crow era to the gerrymandering of voting districts that still goes on to this day. The latest attempt

Commentary

By Misty Olawunmi Staff Writer

According to NPR, a similar incident occurred in Elgin, Texas, where two high school cheerleaders were shot after entering the wrong car in an H-E-B parking lot. The shooting has also garnered attention around the nation for its similarity and close occurrence to the Yarl shooting in Kansas City.

These shootings, while seemingly isolated, represent a disturbing trend in the evolution of the gun violence pandemic in the United States. Individuals — emboldened by strong self-defense laws and politicians who will defend them relentlessly — are beginning to adopt a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Ringing a doorbell should not land you in the hospital with a gunshot wound, nor should mistaking the wrong car for your own in a parking lot. People who shoot first and ask questions later should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law; not asking questions should not allow you to get away with murder.

Bane of cancer alley

bed, pining away, dying. Just to sit and look at them, and know you can’t do anything about it.”

Imagine living in a town where refineries and chemical plants can be seen on every block. As a result of the industrial activity occurring in your neighborhood, you face a risk of cancer nearly 50 times the national average in 2014. This scenario is the experience of every person living in Louisiana near an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River dubbed “Cancer Alley.” Despite a lawsuit filed in February by the U.S. Justice Department and a visit by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief to a rubber plant, more should have been done sooner.

“Almost every household has someone that has died from cancer,” Mary Hampton, a resident of Reverse, Louisiana, told the Guardian in 2019. “It’s the worst thing you’d ever want to see: a loved one, laying in that

Commentary at voter manipulation comes from Texas lawmakers who are proposing a bill that may allow civilians to openly carry handguns at polls.

While there may be good intent behind allowing open carry at polling locations, more guns are not the answer to preventing gun violence. Police should be present and entirely sufficient in providing a safe, comfortable space for voters. Permitting civilians with guns can only lead to conflict and violence. Instead, our government should be able to provide enough protection to make

Unfortunately, Hampton’s experience is not unique. In an area plagued by toxic air pollution for decades, “Cancer Alley” communities are regularly exposed to carcinogens and harmful chemicals emitted from more than 150 chemical plants. The St. John the Baptist

Calli Recore/The Paisano

Parish, where Reserve is located, has the Denka Performance Elastomer plant, which produces chloroprene used in rubber. Identified as a carcinogen in 2010 by the EPA, the inaction of the federal government and local representatives has led to continual injustice in a known issue. Despite constant warnings from the EPA about the Denka plant since 2016, the plant continues to operate less than half a mile from Fifth Ward Elementary School. “Cancer Alley” is a symptom of a larger problem: the lack of accountability in enforcing environmental regulations. This year alone, the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, shows how companies often disregard the health and safety of communities. As a result, we expect the representatives we elect to protect our rights and interests. And yet, we continue to see crises and disasters with long-term consequences, such as the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. While the recent measures by the EPA and the federal government are much appreciated, gross negligence has persisted for decades. We place trust in our governments, but our needs are constantly neglected until it is too late. How much more will it take for more preemptive responses to occur?

Curb Russian colonialism

By Ahavah Kirwan Staff Writer

The Russian Federation’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine spotlighted much attention from individuals all over the world and brought to light Ukraine’s past as a victim of Russian colonialism. However, what was not revealed was Russia’s extended past of sure every voter — regardless of their views, can feel safe when voting.

Gun violence has become a looming threat to all public areas, and polling stations are no different. Adding more guns into the equation will not provide any feeling of safety for those who are already uncomfortable colonialism in other countries, particularly in those that were formerly a part of the Soviet Union and in the Russian Far East. Russia’s colonialism, Russification and war crimes are not merely something of the past, as its effects are still experienced today by many countries besides Ukraine.

The illegal annexation of Donbas, Ukraine’s easternmost region, is not the first time in with guns. This bill encourages people to bring their handguns to a place where people with opposing views from them are voting. That sounds like it could very quickly turn into a recipe for disaster if any sort of conflict were to break out at the polls.

Providing protection for citizens of all races and politi- the recent past that Russia has illegally occupied a part of Ukraine. In 2014, the Russian Federation illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula. This piece of land, situated in the Black Sea, was once home to the ethnically indigenous population of Crimean Tatars, who were deported by the Soviet Union in 1944.

Continue reading at paisano-online.com cal views at voting polls is at the heart of democracy, and as soon as one group feels threatened or like their voice is being silenced, democracy starts to crumble. There are much better ways that lawmakers can provide a safe voting experience without allowing for civilians to openly carry handguns at polls.