The Point Black Lives Matter Special Edition

THE

POINT

PALOS VERDES HIGH SCHOOL - SPECIAL EDITION: BLACK LIVES MATTER - JUNE 10, 2020

PHOTO BY CHLOE DOWLING

THIS IS NEWS. To our readers:

In the past few weeks and months, we’ve experienced hurt, anger, and turmoil that none of us has ever felt before. Not only have some of us experienced the direct effect of the Coronavirus pandemic, but all of us have experienced the indirect effects of isolation and helplessness. If there’s anything these struggles we face have taught us, it’s that there’s power in coming together to help strengthen and unify with those who need help the most.

Now, as we face a different kind of pandemic, the

omnipresent pandemic of racism, bigotry, ignorance, violence, injustice and a broken system in the wakes of the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless others, we must use what we learned about the power of pooling together our resources to help those who suffer the most under this oppression: Black Americans.

In a land of supposed “freedom and justice for all,” there seem to be limits to the amount of freedom and justice an African American can get in this country.

Not only was there a knee on the neck of George Floyd, but there is a knee on the neck of every

Black person in America. It’s about time we take that knee off.

We are publishing this Black Lives Matter edition of The Point to spread awareness and insight by expressing feelings from our fellow Sea Kings and to give a voice to the Black community within our own school. I hope that by reading this you will open your eyes to the reality Black people and other minorities face in our country, and act accordingly to change it for the better.

As students at Palos Verdes High School, we have a unique resource to use in aiding in this fight: privilege. Most of us have never and will never experience

the Black experience. We will never know what it’s like to be in fear when shopping, jogging, driving or even sitting in our own homes, simply because of the color of our skin.

We have access to money, education and stability seen in few other places and it is our responsibility to use the power of that privilege to halt our history of indifference to those who struggle. We strive to begin a new era where privilege is used as a tool to lift up those dealt a lesser hand by racist policies and beliefs. In the words of the great Reverend Al Sharpton, “There is a difference between those calling for peace and those

calling for quiet.”

Together, let’s shout loud and fight hard for the peace of equality we see at the end of the tunnel. Only by being loud and impactful will those hiding away in their bunkers and behind false words be forced to listen and act.

Only then will there be righteous change.

Together, let’s show others that Palos Verdes High School will not be defined by our affluence.

Instead, let’s be defined by the outstanding activism shown by students against agents of oppression within this country.

-Aidan Sun Editor-In-Chief

Introduction: A Brief History of Black Oppression in These United States To understand Black oppression in the United States, we must begin at the formation of the US, built by racism and hatred towards people of color. African Americans were not seen as people or equal to White Americans, a fact that still remains to this day.

1619-1800s: Slaves from Africa came to North America in 1619 and the cotton industry boomed in 1793.

Until 1865, African Americans were put to work as slaves, ultimately resulting in brutal control, beatings, and labels as second class citizens.

After the Civil War, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed about 3 million slaves. In 1865, however, former Confederate states enacted “Black codes,” which gave them the right to restrict of Black people to own property, run a business, buy and lease land and move freely in Southern towns. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 allowed citizens to turn against African Americans and capture runaway slaves. Although the act was put in place before the Emancipation Proclamation, the US quickly adapted by keeping the Fugitive Slave Act alive through Black codes, sending the message that Blacks were not yet fully free.

When slavery was not permitted anymore, people who did not see Black people as equal members of society adapted a new system to oppress them within the United States. This pattern has continued well into the 21st Century.

1909-1920s: Moving into the 20th Century, Black people started to assemble and demonstrate their need to be noticed and treated the same as any other American. The NAACP, or the National Association for the Advancements of Colored People, was founded in 1909 by

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W.E.B. Du Bois, an American educator and civil rights activist.

The Harlem Renaissance flourished throughout the 1920s, in which Black Americans were determined to make their voices heard nationally. African American literature, music, art and politics became mainstream and noticed by publishers for the first time in history.

Although Black Americans were beginning to be heard, oppression still existed well within all 50 states. Since 1896, “separate but equal” had been prominent in society. When Jim Crow laws were developed near the end of the 19th Century, Black people could not attend the same schools, restaurants, railroads, barber shops, etc, as White people, sending a message to people of color that they were still not equal under the law.

1954-1965: Brown v. Board of Education overturned the segregation within education systems and led to the fall of segregation as a whole. The murder of Emmett Till and his open casket at his funeral proved to the world the hate and anger still held against black people.

The murders of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X further proved that Black Americans who fought for their freedom were seen as “radical” and “dangerous.”

Americans at home witnessed for the first time ever the horror of police brutality through the television. News covered protests across the country, and

1980 513, 900

protests were often shut down by police using excessive force, such as tear gas and dogs. They even sprayed powerful hoses at large groups of people, even if children were present.

1968-1990s: The Southern Strategy, or being an anti-Black racist for political support, was used by the Nixon administration in 1968 and 1972.

What eventually replaced Jim Crow was the War on Drugs.

This organization was committed to targeting the illegal use and smuggling of drugs in the United States. In a 1994 interview with Nixon’s domestic policy chief John Ehrlichman, he revealed that the War on Drugs had ulterior motives, specifically to disparage Black people.

When Ronald Reagen became president in the 1980s, he and his wife were committed to tackling drug usage. In 1986, Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This law was unfair due to its longer prison sentences for possession of crack cocaine, often used more by minorities since it was cheaper. On the other hand, possession of powder cocaine, used more often by White Americans, resulted in less prison time.

1990 1,179,200

People of color were arrested frequently on the suspicion of drug use at much higher rates than whites. The incarcerations for nonviolent drug offenses rose from 50,000 in 1980 to 400,000 in 1997. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, nearly half of the 186,000 people serving federal prison time had been incarcerated on drug-related charges alone in 2014.

2012-Present: America’s problem today?

Mass incarceration. The prison system effectively works to put away POC. This country creates unfair laws that result in harsher punishment for minorities. One in five Black men will serve time in their lives. In 2001, 878,400 African Americans were in prisons.

The murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012 ignited a movement that spread across the globe: Black Lives Matter. After he was shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer for “suspicious behavior” and “self-defense,” the nation exploded with protests against police brutality and systematic racism against Black Americans. In 2015, over 100

2000 1,400,000

The US Prison Population PVHSPOINT.ORG

by Chloë Lendi unarmed Black people were killed by the police. In 2019, police killed almost 2,000 people, 24% of those being Black people that make up 13% of the US population. Halfway through 2020, three innocent black people who were brutally murdered by police have made headlines. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery are just the few of many innocent black victims lost to police violence.

When slavery was abolished, America switched to segregation.

When segregation was unacceptable, America switched to prisons. Oppression has been recycled since 1619, slipping by the American people. There are more black men in prison today than there were enslaved in 1850. Black people are not criminals. They are not thugs nor are they dangerous. Black people are Americans, and it is time for this country to end the cycle of oppression by not treating people differently solely based on the color of their skin.

2010 1,550,000

JUNE 10, 2020

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PVHS Students Try to Burst the PV Bubble

GOOD APPLES FERMENT IN A BAD SYSTEM, TOO. From the earliest years of elementary school, we were taught to call 911 for any kind of problem or emergency. We were taught that the police would always be there to protect us and our families.

But for an alarming group of people, interacting with the police could mean a death sentence.

While we learn that policemen are our friends, our African American community has to learn how to survive when being confronted by cops and face the brutal reality of racial profiling.

This harsh discrepancy has recently come into light after a video of a police officer kneeling on a black man’s neck, slowly killing him, went absolutely viral.

For nearly nine minutes, Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department exerted his entire body weight on George Floyd’s neck, while Floyd struggled for breath and begged Chauvin to stop.

The graphic clip shook the entire world, and prompted thousands of people to take to the streets and protest the brutal, JUNE 10, 2020

unnecessary killing of yet another African American person at the hands of the police.

The acronym ACAB, or “All Cops Are Bastards” has been a key symbol of the movement.

It has been used as a trending hashtag on TikTok or seen spray painted on the walls of vandalized buildings. ACAB doesn’t mean that all cops are bad people; it just means that all cops are involved in a system that runs on abuse of power and horrific displays of blatant racism. The problem is not with a few “bad policemen,” it is with an entire justice system that continuously fails to implement change and understand the struggles of minorities.

Take Chauvin for example.

Chauvin, a senior officer with more than 20 years on the force, had 18 misconduct complaints filed against him.

Only two of these complaints were met with some kind of disciplinary action. One of the other three officers at the scene of Floyd’s death had six complaints against him. It

by Alycen Kim was only when someone’s life was taken, did Chauvin’s 18 complaints become relevant.

Many people rebuff the rally cry of ACAB by saying, “Not all cops are bad!”. This may be true, but in reality, the system is bad. The system is what allowed cops like Chauvin to slip through the cracks and continue working. The system lacked accountability for a man who had multiple charges to his name, which was what eventually led to his disgusting abuse of power on George Floyd.

It is extremely horrific to see our system ferment bad police officers, through negligence and injustice. It is extremely saddening to see how many times having a badge and a uniform can become a free pass for brutality and even murder.

We can all become educated and promise to do better. We can learn to understand our privilege and fight for what is right. But if the system doesn’t change, nothing will.

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On May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin while being apprehended for allegedly passing a counterfeit bill.

Almost immediately after this heinous crime took place, a video of Floyd’s death went viral and people from across the world demonstrated through social media posts, protests and marches their anger and intolerance towards police brutality and systemic racism that hinders African Americans.

Palos Verdes is often referred to as a “bubble,” insulating its predominantly white and affluent residents in a community of privilege and blissful ignorance.

After the murder of Floyd, however, nothing could stop the Black Lives Matter movement from becoming the main focus of conversations and daily life.

Many eyes have been opened to the injustice towards the Black community and ways to show support.

As a result of repeated police brutality and injustice, numerous student leadership groups on campus have promoted initiatives to show their support to the BLM movement and have reflected within themselves during these trying times. One group on campus, the Black Student Union (BSU), has organized peaceful protests at Malaga Cove and is focused on educating the student body on the need for justice for the Black community.

“Recent events have heavily impacted me. My whole life, I’ve had to watch too many Black people lose their lives due to systemic racism and police brutality. Myself and millions of others are tired of it,” BSU Vice President Hallie Umrarong said.

Be the Change (BTC), a

by Fin Kehrli

leadership group on campus promoting inclusivity and diversity has supported the BLM movement on a more educational level.

“It has become our goal to provide ample resources for the PVHS community to educate themselves on the history of racial injustice in our country and why it matters,” explained BTC President Charlotte Tight.

“The events have caused me to do a lot of reflection on how I can personally help support and fight for this cause as a White ally.”

CARE, a group on campus supporting equality for all, has posted extensive information about racial injustice on its social media accounts and has been active in community marches and protests in Palos Verdes, Manhattan Beach and even downtown Los Angeles.

“I’ve been positively overwhelmed by the support and the positive conversations I’ve had. The protest I went to was very peaceful,” CARE president Carli Will said.

As the BLM Movement is gaining colossal support throughout the community, many PV residents have been able to realize that they should use their privilege and status to be a voice of support to the Black community that has been continuously oppressed for centuries in America.

Hopefully, students and residents in PV can continue to open their minds to learning new ways to help and aid the world outside of “the bubble.”

“It feels like, for the first time in my life, the PV bubble is cracking and I’m seeing real darkness,” said Will.

Photos courtesy of Chloe Dowling PAGE 3

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Why America Is Past Peaceful Protest.

by Riley Murakawa I don’t care how many times you’ve heard it: This country was built on riots, just as this country was built on the backs of black slavery.

For one to say that the riots “aren’t necessary” needs to check their privilege and recognize that nothing would have gotten done without the use of violence (Boston Tea Party, Stonewall, 1992 LA Riots to name a few).

People of color were born into this country predisposed to disadvantage due to a broken system filled with oppression and racism. With that being said, I want to go into why rioting is so important and how it has helped us in this moment in history.

One of the most used arguments I’m hearing from people against the riots is the success of the

peaceful protests led by Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights movement. So, let’s look into them.

Peaceful protests began in 1955 with bus boycotts.

However, it took nine years after the fact for the Civil Rights Act to be passed and 10 years for black people to vote. Now, although it happened, it should not have taken this damn long. It should not have taken this damn long to finally realize the amount of prejudice that lives within the walls of law enforcement. It should not have taken this damn long for Breonna Taylor’s case to finally be reopened.

If looting a Target, a company with an estimated value of 62.6 billion dollars, is what it takes for people to pay attention to what’s going on right now, then so be it.

The bottom line is buildings

can be rebuilt, but lives can not be brought back.

George Floyd will never see his daughter again. The audacity some people have to demonize the rioters and protesters clearly illustrates the privilege some people refuse to acknowledge they have.

I also want to take a look into what these riots and protests have accomplished. The officers chargers with the murder of George Floyd have all been taken into custody, with Derek Chauvin’s charges being moved from third to second degree murder. Without the pressure from the people, I wouldn’t expect to see the government attempting a change at all.

These riots are more than just “violence” on the streets.

These riots are what is keeping this on the news cycle because Americans refuse to

acknowledge a problem unless money is involved.

I find it hard to understand why a non-black person speaks so badly about the way people are trying to get their voices heard. Peaceful protesting obviously isn’t working right now.

Do you remember how badly they treated Colin Kaepernick over kneeling? How angry they got?

Now imagine how angry the black community is. The years of failed action by the government, the years of being forced into silence, the years of turmoil and despair they feel?

If change doesn’t happen now, when will it happen? Ten years later when police brutality has claimed the lives of 50 others?

How much longer will it be until we are adding another name to the list?

Get Your Acts Straight!

A contextual explanation of the 1807. I’ll let you decide if you President Donald Trump threatened to impose on America the Insurrection Act, which, thanks to unreliable media and uneducated opinions, has been wrongly labeled as complete martial law. The Insurrection Act gives the President of the United States the authority to use active military personnel, like the National Guard, to maintain peace during civil unrest or disobedience of federal laws.

The Insurrection Act has five sections, and two of these sections portray the true authority of the president’s power when enacting the act.

Section 251 states that the president may send in troops into a state upon the request of the state legislature or governor.

Section 252 states that if the president considers that there is an unlawful obstruction or rebellion against the authority of the United States, the president may use the militia and armed forces to enforce federal authority. Section 252 allows the possibility for the president to send in troops without the consent of the governor.

If the president enacted the Insurrection Act without valid reason of rebellion or insurrection, “and the president use[s] the federal government’s military without the permission of the state, that would therefore not hit either of the two prerequisites for using the Instruction act,” said AP US History teacher DJ Hill. “... yet [the president] must state a proclamation, [and with] no proclamation or without either of those two qualifications, you could consider it to be PAGE 4

“No justice, no peace.

The people sworn to ‘serve and protect’ deserve no peace when Black Americans are killed at more than twice the rate of White Americans.

They deserve no peace when Eric Gardner was videotaped with a New York police officer’s arm wrung around his neck as he was pleading for air. They deserve no peace when we are fed empty promise after empty promise that things will get better.”

- Riley Murakawa

martial law.”

The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act also must also be taken into account, as it states that the president must get approval or authorization by the Constitution or an act of Congress, in order to limit the powers of the federal government in its use of the military on domestic soil.

(It should be noted that the act does not prevent the military from acting within its home state or adjacent state if invited by the state governor.)

This act also states that the president must give a “proclamation,” such as warnings to groups to disperse.

“Has the president given a proclamation? Or has he just condemned the protests, the violence? That law needs to be considered when talking about putting down the peaceful protests,” said Hill.

The Insurrection Act has been amended multiple times to fit the challenges America has faced, and in order to understand the history of the president’s military powers, one must first understand what came before: the Militia Act of 1792.

During the presidency of George Washington, the Militia Act was made to protect the country from the dangers of foreign nations, and it gave the president the right to use the military and intervene if invaded.

In 1807, it was amended to the Insurrection Act to “suppress rebellion within the country itself,” said Hill. “Right after the revolutionary era, the most influential leaders of our country [had] a deep fear and resentment of a strong, central government.”

Jefferson had a fear of the standing army, yet believed it was necessary due to violations of the Embargo Act, which he believed could (and did) lead to war with Britain and France.

“The Insurrection Act was purposely enacted to help the central government keep the peace, and was not intended to wage war on American citizens,” said Hill.

For example, during Nat Turner’s Rebellion of 1831, federal troops were sent into Virginia to put down the rebellion. “In that case, the federal government argued [that the act was not being used against American citizens], as, at the time, slaves were not considered citizens,” said Hill.

If President Trump were to enact the Insurrection Act, the National Guard would be used against American citizens. However, this is not unprecedented.

“In over 200 years, this act has only been used 19 times... usually, however, it is used to protect civil rights, to protect the method of equal treatment under the law,” Hill said.

President George H.W. Bush enacted the Insurrection Act twice. Once in 1989 for Hurricane Hugo, in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots after the four police officers that subdued and beat Rodney King were acquitted.

“In that case, given that those riots were promoting equality under the law for the Black community, by suppressing them as riots, many argued that it was used in the antithesis against civil rights,” said Hill.

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Insurrection need to be

“The other side of the argument is always going to be, which we can see with President Trump right now, [is] that they are keeping law and order.”

Direct conflict between state’s rights and federal power occurred throughout history, and “we’ve seen the federal government win that battle many times,’’ said Hill.

The idea of enacting the Insurrection Act has met resistance from state leaders, such as from the Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker.

Pritzker rejected the idea of President Trump invoking military personnel to come into the state, and stated on MSNBC that “[President Trump] does not have the ability to send troops in without being called on by the states to do it… We don’t need that.”

This false statement speaks volumes on the tensions of power, yet Hill believes that “given the backlash that [President Trump] has gotten from it, [I don’t] think that [the president] will enact the Insurrection Act.” Pritzker has spoken out on the peaceful protests, stating on MSNBC that, “this president instead… is focusing on the very few protestors out there that are causing violence and property damage...” which is concerning, as President Trump could enact the Insurrection Act with the reason of the lootings and violence, and after bringing in the National Guard for that purpose, end up correlating the peaceful protests with the looting and violence.

This correlation would be an

Act of worried.

by Aurora Khatibi Garrity

infringement upon the American citizens’ First Amendment rights, yet this hypothetical situation wouldn’t be the first time Trump has infringed upon the First Amendment right.

“We have the right to petition the government, and therefore it is certainly very difficult for the president to put down a peaceful protest, and it would be political suicide to do so,” said Hill.

On June 1st in Washington D.C., President Trump did just that, allowing a peaceful protest to be forcefully broken up before the enacted curfew, in order to get a photo. “[Trump] has been heavily criticized for the use of tear gas on the protestors, and it was before the curfew was enacted.

There’s no justification to be able to do that,” said Hill.

“The president is Commanderin-Chief, in control of the military, but not to the extent where it can infringe on states’ rights, which is a huge theme in American history.”

Whether or not the Insurrection Act is enacted will play a huge role in the future of America, as the unleashing of the United States military on America may lead the way to a world of “martial law.”

Citizens of America may find themselves beginning to think just as Thomas Jefferson did in the enactment of the Insurrection Act of 1807, as according to American Pageant, he believed in the democratic ideal that “large standing armies [were] standing invitations for dictatorship.”

JUNE 10, 2020

THE CASE FOR CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT IS URGENT:

Unless we implement a system of civilian oversight that allows change from the bottom up, police violence will continue to go unpunished and unheard.

by Sharlize Moayedi The community oversight of local law enforcement is not a new idea, first established in some cities in the 1950s.

Yet a lack of accountability in law enforcement is one of the biggest failures of our criminal justice system, despite major US cities including Los Angeles having some form of civilian oversight.

Black and minority communities have seen time and time again how a flawed accountability system allows unjust police violence to perpetuate.

Civilian oversight commissions in major municipalities are intended to review police misconduct

complaints from citizens, yet usually the police department itself investigates and decides consequences for their fellow officers through their internal affairs departments.

City governments have been complacent when the police find themselves not guilty, or when officers go unpunished even when found guilty of misconduct.

In fact, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that fewer than one in every 12 complaints of police misconduct nationwide results in disciplinary action.

Unless we fight to expand the role of civilian oversight within city and county governments, police violence in predominantly

Black and minority communities will continue to go unchecked.

The first step cities need to take to establish civilian oversight structures is to enable them to independently investigate misconduct claims and enact discipline on officers if a misconduct claim is substantiated.

Only 10% of civilian oversight commissions that the Department of Justice surveyed had the power to impose discipline on law enforcement.

In addition, of the commissions surveyed, only 20% followed an investigative structure where the commission independently investigates allegations.

The weak authority of

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the civilian commissions in cities nationwide allow police departments to ignore the demands of the community and sidestep problems related to police brutality that disproportionately affect Black communities.

The LA County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, for example, does not have the power to discipline officers and can only make recommendations to the Sheriff’s Department.

Sure, they can condemn the Sheriff’s response to the recent protests, but they cannot enact any meaningful policy changes. If city and county governments truly care about the racial discrimination and police

by Kapil Dheeriya

violence that plague the Black population, they need to step up and give more authority to civilian oversight commissions and challenge the lobbying power of police unions that has prevented this reform from being enacted in the past.

In addition to an expansion of authority, civilian oversight organizations should be beholden to the community, not to city officials. Members of the commission should be selected by community members, not by mayors or county officials.

Police departments cannot be held truly accountable if the civilian commissions that oversee them are not representative of the needs of the community.

The civilian LA Police Commission is selected by the mayor, which can diminish the influence of the community on police decisions.

Recently in response to the actions and words of the LAPD police chief Michel Moore regarding protests, hundreds of Angelinos lambasted the Commission and chief in a public forum, yet the Commission took no action against Chief Moore.

City governments across the country need to implement community members as part of a powerful civilian oversight commission, so the illusion of police accountability that government officials have accepted becomes a reality.

The Problem with the Differing Responses to Protests

by Kaylie Harley As anyone with cable or a decent internet connection has seen over the course of the last few months, America’s streets have been busy housing numerous protests across the nation.

However, at closer inspection, it is clear that there are two very different causes being protested for right now: the Black Lives Matter protests and the anti-stayat-home order protests.

The first stay-at-home order was issued on March 19th in California.

This marked the starting point of outrage for a percentage of Americans who believe that, despite the increasing cases of coronavirus in the USA, workers should be able to return to their JUNE 10, 2020

jobs and businesses should be reopened.

From the months of March till May, protesters argued for their “right” to haircuts, massages, and weekly shopping trips.

These protests began to pick up news coverage, but on May 25 a man named George Floyd was senselessly killed through asphyxiation while being arrested.

After decades of police brutality against black people that rarely resulted in conviction of murder, Floyd’s death became the last straw for countless Americans who took to the street to protest.

Today, the United States government is facing two large scale protests, but is reacting to them in vastly different ways.

On multiple occasions, protests to reopen the country have

become violent, an example being a group of protesters pounding on the door of and threatening City Council President Miguel Arias in Fresno, California.

However, when Arias reportedly shoved the protesters away from his home and called the police, the protesters did the same.

The Washington Post stated that, “Fresno police arrived at the scene and determined there was sufficient evidence to facilitate a citizen’s arrest on Arias, who was then cited with three counts of misdemeanor battery.”

In response to continual civil unrest about new stay-at-home orders, President Donald Trump responded by encouraging protesters, saying, “They seem to be protesters that like me and respect … my opinion … . They PVHSPOINT.ORG

all want to open. Nobody wants to stay shut.”

Additionally, the president has tweeted multiple times calling for the “liberation” of Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia from lockdown.

The president seemed to change his tune, however, when discussing the Black Lives Matter protests that started directly after Floyd’s death.

“Our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, Antifa and others,” Trump said in his speech on June 1st, along with “These are not acts of peaceful protest, these are acts of domestic terror.”

In a fight to end police brutality, the unquestionably heinous response has been more police brutality.

Over 2,700 people just in Los

Angeles have been arrested and charged with “failure to disperse,” a charge meaning they violated LA’s curfew order, first implemented on May 31st, and at least 11 protesters have died across the country.

Peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters are being arrested, injured and killed for fighting for their right to exist at the same time privileged protestors of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders are encouraged to use violent tactics to persuade their opposition.

Just based on the responses to these two protests that occurred adjacent to each other, it is clear that the Trump administration and the law enforcement of the United States care more about furthering the privilege of White lives and destroying Black lives to get there.

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PVPUSD Students and Local Community Show Support At Protests

Photos courtesy of Chloe Dowling

by Sierra Namvari During the first week of June, protests began among us in Palos Verdes Estates. Many students and residents of Palos Verdes gathered daily at the Malaga Cove police station, protesting on behalf of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Floyd was a black man who was killed by a police officer on Memorial Day. As soon as news had sparked about this, people all over the country started taking a stand.

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Protests ran rom New York, to Washington, to Los Angeles, and now, our own city is taking part in the act of fighting for justice for black citizens.

Palos Verdes High School senior Aya Cohen had attended multiple protests in the area including ones in Manhattan Beach, Malaga Cove, and Redondo Beach.

“All of them have been super peaceful which was amazing and lots of people came to join,” she said. “Our protests are not meant to harm. They are not meant to burn buildings nor loot. They are

meant to bring attention to the injustices black people face.”

Chanting has been a big communication tool used for all kinds of protests over the years.

“Chants are an important aspect of protests because they unite the people and remind us [of] the importance of using our voice,” said Senior Riley Murakawa.

“Many of these chants included names of the Black men and women murdered by the police. Others include ‘No justice no peace’.”

Sophomore Sophia Norris

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attended the Malaga Cove protests throughout the week.

“I came to spread awareness about police brutality against Blacks and bring justice to those who are affected. I want to change regulations for the police force so future incidents can be prevented,” Norris said.

Senior Caroline Pack has attended protests at the Trump National Golf Course and Malaga Cove.

“I felt the need to take my activism further than posting a few links to social media,” she said.

“I’ve always felt that social movements don’t have traction until there are protests to legitimize them and show the government that these are causes that people truly care about. As a white person, I have a duty to educate myself more on racism and support those who are being oppressed.”

When attending, or driving by, you will notice the cars honking in support of the protesters and the movement.

There will most likely continue to be many more protests like this to come in our local area.

JUNE 10, 2020

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Follow the Money to the Ballot Box Why it’s important for local officials to maintain congruity between campaing contributions and their public agenda, and how voters can keep them accountable.

Michael Jordan- “His Airness,” the GOAT- was asked to endorse Harvey Gantt, who, if elected, would be the first Black senator in North Carolina. His response?

“Republicans buy sneakers, too.”

This type of attitude was somewhat understandable. Jordan was looking to build a namesake brand and a legacy, and that required support from basketball fans of all ideologies.

However, this incessant politeness cannot be normalized among our politicians.

Republicans can buy sneakers, but private interest groups cannot buy our politicians.

If you live in the area, your Assemblyman is Al Muratsuchi.

You’ve probably seen this name on mailers or yard signs, you’ve heard of him from your parents, or maybe even some of your friends have interned for him.

Why does this matter?

Firstly, local governments are a lot more powerful than you might think. These elected officials’ decisions most immediately impact us through our school, rent, and healthcare policies, to name a few.

Secondly, federal policy is often influenced by local government. It’s no fluke that versions of the Green New Deal have already been adopted within municipalities.

Finally, careers have a trajectory. It’s safe to assume these names will still be around and preparing to run for higher

office.

Back to Muratsuchi. Over the past few weeks, the protests have gotten his attention, as he tweeted about in praise of peaceful protests, shared articles, and wrote and shared messages of solidarity with those protesting against police brutality.

The idea that tweets and retweets can pass as solidarity is fundamentally flawed when you apply the famous rule of the Internet: never believe what you see online.

By law, those who are running for public office must disclose their campaign contributions.

In the 2020 election cycle alone, Muratsuchi has accepted at least $23,100 in police PAC money from the following: California Correctional Peace Officers Association: $10,700 Los Angeles Police Protective League PAC: $9,400 Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association: $2,000 CA Association of Highway Patrolmen PAC: $1,000 Money talks. It does not make sense to be in the pockets of the police while you say you support change.

It’s not just a check when politicians start to have obligations to their donors.

These PACs have a problematic track record, with positions that would objectively hurt Black constituents.

Here are a few standouts:

2016: Opposed Prop 63: Background Checks for Ammunition Purchases & LargeCapacity Ammunition Magazine Ban 2016: Supported AB 2165: peace officers who complete introductory training aren’t prohibited from buying firearms that lack certain safety mechanisms and fail certain safety tests 2013: Supported SB 313: Prohibits a public agency from taking punitive action against a public safety officer or denying his/her promotion because the officer’s name was placed on a Brady list (for dishonest cops) 2014: Opposed Prop 47: Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative (changing most nonviolent property & drug crimes such as theft & fraud up to $950 from a felony to misdemeanor) 2008: Opposed Prop 5: NonViolent Drug Offenders, which would have expanded drug treatment diversion programs for criminal offenders, such as expanded prison & parole rehabilitation programs.

To report this information is not an effort to prevent him from getting elected.

This is about electing politicians to office in an ethical and moral manner. This about removing his obligations to a brutal and broken system.

Black lives are not an expense or a sacrifice that our politicians should be able to make.

To say you stand in solidarity with protestors but continue to take money from the very institutions they oppose is a slap in the face.

Muratsuchi most likely believes that he is a fair elected official who values the lives of his Black constituents.

However, to align his campaign with the values of these Political Action Committees stands in direct opposition with that assertion.

The very policy these unions and PACs support and oppose put the police in a position of superiority, untouchable by the legislature. Consequences for cops who lie? Prohibit them and let them climb the ranks.

Limitations on purchasing firearms that fail certain safety tests? Complete your introductory training and you get a pass.

While these policies are not explicitly racist in writing, unquestionable is the harm they would pose to Black constituents.

Reducing penalties for nonviolent crimes is somehow too radical, but the tolerance of mass incarceration is somehow not ambitious enough?

Expanding drug treatment diversion programs and rehabilitation is too progressive, yet whining about drug addiction that plagues Americans is enough action to satisfy the minds of the political establishment.

The list goes on, and I implore you to research how your

by Sarah Liu politicians line their pockets.

They can hold their fist up, call for unity, say they see you and understand you. But the organizations they associate with and rely on would rather see fists behind backs, unity in jail cells and fail to hold their own accountable when they “misunderstand.”

As such, I would hope that Muratsuchi and politicians like him donate their police PAC contributions to bail funds, mutual aid and organizations seeking justice for Black people who have for centuries been disenfranchised.

Furthermore, it is a necessity that he and others publicly reject future police PAC money.

It made sense for Michael Jordan to say Republicans bought his sneakers. But to embrace spineless political ambiguity for the sake of electoral power is an embarrassment and disgrace to the people politicians are elected to serve.

It is a moral failure to proudly proclaim you stand on the side of both the oppressor and the oppressed. Because, the very nature of supremacy demands that your loyalty to the oppressor and their wallet overshadows your will to help the oppressed.

(All PAC information found through ballotpedia. org, followthemoney.org, and contributor-owned websites.)

Systemic Racism: A Vicious Cycle of Injustice and Inequality

Ever since the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, people of all colors have been considered “equal,” so why is it that an African American is five times more likely to be incarcerated than a White person?

Why is imprisonment for Black females twice as likely as for a White female?

The answer is the systemic racism that originated from slavery in the United States.

Instead of lynching and torturing the African American population like in the 1800s, our justice system now locks them in prison, enslaving them for crimes that if a White person was charged with, would have a much less severe punishment.

This systemic racism in our justice system has created a cycle of poverty and injustice in many Black communities.

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People in these communities filled with injustice grow up poor, with lack of funding to schools and education, and some are forced to commit crimes in order to make money and survive.

Then they get arrested and severely punished by a system that put them in that position in the first place.

Assuming they don’t get imprisoned for life, they are released into the world, only to find themselves back where they started because after they are free, the government doesn’t help them at all.

Instead of providing rehabilitation and financial support to become productive members of society, the government puts them back into the world, with the same attitude as they came into prison with.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 68% of state prisoners return to prison after three years and 75% return after five years.

The purpose of the justice system should be to help teach the incarcerated ways to be productive members of society, not just strictly punish them for committing a crime, because that way no one wins.

Another system that has failed the Black population all over the United States is the education system.

The correlation between being White, and becoming better educated than a black person is very strong. White students are 2.3 times more likely to take an AP course, and are 3.2 times more likely to be placed in a gifted education compared to Black students.

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In California, non-white districts receive 20% less funding on average than mostly white school districts and for the United States, non-white districts receive a total of $23 billion less funding than white districts.

This inequality is caused by two problems: the ability for districts to self fund, known as “local control,” and the reason why every district can’t self fund.

Because of the history of segregation in the US, race and class are heavily linked, meaning that white school districts are more likely to live in a highincome area. This allows for the district to “self-fund” and give itself more funding to better the education of their students.

But for highly concentrated low-income areas, they are unable to self fund and don’t

by Vikesh Dheeriya have local control, so they rely heavily on the state government to “level the playing field” and ensure as equal of an education as possible for students of any race or economic status.

Because of the repercussions of slavery, the social and economic disparities of the Black population have become more and more of an issue as the fight for change of the prejudiced American systems continues.

The education system and the justice system are linked in a way that continues to oppress the non-white communities.

These systems press their knees on the Black person’s throat, and they can’t take a breath of equality and justice.

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BLM The Power of the Gen. Z Bandwagon When the video of the despicable killing of Ahmaud Arbery by White terrorists was released online last month, I felt alone as I was part of only a small group of people trying to bring awareness to the murder.

I was only able to get a few friends to take action and I remember wishing that more people would act and that more people would care about issues of race in the United States, especially amongst PV High students.

Fast forward to this month, that wish came true. An absolutely unprecedented number of posts have been made on social media in the past week or so following the release of a video showing the despicable murder of George Floyd by four police officers in Minnesota. #BlackLivesMatter covered almost every Instagram story and Twitter feed within just a few days as people began to express their rage at a broken system filled with injustice and prejudice.

And, this time, unlike previous Black Lives Matter surges in past years or the slayings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, the “usual crowd” was not the only one up-in-arms.

While some may call this increase in posting about the Black experience in America a “bandwagon,” I think it’s important to recognize that this as a historic step for our generation.

To our readers:

It is not lost on me the lack of Black voices we have in this paper. This fact is one that I’ve reflected on long and hard, and if you feel disappointment, know you are not alone in this fact.

However, this is where I must offer my first correction: your Black classmates do not exist to serve as your educators.

It is not a Black person’s responsibility to teach you about the struggles they have faced or about the system that has failed them.

In producing this edition of The Point, the goal was to elevate Black voices at Palos Verdes High School and provide a platform for Black perspectives- personal, analytical, political- via outreach to potential volunteer contributors.

Through various student organizations on campus and an

From only sparse awareness and action from the public in lieu of the slayings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor a few weeks before, to massive responsiveness and action in wake of George Floyd’s death now, the public, specifically Gen. Z (and even more specifically, privileged Gen. Z), is showing they finally give a damn.

Whether it be COVID-19, North Korea or climate change, it seems that Gen. Z has always found a way to either straight up ignore a crisis, or turn it into a comedy competition on TikTok. However, with the murder of George Floyd, a spark that lighted this new wave of voices, the usual jokes or indifference seems to have only been taken up by the ignorant the people now being cancelled and shunned all across social media.

The majority of Gen. Z has chosen instead to do something else we do best: we made something go viral.

We used our tendency to bandwagon and trend-hop not to open Point meeting, we believe we have done what we could without pressuring students to give their time.

Why should we have expected Black students to jump at the opportunity to write articles as they mourn, all while fighting for equality in a country that has let them down?

In a time like this, where the cracks of systemic racism are more apparent than ever, who are we to think that they should offer their energy to this newspaper?

Hell, do not believe for a second that the media has ever been fair to Black people in the past or present.

No one should be born with the duty of advocating for their own freedom. It is a shame that this is a role Black people have had to take on.

It is the work of Black activists that our contributors respect and turn to in writing their articles, and it is our responsibility to uplift their voices as we stand Special Edition Editors-in-Chief Sarah Liu Aidan Sun Adviser Cynthia Mindicino

JUNE 10, 2020

our posts with kindness, action and meaning in spite of those screaming “all lives matter” and telling us we didn’t understand; we filled the streets with our voices; and now we have filled millions with hope for change.

If there’s anything this has shown us, it has been the power of the bandwagon and the power behind what we choose to bandwagon on.

Yes, for some it may be performative activism.

Yes, for some they’re just doing it because everyone else is doing it.

But they’re still spreading the message.

Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray and so many other promote some meme Illustration by Alycen Kim names and or challenge, but this time phrases have to share information about police gone from being only known by brutality, African American the politically-aware to being struggles, systemic racism, known by almost all of us. inequality and more injustices And while there are those of that Blacks and other minorities us who still don’t understand the face in the United States of meaning or the power of Black America.

Lives Matter, our continued We reached out to friends activism via social media gives who otherwise were unaware; promise that one day we can we filled petitions with our bring them into our circle and signatures; we donated to teach them about the beauty of causes that matter; we filled a just and equal society open to

By Aidan Sun change.

I’ve seen many in the media ask what would define Gen. Z and I think that through recent events in regards to Black Lives Matter and the awakening effect it’s had on us, Gen. Z’s characteristics are becoming clear.

As we progress into the future and to more issues and crises the world and our country may face, I hope we continue this momentum generated in this past week to continually lift each other out of areas of darkness and into the light so we can share a common fight against oppressive forces any of us may face.

And these fights will start as bandwagons. But as we spread more and more information like we are now, the bandwagon starts to become a movement, and that movement becomes change.

It’s time we stop seeing bandwagoning as something inherently bad and start seeing it as a tool to build the world we wish to see.

If we continue to fight the way we do now, we will not only see the lives of others improve, but even the lives of ourselves.

Come November 3rd I hope we see this power fully realized and see how well it can carry us out of the past and into the future.

alongside them.

While we will never experience what a Black person in America will experience, we hope our coverage of the most pressing issues of today, at the very least, begins to illuminate and expose our readers to the nuance and importance of having conversations on race.

For centuries, Black people have spoken out about the injustices that they have faced, in spite of oppression.

They have given us the resources, the speeches, the books, the interviews.

They have laid the groundwork.

To turn to those who are hurting and ask for another lesson in their own humanity is a damning portrait of privilege.

It is one I hope this edition challenges.

-Sarah Liu Editor-in-Chief Design: Sarah Liu Claire Hardesty Photos/Graphics: Chloe Dowling Alycen Kim Sharlize Moayedi

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Photo courtesy of Chloe Dowling Writers: Kapil Dheeriya, Vikesh Dheeriya, Kaylie Harley, Aurora Khatibi Garrity, Fin Kehrli, Alycen Kim, Chloe Lendi, Riley Murakawa, Sierra Namvari

Follows us @pvhspoint!

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