CityTimes
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Covering the San Diego City College community since 1945
Volume 64, Number 5
October 20, 2009
Police Church group protests school target Gay-rights supporters outnumber Westboro ‘cruising’ Baptist Church members in a counter-protest at City C building bathroom is possible hotspot for sexual favors, authorities say By JUAN CARLOS GIL Correspondent
The “Bathroom Cruising” community targets City College as one of their meeting sites, but campus police responds with an undercover sting operation. Engaging in lewd acts — as marked in the California Penal Code section 647 (a) and (d) or trying to pick up someone for anonymous gay male sex in a bathroom — as the Urban Dictionary defines it are both considered “Bathroom Cruising.” There is an entire community throughout San Diego that is dedicated to finding locations around the city where bathroom cruising can be performed. The men’s bathroom located on the second floor of the C building is a well known site among bathroom cruisers, according to authorities. There is an extensive list of resources that target this specific location as a good spot to “cruise” and engage in sexual activities. When reports of these activities came to Campus Police, a swift plan to clean up school grounds came into action. An undercover sting operation got under way and successfully detained 16 people in the first two days, but only two of the detainees were City College students, authorities reported. Some controversy stirred up in 2007 when Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was arrested in a men’s restroom at the Minneapolis airport for allegedly looking to engage in gay sex. “Who the (expletive) cares if (a gay man) wants to cruise a restroom?” said an angry gay blogger. “Isn’t there a rapist or a child molester or a thief or a murderer out there to catch? This kind of ‘sting operation’ is just a witch hunt.” “Students have the right to attend school without having to encounter this behavior,” said campus Sgt. Jordan Mirakian, who is a major contributor in the operation. “The district pays for the vandalism that goes on in these places, for example the writing on the walls or the holes they cut in the stalls. “But more importantly, it’s for their own safety. A cruiser might approach the wrong person and expose themselves to an act of violence; then we have an entire new situation,” Mirakian added. Law enforcement assures that this type of operation has nothing to do with the gay community since among those apprehended were married men, men with families, and the majority were “closeted” gay men and only a very few of those were openly gay. “I believe that two types of people engage in this act, those who have to hide from society about their sexuality and the ones who are ‘open’ about their sexuality but seek a thrill and enjoy the rush of possibly getting caught,” Mirakian said.. “At what point do morals come into play?” art student Richard De Val said about the issue. “I don’t think that’s cool. I think that’s something students don’t want to bump into while going from one class to the next.” This has been an ongoing operation since 2001. There are daily patrols and walkthroughs specifically looking for such conduct and, thanks to those efforts, City College has been free of any new reports, authorities said. City officers stay up to date with the sources that announce such “bathroom cruising” hot spots in efforts to keep “cruisers” away from campus and continue maintaining safety.
Index
Take Note.................................2 News...................................... 3 Arts.........................................7 Opinion................................... 9 Sports................................... 12
JOE LEONARD City Times Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, shouts as she tries to emphasize her point of view on numerous topics. She preached against homosexuals, military, the Jewish community, President Barack Obama and American society as a whole. By ERNESTO LOPEZ and DONOVAN TERBLANCHE City Times
“Hey Hey Ho Ho, homophobia has got to go!” This phrase was chanted by gayrights supporters as they waited for the Westboro Baptist Church members’ arrival Oct. 16 to begin their protest against San Diego High School. San Diego High School openly accepts gay and lesbian students. In preparation, Chris Conyers, a member of City’s Fellowship Association of Gay Students, used a megaphone to tell the gay-rights supporters “not to antagonize (the gay protestors), to make it peaceful and positive.” The FAGS group planned the counterprotest when it came to their attention that the Westboro group would protest at San Diego High. A ring of eight police officers protected the six members of the church, ranging from the father, Sam PhelpsRoper, to his youngest daughter, 5-yearold Mariah, who arrived at the corner Ash Street and Park Boulevard at 2 p.m., right at the time the high school students leave school for the day. The group came out with their message against gays, military, Jews, Americans and President Barack Obama, who they believe to be the anti-Christ. “The main reason we are here is because this nation is raising rebellious brats, we are here speaking the message of truth. Parents are raising them for the devil, a generation of evil,” Jennifer Phelps-Roper, Westboro Baptist member, said. When 12-year-old Jonah, a young member of the Westboro Baptist Church, ADELA RAHMATI Contributor was asked why he believes Obama is the Members of the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender group) protested across the street from the anti-Christ, his response was, “because momma said so.” Westboro Baptist Church. The protest took place in front of San Diego High School. “Every single person that gets this message are bound by the standards of God,” Shirley Phelps-Roper, another ing at a high school, but this is America, with protestors from both positions. Shirley Phelps-Roper confronted Westboro Baptist member, said. “When (and) I appreciate the freedom to protest. he sends people onto the streets posting It’s unfortunate that we have people that Jewish high school student Kyle hate certain groups. I don’t understand Cochram and his friends, who were the messages, that’s your warning.” Stacey Stevenson, concerned parent why they are targeting minors, but our wearing yarmulkes. She chanted at him waiting for her ninth-grade child to come kids will learn that our country is demo- that “domeheads go to hell.” In response to her comment, out of class, said that the protest would cratic and that everybody has a voice.” San Diego High students came out of teach students “a life lesson.” See PROTESTS, page 11 “I’m concerned that they are protest- classes at 2:30 p.m. and they were faced
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