Issue 25, Volume 83

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Issue 25, Volume 83

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Historic church, chicken restaurant swap land

Thanks to a partnership between the two businesses, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church will be expanding into Frenchy’s Scott Street location after its move in May. | PG. 4

SPORTS

OPINION

Junior pitcher drives team toward wins

Parkland protest a privileged movement

Savannah Heebner’s pitches have been accredited to more than half the team’s victories.

Now she is on course to bring the Cougars back to the conference finals. | PG. 7

Minorities have been speaking out against gun violence since Trayvon Martin’s death. Now, with March For Our Lives, protesters are finally being heard thanks to privilege. | PG. 10

2 | Wednesday, April 4, 2018

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Dana C. Jones & Drew Jones, EDITORS

PROTEST

Q&A: 'Too many have died already' for student city leader MICHAEL SLATEN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @MICHAELSLATEN

Hoping to achieve gun reform, exercise science sophomore Ariel Hobbs ended up walking locked arms with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.

The UH sophomore felt enough was enough with school shootings and helped plan the Houston March For Our Lives protest, which drew a reported 15,000 people, a little over a month after the Parkland Shooting. It was one of dozens that occurred across the country on March 24.

Hobbs' role in the protest involved public relations and interviewing with Houston media. She helped secure permits and made sure the the event was accessible for any attendee.

The Cougar: How did you get involved with organizing such a large protest?

Ariel Hobbs: I have been following the whole thing that happened in Parkland since Valentine's Day. When I saw that they were holding a march, I initially was going to go to D.C. I was like, 'This is something I'm really passionate about, and I really want to be involved.'

But then I saw (march organizers) post that they were doing sister marches all over the country. I was like, 'Let me see if there's one in Houston.' So when I was looking, my mom actually sent me a link to the March for Our Lives Houston page. I contacted Alyssa DuPree, who's the one that created the page, and kind of the rest is history.

The Cougar: Do you think it was a success?

Hobbs: One thousand percent.

We were very, very excited with the turnout. What we're hearing from police, about 15,000 people, which really superseded what we expected.

We were hoping for at least 10,000.

It really made us feel good and made us feel we are not in this alone.

People are listening, and people do stay behind us. We are not just some crazy kids talking about whatever.

We actually have people that support us in this. Especially the mayor, who committed to making a commission with students and adults to help work on this issue, along with the police chief.

This is not the end. We have a town

i

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ISSUE STAFF CLOSING EDITORS

Emily Burleson Jasmine Davis

Exercise science sophomore Ariel Hobbs, pictured between Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo and Mayor Slyvester Turner, helped plan the Houston edition of the March For Our Lives protest in March. | Courtesy of Ariel Hobbs hall on Saturday at Rice.

The Cougar: What was it like to have the support of Mayor Turner and Chief Acevedo at the March?

Hobbs: It was like a good boost.

Because — mayors and police chiefs — that's our local government. If we want to make local change and start change happening, those are the people we have to get to first.

We understand, being in a red state like Texas, having the support of your mayor and chief of police means a lot.

Those are the people that go up to Austin sometimes. They are talking to other mayors or chiefs of police.

Those are people that can speak for us.

Having them stand with us on the issue and not be an adversary, it makes things go by smoother and gives you a push of support.

The Cougar: Do you think they are firmly committed to change?

Hobbs: I do. The mayor said he is going to create a commission in his speech, which was recorded. So if he goes back on that, it's on tape. Which I don't think he will. We are actually going to meet with him soon.

They seem like people who when they say something, they mean it.

The Cougar: How does it make you feel seeing thousands of people, mostly young, have a voice in a national discussion you helped organize?

Hobbs: It feels great. We all get our political beliefs and our standings from parents for the most part, unless you just totally reject what they believe in.

A lot of us between now and the

2020 election are going to become eligible to vote. Before, you had to get the older generation. Those were the ones that were able to vote.

Millennials just started being able to vote, for the most part. Now we actually have the power of the vote.

Having this large group of people who are so motivated — it lets me know change is coming. We aren't stopping.

We aren't going away.

It's inevitable. It's something we should welcome with open arms, not me against you.

The Cougar: What was your reaction after learning the news of the Parkland Shooting?

Hobbs: I would really love to say shocked. I was born in 1997, so Columbine happened two years after that, and it's kind of been happening non-stop.

I mean, after the 21 secondand-first graders and nothing really happened after that, these have become commonplace to me. I was sad for the people, because it's never easy seeing so many people that are like my age, just gone. It was sad but not shocking, which is sad to say.

The Cougar: What made you become an active participant in the nationwide discussion on gun control?

Hobbs: In my family, I've always been outspoken one. If I don't like something, I definitely let everyone know I don't like this. And so I kind of just build over into my everyday life.

I just kind of felt like enough is enough. How many more kids have to die? How many families have to bury family members? How many lives have to stop for this to stop?

I've grown up in Texas. I've grown up around hunters, and I have family

members that have guns. But one thing that when I talk to them about this issue, they all say, 'Yeah I wish it was harder for me to get a gun.' Too many people have died already.

The Cougar: What kind of policy changes would you want?

Hobbs: Sensible gun reform. I've never been one to be like 'Oh, I'm going to take all your guns away.'

That's never been me. I don't feel like that's right. There is a Second Amendment for a reason, and people should be allowed to have guns.

I know speaking on my personal beliefs and also on behalf of the March we would like certain customizations, like bumps stocks, to be banned. Certain customizations that would allow a semi-automatic weapon to turn into an automatic weapon. We want stronger background checks.

Those are just simple things that could be implemented.

The Cougar: Do you think legislators are listening?

Hobbs: No, and I say that on in regards to both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans. I don't think any of them are listening.

And for so long, they've been able to just give condolences and give lip service and not really be forced on the issue. Because there's something bigger that takes hold, whether it's the economy or we are in a war.

Something supersedes it, and it just gets put by the wayside until the next Las Vegas, Parkland, Sandy Hook, Columbine, Sutherland, Pulse or San Bernardino happens. The cycle repeats itself. features@thedailycougar.com

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Dana C. Jones

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COMMUNITY

Overflowing Third Ward church partners with Frenchy's to expand

To accomodate a growing congreagtion historic Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church which once hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will expand into Frenchy's original location. | Dana C. Jones/The Cougar

DANA C. JONES

FEATURES EDITOR @DANACJONES_

A historic Third Ward church — Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church — is expanding.

The church has been a Third Ward staple since its inception in 1962 by 13 Texas Southern University students, a part of the Baptist Student Union that is still active today. Over the years, their congregation has grown and needs more space.

“We have four worship experiences every Sunday, and that’s not sustainable,” said Rev. Alexander Johnson, an associate pastor at the church. “The membership of the church has continued to experience growth.

To accommodate the growth, we are building a larger sanctuary.”

Wheeler Avenue Baptist has partnered with another Third Ward icon — Frenchy's, a drivethru restaurant almost as old as the church — that plans to move locations in May. As Frenchy's was planning its move, it entered into an agreement with the church.

Dating back to when both Wheeler Avenue Baptist and Frenchy's where both young, the two original owners, Rev. William A. Lawson and Percy Creuzot, respectively, engaged in a gentlemen's agreement.

Since then, both neighborhood

institutions expanded — Wheeler Avenue into a black historic hub with thousands of congregants, and Frenchy's into a franchised fried chicken restaurant with dozens of locations.

“As (Frenchy’s) opens their new flagship location, we engaged in a land swap,” Johnson said.

To secure Frenchy's original location, Wheeler Avenue purchased the land under the restaurant's upcoming location on Scott Street and Alabama Street and swapped it with the parcel adjacent to the church.

It is only a two to three-minute walk between the old Frenchy’s and Wheeler Avenue.

The expansion will be used as a sanctuary for “worship experiences,” which are the church’s Sunday services.

The new Frenchy’s will remain in the Third Ward, staying relatively close to the original location. From the current location of Frenchy’s at 3919 Scott St., it is a seven-minute walk to its relocation.

Some Houstonians, like former UH student Ashton Watts, are sad to see it go but are glad that the property will be obtained by another black entity. Watt’s first time going to Frenchy’s was with his grandmother, a then-Third Ward resident, when he was 8 years old.

“We passed by the KFC, and I said ‘I thought we were getting chicken,’ and (my grandmother) said, ‘Boy, we are getting chicken,'” Watts said.

Watts had a two-piece mini meal with fries, a biscuit and strawberry soda.

“I think it’s unfortunate that they are choosing to move, especially because it means so much to the neighborhood and our culture in general,” said Houstonian and current Third Ward resident Bené Vincent. “It’s more than a staple. It’s a sense of home.”

For congregants of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, the expansion is looking to alleviate the church’s overflow.

Frenchy’s will be moving this spring, so UH students better get their last original taste before it’s not within walking distance anymore. “I hope the food will be the same because that’s always been the best Frenchy’s,” said Vincent.

For the community, everyone will just have to travel a few extra blocks.

“No pun intended, but Church’s ain’t giving us Frenchy’s,” Watts said.

Frenchy's representatives were unable to comment before publication. features@thedailycougar.com

The first time Ashton Watts' grandmother brought him to Frenchy's, he ordered a two piece with fries, biscuit, and strawberry soda. | Dana C. Jones/The Cougar

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NEWS

Dana C. Jones & Drew Jones, EDITORS

EXPLAINER

Student permits to be divided into zones MICHAEL SLATEN

and 20C, across from the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

How students purchase permits Amid a full slate of changes coming will be different. Later in April, for 2018-19, the most significant is students will apply for a parking that Student parking permits will permit through AccessUH as usual. now require students to park in a When a student applies, they will specific zone on campus. rank their permit choices from Staff within Parking and Transmost desirable to least, including portation Services hope the new which zones they would like to zones will improve the distribupark in. tion of traffic across campus and Some zones, such as F, which prevent the most popular lots from includes lot 12A, will consist of filling too quickly. Parking is set to only one parking lot. Others, such expand over the next several years as zone C, will include up to five with new garages and parking parking lots. guidance systems.

"I have to say, as someone who There will be six zones, or clusparks in the same lot everyday, (if) ters of parking lots, for students to I didn't get the one I wanted, I'd be choose from. Students can park in pretty pissed," communications zones not specified for their permit sciences and disorders senior Niko after 4 p.m. Monday through Friday Reyes said. and on weekends, according to a Reyes usually parks in lot 20A. He PTS blog post. said he'll make sure to be ready for Director of Parking and Transpermit signup so he does not end portation Bob Browand explained up with a less desirable zone. in the blog post that the most Permits will be distributed to popular student lots are 4A, adjastudents on first-come, first-served 10-11210_Cougar News April_2_print.pdf 3/29/18 9:45 AM cent to the UH South/ University basis, and the1 permit type they Oaks METRO Rail stop, and 20A receive will be the highest ranked ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @MICHAELSLATEN

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

choice a student picks with permits still available.

Psychology senior Nicole Cordray has a student permit and said students don't have classes in the same part of campus everyday, so she fears they will be forced to park away from their classes on certain days.

Permit revenue for FY 2018, for Sept. 2018 through Aug. 2019, is expected to be $11 million, according to a PTS budget.

Permit revenue is expected to increase by 169 percent to $30 million by 2024.

By then, garages 5 through 8 will be open. All new garages will have parking guidance systems installed, and current ones will have them installed over the next year.

Garage 6 was approved in March at a Board of Regents meeting and is expected to cost $58 million.

“I’m just glad. (With) all the students that stop me everywhere, I have no problems with money for a parking garage,” said chairman of Board of Regents Tilman Fertitta at a March Board of Regents meeting.

Student lots will now be divided into zones, when purchasing a parking permit, students will rank zones from favorite to least favorite. | Michael Slaten/The Cougar

“That’s everyone’s biggest complaint.”

About 1,300 temporary parking spaces will be added between Texas Spur 5 and MLK Boulevard by September 2019. Eventually, additional family housing for students will be built over the parking spaces along with soccer and football fields.

Jim McShan, senior vice president of Administration and Finance, said in March the timing of the new recreation fields coincides with the construction

of the future medical school over the recreation fields on the corner of Wheeler Avenue and University Drive.

Parking rates will also go up by an average of 16 percent through FY 2020. A garage permit will cost $635 next year and $690 the following year. A student permit will cost $370 next year and $405 the following year, according to parking rates approved in March. news@thedailycougar.com

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Peter Scamardo, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Annual scrimmage presents early look of 2018 season PETER SCAMARDO

SPORTS EDITOR

@PLSCAMARDO2

A second year head coach. A controversial new coordinator. A star on the rise and an NFL Draft pick in the waiting. All of these storylines and more will be featured in the football team’s annual Red & White Game.

On Saturday, the Cougars will make their return to TDECU Stadium to face each other in a scrimmage as head coach Major Applewhite searches for which players he can trust to perform come the 2018 season.

He said the best thing players can get out of the spring game is exposure.

"Just trying to wrinkle our brain, whatever may pop up (in game), at least we’ve talked about it," Applewhite said. "With these guys to go through two minute situations, red zone situations, taking the air out of the ball at the end of the game, explaining to them why we’re doing what we’re

The football team's annual Red & White Game gives the Cougars a chance to apply practice drills to in-game scenarios so players can be more prepared for when the games start in five months' time in the Fall. | Richard Fletcher Jr./The Cougar

doing, it just gives you a better opportunity, puts the odds in your favor to go execute when it comes about.”

Sophomore defensive tackle Ed Oliver has almost nothing left to prove at the spring game. The All-American who has torn up

offenses since he stepped foot on campus announced in March that he plans to declare for the NFL Draft after his junior season.

Many publications are predicting that Oliver will go in the draft's first round.

Throughout 2018, Oliver will

continue to tear up offenses as he looks to increase his draft stock.

The spring game will be a window into that season.

“Just going to go hard every play like I always have been,” Oliver said when asked about his goals for this season. “I kick it up

a notch every year, so I’m turning up the heat a little more this year."

Another headline from the offseason: Kendal Briles is the team's new offensive coordinator.

While Briles brings controversy due to his connection to the Baylor lawsuit, he has a reputation for running highscoring offenses at FAU and Baylor, something the Cougars lacked last season.

The spring game will be the first test for sophomore quarterback D’Eriq King in the new system.

The quarterback-turned-wide receiver-turned-quarterback earned the starting nod for the final six games of the season and looks to be the man under center for the entire year.

King showed last season that he has the stature, strength and agility to be the next Greg Ward Jr. However, he will be without the team’s top two receivers,

ANNUAL SCRIMMAGE

Continues on page 9

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sports@thedailycougar.com

Peter Scamardo, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Roundtable: Predicting the top performer at Red & White Game Here's their predictions for who will be the top performer come Saturday.

Staff writer Christopher McGehee

Emeke Egbule and Ed Oliver are two players who could have a strong showing at football's annual Red & White scrimmage. | Richard Fletcher Jr./The Cougar

THE COUGAR SPORTS STAFF @ THECOUGARSPORTS

On Saturday, the football team will play itself at TDECU Stadium in its annual Red & White Game.

It is a chance for underclassmen to step up into a new role,

for veterans to solidify their starting positions, for transfers to leave first impression with full pads on, and for coaches to spot areas for improvement.

The Cougar sports staff has been tracking the team at practice all week.

Look for sophomore starting quarterback D’Eriq King to display a marked improvement over his performance from last season.

Even though he was the team’s leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns last season, King and the team suffered as a result of a constant rotation behind center.

Throughout his sophomore campaign, King split time at quarterback with Kyle Postma and Texas A&M transfer Kyle Allen, which never allowed King to truly establish a rhythm with his receivers.

To put it in perspective,

King attempted 139 passes last season while contemporaries such as Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield attempted north of 400 passes.

Now, after going through spring training knowing he will be the team’s starting quarterback, King will display the skills that will allow him to be a leader of the Cougars, with an emphasis on efficiency and moving the ball.

Staff writer Jackson Gatlin With sophomore AllAmerican defensive tackle Ed Oliver already receiving national media recognition, expect him to come out prepared to give his supporters and fans a great preview.

Oliver is the Cougars' driving force on defense, leading the nation with a career average of 1.56 tackles for loss per game,

totaling 39.5 tackles for loss in only 25 games played.

In early March, Oliver announced he will enter the 2019 NFL draft, where he is projected as a top five pick.

The decision to announce for the draft can be daunting for many college athletes, some even having doubts about themselves, but not Oliver.

“I would play for the Texans right now," Oliver said at a post practice interview. "Sign me up."

Oliver was sidelined for about a week at the end of March because he gashed his forehead during a spring workout.

However, he only required a few stitches for the minor injury.

With no impending draft

ROUNDTABLE PERFORMER

Continues on page 9

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Peter Scamardo, EDITOR

Junior starting pitcher Savannah Heebner is fighting to become an All-American this season, and the softball team has rode her success to 14 victories this year already. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar

SOFTBALL

'Talented' junior pitcher, All-American hopeful leads team to winning record CHRISTOPHER MCGEHEE

STAFF WRITER @UHCOOGCHRIS

“Heeb’s doing Heeb things.”

This is a common comment among the softball players every time junior starting pitcher Savannah Heebner uses the cannon some call an arm to blow pitches past her opponents.

Her pitching has been an integral part of the team’s success this season, accounting for more than half of their victories. At 6'0", Heebner stands out both on the mound and on the stat sheet.

“To be honest, she’s just talented, and one thing that people don’t really pay attention to that sets her apart is she’s a very good defender,” said head coach Kristin Vesely. “She plays as a mean, mean defender.”

Seeking warmer weather Heebner hails from Castle Rock, Colorado. As a four year letter-winner at Castle View High School, Heebner was

named the 2015 Gatorade National Player of the Year her senior year.

She said she loves warm weather, so much so that it was a major reason why she committed to Houston.

When Vesely was an assistant coach, she went up to watch Heebner play during the recruiting process. She immediately knew she wanted Heebner on the roster.

One pitcher had already committed for that recruiting class, but when the coaches discovered Heebner, they moved some resources around and added Heebner as well.

Heebner described herself as someone with a powerful arm but also as someone who consistently struggled with accuracy when she was younger, something she thought might hold her back.

In her first season on the team, Heebner was thrown into the proverbial fire. She found herself on the mound for more innings

than any of her contemporaries, but she responded with the most wins on the team — nine — and she tied for the lowest ERA on the squad — 3.50.

While not a perfect debut season, she showed flashes of the unrefined potential that intrigued the coaching staff enough to recruit her in the first place.

In her follow-up campaign, Heebner was crucial in the team’s run to the American Athletic Conference title game.

After spending a full offseason training, Heebner showed substantial improvement on the mound. She increased her number of wins and strikeouts and lowered her ERA by more than a full run — 2.13.

For a second consecutive season, she led the team in all three categories.

Twenty-win goal The 2018 season has seen the softball team ride Heebner to success. Of their 34 games

played, she has appeared in 24 and started 15. At 22-12 the Cougars are on pace for a return trip to the conference final thanks to Heebner.

Heebner finds herself in the Top 20 in the nation in ERA, as well as Top 10 in the number of shutouts thrown this season (7), but she is quick to deflect the credit to her coaching staff. “(Vesely) consistently has me in good matchups,” Heebner said. “(She) throws me into games that (she) knows I’m going to do well in. (The coaches) know the matchups between what kind of hitters they are and what my best pitches are, and they know my best pitches are gonna beat their best hitters.”

Before her college career is finished, Heebner said she wants to be named an All-American like her mentor, Coach Ves, as the team affectionately refers to her.

“Personally, I want her to have 20 wins,” Vesely said. “That, to

me, statistically you cannot deny how great you are and how hard your team plays behind you if you have 20 wins.”

Currently sitting at 14-4 with 19 games left on their schedule, Heebner will need to be sharp on the mound to achieve her goals and those laid out by Vesely, but they are attainable.

The decision to recruit Heebner continues to look like a masterstroke. There are few collegiate players that compare to her in stature or performance. “(Her teammates) always say: 'Heeb’s doing Heeb things,'” Vesely said, “and I didn’t understand that, but there’s a couple times she’s played second base at practice where she’ll go over and take balls and she’ll make plays that the majority of our team cannot make. She knows the game very well, and I don’t think she gets the credit she deserves for that most of the time.” sports@thedailycougar.com

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SPORTS

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Peter Scamardo, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Q&A: Oliver 'turning up the heat' for final collegiate season TRENTON WHITING

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

@TRENTONWHITING

From casual fans to the most devoted Cougar alumni, everyone in Houston knows about sophomore defensive tackle Ed Oliver and the havoc he brings to the football field.

If not, they at least saw him score a touchdown in the Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve. Before long, football fans everywhere will know his name.

The NFL-bound Oliver dominated offenses in his first two seasons.

His freshman year he ranked second in tackles for loss nationally, he led the nation in pass breakups for defensive linemen and was named to the First Team AllAmerican by seven national outlets.

Refusing to be content with his freshman performance, Oliver won the Outland Trophy for being the best interior lineman in his sophomore season.

The Cougar spoke with Oliver after practice to discuss his success and intention to enter the NFL draft.

The Cougar: How has the offseason gone?

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver announced his junior season would be his last for the Cougars as he will declare for the 2019 NFL Draft. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar You the king of the sea? Okay.

TC: First off, how would you grade your last season?

Oliver: Man, I would give myself an F

Ed Oliver: Same old same old, you know.

I live a life of adventure, I step on sea urchins. You never know what could be going on.

just because I was hurt, I wasn’t able to perform. But I did the best I could with what I had, so I guess I’d give myself a B-minus.

TC: Got up close and personal real quick, huh?

TC: So spring practice is going on right now, and you have the spring training game coming up. What are you guys going to try to get out of that, and what’s the main goal?

Oliver: I went out there in the ocean, I was just playing around. I didn’t even know what a sea urchin was, but I stepped on it.

He let me know who he was real quick.

ROUNDTABLE PERFORMER

Continued from page 7

decision and an extra week of rest under his belt, fans should expect a focused, rested and ready-to-go Oliver to put on a defensive clinic during the spring game.

Senior staff writer Trenton Whiting Ed Oliver said himself that the spring game will be mostly for the young guys on the team.

The same applies to the new guys, especially the high-profile transfers who have to prove they can contribute.

Sophomore safety Deontay Anderson, a transfer from Ole

Oliver: The main goal is just to get the young guys on the field to prepare them

Miss, may have more to prove than anyone else on the roster.

A former four star recruit with college experience, Anderson is expected to contribute immediately in the defensive backfield. Anderson will have the best spring game because he needs to have the best spring game.

With the graduation of safeties Terrell and Khalil Williams, the pressure is on Anderson to gain the trust of the coaches and fellow players.

If he has a strong performance in the spring game, it’ll be a strong first step toward meeting that goal. sports@thedailycougar.com

for next year and basically just get a feel for who can play and who has work to do.

It’s not so much for the older guys, but to get the younger guys involved.

Oliver: I want to be the best me I can be for the guys around me. I know if I do that, great things will come.

never easy. When you stray, and you let people tell you how good you are, you lose sight of what’s real.

TC: What are some goals your team has been making for next season?

TC: What are some things we should expect from you before you head off to the NFL Draft?

I got a little reality check today of where I need to be and how hard I need to work to get to where I was because I’m not there right now.

Oliver: Going out there and attacking everybody. Not letting off the gas and treating everybody the same way.

Every opponent is the same opponent no matter how many games they won or lost. Just going out there with our minds on straight.

TC: Do you have any personal goals?

ANNUAL SCRIMMAGE

Oliver: Just going to go hard every play like I always have been. I kick it up a notch every year, so I’m turning up the heat a little more this year.

TC: Most people at your level would be looking to the bright lights of the NFL, but that’s not you.

Oliver: It’s a process, and the process is

Linell Bonner and Steven Dunbar, due to their graduation.

The spring game will be a chance to see how King looks in Briles' system and to see who from the pool of receivers will emerge as King’s No. 1 target.

“Just want to go out there and execute our plays, play clean, no turnovers and move the ball,” King said Five different receivers have a chance to become D'Eriq about the spring King's No. 1 target. | Richard Fletcher Jr./The Cougar game.

Continued from page 6

When you first start spring ball, mistakes are okay, but we’re in week three and I still got mistakes.

That’s unacceptable. I feel like there were a couple plays today I let my team down, and that can’t happen.

sports@thedailycougar.com

Overall, the spring game is not about whether the Red or the White team wins.

It is all about whether the players look game ready, if they don't, where they need to improve come summer and fall practices.

Applewhite’s first year was, without question, a rebuilding year. Now it is all about whether he can get the Cougars back to contending for a conference championship. If he does not, then he will undoubtedly be in the hot seat.

The Red & White Game is free to attend and will start 3:30 p.m.

Saturday at TDECU Stadium. sports@thedailycougar.com

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10 | Wednesday, April 4, 2018

OPINION 713-743-5304

thedailycougar.com/opinion

opinion@thedailycougar.com

Anusheh Siddique, EDITOR

PROTEST

Voices of color asked for gun control long before recent revolutionaries field, while March For Lives protesters were extended OPINION COLUMNIST donations, celebrity endorsePrivilege. It’s a word we’ve heard ments and an opportunity to before. Those who are white or of join a dialogue. It is difficult higher socioeconomic status or to compare the effectiveness both are aware of this term. Those and successes of two protests who don't feel the advantages when one is hindered by a of these statuses are even more system entirely set against it. aware.

Say what you will The Parkland shootabout this new vaning incited a national guard of activists, but conversation about gun they are considerate control. More importantly, of the advantages it spurred a conversation they've been afforded. about who exactly is doing There was intention the talking and how sysin making sure that tems of privilege influence underprivileged voices whose voice is heard the were included. The loudest. protests in Chicago are Privilege. It’s a word we a shining example, and are hearing now about they have to be. the Parkland activists. The Chicago, more than March For Our Lives has any other city, knows received a huge amount the pain gun violence of media coverage, mostly can cause. With 762 favorable. deaths, 3,550 shootings, Activists of color have and 4,331 shooting vicbeen vocal on many of tims in 2016 alone, gun the same issues as the The Houston March for our Lives drew a diverse but united crowd. | Maya DandashI/The Cougar violence is prevalent in newly-minted Parkland the city. activists. They have also People of color been widely vilified, excluded from Black Lives Matter rallied around turning violent quickly when they have tried for years to bring the national discourse and incorprotecting people of color from are often only defending themnational attention to the issue rectly characterized as violent. gun violence. selves. of violence in the Windy City.

Activists of color have orgaThis brings us back to the We wish to seclude these The organizers in Chicago incidents and ascribe blame, March for Our Lives Rally were but these assignments are made largely white, but they took from a privileged position. Does measures to include underthat undermine the spirit of their privileged speakers in the activism?

The car, answer is notopen an protest, effectively promoting ◆ Two auto garage easy one. the voices of the activists who ◆ Reverse osmosis system Black voices have fought to were previously unheard. ◆ Full granite counter tops inChavez, kitchen be heard for years but have been Edna a sister of a It’s a special day when a continually denied, while the Parkland victim, was among ◆ Huge walk-in closet in master It’s a special day when a beautifully beautifully renovated Parkland activists seem to have the speakers at the march. renovated brick home setbrick back on a ◆ Jacuzzi bathtub in master home set back on a huge by fenced huge fenced lot surrounded trees, emerged onto the national arena Her presence and narrative lotthree surrounded by trees, in a center just miles from the medical with significantly less effort than helped close the empathy gap PRSRT STD becomes available fordistance lease. to UH 3-minute walking their counterparts. between minority U.S. POSTAGEprotesters PAID central campus becomes available The message that the Parkland and the white organizers.

It HOUSTON, TX If you long for the feeling of seclusion PERMIT NO. 600 for lease. activists are delivering is tinged feels more unified when we and privacy, but need to live within minutes of where you earn your living with the privilege that allowed make the effort to listen to one If youhome longwill for delight the feeling …this you.of See it in them to deliver it with ease, but another. seclusion privacy, person, and and you’ll want tobut liveneed here! the feats they are accomplishThe group Dream Defendto live within minutes of where ing are undeniably impressive. ers was also included in the 2.5 miles from the Medical Center, you earn your living… this home 7.4 miles from the Galleria, 5 miles from The social pressure resulted national day of protest. will delight you. See it in person, downtown Houston, walking distance to in changes to policy in several Those related to the Parkand you’ll want to live here!

2.5 the U of H Central Campus. corporations, such as Dick's and land movement have actively miles from the Medical Center, Walmart. Organizing behind a included activists of color, recTo7.4 learn more andthe arrange a tour miles from Galleria, 5 of this marvelous property contact: tragedy and pushing the converognizing how critical the roots miles from downtown Houston, Karre Orton at 713-539-3034, sation on gun control beyond the of the movement is. Activists walking distance to the U of H Karre@KarreOrton.com. news cycle is remarkable. They of color are what make this Central Campus. movement possible.

Listed by Keller Williams Metropolitan Realty organized a tremendous national To learn more and arrange a protest. However, unlike the BLM But we cannot forget the MLS# 71829372 ◆ Two 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath ◆ car, auto open garage tour of this marvelous property movement, there were no stories minorities martyred to lay the ◆ Two car, auto open garage ◆ Reverse osmosis system contact: of riot gear or brutal arrests to foundation for 3/2/15 this9:14 change.

AM ◆ Reverse osmosis system ◆ Full granite counter tops in Victor kitchen or Stuart at (713) 526-9966, accompany this protest.

March for our Lives is not ◆ Full granite counter tops in stellashouse@yahoo.com ◆ Huge walk-in closet in master The majority of the Parkland the first movement featuring kitchen ◆ Jacuzzi bathtub in master activists are white. This is not to young protesters, but it has ◆ Huge walk-in closet in disenfranchise their efforts but been the most well-received master PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE rather to convey how different the because of their skin color. ◆ Jacuzzi bathtub in master PAID HOUSTON, TX conversation is. BLM movements PERMIT NO. 600 opinion@thedailycougar.com walked straight on to a battle

ZACH APPEL

nized, fought and bled for the same causes but are excluded from the same conversations the Parkland activists now stand at the center of.

Minorities have been speaking about gun violence for years. The death of Trayvon Martin awakened a long-simmering movement.

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question of privilege. The Parkland activists have it and, undeniably, it aids their movement.

The evidence is in their praise from the media in contrast to lack of acceptance that other activists have received. The Black Lives Matter protests, such as the ones in Ferguson, are often critiqued for

Special Features

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF

Emily Burleson MANAGING EDITOR

Jasmine Davis

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Sonny Singh WEB EDITOR

Marialuisa Rincon CAMPUS EDITOR

Drew Jones

FEATURES EDITOR

Dana C. Jones

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Morgan Horst

SPORTS EDITOR

Peter Scamardo COOGLIFE EDITOR

Julie Araica

PHOTO EDITOR

Thomas Dwyer OPINION EDITOR

Anusheh Siddique ASSISTANT EDITORS

Michael Slaten, Andres Chio, Bethel Biru, Richard Fletcher Jr., Erin Davis, Maya Dandashi, Brianna Myers, Oscar Aguilar

STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board.

All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the writer. Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or its students as a whole.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the writer’s full name, phone number or email address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major.

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Wednesday, April 4, 2018 | 11

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OPINION

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Anusheh Siddique, EDITOR

PROTEST

Historic lynching revived through lawful police brutality

Fiona Legesse/The Cougar

Another hashtag floods Twitter, signifying another African American death, which is followed by outrage, protests and various calls to action but no real change. Names continue to be painted onto shirts and posters while murderer cops continue getting slaps on the wrist with paid leave for taking yet another black BETHEL BIRU life.

ASSISTANT We have OPINION EDITOR become desensitized to the face of oppression.

I’ll never forget the first name I saw transform into a hashtag because of his wrongful murder. I'll never forget the dread that clenched its fist in my gut on August 9, 2014 as the body of Michael Brown was left on the street for four hours after he was gunned down by police, despite some witnesses saying he had his hands up.

It was also the day I truly realized the law wasn’t created to protect people like me.

The Ferguson protests were the first protests I was old enough to be aware of. It felt like new chapters from history were playing out before my eyes. Social media became a primary outlet for activism, and we took to Twitter to share our thoughts and disgust with the blatant racism that controlled the police force. But while backlash on social media was immense, it did

very little to hold Michael Brown’s murderer responsible.

Three months later, another hashtag protesting the shooting of Tamir Rice flooded my timeline.

Another innocent black life, added to the cycle.

After watching the video of Eric Garner's death, I couldn’t get his last words out of my head. I thought to myself, "Surely those two police officers, who harassed and aggressively shoved him into the concrete, will be punished. Surely, the fact that officer Daniel Pantaleo held Garner in a chokehold, never loosening his grip despite Garner’s desperate gasps for air, will serve as more than enough evidence to prosecute him."

The dread in my gut returned when the grand jury decided not to indict him.

When Freddie Gray died in the back of a police wagon due to a mysterious spinal injury, the dread of finding out the officers involved faced almost no repercussions

muffled into numbness.

More hashtags, more protests, still no justice. By now, hearing about the slaughter of unarmed black lives was depressing but not surprising.

I slowly began to scroll through Twitter. Hashtags such as #Sandra Bland, #AltonSterling, #PhilandoCastile and so many more no longer fazed me as I quietly accepted the reality of how black lives still didn’t matter in America despite all the years of progress.

Watching people and their families fighting for justice but only a select few receiving it made me feel hopeless and voiceless. Hashtags helped raise awareness for these injustices, and protests showed unity, but there is only so much you can do if no one is listening.

Armed with only his cell phone, Stephon Clark was viciously shot to death by police on March 18 for alleged vandalism and was stopped in his grandmother’s backyard.

After telling him to put his hands up, police shot 20 bullets at him.

Eight of them pierced his body, most of them in his back. The two officers on the scene muted the audio on their body cameras as they discussed what had happened once they were joined by reinforcements.

Like the many black lives wrongfully taken by the police before him, Stephon Clark was executed for no reason other than the color of his skin.

His killing was so cold-blooded and malicious in itself, the decision to not charge Baton Rouge officers with the murder of Alton Sterling brought me to another realization. Despite all the efforts, pain, sacrifices and tribulations of black people before us, nothing had changed.

We were all bearing witness to modern lynching.

America continues to perpetuate the vicious cycle of hunting black citizens on American soil by turning its cheek while officers fulfill their hunger for power.Terrorists who continue to shoot in schools are escorted and taken away without

facing any physical abuse by officers, yet a 12-year-old kid is seen as a threat to be shot multiple times.

A father of two, holding just a cell phone, is executed in his grandmother’s backyard.

The black community deserves so much more than this trauma, pain and fear.

It’s not fair that black boys aren’t given the same chance to grow up carefree, like children should.

It’s not fair that black parents have to give their children the race talk just so they can make it home alive.

Until America acknowledges that black oppression is a part of its DNA and makes the conscious decision to stop police brutality, the fight for equality will continue, no matter how long it takes. Until then, we will continue to scream that Black Lives Matter.

Assistant opinion editor Bethel Biru is a broadcast journalism senior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

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12 | Wednesday, April 4, 2018

OPINION 713-743-5304

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Anusheh Siddique, EDITOR

PROTEST

Why so many protests accomplish so little Systems of oppression cannot be solved through demonstrations alone

P

rotesting has morphed from a display of civic unrest and dissatisfaction into a trendy pastime. The instant gratification that comes with crowding the streets with clever and punny posters to express outrage and to protest a system that ANUSHEH SIDDIQUE has failed its OPINION EDITOR constituency is far too satisfying to give up.

Unfortunately, the dull and complicated follow-up that leads to real change is not nearly as appealing nor does it garner as much support as the massive demonstrations that have congested the press, social media and the streets of our cities.

Protesting was once a tool, guarded staunchly by our First Amendment, employed by citizens infuriated by systems of oppression.

These systems targeted the most vulnerable and most easily silenced members of society, such as women, the LGBT community and minorities. The landmark triumphs that have been achieved, such as civil rights legislation and women's suffrage, are undeniably legitimate.

What discerns modern day protests from their more organized predecessors, such as the March on Washington or the anti-Vietnam War marches, is coordination, or lack thereof.

Martin Luther King Jr., who seems to be the most revered protester in American history, emphasized awareness as the first accomplishment for change.

The awareness of our generation is overwhelming.

Cause after cause is easily accessible through a simple Twitter scroll.

Systems of oppression have always existed, but this newfound access to international plights such as the horrifying massacre in Gaza, the genocide in Myanmar, the atrocities in Syria and the corruption in Egypt, inundate

us. It is difficult to rally for everyone and everything, but we feel a responsibility to.

This urge to empathize and help should be channeled into one specific cause, but that just takes so much effort and education.

The alternative — tweeting out #PrayforSyria or #ThoughtsandPrayers or #NoBanNoWall — is much simpler and far more gratifying than organizing real change.

These hashtags do boost awareness, but lately, they just promote our own indolence.

Having this baseline awareness, knowing the countries undergoing revolution and persecution but knowing nothing of the realities within them, perpetuate pseudo "wokeness" that undermines any possibility of change.

The 24-hour news cycle and social media force constant information to the point that it cannot be filtered, processed or even verified. Researchers from MIT found that fake news travels six times faster than the truth on Twitter.

Misinformation has become contagious.

The Moratorium to end the Vietnam War in 1969, which began on 300 college campuses and grew into a national movement, was entirely unprecedented.

It introduced the notion of protest.

Walter Cronkite said, "Never before had so many demonstrated their hope for peace” in regard to the demonstration of 100,000 people in the Boston Commons, one of the biggest rallies in U.S. history.

It didn't end the war, which continued for six more years, but it did shift voters from LBJ to Richard Nixon, who promised to end it.

This march set an example for organization, public policy, litigation and marching for awareness. Our protests end the minute we leave the rally.

Our passion doesn't follow us in our day to day lives. These rallies are an outlet for our disappointment, not an avenue for change.

The Women's March this year, which pushed female empowerment and

Tamor Khan/The Cougar

protesting the president, is considered the largest singleday demonstration in American history, according to the New Yorker.

Yet following the parade of witty signs and smiling diverse arrays of faces, there has been little push to mitigate the wage gap or hold the president accountable for his many sexual harassment scandals.

The warm and fuzzy sentiment that rewards us for our slacking participation in these protests also traps us in complacency that sabotages real change.

The key to success for any historic protest was access to

the media, but our generation faces the curse and blessing of having all media in the palm of our hands. Literally. This makes it impossible to discern between irrelevant and relevant.

The follow up should be pushing for votes, pushing for litigation, pushing for public change.

Our politicians are well aware that these rallies mean very little in their voter count, and that is why Marco Rubio will apologize and continue to take NRA money and continue to be reelected.

The March for Life poses a real opportunity for my generation to reclaim the vigor

of the public protest.

The foundations have been laid by the revolutionaries before us if we know how to build on them.

Protesting is a part of the American DNA. Distorting this great staple of our country into some pastime is the greatest injustice we could do to ourselves and every voiceless individual suffering under a system of oppression that mangles any opportunity they have for liberty and equality.

Opinion Editor Anusheh Siddique is a finance freshman and can be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com