THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY September 5, 2019
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Negative impacts of vaping highlighted by Illinois death vices, said not knowing the long-term effects of vaping is part of the issue. “When (the University) banned them in 2014, they’d really only been around for a few years,” she said. “Now they’ve been around maybe 10 years.” However, the effects of some components of e-cigarettes, such as nicotine, are more known. “Nicotine can cause inflammation in the lungs and provide a barrier that would hurt the lungs protective mechanisms to prevent infections,” Woodward said in an email. “Longterm use will increase hypertension and cardiovascular problems also,.” Guerra said the recent death is not an outlier, and health entities in the nation are starting to note what is happening. “We’re also taking the opportunity of the fact that information and communication is being refreshed about the policy to educate the campus about vaping because it’s not nothing,” Guerra said. “It’s a powerful nicotine delivery system, and it does have its
BY GRACE MALONEY STAFF WRITER
BRIAN BAUER THE DAILY ILLINI
Two students from the Hong Kong Student Association stand outside the Illini Union on Aug. 29 and hold up black shirts and goggles they’ve worn at protests in Hong Kong. Saturday marked the thirteenth week of bill protests in Hong Kong.
The first death related to severe respiratory disease caused by vaping was reported in Illinois this past month, according to an article by NBC News. In a statement updated on Aug. 23, the Center for Disease Control said 193 potential cases of severe lung illness associated with e-cigarette product usage had been reported by 22 states, as of 5 p.m., Aug. 22. These were all reported between June 28 and Aug. 20. In another statement released on Aug. 23, the director of the Center for Disease Control stated, “We are working with state and local health departments and FDA to learn the cause or causes of this ongoing outbreak.” As of Aug. 26, the University is a 100% smoke and tobacco-free campus, which builds on the smokefree policy that was implemented in 2014. The policy refers to all forms of tobacco, including Juuls and e-cigarettes. “The University of Illi-
Protesters share from front line BY ETHAN SIMMONS STAFF WRITER
Saturday marked the thirteenth week of anti-extradition or bill protests in Hong Kong. Two students from the University were on the front lines. Wednesday morning, however, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam withdrew the extradition bill. Both students, who will remain anonymous and will go under pseudonyms Alex and Riley, have spent most of their lives in Hong Kong. This summer, they donned gas masks, helmets and goggles to protect themselves from upped surveillance and an aggressive police force. The students struck on June 17 alongside 1.7 million other protestors. Two other incidents are burned in their memory. Alex remembers June 12 specifically. During a rereading of the extradition bill, police unleashed tear gas and rubber bullets on demonstrators protesting in front of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Building. “That’s when people got really angry at the police and government at the ways of handling the protests,” Alex said. “They could’ve done it in a more peaceful and easy way, instead of just using violence and force.” Riley remembers July 21. After largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations around the Yuen Long train station, dozens of white-shirted men beat protestors with batons. The attackers are suspected to be part of the triads, a Chinese crime syndicate. After a slow police response, only two of the men were charged with any crime. The protests have followed a dizzying escalation since the summer. What started as opposition to an extradition bill has evolved into a youth movement with millions of participants, faced with instances of police brutality, government surveillance and widespread misinformation. Here’s how they got here.
Extradition bill
Hong Kong as a territory belongs to China. Under Hong Kong’s constitution — the Basic Law, enacted in 1997 after 156 years as a British colony — makes Hong Kong’s legal system distinct from China’s.
For over two decades, Hong Kong has operated under the slogan “One Country, Two Systems,” developing a separate political, cultural and financial identity from China. The extradition bill, brought forth by the Hong Kong government in late March, would allow the Chinese government to extract accused criminals in Hong Kong for trial in China. The bill seemed to be an attempt to “start the process of harmonizing or reconciling the criminal justice process in Hong Kong with that of China,” said Jeffrey Martin, assistant professor in LAS. Martin taught sociology and researched policing at Hong Kong University from 2009 to 2014. “There is no extradition agreement between Hong Kong and China, if you can believe it, that’s remarkable,” he added. Hong Kong’s citizens feared the extradition bill would encroach on their autonomy, transforming their independent legal system into “a backdoor through which political dissidents are just vacuumed up into Chinese forms of detention,” Martin said.
Five demands
Since then, dozens of oppositional rallies have energized the Hong Kong public, bringing five key demands to the forefront of the leaderless movement. Along with the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Hong Kong protesters demand the following: A complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, which was resolved Wednesday. Retracting the characterization of protestors as “rioters” Launching an independent investigation into police brutality in Hong Kong Releasing arrested protestors and dropping their charges Universal suffrage for Hong Kong, voting for their Chief Executive and Legislative Council Alex and Riley mostly agree on the demands listed, though Riley expanded on criminal charges given to protestors. “I feel like if (protestors) do commit crimes, they should go to jail, just like the
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police. It’s why we want an independent investigation. But right now the police are saying they don’t want to,” Riley said. Lam suspended the bill in mid-June and gave an official apology, but the bill has not been fully withdrawn. Violent encounters between protestors and police have continued while protests expanded, blocking airports, roadways and legislative buildings, with marches of nearly 2 million people. “It’s never-ending, and that’s because the government is not willing to admit their fault and not willing to look at the problem and solve it, instead of blaming those pointing out the problem,” Alex said. “That’s really the whole problem of this whole thing.”
and opinions of the conflict, only to face mobs of in-person harassment from Chinese students. Another tool to chill political conversations is the Wu Mao, or “50 Cent Army,” an online phenomenon where social media users are paid to post items that promote the CCP or target dissidents, Martin said. “The kind of behavior (the 50 Cent Army) drives is this mass mob behavior of doxxing people and making their life miserable by piling on and demonstrating righteous, politically correct harassment of the enemy,” Martin said. “Even if you’re just a regular, undergraduate, overseas student who says something in a school newspaper that is against the party line, you are absolutely without question Harassment and anonymity exposed to forms of harassFor Alex and Riley, the ment that can escalate to visceral conflicts between incredible levels.” police and protestors worry them. During protests, Alex Umbrella movement rarely hit the front lines, in connections fear of being arrested for The Hong Kong protests carrying protest gear. echo 2014’s Umbrella Move“(The police) are supposed ment in their size, youth to help the people, they’re and message. The current supposed to serve the peo- demand for direct elections ple,” Alex said. “What to select the chief executhey’re doing right now is tive and legislative council they’re being used as a politi- comes straight from 2014, cal tool to shut those anti- when the Chinese governgovernment voices out.” ment required pre-screenHowever, what can affect ings for Hong Kong Executhem here — widespread tive candidates, sparking the surveillance and Chinese protests. Communist Party-driven Last Friday, Hong Kong disinformation — they feel police arrested several leadis just as sinister. ers of Demosisto, the pro“Through Chinese news, autonomy Hong Kong politthey’re trying to say we’re ical party formed after the fighting for Hong Kong inde- Umbrella Revolution. pendence as a country — Martin said an element which I don’t agree with — often missing from media and they’re trying to frame narratives is the economic the protesters as the only inequality which is the drivbad people,” Riley said. ing force behind nearly five These misrepresenta- years of unrest from Hong tions drive their desire for Kong’s youth. anonymity, and make conIt all comes down to the versations difficult with Chi- property market. Nearly nese students unexposed to half of the housing in Hong reliable news sources. Fac- Kong is leased out by the toring in the threat of inter- government. national surveillance, open “There’s this artificial conversation feels impossi- pressure to keep property ble, Alex said. values high, which in prac“Anyone who talks about tice means don’t build more this, whether they’re in housing, so the half of the mainland China, Hong population that is very poor Kong, or even here in the lives in this public housing U.S., they do have an eye on where it takes them three us, believe it or not,” Alex hours to get to work on the said. “The surveillance, it’s bus and they’re not building crazy.” any more,” Martin said. Riley cites incidents in Australia and Boston, To read the rest of this story, where Hong Kong students visit dailyillini.com. expressed their identity esimmons@dailyillini.com
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“Only time will be able to tell all of the negative impacts that vaping has on students.” ROBERT WOODWARD MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF MCKINLEY HEALTH CENTER
nois student body is very intelligent and should take note of the recent news event,” said Robert Woodward, medical director of McKinley Health Center, in an email. He said unknown and known consequences on the human body can result from inhaling or ingesting any foreign chemicals. “Only time will be able to tell all of the negative impacts that vaping has on students,” he said. Michele Guerra, director of Campus Wellbeing Ser-
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MATTHEW MO THE DAILY ILLINI
A student vapes in an apartment complex near the North Quad on Saturday. As of Aug. 26, the University is a smoke-free and tobacco-free campus.
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own health risks as is evidenced by this death that just occurred and the fact that the CDC is launching a full investigation on the health detriments of vaping,” Haily Stillabower, graduate student in AHS and tobacco and smoke-free campus program assistant, said many students have misconceptions regarding vaping. “(Students) are not really sure what’s inside it, and
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Editorial: Juuls harm more than just your body
Features: Illini stretch for success with yoga
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