Opinions
Focus
“Catcalling frightens and degrades women” pg. 5
THE
“Hands Up: Your rights, your beliefs, yourself” pg. 6-7
Matador
Volume 60, NUMBER 4
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014
Features
“Artistic Endeavors: student artists share their passions” pg. 12
S a n G a b r i e l H i gh S c h o o l
801 Ramona St., San Gabriel, CA 91776
www.thematadorsghs.com
Grand jury reveals inconsistencies in Ferguson court case S y d n e y Tri eu The grand jury of St. Louis County announced its decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson on Nov. 24. Wilson had fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown on Aug. 3. No charges were pressed because of conflicting evidence reported by multiple witness accounts. According to the New York Times, 12 jurors, consisting of nine Caucasians and three African-Americans, met with the court for 25 days spread over the course of three months beginning in late Aug. All of this was kept out of public eye, much to the disappointment of those who wanted to stay updated. “For me personally, I wanted to see the court decide whether or not he was guilty or innocent,” history teacher Nicole Manalang said. “I do think that, for the community, he should’ve been put on trial because I think that’s what [they] would’ve wanted. I don’t necessarily feel that a [public] trial would’ve bridged the gap [between law enforcement and the community], but maybe the community would’ve felt better if he got a trial with time for lawyers to look at evidence and ‘do it the right way.’” In response to critiques about the secrecy of the trial, prosecutor Robert McCulloch of St. Louis County released documentations of the court processes to the public the day after the jury reached a decision. However, coming to the decision not to indict Wilson was not easy. The grand jury listened to 60 witness accounts, reviewed extensive testimonies from investigators, and flipped through multitudes of evidence. Going through all the information proved to be complicated. Witnesses presented differing accounts of what happened
in Wilson’s encounter with Brown, many of which did not have coinciding facts. Various questions were raised. Did Brown actually attack Wilson? Did Wilson legitimately feel threatened by Brown? Did Brown really put his hands up to surrender in the end? “Stories have been changed, and people in the community are saying one thing but not saying another,” Manalang said. “It’s unfortunate that there wasn’t a truly accurate depiction about what happened that day. I think with any story, there are so many sides, but not one party is willing to be absolutely honest about it. [Because of that], justice
Photo by Joshua Sinn/CC BY
A Ferguson protester stands defiantly in front of a police vehicle in order to show her stance on the grand jury’s decision on the Brown case.
BTA utilizes campus resources, creates pond H a n f re y Deng Next to the A-Building, a quiet spot of peace and serenity can now be found – a new student-created rain garden. A large amount of effort went into making the garden possible. Business Technology Academy (BTA) students and Environmental Club members arrived on a Saturday morning and worked until the afternoon. The volunteers loosened dirt, spread mulch, and dug holes for the plants in order to create a place of beauty on campus. Senior Janette Nguyen thought the garden she helped create “looked awesome.” “I like how [the garden works] exactly as we envisioned it,” Nguyen said. “We made the middle part [of the garden] deeper than the rest, so all the rain would go there, and it did.” Rainwater collected into a large puddle due after heavy showers. Assistant Principal of Student Services Jocelyn Castro noticed the garden during the showers and thought that “it was so beautiful.” “[It was] a serene place on campus,” Castro said. “I appreciated the strategic trenches that take advantage of the run-off. Great job to [the BTA teachers] and students!” The rain garden was funded by a grant received from
the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. Jesse Chang, a Kingdom Causes staff member, helped coordinate the planning behind the rain garden and directed students on planting the garden. Chang was hoping to create “a native plant demonstration garden to help beautify, inspire and educate others on how to [conserve water] and use native plants.” “We hope a garden like this can inspire others to ‘go native’ and realize [it is] a better option that also encourages more biodiversity,” Chang said. “[Or] at the very least, give [students] something naturally beautiful to walk by every day!” Additionally, the garden was planted directly next to the ABuilding to take advantage of the water runoff. Photo by Tran Lam “The goal is to twofold: maximize the rainfall we have and [for the rocks to] act [like] a biofilter to remove contaminants before they runoff into our storm drains,” Chang said. “During warm weather, one of the drains actually puts out a lot of water from all the AC units running to cool our classrooms, so it was an ideal place to put a rain garden.” The rain garden is a welcome addition to the BTA garden. The garden utilizes resources that San Gabriel provides and will provide flourishing native plants for years to come.
can’t be served.” Despite the questionable witness testimonies, forensic evidence told its own story. Brown’s body was found 153 feet away from Wilson’s car. His blood was 25 feet away from his body’s location, implying that he continued to move toward Wilson after he was shot. Wilson fired 12 shots total, at least six of which hit Brown. Brown’s blood was also found in Wilson’s car, on his clothes, and on his gun. A medical examination revealed that Wilson had swelling and bruising on his face. Evidence and witness testimonies aside, the trial itself was unusual. Usually, the prosecutor, who initiates legal actions, provides charges (such as first-degree murder, assault and battery) against the defendant, who, in this case, was Officer Wilson, for the jury to indict on. However, the prosecutor, McCulloch, did not recommend charges and left the decision up to the jury. “The argument can be made that this meant it was more likely that there would be no indictment,” said Todd Swanstrom, a professor in public policy at the University of Missouri St. Louis, in an interview with The Guardian. In addition to the abnormal prosecution process, Wilson also testified for his own case. In typical trials, the grand jury does not usually hear the testimony of the individual who may be charged. However, Wilson had a testimony lasting four hours, detailing his account of his encounter with Michael Brown. Though the current verdict names Wilson innocent, future trials are within possibility. Petitions have been created to press federal charges of first-degree murder. Whether or not the outcome changes, one thing is certain–what is happening in Ferguson is far from over.
AUSD introduces new online after school permit system
Photo by Simon Yung
Speech and Debate Coach Andrew Nguyen uses the new online system to submit an after school permit. Simon Yung The Alhambra Unified School District has established a new online permit system for all activities that take place after school or on days without class, such as on weekends or during breaks. Permits are filled out online and are processed first by the Business and Activities office and then sent to the district office for approval. “You go online and you just fill out the information you need. Some of the fields can be a little confusing. For classrooms, you have to select a classroom option and fill out the number, and they also ask if this event is open to the public or students. Other than that, it’s fairly straightforward to fill out,” Speech and Debate Coach Andrew Nguyen said. The new online system was implemented mainly to help streamline the application process. It also serves to... continued on pg. 2