12-5-14 by The Pitt News

Vol. 105 Issue 83

@thepittnews

Pittnews.com

Friday, December 5, 2014

Christina Lim | Staff Photographer

Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor

Left- Students lie on the ground for four and a half minutes at Towers Patio to commemorate the four and a half hours Michael Brown spent on the ground. Right- Sevin Hunnid raises a finger to the chant “not one more” during a protest downtown.

A city in solidarity

Harrison Kaminsky Assistant News Editor Protests on Pitt’s campus continued Thursday afternoon, as students gathered in Towers lobby to organize a die-in to raise awareness for those who have died in police-related incidents. At 12:45 p.m., students trailed from Towers lobby to the Fifth Avenue side of Towers patio. They then laid down on the patio in silence for four-and-a-half minutes. Roughly 100 students attended the protest, said Pitt spokesman John Fedele. Organizers of the protest refused to speak

with The Pitt News. Police monitored the protest but did not interfere, allowing for a peaceful expression of students’ First Amendment rights, Fedele said. “It’s the way freedom of expression is supposed to work in this country,” he said. Students chanted, “No justice, no peace, no racist police,” and “We can’t breathe,” as they held signs on the patio. Before dispersing at approximately 1:12 p.m., protest organizers spoke to the crowd through a megaphone, announcing that another protest will occur Friday at 5 p.m. in Schenley Plaza.

Protests flared up again Thursday night as roughly 20 students marched down Forbes and Fifth avenues chanting, “Hands up, don’t shoot.” The protest ended in Schenley Plaza following a moment of silence. Police again monitored the protest but did not interfere, following behind the marching students in Pitt police cars. Earlier in the afternoon, dozens marched Downtown protesting the verdict in the Eric Holmes case in New York City, in which a police officer who killed Holmes using a chokehold

Protest

Battle of the Consol Center Pitt looks to City Game

page 7

December 5, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Students seek short-term parking solutions on campus Jessica Muslin Staff Writer When Mike Green received his third parking ticket for parking his car while he worked out, he decided something needed to be done. Green, a sophomore majoring in psychology and sociology, lives on Parkview Avenue and doesn’t have time between classes and extracurricular activities to make the long hike to the upper campus facilities. He wants to drive his car, but the high cost to park in the lots and of getting a ticket deter him from doing so. The OC lot, located on Allequippa Street near Trees Hall, has a $7 all-day rate. According to Pitt’s Parking, Transportation and Services’ website, parking permits for resident students are limited, so a lottery designates spaces. Permits for outdoor lots, including the OC lot, cost $680 per academic year, while garages are $736. Parking permits are also available semesterly for commuter students at the same rates. He knows other students who commute or live off-campus experience the same problems that he does, so he created a petition on change.org to address the situation and garner support for a change. “Opening up free short-term parking will allow students to access the facilities more easily, helping to encourage a healthy lifestyle — something I am sure Pitt holds in high esteem,” Green said. Green hopes to get at least 100 signatures on his petition, which he posted on Nov. 26. The petition had 49 signatures at the time of publication. He said although the gym facilities are free for all Pitt students, the costs for commuters and those who reside off-campus to use their cars to utilize the gyms are

not worth it. “The costs associated with parking far exceed the cost of getting a membership at another fitness facility,” Green said. “Four to $5 for parking each day, or $25 for each parking ticket.” Green said he has not been in contact with anyone from Pitt’s administration because he believes it will be more effective if he could first build support for the petition and then take it with him, to show that his opinion is supported by his peers. Pitt spokesman John Fedele said that, given the vague nature of the information in the petition,such things as a timetable and budget are impossible to gauge at this point, but a representative from the parking office told him they would look into the suggestion. Trevor Beierschmitt, a senior majoring in political science, signed the petition and agrees that making more parking for students near the fitness centers should be a priority. “Too often, students must skip the gym due to inclement weather, [for example,] the polar vortex, making it unsafe to walk to the gym,” Beierschmitt said, referring to last year’s winter weather. Beierschmitt said the Pitt administration would be doing the right thing for students if it acted on this petition. “By creating temporary parking near the fitness facilities,” Beierschmitt said, “Pitt would better serve its off-campus residents’ needs and save them the hassle, cost and limited availability of street parking.” Green said the OC lot would be a good place to utilize short-term parking. He added that there should be enough parking space for faculty, students going to the fitness center and students who live on upper campus. “Generally, it [the OC lot] does not seem to be filled to capacity and is very close to

“Pitt would better serve its offcampus residents’ needs...” Trevor Beierschmitt

December 5, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

THE PITT NEWS Natalie Daher Editor-in-Chief editor@pittnews.com

Cristina Holtzer, News Editor news@pittnews.com

Nick Voutsinos, Opinions Editor letters@pittnews.com

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Theo Schwarz, Visual Editor

E S T A B L I S HE D 1 9 1 0

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Danielle Fox, Assistant News Editor Harrison Kaminsky, Assistant News Editor Matt Barnes, Assistant Opinions Editor Dan Sostek, Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Ahearn, Assistant Visual Editor Zheru Liu, Multimedia Editor Joelle Smith, Social Media Editor Becca Nagy, Assistant Copy Chief Emily Hower, Assistant Layout Editor

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FROM PAGE 1

PROTEST was not indicted. Pittsburgh police blocked traffic to allow the protest. Sevin Hunnid, a Pittsburgh native and host of Keepin It 700 radio, came out in support of her family, who had “come through struggles with police brutality and race issues.” “My aunt was a Black Panther. It’s in my blood to stand up for justice and, no matter what color, gender — I’m supposed to stand up for my generation,” Hunnid said. Hunnid said today’s protest “made a statement” a n d w o u l d Check online h e l p draw a at Pittnews. b i g g e r crowd at com for more tomorr o w ’s protest, visual and which she plans to at- social media tend. Outcoverage of rage convinced Ro b e r t the protests Gartei to Browne join the demonstration Thursday afternoon. “Not only personally, but nationally, against a violence that’s happening against a specific group of people,” Gartei, a junior studying Japanese, anthropology and Africana studies, said. “It’s unfair. It’s not right. And it’s something that needs to be changed in our society.” Gartei said he found out about the protest mainly through word of mouth, flyers and posts on social media, all of which have been the driving factor behind most of the protests, he said. Gartei said it’s important for Pitt students to look to make a change in their communities. “Look at your local government, ask them these critical questions,” he said. “Look at your officials, the laws that [they] have and will make, and the stances they take. That, to me, will enact the quickest change.”

Bridget Montgomery Sarah Mejia Shivani Pandit Michelle Reagle Michael Wilson Megan Zagorski

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December 5, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

OPINIONS

LET ʼ S TOPPLE THE INJUSTICE THAT DIVIDES US

EDITORIAL

Stanford University @ ‪‫ ‏‬kingofthefence Great turnout at Stanford’s Ferguson protest today. Hello, civil society. # ‪ BlackLivesMatter‬ #HandsUpWalkout #Stanford

University of Pittsburgh @ ‪ ‫ ‏‬emily_lundy‬ Really proud to be a Pitt student today # ‪ BlackLivesMatter‬

University of Missouri @MyHeartisLord‬ Yes, Mizzou is a predominantly white institution but everyday I remind myself that I too, have a right to be here. # ‪ BlackLivesMatter‬

Texas A&M ‫‏‬‪@clelladeanna The #ferguson protests have reached A&M and I couldn’t be more proud of my fellow students #BlackLivesMatter

Students across the country have supplemented grassroots activism with discussion on social media.

Stephen Caruso | Layout Editor

Emory University @ ‪‫ ‏‬freckledfrenzy‬ “We have nothing to lose but our chains.” Amazing turnout at @ ‪ EmoryUniversity‬ for the # ‪ BlackLivesMatter‬ die-in.

COLUMN

Ferguson case: If we want change, we must recognize the past Bethel Habte Columnist

Ever since news broke of the grand jury’s decision to forego indicting Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown, I have been wrestling with my notions of “right” and “wrong.” Was the grand jury’s decision right? How could it be wrong? And if it’s right, why does what happened in Ferguson still feel so wrong? As I watched chaos rapidly unfold throughout the country following the announcement, I came to a conclusion: The grand jury’s decision never mattered. Michael Brown and Darren Wilson,

through a series of fumbled events, have come to embody the battle between power and justice during a time when the ideals have never been more intertwined. What they have come to represent, however, is the inevitable polarization between black and white Americans. And so, once again, our country finds itself having the “race talk.” But when will we stop talking and start acting? No doubt the question on everyone’s mind: Where do we go from here? First, let’s take a stroll through the past. But when I refer to the past, I don’t mean the one that has come to dominate our debates. Though we could continue

to inspect the events of Aug. 9, 2014, with painful and fruitless compulsion, we’ll never get anywhere that way. That’s because only two people, one of which is dead, truly know what happened that day. The other has already denied race as a factor: When asked in an interview if his encounter with Brown would have turned out differently if Brown had been white, Wilson said no. That may be true, racial biases aside. But how likely was it that Brown would have been white? Since the separation of St. Louis from St. Louis County in 1876, the demographic ratios of neighboring regions have been

severely skewed. In Ferguson, that skew has resulted in a population represented by 67 percent black and 29 percent white by 2010. Meanwhile, our nation has internalized a “war on crime” initiative that, coupled with a surplus of military equipment, has resulted in the militarization of police forces in small communities such as Ferguson. While at first it may appear that the initiative has been moderately effective, considering that crime rates have been decreasing, the number of homicides caused

Habte

FROM PAGE 5

HABTE by police has increased. This trend is also tied to the particular communities in which the “war on crime” plays out. I’m from Sunnyvale, Calif. Sunnyvale does not only have a punny name, but it is also one of the safest U.S. cities, with a crime rate of 132.3 out of one thousand in 2012, significantly lower than the national average of 301.1. Ferguson, on the other hand, had a crime rate at 381.1 in 2012, which is significantly greater than the national average. Does that mean that the people in Sunnyvale are less criminally inclined? Of course not. People come, and people go. But a community is forever, and so are the factors that make it a community. Sunnyvale, as part of the Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, is steeped in affluence. In fact, it was named the eighth-snobbiest mid-sized city in America on the Movoto Real Estate blog as a result of factors like a high cost of living,

December 5, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com large percentage of the population with a college degree and a significant number of private schools, country clubs, performing arts, art galleries and restaurants. Ferguson, however, is not quite as affluent a community. Like similar suburbs surrounding urban cities, Ferguson experienced drastic changes during de-industrialization. The most drastic change, termed “white flight,” resulted in wealthy individuals abandoning their suburban homes when the economy changed. Taking advantage of what they assumed to be an opportunity to gain access to better homes and schools, many poor — and often black — individuals moved into the abandoned suburbs. Here’s where we can identify problems. We can, for the sake of argument, exclude

racial biases held by police officers as a factor, though prejudices are still undeniably an integral aspect of our nature. Still, regardless of any racial biases that may or may not have been involved,, we have developed police forces that approach crime with an “attack” tactic and have the resources and capabilities to inflict significantly more harm in the name of defense. These forces are being unleashed to fight crimes in small communities. The communities that are more povertystricken will experience more crime, and, as a result, will come into contact with police forces more often. Because of historical disadvantages and a “late start” to the wealth race, these communities tend to be concentrated with black individuals. So, community interactions with po-

If we don’t address the disadvantages of the past, we will continue to have a race-dominated present.

The Pitt News Crossword, 12/5/2014

ACROSS 1 What Rudolph used to be called 6 One in a wild bunch? 9 Beatles song syllables 13 Pilot 15 Baseball letters 16 Baseball’s Hershiser 17 Baseball champs of 2013 18 “What do you take me for?” 20 Easy mark with a sob story? 22 Trail terminus: Abbr. 23 British pop singer Lewis 24 Expressionist painter LeRoy 26 Habitat for some ibexes 29 Coke go-with 30 Balkan native 31 Part of a team observation 32 Fine groove 34 Salt’s output 37 It’s seldom total 39 Digital filer’s target 41 1960 Olympic gold medalist Rudolph 42 Cape Cod catch 44 Intl. commerce group 45 One-third of a WWII film 47 Wind often affects it 48 Joy 49 Calls to mind 51 Some future fliers 53 Hint 54 Shirt that hardly covers anything? 59 Didn’t ride 61 Hamper 62 “... we fat all / creatures __ to fat us”: Hamlet 63 Roger or Brian of music 64 Bundle up on the farm 65 Speedometer reading, e.g. 66 Margarita condimento

lice forces, which should never have been a matter of race, has inevitably become linked with race. As The New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow put it, “So, what are we saying to the vast majority that are not involved: that they must accept the unconscionable racial imbalance in the police shooting numbers as some sort of collateral damage in a war on crime? No!” Well, what do we do about it? Maya Angelou famously said, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” If the protests can teach us nothing, then let them serve, at least, as a symbol of the catastrophe that ensues when history is repeatedly ignored, dismissed and ridiculed. Because in the years since Martin Luther King’s fight for civil rights, we have treated race as a matter of the past, when in reality, it has transcended beyond the past, cementing itself into the present — our communities and our police forces. If we don’t address the disadvantages of the past, we will continue to have a racedominated present. If we believe that what

12/19/14

By John Lampkin

67 Noble gas, and a homophonic hint to how this puzzle’s four longest answers are formed DOWN 1 Buster? 2 Affirm as true 3 Noon in Paris 4 Stands by an artist 5 Put away 6 Folding craft 7 Woeful words 8 Dovetail sections 9 Punch line? 10 Ruckus at a coven? 11 The first Mrs. Arrowsmith 12 Kind of wrench 14 International commerce components 19 Like some picture cards 21 Gets used (to) 25 Land with a red, white and green flag 26 Over 27 Point sets, in math

Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

28 Very small pharmaceutical mail order? 32 “I’ve heard enough” 33 Court 35 Time in ads 36 Sour fruit 38 “No real damage” 40 Marching band lows 43 Hill building 46 Dramatic devices

12/19/14

48 Counter man 49 It’s a real knockout 50 String quartet part 52 Wahine’s greeting 55 Two-time Atlantic crosser of 1493 56 __ party 57 DVR option 58 Adult, at one time 60 Commission

December 5, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SPORTS

FOR ALL THE PRIMANTIʼS

Pittsburgh vs. Duquesne Chris Puzia Sports Editor Pitt students and players might not be overlooking Friday’s annual game as much as they might have in years past. The Pitt men’s basketball team (43, 0-0 ACC) takes the court at Consol Energy Center against Duquesne (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10) in this year’s edition of The City Game, an annual crosscity matchup that the Panthers have, for the most part, dominated. Pitt leads the series 51-31 and has won the past 13 matchups in the series that has been played since 1932. That current stretch marks the longest winning streak by either team in the series. Coming off of an 81-69 loss at Indiana on Tuesday, Pitt ends its long trip away from the Petersen Events Center hoping to snap a stretch in which the team lost two of its past three games. Sophomore guard Chris Jones led

the team in scoring in the loss, posting 18 points, shooting 3-of-8 from 3-point range. Pitt shot 36.1 percent from the floor in the game — compared to Indiana’s 54.1 percent — and only made one 3-point shot in the second half. Duquesne’s lone loss came to NJIT on Nov. 29 by a score of 84-81. Junior guard Jordan Stevens leads the team in scoring with 17.3 point per game. The Dukes also have three players shooting more than 50 percent from 3-point range entering Friday’s game. Junior guard Micah Mason makes3.8 shots from 3-point range per game on average. On Tuesday, Indiana shot 41.2 percent from long range. Last year, Pitt won The City Game 84-67 in the 82nd meeting between the teams. Get a breakdown of the series history between Pitt and Duquesne below.

Quick Stats

Pitt

Wins in series

Longest Win Streak

(active)

Duquesne led the series from 1932 until 1988. They have 2 wins since. Heather Tennant | Staff Photographer

December 5, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

WRESTLING

Pitt faces Maryland following loss to No. 5 Penn State Logan Hitchcock Staff Writer

As the semester draws to a close, the Pitt wrestling team will return to the mat from a turkey-filled hiatus. The No. 11 Panthers (3-2, 0-0 ACC) face Big Ten opponent Maryland (4-3, 0-2 Big Ten) on Friday night in the Fitzgerald Field House for a final tune-up before the holiday break and conference matches beginning in January. After starting the season with three consecutive dual wins, including one over No. 10 Edinboro, the team dropped two in a row to ranked foes No. 15 Lehigh and No. 5 Penn State before heading to the Keystone Classic in Philadelphia prior to Thanksgiving break. Picking up 88 team points, Pitt earned itself a fourth place finish out of 14 teams and was represented at the top step of the podium. Individual winners No. 2 Max Thomusseit and freshman Dom Forys won at 184

and 125 pounds, respectively. Thomusseit, a redshirt senior, continued his torrid start to the season, rolling through his first three opponents with major decisions and earning a trip to the finals to face No. 3 Lorenzo Thomas of Penn. In the finals, Thomusseit couldn’t be denied, earning a 5-3 victory, sealing the first place victory and extending his perfect record to start the season to 9-0. Forys took a similar route to the title in his first tournament as a collegiate wrestler, earning two major decisions to start the tournament, followed by a 7-3 victory over Stanford’s Mason Pengilly. The freshman showed no nerves in the finals, blanking

Eastern Michigan’s Shayne Wireman 4-0 and earning himself the Keystone Classic title while finishing the day undefeated. The Panthers had five other wrestlers finish in the top six of their respective weight classes, including two second-place finishes from No. 10 redshirt junior Nick Bonaccorsi at 197, and fellow redshirt junior Ronnie Garbinsky at 157. The team will try to piggyback on the momentum gained by the victories of Forys and Thomusseit, as well as the inspired wrestling of Garbinsky when it takes on the Maryland Terrapins. Maryland is a newcomer to the Big Ten conference — historically known as a wres-

“The recent return of...Edgar Bright should help the team perform.”

tling powerhouse — and has a 4-3 record to start the season. The team was handily defeated by ranked opponents No. 9 Nebraska and No. 18 Wisconsin. After starting the season 4-0, it has dropped three straight matches. The match will feature the return home for some Maryland wrestlers who are Pittsburgh natives, Geoffrey and Justin Alexander. Maryland freshman Adam Whitesell recently placed fourth in the 133-pound class at the Mat Town Open in Lock Haven, Pa., on Sunday. Pitt is also nearing a full-strength squad, as the recent return of sophomore standout and NCAA qualifier Edgar Bright should help the team perform. Pitt will need to capitalize on the lack of top threat options by Maryland to snap a streak of consecutive losses in dual meets. A win will be a welcomed parting gift. as Pitt won’t take the mat again until Jan. 1 at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn.

December 5, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com