Censorship at City College

BY PAULETTE BLEAM
News Editor

Peninsula Congressman and advocate of the Iraq war Tom Lantos did not have negative intentions in planning to attend City College’s commencement on May 29 at the Nob Hill Masonic Center. In fact, he did nothing wrong. The poor guy misunderstood Chancellor Day’s invitation to attend commencement as an invitation to give the commencement address, that was already designated for Mayor Newsom.

The blame should be pointed at the student body and those faculty members who could not set aside their political opinion long enough for the graduates to graduate. Graduation ceremonies are intended to be about the students and a celebration of their accomplishments.

Lantos would have been there to congratulate the graduates—not to preach about the war in Iraq.

In fact, Lantos should be thanked for allowing this situation to slip by without more of a commotion. He could have easily showed up at the commencement, regardless of the warnings he received from Chancellor Day prior to the event. Yet, he stayed at home, obeyed the subtle warnings directed his way, and didn’t make a big deal out of it.

Freedom of speech allows everyone to voice an opinion, but there is a time and place for these voices to shout. City College commencement should not hear shouting, unless it is directed in congratulation to the students who have worked hard to graduate.

If you’re true to your mission of graduating diverse and well-rounded students, then you should allow speakers of dissenting opinions. Free Speech equals US Freedom equals No War.

In a broad sense, they’re advocating dictatorship and tyrannical rule on home soil!

Censorship could more negatively affect the average citizen over time than a relatively small conflict in a foreign country. Censorship challenges one of the founding principles of a nation.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think Chancellor Day and the Board of Trustees meant no harm. In actuality, no one is to blame for the mishap. Chancellor Day and the Board of Trustees were simply responding to the warnings which began at a meeting, where students and faculty members put forth threats to picket at their own graduation.

They were looking out for the good of the students and the graduation ceremony as a whole.

However, censorship in education denies a generation one of America’s basic freedoms. Is this worse than war?

Community Self-Destructs

BY MYESHA JOHNSON

Normally, when there is a community with the majority of the same race, people may think that it is a good thing because it should make the community stronger. Unfortunately, in the African-American communities in San Francisco, the residents are turning against each other due to gangs, drugs, and jealousy. All aspects can be described by one word: violence.

The word “violence” usually brings to mind the thought of gangs. In most communities there are many different types of gangs. Some African-American communities in San Francisco have gangs within blocks of each other. For example, in the Sunnydale housing complex there are four to five different gangs within a five block radius. In the Hunter’s Point housing complex there are over ten gangs, and there are two gangs within one block. In the Fillmore district, one can find people rivaling within a four block radius over land they do not have any authority over. The majority of the gang rivalry deals with fighting over territory or drug-related issues.

Drugs play a major part in many different communities around the Bay Area, especially in the African-American communities in San Francisco. This leads to another cause for the high crime rates within these communities. When drugs are involved in a community, a person has to look forward to violence, drug users, makers, dealers (gangs), and weapons.

Where drugs are concerned, it is competition that provokes violence. For example, most drug dealers could be looked upon as role models by those who shadow their line of work. Many people who shadow drug dealers, they might figure a dealer has wealth, nice cars, and lots of women. All of those assumptions cause problems which lead to jealousy and may make a person in the same line of work act violently towards another.

In San Francisco neighborhoods such as the Western Addition, Bay View, and Sunnydale, a majority of the crimes stem from jealousy. It seems as if instead of being happy for the next human being, or trying to work harder to be at the same level, we are taking out our race by doing harm to one another.

Recently, a young African-American man was murdered in Richmond, California not because he was in a gang, but because he was going to be successful and people did not want to see him succeed.

Many of our African-American communities have been torn apart because of the lack of morals that lead to being involved in a gang, claiming turf, selling drugs, and animosity towards one another.

Instead of coming together to make communities, we are causing our race to self-destruct.

COMING IN

Faculty Poll

“Were you aware of the Tom Lantos incident during commencement ceremonies planning?”

Yes: 60% (6 out of 10)
No: 40% (4 out of 10)

ON THE RECORD

Describe your first day of class at City College.

Debra Jacobo

“Pretty hectic, I had to add into every class. Every door I opened the teacher told me to get out. It is my first year at City. I was at State and it is much more friendly at City.”

Kat Murphy

“I wasn’t pre-registered for anything so it was really insane. Registering is just a nightmare. I got into three of four classes because I convinced the teacher that I was there to take the course for Honors credit.”

Gisele Kohatsm

“I came to classes and had a good time. Tried to add a couple classes, met all my teachers … I enjoyed it. I have been at City College for four years.”

Miruell Abud

“There was no more room in the classes I wanted. I talked to a counselor and got some day classes. I had to drop some of them, like two of them, because of all that.”

Vernon Marcaida

“There is so much diversity here at City College, so I was happy to see that. It was very hard to add some classes. I like that I got to make my schedule and that I have free time for work.”