Hope and Anger at the Garner Protests

Danielle Laverdiere
Ms. Tommaso
AP Lang & Comp: 5B

1. The central claim of this article was that police brutality has become overbearing to racial minorities throughout our country. The author questions whether or not the federal government, which has has a clear responsibility to enforce civil right laws, should be taking the lead in these police investigations instead of local authorities. He strongly believes that racial prejudice has become a major problem in our country and that federal investigations and interactions are necessary in order to recreate trust between racial minorities and the police.

2. One significant piece of evidence used is a recent Cleveland Police Department investigation in which the police officer charged with shooting 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was holding a toy gun, was found to be mentally unstable. The Department had not done a background check before hiring him, therefore giving him life or death power over thousands of people. At this same police department, police officers were seen to have a casual view of deadly force. Back in 2013, some officers actually shot at a victim who had been held captive in a house as he escaped. Because of incidences like these, the author mentions of how riots have been erupting all over the country to protest police abuse and the need for federal intervention.


3. My opinion is that police brutality has gotten out of hand. Police brutality is gaining more attention than ever, and I believe that police departments need to be investigated by federal authorities to do background checks on their officers as well as to enforce stricter discipline. Stricter laws need to be written about what police officers can and cannot do. For example, when a police officer strangles a man to death for selling cigarettes on live video, the police officer should be able to be charged for that offense. In the Eric Garner case, the police officer was found as not guilty because of the laws surrounding protecting police officers. With laws that say that police have the right to kill people, police officers can get away with anything. Something needs to be done about the vagueness of these laws in order to protect the citizens that the police are supposedly protecting. Police officers who use their power in hazardous ways need to be put in their place. However, the media has began to just publicize these stories because they sell, so in a way many of these stories have been blown out of proportion with readers' opinions previously being swayed prior to the trials.

Works Cited:

Staples, Brent. "Hope and Anger at the Garner Protests." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Dec. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.

Editorial Link:

Jen Dubois

Period 3 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/us/ferguson-missouri-town-under-siege-after-police-shooting.html?_r=0

This editorials central claim is that America is said to be free of racial discrimination when in reality it is still a huge problem. The authors says that the white police force look at black men as all the same, “demonic” human beings. He also states that when a grand-jury makes a mistake in the peoples eyes, the situation will get worse. 

This argument is mixed with personal opinion and also hard evidence. The author uses Ann Petry and her quotes from her book “The Street” as evidence to back up his claim if racial discrimination. The author also uses quotes from President Obama’s speech on Monday night to enforce the idea of the divide between races, even in 2014. 

I agree with the claim that there still is racial discrimination within our country, but I disagree to an extent. I do not believe that America is still at the same point as it was in the 60’s. Racial discrimination is not something that is hear all of the time now, because much has changed, but when something does occur, it is paid attention too. I think that is what is happening right now. Americans are saying that we have come this far, but what more can be done if white police officers are still being wrongfully accused? 

Victor Wakelin
Period 3
http://www.theforecaster.net/news/print/2014/11/19/yarmouth-tackle-future-route-1-overpass/217385

The central claim of the editorial is that there is a very large debate over whether the Route 1 bridge crossing over Main Street should be kept or removed. This article does not favor one side over the other, but instead expresses the opinions of people on both sides of the argument. While there aren’t many people who think the bridge should be removed, according to the article, those people are fighting hard against the majority, saying that the town would benefit, mainly economically, if Route 1 intersected at ground level with Main Street. Those people say that bringing Route 1 traffic to Main Street level would attract more customers to our local businesses. The majority of people, however, say that removing the bridge would severely hurt the town in many ways. Their main point is that removing the bridge would detract from Yarmouth’s “small town feeling” and culture as there would be increased and faster traffic crossing Main Street from Route 1. 

The evidence from both sides of this argument comes from the residents and business owners of Yarmouth, along with the town’s councilors and directors. A couple significant quotes regarding the issue comes from town manager Nat Tupper. He spoke about the feelings of people on both sides of the issue. On one side, he said that “people who want the bridge to come down say it will ‘provide a calming, slow (traffic) flow’ through Yarmouth and would make the town more cohesive.” On the other hand, he said that “People are afraid that instead of making Route 1 more like Main Street, it would make Main Street more like Route 1.” 

My opinion is that bringing Route 1 traffic down to Main Street level would dramatically hurt the culture of our town. Instead of being able to ignore the traffic going overhead, we would have to deal with a massive number of cars crossing Main Street. Plus, having no bridge would basically bisect Main Street and the entire town, making it much more complicated to get from one side to the other. One of the great things about Yarmouth is that we have a beautiful Main Street with homes, businesses, and public buildings that can easily be accessed without having to deal with city-like traffic from a major highway. It is something that our town is lucky to have, and something that makes our town unique. Removing this bridge and allowing fast, busy traffic to flow right across our Main Street would make our town much less attractive, not to mention unsafe for all the pedestrians that use the street on a daily basis. Plus, it would make Yarmouth feel more like a city than a small town. I don’t think it would make sense to remove something that would make our town feel less like a small town and community. We are fortunate that we live in a town that actually feels like a town, with a great downtown and great culture. It would be very unfortunate if all of that disappeared with the removal of a single bridge. 

Nico Whitlock

Ms. Lewis

AP Language and Composition 5W: Editorial Blog Post

December 3 2014

Published to the Washington Post near the end of 2012, this editorial argues that video games desensitize youth and allow them to “self-meditate” and translate the experiences they have in video games into the real world. Ron Moten argues that these “glorified” actions in violent games, which are “progressively growing more violent,” lead youth to reenact the experiences they have in video games into their real lives. Along with mentions of massacres and school shootings such as Newtown, the Moten mentions powerful experiences he has had with youths in juvenile detention facilities. A particular powerful story involved a well known game called “Grand Theft Auto” and its effect on a youth. Moten recalled that one young man said to him that before playing video games “he would have never gotten into a stolen car” but the game “put him ‘in a zone’ to do what he had to do to survive.” This young man would soon die after talking to Moten and murdering several.

I agree to a certain extend with this point of view. Violent video games undoubtedly desensitize people, especially youths because our brains are still developing. I know eight year olds that play “Call of Duty.” It’s just not something that’s alright. Whether the gamer realizes it or not, games reward for killing, which has an effect on the subconscious. Granted, we don’t know all that much about our subconscious, but it certainly affected by both being desensitized and rewarded for killing. After desensitization, murder has an entirely different meaning. Video games, especially violent ones, are practically irresistible and decidedly addicting to youths and contribute to an increase in violence.

Works Cited

Moten, Ron. "Violence on the Screen, Violence in the Streets." Editorial. Washington Post 29 Dec. 2012: n. pag. Marvel. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

Promiscuous College Come-Ons

Emma Scott
4W
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-promiscuous-college-come-ons.html?_r=0

The editorial’s central claim is that the college process is impersonal.  Many ambitious students will apply to 15 or more schools at once when supplemental essays are not required meaning that they may not have a passion for all the schools receiving their application.  Colleges do all they can to sell themselves, their low acceptance rates, their brands.

A significant piece of evidence used to support the argument is Bruni’s connection to Swarthmore College.  Contrary to last year, the school no longer requires applicants to write two 500-word essays in addition to the Common Application.  The reasoning for eliminating these supplements was simply to raise Swarthmores rank among other top schools by widening the group of applicants therefore lowering their acceptance rate.

I agree with Frank Bruni’s argument that by eliminating supplemental essays unique to each college, accepted students are not necessarily getting the right fit.  Although, I agree that requiring additional essays to the Common Application can put busier students at a disadvantage; a student from a low-income family who works ten or more hours a week is less likely to apply to schools which require more writing due to lack of time in his or her busy schedule.

Classroom Breakfasts: a Good Idea, Overdue

Charlie O’Halloran

4W

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/opinion/classroom-breakfasts-a-good-idea-overdue.html?_r=0

The central claim of the editorial is the author supporting Bill de Blasio’s idea to require all public schools to serve free breakfast in the classroom, instead of the cafeteria before school. Supporters of this change think it is needed because so few eligible children take advantage of free cafeteria breakfasts and no child should be learning on an empty stomach.

There wasn’t much evidence in this editorial, it was almost all opinion. The best evidence it had was comparing New York (where de Blasio is running for mayor) to other towns who have this breakfast in the classroom program, like Newark and Los Angeles. The author feels New York has no reason to fall behind a city like Newark that is poor but still has a model breakfast program.

I think breakfast in the classrooms is a bad idea because even though I 100% agree that every kid needs to eat, I think the “free meal” program at schools is a better system. I think every school needs to have a free meal program for kids whose families struggle with money, and the school should make an effort to make sure every family who needs this is getting it. If a student wants to eat in class that’s fine but taking time to eat takes away time and there could be so many parent complaints, such as the food being too unhealthy. I also personally don’t like to eat in the morning and I know a lot of people who balance their meals differently, but if a kid doesn’t want to eat in the morning they’ll probably just be judged or forced to eat, which is so unfair. Bill de Blasio argues barely anyone takes advantage of the free breakfast program, (which judging from our school I don’t think is really true) I feel like if a kid knows there’s breakfast at school they need to be the one to take advantage of it. If it’s a hard family situation and they get to school late or really close to the beginning of the day, I feel the cafeteria needs to stay open and the teacher needs to understand and excuse them.

Channing Pooley: Protests Are Not the Solution to Problems

1.)

Channing Pooley

4W

Link: http://search.proquest.com.ursus-proxy-10.ursus.maine.edu/newsstand/docview/1628687119/9E1552D3F3E8446DPQ/15?accountid=17222

Citation: "Protests Are Not the Solution to Problems." Nation Multimedia Group, 30 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

2.)The editorial of Protests are not the solution to Problems was written by a citizen in Bangkok, Thailand. The editorial’s central claim is that injustices are solved through the federal government and protests are an unnecessary and dangerous way to get attention. Believing that protests often end in violence, arson or murder, the author claims that demonstrations aren’t needed when a democracy has courts to resolve the injustices. 

3.)The argument is supported by a few ideas about current protests and past protests as well as other controversial topics. Addressing the riots in Ferguson, Missouri and relating them to protests which occurred in Bangkok a few years ago, the author contrasts them to public forums in Rome saying that they are not peaceful but rather “mobs with an agenda, either whining for what they want or burning cities for it.” Also  involving the idea that segregation in the United States could have been ended by appealing to the federal courts and that it was ultimately ended by the federal government and not the demonstrators. 

4.)I disagree with the claim that protests are unnecessary, but I agree that they shouldn’t be violent. I believe that protests are a useful way to bring attention towards a topic that may otherwise not get the attention it may deserve. However, I do think there is a limit to which the protests can be taken to, they should remain peaceful and should not impede the lives of those around them.