Home Blog Page 158

Mona Rodriguez protesters speak at LBUSD Board meeting

Veronica Towers
-
0
Mona Rodriguez protesters speak at LBUSD Board meeting

Family and supporters of Mona Rodriguez peacefully protested outside of the LBUSD Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, where it was announced that the safety officer involved had been fired.

LBUSD Superintendent Jill Baker said in a statement to the press that the Board unanimously decided to terminate the employment of safety officer Eddie F. Gonzalez during their closed session meeting. 

Rodriguez was shot in the head by Gonzalez while in the passenger seat of a car fleeing the scene of a fight near Millikan High School on Sept. 27. 

Rodriguez died on Tuesday after being removed from life support, according to the Long Beach Post. 

LBUSD Superintendent, Jill A. Baker, is seen announcing the termination of safety school officer, Eddie Gonzalez to the media. (Photo by: Veronica Towers)

The policy on use of force from LBUSD’s school safety office, states that officers are not permitted to fire a gun at a moving vehicle unless a circumstance warrants the use of a weapon. Upon a review of the situation, the Board determined that this internal policy was violated, Baker said. 

“We believe the decision to terminate this officer’s employment is warranted, justified, and quite frankly, the right thing to do,” said Baker. 

Outside of the Long Beach Unified headquarters, a group of about 60 protesters clapped and cheered upon hearing the news of Gonzalez’s termination.

The first demand listed by protesters at the beginning of the demonstration, “fire SSO Eddie F. Gonzalez”, was met. 

Protestors write down demands for the LBUSD Board meeting on October 6th. (Photo by: Veronica Towers)

“I feel satisfied for now. I feel safer for the high school kids who go to Millikan or any other high school. I’m hoping that the next step is that he is charged for killing this 18-year-old Hispanic female. We’re going in the right direction right now. The firing was excellent, I was overjoyed,” said protester Ejayme Medal. 

Before the LBUSD Board of Education meeting began, Oscar Rodriguez, Mona’s brother, thanked the group outside for showing up and supporting his sister. However, he claimed that he would not be speaking to the Board due to the limited time that was slated for public comments, calling it “disrespectful”. 

“This is all so ridiculous how it’s only 30 minutes and we have to ask for extra time. We are all human beings and we deserve our questions to be answered. That’s why we pay you.” said Rodriquez.

However, the public comment session of the meeting was ultimately extended by an additional hour due to multiple requests from community members who wished to speak on the incident. 

Many expressed their disapproval of safety officers with weapons on school campuses to the Board members. 

“Mona’s murder is not the result of one person who made a bad choice. It resulted from institutional decisions that do not protect the safety of our students, create equity or enhance education. Why was school safety officer Gonzalez armed in the first place?” asked Jane Gould, rector at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church. 

Luke Higbee, a teacher at Millikan High School, said his students heard the gunshots and witnessed the shooting. Higbee called for a removal of all school safety officers on LBUSD campuses. 

“The biggest injustices that our students face are not just in the classrooms, but it’s this 1.5 million dollars that the district is spending every year on these officers that clearly are not keeping our students safe and are endangering our community,” said Higbee. 

Most recently, on Thursday, LBPD announced in a press release that detectives are currently investigating Mona’s death as a homicide. 

Pow!Wow! brings art to the city after a difficult year

Samantha Cortes
-
0
Pow!Wow! brings art to the city after a difficult year

Pow!Wow! Long Beach returns after a year’s hiatus to celebrate their sixth year anniversary with a series of art installations and other activities for the community happening all over the city for the week. 

Tuesday marked the official start of ‘Rise Play Repeat’, a week-long multimedia art festival hosted by Pow!Wow! Long Beach and Art Renzei. The purpose of the festival is to get people engaged with the local arts community in Long Beach.

The pandemic had put a halt to many of the events in the Long Beach community so many people were anxious to start showing love and support for their city once again.

Cindy Allen, councilwoman for Long Beach’s District 2, spoke during the press conference held on Wednesday for the event, expressing her gratitude for the amount of support for the arts after a very difficult year.

“Our city has been through so much and we’re still going through it. We find so much comfort and healing through artwork and music, so I’m just really excited that that’s the focus,” said Allen.

Also speaking at the conference was Julia Huang, one of Pow!Wow! Long Beach’s advisors, who emphasized how much of an impact art has on communities both locally and worldwide.

“Pow!Wow! Long Beach was always about bringing the world to Long Beach and bringing Long Beach to the world,” Huang said.

Huang also said that Long Beach is a very unique city that is united by its art and diversity. 

“I hope that this whole week, as the art installations are being planned around the city, you engage with each other and enjoy art and culture in this beautiful city that is called Long Beach,” said Huang.

One of the sculptures on display during the festival was ‘Plastic Seal’, by Bordallo II. The sculpture was temporarily placed on Shoreline Beach, but is permanently on exhibit at the Long Beach Museum of Art.

The idea surrounding Bordallo II’s work is the excessive plastic consumption from humans that is consequently destroying the planet.

Also temporarily on display at Shoreline Beach was Tom Fruin’s sculpture, ‘Camouflage House’, made out of stained glass. The colorful glass reflects and captivates the sunlight, giving it an exquisite visual effect. 

Sculpture by Tom Fruin, titled ‘Camouflage House’, temporarily on exhibit in Shoreline Beach. (Photo by Sophia Cobb)

Aside from the art installations, many activities were held throughout Long Beach for the public to participate in. These activities included a pop-up shop, an artist led bike tour, a beach party and a ‘give + take’ plant trade.

A few staff members from ‘Art Supply Warehouse’ participated in the pop-up shop with screen printing demonstrations. Among the staff was Rebecca Giesking, who helped with the T-shirt printings.

“Pow!Wow! invited us to come out and utilize our abilities to do something interactive and so we decided to do screen printing,” said Giesking 

DJ Lair prints a design onto a T-shirt at a pop-up shop at ‘MADE by Millworks’ in downtown Long Beach. (Photo by Sophia Cobb)

Pow!Wow! Long Beach is scheduled to return with more art installations and fun activities next year.

The search for LBCC’s president is ongoing

Veronica Towers
-
0
The search for LBCC’s president is ongoing

After almost two years of having an interim superintendent-president, the search for the permanent President of Long Beach City College is on.

Long Beach City College is currently holding a nationwide search for a new permanent superintendent-president. The board will have a position soft close date of October 20, 2021, with first-level interviews beginning in mid to late November. 

Second-level interviews are set to be held in the beginning of Dec. 2021, with a new appointee to be made by January 1, 2022.

The interim Superintendent-President position is currently held by Dr. Mike Muñoz, who is also in the running for the permanent position. This has yet to be officially announced.

The Board opted to appoint Dr. Muñoz as the new interim superintendent-president, as he was already serving in the position of vice president of student services. Muñoz stepped into the role in March of 2020.

The Board is working hard to improve the way they work together this year by attending two retreats that are created to help with Board goals. 

According to Muñoz, “If you compare past board meetings from a year ago to the last couple current board meetings you would see a stark difference.”

“The Board has worked very hard over the last couple of months to increase their efficiency as a Board in terms of Board meetings and their collaboration with each other,” added Muñoz.

Long Beach City College’s Liberal Arts Campus. (Photo by: Veronica Towers)

Although two years seems like a long time to go without a permanent president, it is not uncommon for institutions to appoint an interim first, especially during a global pandemic. 

The pandemic has taken a toll on the hiring process at Long Beach City College and is a big factor as to why the hiring process has taken a while. 

“If you look across the states there are a number of vacancies across the board on the vice president positions as well as the superintendent-president positions,” said Loy Nashua, Vice President of Human Resources.

The Board of Trustees claims to look for someone who has an earned doctorate from an accredited college or university and has classroom-teaching experience at a post-secondary institution.

Ideal characteristics for the new Superintendent-President are centered around having collaborative leadership skills and caring about student success.

Long Beach City College cares heavily about its students and faculty and is looking for a candidate who takes an interest in student life on campus and wants students to succeed. 

Interested applicants can visit the website to apply.

Protesters demand justice for woman shot by LBUSD safety officer

Veronica Towers
-
0
Protesters demand justice for woman shot by LBUSD safety officer

“These are the times we’re living in? Where police officers are the ones we have to be afraid of?” asked activist Anthony Bryson on Sunday, where protestors gathered to demand the arrest of the school safety officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Mona Rodriguez.  

Rodriguez died on Tuesday evening after being taken off life support, according to the Long Beach Post. 

Rodriguez was shot in the head while in the passenger seat of a vehicle that was fleeing from a fight in a parking lot near Millikan High School on Sept. 27.

A video of the incident can be watched here. 

The emotional crowd of about 25 protesters rallied outside of the Long Beach Police Department Headquarters as they chanted “no justice, no peace” and “justice for Mona”. 

“This is an atrocity. This safety officer, who is not on school grounds … takes it upon himself to act as Mona’s judge and jury and executes her. It’s a crime and it needs to be treated as such,” said protest organizer Cliff Smith. 

Rodriguez was the mother of a 5-month-old child. 

“Mona was somebody’s sister, somebody’s happiness and Mona was a mother. She leaves behind a child that will never know his mother, will never hear her voice again and will only know her through the memories,” said protester Aurianna Tuttle. 

Aurianna Tuttle speaks to the media during the “Justice for Mona Rodriguez” protest on Oct 3, 2021. “We must demand the D.A., Long Beach police, and the school take full accountability for this incident and that the school safety officer be fully charged with murder,” said Tuttle. (Photo by Veronica Towers)

Valerie Garcia, who claimed to be a family friend of Rodriguez, said a 15-year-old had harassed Rodriguez for three days leading up to the incident. The unidentified 15-year-old was involved in the fight with Rodriguez that day. 

Rodriguez’s boyfriend, Rafael Chowdhury, was driving the vehicle attempting to flee the scene. 

According to Najee Ali, who claimed to speak on behalf of the Chowdhury family, Rodriguez was fastening her seatbelt when the two gunshots were fired. Rodriguez then slumped over on Chowdhury’s shoulder. 

“He (Chowdhury) said ‘baby are you okay?’ and there was no more response. I feel that she (Rodriguez) died right then and there,” said Garcia. 

Long Beach Unified School District identified the school safety officer involved as Eddie F. Gonzalez, who was placed on paid leave after the incident occured.

LBUSD Superintendent of Schools Jill A. Baker announced Wednesday evening that the Board has unanimously decided to terminate Gonzalez’s employment. 

The Long Beach police and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office are currently investigating the incident, according to the Long Beach Post. 

Protesters called upon Los Angeles District Attorney, George Gascón, to prosecute Gonzalez. 

Keyanna Celina, a protester at the rally faced a news camera and addressed Gascón, “Stop hiding behind all these progressive moves that we saw Jackie Lacey make as well. We want murder charges.”  

Celina said, “Only you can deliver that justice in the form of those charges. Pick up your pen and get to work, District Attorney George Gascón.”

Protest organizer Smith is doubtful that Gascón will prosecute Gonzalez for his involvement in the shooting. 

“He campaigned last year on a promise to hold police accountable for crimes against the community. He has yet to do it. We’re very disappointed in him, but we’ll continue mobilizing and organizing in our community to hold his feet to the fire,” said Smith. 

Meanwhile, Ali believes the opposite will happen and predicts Gascón will prosecute Gonzalez “without question”. 

“Everyone saw the video. The video did not lie. The officer’s life was not in jeopardy, and clearly, the shooting was out of policy,” said Ali.

LBCC to hold domestic violence awareness workshop series

Samantha Cortes
-
0
LBCC to hold domestic violence awareness workshop series

LBCC has partnered with YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) of Greater Los Angeles to conduct a workshop series through the month of October in efforts to give victims of domestic violence a safe space.

The month of October will consist of four workshops every Thursday from 11am to 1pm.

Further, participants attending at least two of the four workshops will receive a certificate of completion in Survivor Advocacy, something that can be inserted into a resume.

Five years ago, member of the Office of Student Affairs, Sylvia Garcia, with the help of Interim Director of Student Conduct and Student Life, Teila Robertson, founded a committee of students. 

The Sexual Assault Awareness month committee was created in order to get a better understanding of what is going on with students and their personal knowledge of domestic violence, along with sexual assault, as it was not spoken about openly before.

As a result, she decided to bring forth workshops in hopes of bringing awareness and resources to survivors of domestic violence and their supporters.

The workshops will be conducted via Zoom meetings in order to give everyone a chance to participate. 

“We had an amazing response in terms of the students that were able to participate (during COVID)” says Garcia, due to the drastic change in the amount of people who participated in the online workshops. Whether it had to do with time availability or comfortability, more people were attending than when workshops were conducted in-person.

Although LBCC has supplied workshops on the topic of domestic violence before, the plan is to break it up into four parts in order to fully dive into the heavy topic. 

“You just don’t ever know; domestic violence always can be a year round thing a student is going through,” Robertson added to explain why they hold workshops. 

Each workshop will cover the same information as they have before regarding what domestic violence looks like and tips on how to get out of a toxic relationship. However, instead of just an hour, it will be two hours. 

“A lot of the feedback was that they wanted the workshops to be a little bit longer,” said Garcia. This will give participants the ability to receive information as well as speak on the topic and share their ideas or concerns.

The first workshop on October 7,  “When Home Hurts” will dive into domestic violence concurrent with sexual abuse that students may face at home. 

YWCA sexual assault service specialist, Michaele Wiebe, will include detailed information about domestic violence and what resources are available to students who are experiencing it. 

“People typically feel like home is where they can be safe, but that’s not necessarily true,” said Garcia. 

The second workshop event will be conducted on the 14th of October which will shift focus onto LGBTQ survivors. This will include the barriers that eliminate services for the community, such as the lack of gender-neutral bathrooms for non-binary or transgender students.

On October 21, the “Real Talk” workshop conducted by Wiebe will be introduced to share signs of an unhealthy relationship and how to break the cycle. 

The final workshop will take place on October 28, titled “Survivor Advocacy”. This refers to information about social and political movements regarding domestic violence. 

In addition, Wiebe will share with attendees the signs or changes to look for in students who may be struggling or dealing with domestic violence. 

These workshops are open not only for domestic violence survivors and student allies but also faculty and staff. Although there is no limit on participants, there is a pre-registration required to attend due to it being an emotional topic. 

The pre-registration can be found on the Domestic Violence Awareness Month section of the LBCC Event landing page.

LBCC Men’s Basketball Ready For a New Season

jorge hernandez
-
0
LBCC Men’s Basketball Ready For a New Season

The Long Beach City College Men’s Basketball team is back and preparing for their first home game on November 10 against Citrus College, after the 2020/21 season cancellation due to COVID-19. 

Men’s basketball began scheduling their sets of practices at the gymnasium for their first game since the pandemic. This season will feature new players as well as returning players from the 2019-20 season.

Barry Barnes, head coach for men’s basketball has been helping put the team back into shape so that they are prepared to play for this upcoming season since the return of formal practices being allowed. 

“It’s been kinda tough for us, for the last seven to eight months. It’s been a grind as we try to get them into shape as fast as we can to get ready for the season, since we’ve been off for the last 16 months,” said Barnes. 

Barnes is making sure his team is ready for their first game happening at Santa Ana College. The Santa Ana tournament that begins on November 4 and 6 will determine how well the team stands against their competition.

LBCC Men’s Basketball Athlete Joshua Thornton is shooting the ball in the basket during practice at the gymnasium on Sept. 20, 2021 as he prepares for the first game of the 2021-22 season. “Everybody thinks that we are a new team with oncoming freshmens and the others left but we are still Long beach city college team that everybody remembers,” Thornton said. Photo by Jorge Hernandez.

“It will give us a guideline to where we are. When we open at the Santa Ana tournament that will give us a real first time being back in a game against another team and it will give us what we need to work on before we play against Citrus College at home,” said Barnes. 

New players are being welcomed to the team for this season as well as the returners who are excited to be back on campus. Both are crucial to the teams success of the 2021-22 men’s basketball season. 

Returning players include Joshua Thornton who played in the 2019-20 season before the pandemic which led to a country-wide shutdown for most school campuses.

Thornton has used his time away from campus to get himself back into shape by making his beach trips into workouts and running track as a way to stay healthy. 


“With the COVID pandemic it’s been hard because it’s really you holding yourself accountable. So having that sense of brotherhood helps you in these trying times,” said Thornton. 

Freshman Jose Acevedo, an out of state student coming to LBCC this fall semester, is excited about participating on the team. 

“I reminded myself that I’m here to go to school and do what I love, which is basketball,” said Acevedo. 

Some players believe that their key improvements are mostly within offense but all agree that their objective for the season is in conditioning themselves to be better in all positions they are placed in. 

This includes student athlete Evan Caldwell, who has kept a positive attitude about being a versatile player on the court.

“I keep myself in a positive attitude no matter what with a motivational attitude. I jump rope, go for a daily run, and get shots whenever I can and be ready for the season,” said Caldwell.

Barnes and his team are ready for what comes ahead with the start of a new season.

“Citrus is definitely going to be a challenge for us since they’re an outstanding team and it will be a major step in where we are when playing against Citrus College,” said Barnes.

Caldwell said “They expected Citrus College to be hungry but we will be hungrier because we have been waiting for this. We have a lot to prove this season and I’m ready for it.”

Protesters march for women’s reproductive rights

Veronica Towers
-
0
Protesters march for women’s reproductive rights

Hundreds of protesters marched through Downtown Long Beach on October 2 to demand the protection of women’s reproductive rights in light of the recent abortion ban in Texas. 

The march was one of over 600 that were organized across the country in response to Texas’ Senate Bill 8 (SB8), which prohibits women from having an abortion after six weeks. The Supreme Court declined to take action to stop the law from taking effect. 

Protesters marched from Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse to Harvey Milk Promenade Park, where a rally was held with guest speakers from local organizations. 

Mayor Robert Garcia, vice mayor Rex Richardson, LBCC trustee Sunny Zia, California senator Lena Gonzalez, and city council members Cindy Allen and Mary Zendejas were also in attendance. 

“I believe in women. I believe in our collective power, in our power and ability to change things together,” said Zendejas. 

Zendejas continued, “This is not about pro-life. To me, pro-life would be helping women who have children get the relief they need so that their children can have a home and a healthy enviroment to live in. … What this is about is taking away a woman’s rights and I am not okay with that. We are not okay with that.” 

Atalie Oliva of Planned Parenthood shared her experience of getting an abortion with the crowd of attendees.  

“It was 10 years ago that I found out I was pregnant at only five weeks. …  It was two months after I graduated from high school and I was young, broke, and scared about what was happening to my body,” said Oliva. 

Oliva continued, “I’m a Latina who grew up in a conservative household, where abortion was not an option. When my mother told my abuela that she was pregnant at 19, my grandmother replied with, ‘me vas a parir ese hijo’, which translates to, ‘you’re going to have that kid’”. 

Oliva said seeing her family doctor was not an option and she instead received assistance from Planned Parenthood. 

“I find myself feeling connected with all those in Texas, who find themselves in the same position as I was. I would only have one week to make a life altering decision. I wish for them and women around the world to have the same access to resources and support that I did,” said Oliva. 

Atalie Oliva of Planned Parenthood shares her personal health story with protestors outside of Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse on October 2, 2021. (Photo by Veronica Towers)

Protester June Irwin marched for women’s reproductive rights in New York in the 1970s and joined the rally in Long Beach. 

“When I marched back in the ‘70s, it was just an abortion issue. Now it’s about more basic human rights,” said Irwin. “Back then, there wasn’t such a division in the country, not like it is today.”

Irwin was previously involved in women’s activist groups and has plans to rejoin because of the recent anti-abortion law passed in Texas.

Irwin also argues that the law is a threat to Roe V. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that gave women the right to legally have an abortion. 

“If we lose Roe V. Wade, what are we going to do? That is what really terrifies me,” said Irwin. 

Sheila Bates of Black Lives Matter Long Beach was one of the various community organizers who addressed the crowd of protesters at the rally. 

“This is the fight that our grandmothers fought. … We should not have to be here and yet here we are. But we will absolutely do it differently this time,” said Bates. “Reproductive justice is about more than just birth control and abortion access, and it’s not strictly a women’s issue.”

Bates listed forced hysterectomies, families torn apart by the prison system and at the U.S. border, and high rates of death among Black infants and mothers as reproductive justice issues. 

“Here in Los Angeles, 1 in 5 birthing black people die within one year of child birth, compared to 1 in 3 white women. …  Black infants die at a rate of nearly 2.5 times that of white infants. … Black women and Black people have never had full rights to our bodies or our babies, from slavery to now,” said Bates. 

Vin Olefer from Democratic Socialists of Long Beach also spoke to the crowd of protesters. 

“We have refused to be defeated by our political foes and those who wish to control our lives and control our bodies. … Let us choose to continue coming together,” said Olefer. 

The Supreme Court will begin a new term on Monday, October 4. The justices are scheduled to hear a case regarding a Mississippi law that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks. 

LBCC’s Partial Reopening Impacts Local Businesses

Veronica Towers
-
0
LBCC’s Partial Reopening Impacts Local Businesses

Businesses local to LBCC’s LAC-campus that suffered economic loss when the school shut its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic have seen significant improvement since the partial reopening of campus for the fall semester.

The proximity to the college contributed to the success of the thriving businesses located on Norse Way, like Wolf’s Brew Coffee, Miss Priss Cupcakes, S.T. Noodle House and many more.

Bryer Garcia, the owner of Wolf’s Brew Coffee, said the college became a focus point when considering a location for his business, which is family owned.

Wolf’s Brew barista, Jessica, is seen working “on bar” preparing a drink for customers on a Saturday afternoon. (Photo by: Veronica Towers)

When LBCC made the decision to close its doors for in-person learning back in March of 2020, it was unknown what effects this could have on surrounding businesses that were dependent on the college’s activity for customers.

“My two biggest customers were Boeing and college kids,” said Garcia when explaining the negative impacts that the closure of these establishments had on his business. 

Local residents and loyal customers were to thank for keeping the business afloat during the pandemic, with Boeing and LBCC being less than one mile away from the coffee shop.

Back in January, LBCC confirmed in an email to students that the campus would be reopened for the 2021 spring semester for essential laboratory classes only. It was later decided that the campus would also open up to 35% capacity for the 2021 Fall semester, which ranges from August-December. 

Although the school is not running at full capacity, businesses like Wolf’s Brew coffee are already seeing an increase of new and returning customers which include LBCC students and staff members. 

Garcia acknowledged these positive impacts and said, “We’re seeing, definitely, a flow of kids and students discovering us, which is great.” 

Delicious Miss Priss Cupcakes & Such vanilla cupcakes on display in the bakery lobby. (Photo by: Veronica Towers)

Fortunately for some businesses, like Miss Priss Cupcakes & Such, business wasn’t negatively impacted when LBCC closed its doors. The popular bakery continued to receive an abundance of orders for their famous regular and mini cupcakes throughout the closure of the campus.

Susie Johnston, an employee at Miss Priss Cupcakes & Such, emphasized how well they did during the pandemic, “We did really well when COVID hit. We did fine. People still needed their treats”, she said. 

When asked how business has changed since the partial reopening of campus, Johnston said, “I haven’t seen a whole lot of difference yet”. 

As LBCC extends its capacity to allow for more in-person classes, businesses in close proximity to the campus will likely continue to see a positive increase in customer traffic. 

LBCC’s 2021 Alumni Hall of Fame event focused on building community amid pandemic

Illyanna Hendricks
-
0
LBCC’s 2021 Alumni Hall of Fame event focused on building community amid pandemic

LBCC’s annual Viking Alumni Hall of Fame returned on September 22 to honor five new inductees and bring community building to the forefront after being postponed last year due to the pandemic. 

The event took place at the The Grand event center in Long Beach where students, alumni and staff celebrated the new honorees through speeches and career retrospectives; random seating arrangements gave them the opportunity to mingle and dine together, in a way that has been difficult to do since the start of the pandemic.

LBCC Foundation members who organize the event every year found the decision to bring back the event to be a difficult one. Besides safety concerns, the logistics of planning the event also changed drastically. 

“Typically, a committee composed of a board of governors, community members, and former hall of fame members help to organize the event. We were unable to have that committee because of COVID,” said Nancy Yoho, the Associate Director of the LBCC Foundation.

Instead, the job fell to six Foundation staff members who decided in 2020 that such a socially focused event was unlikely to do well online. This year, encouraged by a safer post-vaccine environment, they brought the event back by leaving mask requirements and social distancing to the discretion of the guests. 

The final decision regarding whether the event went live, however, went to the honorees themselves. 

“We asked the honorees what they would prefer, and they all said they wanted an in-person event,” said Yoho.

The Honorees included artistic director of International City Theatre Caryn Desai, award winning photographer Sylvester “Duke” Givens, concert promoter and art presenter John Malveaux, retired Long Beach Police Commander Charles Parks, and Educator and Administrator Cynthia Terry.

Some of the new honorees, like Sylvester Givens and John Malveux spoke about their ongoing projects.

Left to right, interim president Dr. Mike Munoz, Sylvester Givens, Commander Charles Parks, Caryn Desai, Cynthia Terry, John Malveaux, and trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk pose for a photo at the 2021 Alumni Hall of Fame celebration, Long Beach, California.(LBCC Instructional Media Production Services/Jerome Thomas).

Givens, who is famous for his work with rapper Snoop Dogg and for documenting Long Beach gang culture and community activism through his exhibits like “Power of Choice”, spoke of his project “Sisters of City”, which has been shown at the T building on LBCC’s LAC-campus since 2019.

“It (the exhibit) exemplifies the women that have served this college in an amazing way,” said Givens.

John Malveux, head of MusicUNTOLD, a non-profit arts education organization, announced the debut of a collaborative new orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in the summer of 2022.

Malveux’s work as a concert promoter has included legendary artists like Marvin Gaye and Etta James.

The accomplishments of the new inductees illustrates that the criteria for being inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame is tough. An honoree must not only have achieved a certain level of personal acclaim or success, they must also have a devotion to community service. 

This dual achievement is what sets an honoree apart; a person who can achieve the discipline and time management skills to do both has gone above and beyond to positively impact the community.

Past honoree Doug Otto, an attorney who doubles as a District 4 representative on the Long Beach Unified School District, says the necessary characteristic is not just ambition, but passion for community work. 

“You start with a passion for public service, and then you take the education you’ve had, and what you’ve learned about organization, and try to develop a strategy or path to move forward. But it’s a passion for public service that you begin with,” said Otto.

The Viking Alumni Hall of Fame is a highly anticipated event for students, staff, and alumni alike because of the chance to interact with such accomplished role models.

That interaction brings a palpable sense of camaraderie at the event. Total strangers greeted each other with the warm familiarity of friends, acknowledging they were part of the same LBCC community. Current students in attendance, many of whom are likely learning from home right now, had the opportunity to forge new on and off-campus connections.

 “These events are very important to continue the wonderful experience that we create for our students on campus, and our faculty on campus and our staff,” said Vivian Malauulu, Trustee Area 2. 

LBCC Jazz band member Rebekah Woofer played live at the event. She felt that the event and the rehearsals put together by the music department in order to prepare the band were a pleasant change of pace.

“Opportunities to play have been very limited since Covid. This is one of the first gigs I’ve actually had in a while … something like this was really nice to come out and do again.” Woofer said.

LBCC Foundation Development Manager Matt Guardabascio feels the same way. 

“It’s one of the larger events that the college puts on each year, and for me this is what it’s all about …honoring our former students who have gone out into the community and proved they’re the best of the best, representing the college as a whole,” said Guardabascio. 

According to Guardabascio, about 180 to 190 alumni have been inducted to the Hall of Fame so far, many of which return for the event to meet new students and alumni and to keep the connection going.

Hopefully,  despite prior setbacks, the annual Alumni Hall of Fame will continue to give students and alumni the opportunity to converse and build relationships that strengthen the sense of community and the opportunities that shape lasting legacies at LBCC.

Animal cruelty should be viewed at the same level as child abuse

Katherene Quiteno
-
0
Animal cruelty should be viewed at the same level as child abuse

Recent incidents of blatant animal abuse have made it clear that violence against animals should be viewed similarly to violence against human beings, and should be punished accordingly, not just settled with corrective education courses.

Most recently, former LBCC trustee and active Long Beach councilman Robert Uranga, and his wife Tonia, avoided criminal charges on animal abuse via the Los Angeles’ pre-filing diversion program, which allows for low-level non-violent offenders to avoid charges upon the completion of certain requirements.

These requirements allowed Uranga and his wife to complete an online animal cruelty course known as B.A.R.C. (Benchmark Animal Cruelty Rehabilitative Curriculum) in 60 days to avoid criminal charges, essentially allowing them to avoid accountability for their abuse of animals. 

About a year ago, Uranga and his wife were being investigated by the Long Beach Animal Care Services due to concerns of neglect against their two German Shepherd dogs, which allegedly led to the death of their male dog Ghost and the removal and adoption of their remaining dog Chloe, as reported by the Long Beach Post news.

In the state of California animal cruelty falls under Penal Code 597, which claims that animal abusers could be subject to imprisonment and a possible $20,000 fine. However, diversion programs that don’t exclude acts of violence against animals undermine the penal code.

Allowing animal abusers the chance to avoid the consequences of their crimes only dismisses the severity of their actions and sends out a message to the public that violence towards animals is going to be met within minimal backlash.

Uranga, who still holds a position as Council member to Long Beach, Seventh District, faced little to no repercussions other than a mandated course on animal cruelty prevention, whereas, the life of his dog Ghost was unjustly ended because of serious neglect. 

It is vital people ask themselves whether they would be okay with Uranga still holding his position as Council member and going unpunished, had the charges against him been in regards to child abuse. 

After all, children share similar qualities to animals through their dependency on adults for basic necessities and their inability to advocate for themselves in the face of harm. In this way, the level of responsibility involved for their well being is on equal footing. 

The consequences surrounding the abuse of both children and animals should be dealt with actual imprisonment for their crimes, without the interference of potential loopholes that circumvent any accountability the abusers may face. 

Even now, most people only discuss animal cruelty when theorizing about the psychological profiles of serial killers, and how harm towards animals or other creatures may be a precursor to future violence against human beings. 

If  we are to truly treat our animals humanely, then there must be an update on what qualifies as animal abuse, because as it stands, only the acts of torture, maiming and mutilation define animal cruelty under California law, though definitions of child abuse include neglect.

If the abuse of children includes neglecting a child’s welfare by not meeting their medical needs or ensuring that they are eating or have healthy development, then neglect which causes harm to a pet should also be considered punishable, as a pet relies on its owner for survival, welfare, and medical needs. 

It’s clear animal cruelty isn’t taken as seriously as child abuse because we’ve been conditioned to devalue non-human beings, and feel that humans take greater precedence over animal lives. 

1...157158159...262Page 158 of 262