The ASB President made anti-homeless remarks in a later regretted “passionate but misguided” string of texts sent to a reporter, deeming petitioners as a safety threat after he speculated they were casing students while calling the same petitioners “panhandlers.” He then made unwarranted and ill-informed accusations of The Viking of being anti-Black and anti-student in a series of ranting interviews.
Priince Bass’ assumption that petitioners on campus are homeless “threats” and his accusations towards the paper were both ignorant and emotionally charged.
Bass said he “did not consent” to his messages being posted, but The Viking did not assure him the messages would not run, and believes that the public has the right to see their elected government official’s unfiltered comments sent to a Viking reporter.
Screenshots of the initial set of texts sent to a reporter by LBCC ASB President Priince Bass, in response to story published about a signature gatherer getting pushed and having his belongings taken, on Tuesday.
“We have raised it as a safety threat with student affairs because the are exploiting our students; taking there information and casing them. … they are under investigation,” Bass said in his message where he labeled petitioners as “panhandlers,” a common word for homeless people.
Bass backpeddled on his anti-homeless remark and claimed he was only talking about two isolated incidents he was not present for, one of which he claims involved a signature gatherer stealing a Black student’s necklace off his body and a student who got her phone stolen while signing a petition.
LBCC, a public campus, has many people soliciting on campus, including recruitment for gym memberships, Jehovah’s Witnesses and fundraisers for third-world countries, but Bass did not label these groups as “panhandlers,” only those who collect signatures for ballot measures with forms that Bass believes are “invalid” based on the date.
A police report was filed for the necklace theft and the specific suspect is under investigation, but “(the police) had no knowledge of hearing that (the suspect) was a petitioner,” according to campus police officer Kevin Stinson. The stolen phone incident has not been confirmed with the police by The Viking.
Bass’ inability to clarify his initial text messages without turning the focus to “protecting student safety” makes The Viking believe that he thinks students need to be protected from homeless people specifically, which is bigoted rhetoric that uses singular incidents to stigmatize entire groups.
In 2023, 53% of community college students in California reported they were housing insecure in a survey by the California Student Aid Commission. LBCC is a community college with students that utilize the Safe Parking Program offered to homeless students living out of their cars.
If Bass believes that students need to be protected from “panhandlers,” do students also need to be protected from the housing insecure students at LBCC?
Bass told The Viking he feels “absolutely not” responsible for students not knowing what they’re signing, but in his initial text said he told a petitioner “It’s my responsibility to look (after and) protect my students however I can,” after he claimed the petitioner verbally berated him when questioned on what students were asked to sign because Bass knew petitioners get paid per signature.
If Bass does not feel responsible for students not knowing what they’re signing, why does he continue to make the argument of student safety, saying they need to be “protected” from petitioners he labeled panhandlers?
“I love that we know our rights, right? But once again, don’t our students have a right to feel safe on campus? … Y’all are so anti-student. … I feel like I’m talking to like one of the uppers at the school,” Bass said.
Bass also accused the paper of being anti-Black in the series of ranting interviews.
“If you can put your eyes in the limbs of a Black person for 30 seconds, … say, … ‘hey, I’m a Black person, let me see where I find myself and feel represented in these articles.’ … It’s something bad. It’s never a highlight of accomplishments,” Bass said.
He continued to criticize the fall semester’s second print issue, with no mention of the website where The Viking has highlighted Black student life throughout the semester.
The Viking’s second print issue included a story about the return of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities transfer recruitment fair to LBCC, but Bass harped on the print edition’s lack of art for the story.
“Okay, first I’d like to say there’s been a gross misrepresentation of Black students in the school media, … we’re just assuming that there is a blind spot when it comes to Black students, as if they are invisible,” Bass said.
In November and December, The Viking published coverage on LBCC’s Black Student Success Center hosting its first talent show, the city of Compton hosting its first air and space fair to encourage Black youths to pursue careers in STEM, a follow up to the fair regarding how LBCC supports Black and Latino students in STEM, a Black artist’s process on his works that are “reappropriating the appropriator,” and Black student clubs coming together for the Black Student Success Center’s first annual Friendsgiving event.
Bass said “we can’t even be the tokens no more” and claimed The Viking did not cover Black students outside of the month of February, unless it’s negative, asking the paper to publish positive coverage in other months.
“We are begging you. I, as a Black student, am begging you. ‘Hey, how can y’all help us stop from being represented so negatively in the media? … I know that sounds like a miracle. But hey, could we be there in March or April and May?,’” Bass said.
In March, The Viking published coverage of LBCC’s first Black elected officials panel, which ran in the spring semester’s only print issue, and a Black literature discussion with professor Angeli Francois.
In April, The Viking published a story about a workshop discussing the art of Vogue dancing and Black influence in ballroom culture with guest speaker Cali Nike.
In May, stories included a senior construction manager who calls herself “Black Rosie the Riveter,” a play that portrayed Black history through dramatic monologue, the celebration of Black success for the Black Student Success Center’s one year anniversary, LBCC’s Black graduation celebration and a profile on Bass himself.
Bass called attention to coverage of a woman’s fight with security, which she called her “iconic moment,” during rapper Cardi B’s Long Beach meet-and-greet event in September.
The Viking posted a follow-up video interview with Harmoney Karat Gold in October, who had no problem with her fight being published because she stood her ground and defended herself and her cousin.
“What Viking News does sometimes does a good job at minimizing the human experience … and we understand it’s the business, right? … People have to read the newspaper, right? Put something about me on there. People gonna click on it all the time. … Put all the clickbait stuff over the front page, but when you open up this newspaper, let it be more Black people,” Bass said.
The Viking published and distributed three physical issues from October to December and every issue included a Black presence.
The first issue positively highlighted Gold’s “iconic moment” on the cover and on a two-page spread along with DJ Mustard making a surprise halftime show performance for a rivalry high school football game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The second issue included the return of the HBCU Caravan to LBCC for the first time in eight years.
The third issue included Compton’s first air and space fair which encouraged Black youths to pursue careers in STEM, and highlighted support for LBCC’s Black and Latino students in STEM majors, as well as provided coverage of a Black artist’s work that addressed racism.
“The paper might be anti-LBCC … Y’all just journalize, right, because y’all don’t report to nobody … So if you all put out something and it would put students in jeopardy or harm’s way, y’all might not care, right? But we have to, me as a student body president, I have to care. I know y’all got to get y’all’s clicks up, y’all’s engagement … I got it,” Bass said.
The Viking News is a student-run newspaper in full control of what is posted, at the student editor-in-chief’s discretion, and has a staff of editors and reporters that push to equally cover stories on and off campus, including cultural heritage month events hosted by the school and its clubs, crime and sports, only limited by reporters’ schedules.
If Bass believes that The Viking News’ print coverage is not substantial, reporters recommend joining the team, sending a letter to the editor at lbccviking@gmail.com or going to lbccviking.com to read more.
Bass’ ignorant claim of signature gatherers being a threat to student safety is a generalization of constitutionally protected petitioners and misleads students about safety risks on campus, with his accusations of the paper being anti-Black and anti-student being unwarranted and baseless.
All of Bass’ messages sent to The Viking are displayed below.
Screenshots of the initial set of texts sent to a reporter by LBCC ASB President Priince Bass, in response to story published about a signature gatherer getting pushed and having his belongings taken, on Tuesday.
Screenshots of the text messages sent to reporters after two over-the-phone interviews by on Wednesday.
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