Taser debate sparks student protest

Patricia Martinez (left) and Julia Hernandez (right) address the crowd as students protest the use of Tasers on Malcolm X Plaza Friday, Nov. 22, 2013. Photo by / Benjamin Kamps

The escalation of the Taser debate resulted in a rally in Malcolm X Plaza Friday, where students protested against what they see as the silencing of student voice on campus.

Protesters also spoke out against the auxiliary merger between Associated Students, Inc. and the Cesar Chavez Student Center thatthreatens the benefits for some SF State employees.

“We are here for Tasers, but this comes into a bigger context — there is no student voice,” said Mazin Mahgoub, one of the event’s organizers.”This is an attempt to bring these issues to light,” he said.

Students assemble to discuss Taser-use by police at SF State

A group of more than 50 students organized in Malcolm X Plaza, Thursday night, to speak out against the proposition of SF State University Police Department (UPD) carrying Tasers.

Students organized the event, but the audience was also comprised of ASI representatives and a few University staff members.

“This was organized by a group of students who are concerned about police brutality,” said Donna Olivera, the SF State Student who helped organize the assembly.

Chelesea Slack, a communications and American Indian studies major, explains that she doesn’t feel safe at student protests following the events at UC Davis in 2011, during a general assembly regarding the decision to arm University Police at SF State with Tasers, on Thursday, Nov. 14. Photo by Kate O’Neal/ Xpress

The meeting gave an open platform for students to speak out against Tasers. Some of the major issues presented included the possibility of Taser misuse by UPD, President Wong’s lack of transparency in the decision process and the student opinion that Tasers are an unnecessary answer to campus crime.

The second half of the assembly was an open forum for students to present solutions and alternatives to the ongoing Taser conversation.

Many students agreed that UPD officers should undergo enhanced non-violence training, in addition to improving communications with the student body.

Students at the assembly also voiced their concern that the decision on Tasers would be made during winter break to avoid student backlash.

Although the assembly brought many student concerns forward and presented other ideas, audience members agreed on the need for a campus-wide vote to decide whether the UPD should carry Tasers.

Mazin Mahgoub, another organizer for the event, stressed that students should cooperate with faculty and UPD, to come up with a mutually beneficial solution.

“We have to take the highroad,” Mahgoub said. “We must put aside our hatred for police if we want anything to happen.”

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Edward Said mural turns 6 years old

 UPDATED: 11/12/2013

The Palestinian national anthem echoed through Jack Adams Hall last Thursday, as SF State hosted its sixth annual celebration of the campus’s mural honoring the late Edward Said, one of the most influential voices for the Palestinian struggle, and a strong advocator for peace in the Middle East.

The Palestinian cultural mural, featuring Said, is the first of its kind at a U.S. university. It incorporates Said along with a mixture of images related to his influence in the Palestinian struggle.

“Edward Said has created a space for us to talk about the rampant Islamaphobia and anti-Palestinian sentiment that happens in the academy and media and we thought he was a perfect person to honor,” said Jackie Husary, an SF State international relations graduate.

Millenials lose themselves in flashy technology

Drawn by Kirstie Haruta

Many associate my generation with its strong love of technology and apparent inability to pull itself away from a flashing screen. This is a misconception though. My generation does have an obsession, but it’s not with the screens themselves — it’s what’s on them.

When you see someone on their phone, they are checking Facebook, Instagram, email. We don’t have an obsession with technology, we have an obsession with ourselves. Smartphones and computers just make it easier to constantly check up on the latest in our lives.