For our final Humanities unit, Apotheosis in Endurance, we studied what it really means to fully dive into your journey, and what post-katabasis life looks like. In this unit we investigated the endurance of survivors, and we used their wisdom as inspiration for our own lives. For our action project, we were assigned to write a survival guide, which is our way of sharing knowledge once we reached apotheosis. I found this project difficult because I was, for once, at a loss for what to say, but I'm proud of myself for completing the project and all of it's components.
Showing posts with label Essay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Essay. Show all posts
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
It's Not Always Sunny
For our final Humanities course of our senior year, Endurance, we started out with the unit Morpheus. In this unit we read Dante's Inferno and Strayed's Wild, both books about two individuals' journeys. Throughout this unit we figured out what our own missions are and what our journeys look like. For our action project we were assigned to write an autobiography that takes place 30 years from now. I'm proud of my finalized project because it's hard to say what my future will look like because I don't really know what I want my path to look like yet.
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| IJP . Family . 2016 |
Monday, March 21, 2016
A Guantánamo Story
For our final action project of Equality we were assigned to conduct an interview with someone about an important event they were a part of. I chose to interview my aunt, a lawyer, who has had a very unique and interesting case. I was really proud of the work I did because it was a difficult but very important subject and I was glad to be a part of educating people on it. To read more info on the subject you can read her blog here, as well as other writings here and here as or with a simple Google search.
Works Cited
- "Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp Controversy." Apecsecorg. 29 July 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
- "Guantánamo Interview with HCG." E-mail interview. 16 Mar. 2016.
- Geographic, National. "Inside Guantanamo." YouTube. 7 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
- HCG. "A Sickening Truth at Guant." Saloncom RSS. 14 Mar. 2008. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
- HCG. "My Experiences Representing a Guantánamo Detainee." Pegc. Litigation Volume 35, Spring 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
- HCG. "The Guantánamo Blog." The Guantánamo Blog. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
An Invisible Post
For our Equality class, we split our unit into three subgroups- Race, Gender, and Class. We looked at each of these groups, as well as others, as examined the inequality in our society that these groups face. We read a book- Invisible Man, to get a more in depth glance at how someone's life can be affected by these inequalities and disadvantages. For our action project, we were assigned to discuss how this book related to one of the many theorists whose work we read, and compare how their theories were shown in the book. I’m proud of the discussions I was a part of in this unit because I feel like I went really in depth in explaining my opinions, while also listening and respecting other people’s beliefs.
The 1952 novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison was published during the Korean War and two years before the Civil Right Movement started. It was a time when people were fighting to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. Ellison was born in 1914 and pursued a variety of different jobs throughout his life, from an artist to being a cook in WWII to being a writer. Invisible Man follows the life of an African American man living in the Jim Crow south during this time period, whose name we never discover and is simply identified as an invisible man. We see how racism and other obstacles affect him and how he deals with the alienation he feels throughout his whole life. The book begins with the narrator explaining why he calls himself an invisible man, and telling us he decided to live underground in order to write his story. He then narrates his life story, through college in the South, a move to New York, memory loss, joining the Brotherhood, a riot that led to his decision to live underground, and ending with an understanding of himself and the truth of invisible and structural American racism. W.E.B. Du Bois, an early twentieth century African American writer, sociologist, and critic, offers an interesting way of analyzing Ellison's novel. The first chapter from Du Bois’ 1903 book, The Souls of Black Folk, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings”, introduces one of his main concepts for understanding race and racism is: “double-consciousness”. Du Bois describes double-consciousness as the “sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity,” meaning always having to think about how other people are seeing you, and that affecting how you see yourself (Du Bois). Du Bois also pushed African Americans to do the most in life and to strive to get an education and do more than just the things expected of black people. These concepts are shown many times in Invisible Man.
One of the many ways Invisible Man illustrates Du Bois’ beliefs and theories was by pursuing a greater education, despite society saying his race wasn’t good enough for that. In the scene early in the novel the narrator had been asked to show a benefactor of his college, Mr. Norton, around the campus. The two characters were making conversation, and Mr. Norton was talking about the college, and described it at “a great dream become reality”; he then stated “Slavery was just recently part. Your people did not know in what direction to turn and, I must confess, many of mine didn’t know in what direction they should turn either. But your great Founder did” (Ellison 38, 39). This brings to light Du Bois’ writings about how many people believed black people should only do hard labor and stick to what they know, but how he pushed them to do more and strive to get an education. Mr. Norton was a man who agreed with this point of view, and he believed that black people deserved to have an education as well. This also brought up the other perspective-- Norton had said that the invisible man’s people and his people both didn’t know what direction to turn, many people including black people, didn’t know how to act or what to do. While theorists like Du Bois were pushing them in one direction, many other people were pushing them back down in the other direction. This caused even more of an internal struggle, and caused many people to be lost and not know what to do and what they were expected to do. This is what I believe is a big factor in creating the feeling of double consciousness within African Americans.
Another of double consciousness occurs also early in Ellison’s novel when the invisible man is asked to give a speech to the white leaders of his southern town, supposedly because they saw him as a great orator. The narrator realizes pretty quickly, however, that these men he has been taught to look up to, fear and respect aren’t paying attention to his words or intellect. In fact, the narrator spent time revising his speech in order to present a more appealing and respectable message to his audience. He reveals:
This quote showed how he was treated as a black man in a society of white men. He was a successful student, and yet his mind wasn’t valued simply because he was black. It also showed how he was so conscious of what he said and how he acted for fear of how he would be perceived. He made sure to only say the things that the white men wanted to hear, because he knew if he didn’t say what they wanted to hear they would just refuse to listen. This is shown even more so in the battle royale scene, which occurs directly after the invisible man delivers his racial uplift speech to the disinterested white audience. Our narrator was told fight other black men simply for entertainment while the white men watched. Black men were seen by white people as animals simply there for their entertainment; they weren’t valued for anything else.
Finally, we see double consciousness is illustrated Invisible Man through the narrator’s struggle to unite his black identity to his American identity, which is exactly how Du Bois defines this concept, in terms ofthe inner conflict between being both black and American. The invisible man struggles to see himself in any other way than through other people’s eyes. This is a struggle not only he faces, but all black people in America. Ellison uses symbolism to show this when the narrator describes the statue of the Founder of his college holding the veil over the face of a slave. It is unclear whether he is pulling the veil up or pushing it down to keep it over the slave’s face. The narrator states: “I am standing puzzled, unable to decide whether the veil is really being lifted, or lowered more firmly in place; whether I am witnessing a revolution or a more efficient blinding” (Ellison 36). It shows a black man’s relationship with the world, how it blinds him from the truth, and how he is misperceived by it. It also represents how members who are higher up in the black community keep other black people down and below them, by making them believe in false notions and how they should interact with whites. They are told by others how they are supposed to act and what they are supposed to be, and it causes them to struggle with their identity and become lost in themselves, as the reader sees played out through the invisible man's often chaotic and confusing journey away from the school and into the North.
Ralph Ellison demonstrated Du Bois’ theories a number of times throughout his novel. He showed double consciousness and had his character go to school and do work that wasn’t just hard labor, just like Du Bois wrote about and encouraged. Invisible Man is a book filled with metaphors and so many of them relate to double consciousness and the struggles with identity for an African American male of this time period. I focused on some of these examples that took place in the beginning of the book but they are found throughout the entire novel. Du Bois’ theories were proven time and time again. These connections all show us the relationship between society and black people, specifically men. We see the way they are stereotyped and misperceived by society, and the way that makes them question themselves. They are forced to second guess all their actions in order to make white people happy while also not betraying their race and themselves.
Works Cited
 |
| AG . Invisible Image on Page 36 . 2016 |
The 1952 novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison was published during the Korean War and two years before the Civil Right Movement started. It was a time when people were fighting to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. Ellison was born in 1914 and pursued a variety of different jobs throughout his life, from an artist to being a cook in WWII to being a writer. Invisible Man follows the life of an African American man living in the Jim Crow south during this time period, whose name we never discover and is simply identified as an invisible man. We see how racism and other obstacles affect him and how he deals with the alienation he feels throughout his whole life. The book begins with the narrator explaining why he calls himself an invisible man, and telling us he decided to live underground in order to write his story. He then narrates his life story, through college in the South, a move to New York, memory loss, joining the Brotherhood, a riot that led to his decision to live underground, and ending with an understanding of himself and the truth of invisible and structural American racism. W.E.B. Du Bois, an early twentieth century African American writer, sociologist, and critic, offers an interesting way of analyzing Ellison's novel. The first chapter from Du Bois’ 1903 book, The Souls of Black Folk, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings”, introduces one of his main concepts for understanding race and racism is: “double-consciousness”. Du Bois describes double-consciousness as the “sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity,” meaning always having to think about how other people are seeing you, and that affecting how you see yourself (Du Bois). Du Bois also pushed African Americans to do the most in life and to strive to get an education and do more than just the things expected of black people. These concepts are shown many times in Invisible Man.
One of the many ways Invisible Man illustrates Du Bois’ beliefs and theories was by pursuing a greater education, despite society saying his race wasn’t good enough for that. In the scene early in the novel the narrator had been asked to show a benefactor of his college, Mr. Norton, around the campus. The two characters were making conversation, and Mr. Norton was talking about the college, and described it at “a great dream become reality”; he then stated “Slavery was just recently part. Your people did not know in what direction to turn and, I must confess, many of mine didn’t know in what direction they should turn either. But your great Founder did” (Ellison 38, 39). This brings to light Du Bois’ writings about how many people believed black people should only do hard labor and stick to what they know, but how he pushed them to do more and strive to get an education. Mr. Norton was a man who agreed with this point of view, and he believed that black people deserved to have an education as well. This also brought up the other perspective-- Norton had said that the invisible man’s people and his people both didn’t know what direction to turn, many people including black people, didn’t know how to act or what to do. While theorists like Du Bois were pushing them in one direction, many other people were pushing them back down in the other direction. This caused even more of an internal struggle, and caused many people to be lost and not know what to do and what they were expected to do. This is what I believe is a big factor in creating the feeling of double consciousness within African Americans.
Another of double consciousness occurs also early in Ellison’s novel when the invisible man is asked to give a speech to the white leaders of his southern town, supposedly because they saw him as a great orator. The narrator realizes pretty quickly, however, that these men he has been taught to look up to, fear and respect aren’t paying attention to his words or intellect. In fact, the narrator spent time revising his speech in order to present a more appealing and respectable message to his audience. He reveals:
On my graduation day I delivered an oration in which I showed that humility was the secret, indeed, the very essence of progress (Not that I believed this--how could I, remembering my grandfather?--I only believed that it worked.) It was a great success. Everyone praised me and I was invited to give the speech at a gathering of the town’s leading white citizens. It was a triumph for our whole community (Ellison 17).
This quote showed how he was treated as a black man in a society of white men. He was a successful student, and yet his mind wasn’t valued simply because he was black. It also showed how he was so conscious of what he said and how he acted for fear of how he would be perceived. He made sure to only say the things that the white men wanted to hear, because he knew if he didn’t say what they wanted to hear they would just refuse to listen. This is shown even more so in the battle royale scene, which occurs directly after the invisible man delivers his racial uplift speech to the disinterested white audience. Our narrator was told fight other black men simply for entertainment while the white men watched. Black men were seen by white people as animals simply there for their entertainment; they weren’t valued for anything else.
Finally, we see double consciousness is illustrated Invisible Man through the narrator’s struggle to unite his black identity to his American identity, which is exactly how Du Bois defines this concept, in terms ofthe inner conflict between being both black and American. The invisible man struggles to see himself in any other way than through other people’s eyes. This is a struggle not only he faces, but all black people in America. Ellison uses symbolism to show this when the narrator describes the statue of the Founder of his college holding the veil over the face of a slave. It is unclear whether he is pulling the veil up or pushing it down to keep it over the slave’s face. The narrator states: “I am standing puzzled, unable to decide whether the veil is really being lifted, or lowered more firmly in place; whether I am witnessing a revolution or a more efficient blinding” (Ellison 36). It shows a black man’s relationship with the world, how it blinds him from the truth, and how he is misperceived by it. It also represents how members who are higher up in the black community keep other black people down and below them, by making them believe in false notions and how they should interact with whites. They are told by others how they are supposed to act and what they are supposed to be, and it causes them to struggle with their identity and become lost in themselves, as the reader sees played out through the invisible man's often chaotic and confusing journey away from the school and into the North.
Ralph Ellison demonstrated Du Bois’ theories a number of times throughout his novel. He showed double consciousness and had his character go to school and do work that wasn’t just hard labor, just like Du Bois wrote about and encouraged. Invisible Man is a book filled with metaphors and so many of them relate to double consciousness and the struggles with identity for an African American male of this time period. I focused on some of these examples that took place in the beginning of the book but they are found throughout the entire novel. Du Bois’ theories were proven time and time again. These connections all show us the relationship between society and black people, specifically men. We see the way they are stereotyped and misperceived by society, and the way that makes them question themselves. They are forced to second guess all their actions in order to make white people happy while also not betraying their race and themselves.
Works Cited
- Bois, W.E.B. Du. "Chapter 1 Of Our Spiritual Strivings." The Souls Of Black Folk. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1903. Print.
- Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York: Random House, 1952. Print.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Nein Hitler
For our second Unit of Policy, we learned about the purpose and power of the executive branch. We also learned about policies that the executive branch has created and carried out in the past. For our Action Project, we were assigned to research a specific war and a policy during that war in order to determine whether or not our involvement in the war was just. I'm proud of being able to write this in the formal essay structure provided because I'm someone who likes to write more than just five paragraphs.
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| "The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland." The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2013. |
World War II (WWII), was the second global war that took place between September 1, 1939 and September 2, 1945. This involved almost the entire world, from the US, Great Britain and its allies to Germany, Italy and other dictatorships. Most battles occurred in Europe, South-East Asia, and North Africa. Many war strategies were used such as air, ground, naval, chemical and atomic warfare. The immediate cause of this war was the Remilitarization of the Rhineland, but the underlying cause was a lot of Germany being upset after losing WWI and wanting a redo to show their power, and to restore how the country was before.
The United States entered the war on December 7, 1941, about two years after it started. At the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt was President, but by the end of the war the President was Harry S. Truman. Congress allowed Roosevelt to send the troops which he did due to the Pearl Harbor bombing -- a surprise military strike by Japan against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt had issued Executive Order 9066 authorizing the Secretary of War to take any measures necessary, he convinced Congress to let him do this by saying he was doing this in order to aid other countries who needed help, and to help stop communism.
This war was unjust for Germany to start in the first place because it was really illogical and the country had no justifiable or logical reason to begin such a war. Hitler’s reasons were all so absurd; he claimed that there was a superior race based on looks and culture which is just racist and quite ignorant. All he wanted was power which is not a reason to kill so many people. However, it was just for the US and other countries to enter the war because they were just trying to stop Hitler, protect innocent lives, and basically stop genocide.
During this war, Hitler executed the Remilitarization of the Rhineland -- several areas of Western Germany. Doing this means he made it possible for Germany to pursue a policy of aggression in Eastern Europe that the demilitarized status of the Rhineland had blocked until then. This was significant because it violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties, marking the first time since the end of World War I that German troops had been in this region. This changed the balance of power in Europe from France towards Germany. Hitler’s policy was extremely unjust and illegal because of it violating the Treaty of Versailles. This caused the start of the war, it angered other countries, and also caused Hitler's self-confidence to surge to new heights.
All in all, Germany should not have started this war because nothing good came from it. Invading and remilitarizing Rhineland broke a treaty Germany had made only 20 years ago, and started a second war involving the entire world. They caused millions of deaths of not just soldiers, but innocents, all in order to try and gain power. In the end, nothing good came of this, and Germany ended up back where they started but with much more hatred from the rest of the world.
Work Cited
The United States entered the war on December 7, 1941, about two years after it started. At the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt was President, but by the end of the war the President was Harry S. Truman. Congress allowed Roosevelt to send the troops which he did due to the Pearl Harbor bombing -- a surprise military strike by Japan against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt had issued Executive Order 9066 authorizing the Secretary of War to take any measures necessary, he convinced Congress to let him do this by saying he was doing this in order to aid other countries who needed help, and to help stop communism.
This war was unjust for Germany to start in the first place because it was really illogical and the country had no justifiable or logical reason to begin such a war. Hitler’s reasons were all so absurd; he claimed that there was a superior race based on looks and culture which is just racist and quite ignorant. All he wanted was power which is not a reason to kill so many people. However, it was just for the US and other countries to enter the war because they were just trying to stop Hitler, protect innocent lives, and basically stop genocide.
During this war, Hitler executed the Remilitarization of the Rhineland -- several areas of Western Germany. Doing this means he made it possible for Germany to pursue a policy of aggression in Eastern Europe that the demilitarized status of the Rhineland had blocked until then. This was significant because it violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties, marking the first time since the end of World War I that German troops had been in this region. This changed the balance of power in Europe from France towards Germany. Hitler’s policy was extremely unjust and illegal because of it violating the Treaty of Versailles. This caused the start of the war, it angered other countries, and also caused Hitler's self-confidence to surge to new heights.
All in all, Germany should not have started this war because nothing good came from it. Invading and remilitarizing Rhineland broke a treaty Germany had made only 20 years ago, and started a second war involving the entire world. They caused millions of deaths of not just soldiers, but innocents, all in order to try and gain power. In the end, nothing good came of this, and Germany ended up back where they started but with much more hatred from the rest of the world.
Work Cited
- "Executive Order 9066: The President Authorizes Japanese Relocation." Executive Order 9066: The President Authorizes Japanese Relocation. Web. 13 May 2015.
- "Remilitarization of the Rhineland." Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation. Web. 13 May 2015.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Dear Honorable Mayor
In our first unit of Policy, we learned about the purpose and the power of the Legislative Branch of government. We learned about how the branch works, how it exercises power, and we discussed specific studies from history about how the legislative branch had exercised its power. For our first action project, we were instructed to write a letter to a legislator and introduce an issue that you would like them to fix, as well as the solution to how to fix it. My letter read as following:
"Aleksandra Gorman
GCE Lab School
1535 N. Dayton
Chicago, IL 60642
"Aleksandra Gorman
GCE Lab School
1535 N. Dayton
Chicago, IL 60642
April 21, 2015
The Honorable Mayor Rahm Emanuel
121 N LaSalle Street
Chicago City Hall 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Mayor Emanuel:
The people of Chicago need your help. I am writing to you today on behalf of the many Chicago citizens who are currently being victimized at the hands of police. Chicago’s police department gets away with too much misconduct and brutality. Misconduct refers to inappropriate or illegal actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. In Chicago, the majority of complaints against officers are never taken to trial, and officers are simply let off the hook. Brutality complaints filed against the Chicago Police Department are 94% less likely to be sustained than elsewhere. In 2010, 6,613 sworn law enforcement officers were involved in police misconduct. Between 2002 and 2004, 10,149 complaints of brutality were made accusing the Chicago Police Department, but only 19 of these complaints led to any suspensions. 85% of the officers weren’t even interviewed about the complaints that were made about them. This shows, not only that complaints against our police force are rising, but that nothing is being done to follow through on these complaints.
I propose to end this injustice through a citywide ordinance that requires cameras on the police officers’ vests. The city of Rialto, California did this and complaints went down 88%, while the use of force by officers decreased 60%. If this worked so well in Rialto, what’s to stop it from doing the same in Chicago? I believe you owe it to the people to fight to pass this law in our city. Chicago police have a history of lying about their mistreatment of civilians. If they were to have cameras showing their interactions with civilians, they wouldn’t be able to lie or hide any information regarding daily interactions with the public because there would be hardcore proof. Instead of innocent individuals being wrongfully imprisoned or brutalized because the police lied about what really happened, we will have evidence of it.
The police department's abuse of power has touched me personally in multiple ways. Two of the biggest things that have happened to me involving the police were extremely traumatizing. First, when I was six years old, my parents were unjustly arrested by a verbally and physically abusive officer. I saw the officer threaten my parents and heard him curse excessively, then proceed to push my father again the back of the car and handcuff him, just because my father had gotten out of the car to say he was my mother’s lawyer. I heard him accuse my mother of driving drunk even after she passed all the tests he gave her. Luckily, this officer was recorded by the camera in his car; however, this was obviously from a distance so it was difficult to see certain things, not to mention he turned it off at one point, which was against the law. If it weren’t for this recording, however, my parents might not have been able to prove the injustice done to them.
The other incident with police didn’t happen to me directly, and unfortunately there were no cameras to catch the action, allowing the officer involved to be let off the hook. My good friend Dominique Franklin Jr., “Damo”, 23, was a victim of police brutality. He was a good person, who unfortunately did made a mistake, just like everyone does. He did not come from a wealthy family, and didn’t always have the money to afford what he needed. So one day, he went into a Walgreens and yes, he made the mistake of stealing something. However, was taking away a few dollars from a big company worth his life? I don’t believe so. When the police found Damo, they handled the situation by tasing him, not once, but twice in what was clearly an unsafe area, causing him to fall against a pole, and be knocked unconscious. For around 15 or 20 minutes, no medical attention was provided for him, while the police just stood idly by. Damo ended up in a coma, costing this young man his life two weeks later. This was a clear case of police misconduct, which is why Damo’s father decided to press charges against the Chicago Police Department. He said he is suing to “try and ensure that what happened to his child, doesn’t happen to anyone else.” However, there were no cameras, which means there was no proof of the officer being at fault, resulting in him being let off the hook, like many other officers in the same position. If there were cameras on police vests, there would be a good view of what is happening, and people would not be able to be robbed of their justice.
When Chicago police officers were sued for torturing two prisoners, Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves, who claimed that over 120 men were brutalized, you, our Mayor of Chicago, responded by saying, “I’m sorry this happened. Now let’s move on.” I’m sorry, but this isn’t some small, unimportant issue to be dismissed in such a manner. This isn’t something for us to just move on from. This is a matter of torture and the abuse of power, and the people of Chicago will simply not “move on”.
I understand that cameras on police vests would cost money, however, I also know that you are planning on having a stadium built for DePaul University. Personally, I think police misconduct is a lot more important than sports. People’s lives are being taken away, which is a much more pressing issue than having a new sports stadium. So, if you have the money for that, I’m sure you can find the money for these cameras as well. Furthermore, I can understand how officers might consider cameras to be an invasion of privacy, which is why I think they should only be on when they are in action. They don’t need to have the camera on at all times, but if they are making an arrest, or pulling someone over, or in general interacting with civilians, they should have their cameras on so there is proof of everything that happens. This could be the solution to so many issues with our law enforcement, and I truly believe it would make a huge difference. This would not only make officers think twice before not behaving properly, but it will also show the truth about incidents, not allowing either party to be wrongfully convicted.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this. I hope you take my request into consideration.
Sincerely,
Aleksandra Gorman"
Work Cited
The Honorable Mayor Rahm Emanuel
121 N LaSalle Street
Chicago City Hall 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Mayor Emanuel:
The people of Chicago need your help. I am writing to you today on behalf of the many Chicago citizens who are currently being victimized at the hands of police. Chicago’s police department gets away with too much misconduct and brutality. Misconduct refers to inappropriate or illegal actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. In Chicago, the majority of complaints against officers are never taken to trial, and officers are simply let off the hook. Brutality complaints filed against the Chicago Police Department are 94% less likely to be sustained than elsewhere. In 2010, 6,613 sworn law enforcement officers were involved in police misconduct. Between 2002 and 2004, 10,149 complaints of brutality were made accusing the Chicago Police Department, but only 19 of these complaints led to any suspensions. 85% of the officers weren’t even interviewed about the complaints that were made about them. This shows, not only that complaints against our police force are rising, but that nothing is being done to follow through on these complaints.
I propose to end this injustice through a citywide ordinance that requires cameras on the police officers’ vests. The city of Rialto, California did this and complaints went down 88%, while the use of force by officers decreased 60%. If this worked so well in Rialto, what’s to stop it from doing the same in Chicago? I believe you owe it to the people to fight to pass this law in our city. Chicago police have a history of lying about their mistreatment of civilians. If they were to have cameras showing their interactions with civilians, they wouldn’t be able to lie or hide any information regarding daily interactions with the public because there would be hardcore proof. Instead of innocent individuals being wrongfully imprisoned or brutalized because the police lied about what really happened, we will have evidence of it.
The police department's abuse of power has touched me personally in multiple ways. Two of the biggest things that have happened to me involving the police were extremely traumatizing. First, when I was six years old, my parents were unjustly arrested by a verbally and physically abusive officer. I saw the officer threaten my parents and heard him curse excessively, then proceed to push my father again the back of the car and handcuff him, just because my father had gotten out of the car to say he was my mother’s lawyer. I heard him accuse my mother of driving drunk even after she passed all the tests he gave her. Luckily, this officer was recorded by the camera in his car; however, this was obviously from a distance so it was difficult to see certain things, not to mention he turned it off at one point, which was against the law. If it weren’t for this recording, however, my parents might not have been able to prove the injustice done to them.
The other incident with police didn’t happen to me directly, and unfortunately there were no cameras to catch the action, allowing the officer involved to be let off the hook. My good friend Dominique Franklin Jr., “Damo”, 23, was a victim of police brutality. He was a good person, who unfortunately did made a mistake, just like everyone does. He did not come from a wealthy family, and didn’t always have the money to afford what he needed. So one day, he went into a Walgreens and yes, he made the mistake of stealing something. However, was taking away a few dollars from a big company worth his life? I don’t believe so. When the police found Damo, they handled the situation by tasing him, not once, but twice in what was clearly an unsafe area, causing him to fall against a pole, and be knocked unconscious. For around 15 or 20 minutes, no medical attention was provided for him, while the police just stood idly by. Damo ended up in a coma, costing this young man his life two weeks later. This was a clear case of police misconduct, which is why Damo’s father decided to press charges against the Chicago Police Department. He said he is suing to “try and ensure that what happened to his child, doesn’t happen to anyone else.” However, there were no cameras, which means there was no proof of the officer being at fault, resulting in him being let off the hook, like many other officers in the same position. If there were cameras on police vests, there would be a good view of what is happening, and people would not be able to be robbed of their justice.
When Chicago police officers were sued for torturing two prisoners, Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves, who claimed that over 120 men were brutalized, you, our Mayor of Chicago, responded by saying, “I’m sorry this happened. Now let’s move on.” I’m sorry, but this isn’t some small, unimportant issue to be dismissed in such a manner. This isn’t something for us to just move on from. This is a matter of torture and the abuse of power, and the people of Chicago will simply not “move on”.
I understand that cameras on police vests would cost money, however, I also know that you are planning on having a stadium built for DePaul University. Personally, I think police misconduct is a lot more important than sports. People’s lives are being taken away, which is a much more pressing issue than having a new sports stadium. So, if you have the money for that, I’m sure you can find the money for these cameras as well. Furthermore, I can understand how officers might consider cameras to be an invasion of privacy, which is why I think they should only be on when they are in action. They don’t need to have the camera on at all times, but if they are making an arrest, or pulling someone over, or in general interacting with civilians, they should have their cameras on so there is proof of everything that happens. This could be the solution to so many issues with our law enforcement, and I truly believe it would make a huge difference. This would not only make officers think twice before not behaving properly, but it will also show the truth about incidents, not allowing either party to be wrongfully convicted.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this. I hope you take my request into consideration.
Sincerely,
Aleksandra Gorman"
 |
| Rally at the Department of Justice by Rick Reinhard (1990) |
- Balko, Radley. "U.S. Cities Pay out Millions to Settle Police Lawsuits." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.<http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/10/01/u-s-cities-pay-out-millions-to-settle-police-lawsuits/>.
- Dantes, Edmond. "Police Brutality Statistics | Cop Block." Cop Block RSS. 13 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.<http://www.copblock.org/2841/police-brutality-statistics/> .
- Erbentraut, Joseph. "Report: Chicago Police Are Getting Away With Brutality, And Most Of It Is Against Minorities." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/23/chicago-police-brutality-report-united-nations-_n_6030664.html>.
- Gorner, Jeremy. "How Bad Is the Chicago Police Department's Aggravated Assault Problem?" How Bad Is the Chicago Police Department's Aggravated Assault Problem? Governing, 8 Apr. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.<http://www.governing.com/news/headlines/how-bad-is-the-chicago-policy-departments-.html>.
- Kaste, Martin. "Police Departments Issuing Body Cameras Discover Drawbacks." NPR. NPR, 22 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.<http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2015/01/22/379095338/how-police-body-camera-videos-are-perceived-can-be-complicated>.
- Packman, David. "2010 NPMSRP Police Misconduct Statistical Report -Draft-." PoliceMisconductnet. CATO Institute, 5 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.policemisconduct.net/2010-npmsrp-police-misconduct-statistical-report/>.
- "Police Misconduct." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_misconduct>
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Church And State
For our final Argument unit we learned about contradictions in arguments as well as how to find them and fix them. We continued our focus on the United States Constitution, especially issues related to civil rights, and found many flaws, in our opinion. Each of us chose an important issue to focus on and share our beliefs on, as well as how people disagreeing with our beliefs feel. In this unit I was most proud of this Action Project because I think it covers an important topic that is highly unjust.
Thesis
The topic I chose focused on the separation of church and state, and for the US to follow through on its own church-state separation laws. This is important to me because I know people of all religions who are Americans and I believe it’s unfair to them to not uphold these laws, not only because it goes against the 1st Amendment’s protection of freedom of [any] religion, but also because it clearly prioritizes and embraces Christianity. There are multiple cases showing this: many public schools still require their students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, part of which includes pledging themselves to “one nation, under God”, and the Star-Spangled Banner, which has a line stating “and this be our motto, In God we trust." It even says “In God We Trust” on the dollar bill. All of these examples go against many cultural beliefs and against the 1st Amendment. Not only do some people not believe in a god at all, but certain religions aren’t allowed to swear themselves to another supreme being.
On the other side of things, even some Christians don’t want their religious beliefs being included in state’s rights. For example, the Jehovah Witnesses objected to adding “under God” since they won't swear patriotic or other oaths. So, both non-Christians and some Christians even don’t agree with this law not being followed through.
Antithesis
However, on the other side of things some people, predominantly Christians, may argue that “religious viewpoints are inherently embedded into the political system,” claiming it is detrimental to keep the two together. They believe not only that it is crucial in politics, but that changing the way things are would be taking away their freedom of religion.
Synthesis
People who don’t want anything to change ask how things would change if we suddenly enforced this more. The people who want this change ask how is it fair to have such a clear preference of Christianity when America is for people of all religions? Both sides have the same main argument claiming that this is simply their way of expressing the first amendment; however after the research I’ve done, I still believe the government should stick more strongly to its own law about Church and State. I still don’t think they should be favoring one, which they clearly do to this day.
Evidence of Dialect
Work Cited
Thesis
The topic I chose focused on the separation of church and state, and for the US to follow through on its own church-state separation laws. This is important to me because I know people of all religions who are Americans and I believe it’s unfair to them to not uphold these laws, not only because it goes against the 1st Amendment’s protection of freedom of [any] religion, but also because it clearly prioritizes and embraces Christianity. There are multiple cases showing this: many public schools still require their students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, part of which includes pledging themselves to “one nation, under God”, and the Star-Spangled Banner, which has a line stating “and this be our motto, In God we trust." It even says “In God We Trust” on the dollar bill. All of these examples go against many cultural beliefs and against the 1st Amendment. Not only do some people not believe in a god at all, but certain religions aren’t allowed to swear themselves to another supreme being.
On the other side of things, even some Christians don’t want their religious beliefs being included in state’s rights. For example, the Jehovah Witnesses objected to adding “under God” since they won't swear patriotic or other oaths. So, both non-Christians and some Christians even don’t agree with this law not being followed through.
Antithesis
However, on the other side of things some people, predominantly Christians, may argue that “religious viewpoints are inherently embedded into the political system,” claiming it is detrimental to keep the two together. They believe not only that it is crucial in politics, but that changing the way things are would be taking away their freedom of religion.
Synthesis
People who don’t want anything to change ask how things would change if we suddenly enforced this more. The people who want this change ask how is it fair to have such a clear preference of Christianity when America is for people of all religions? Both sides have the same main argument claiming that this is simply their way of expressing the first amendment; however after the research I’ve done, I still believe the government should stick more strongly to its own law about Church and State. I still don’t think they should be favoring one, which they clearly do to this day.
 |
| Pro Life on Campus: A First Amendment seminar (2015) |
Evidence of Dialect
- Pledge of Allegiance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance
- Separation of church and state in the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_States
- State/Church FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2015, from http://ffrf.org/outreach/item/14030-pledge-of-allegiance
- Tyler, J. (2012, November 14). Church and state must coexist, not remain separate. Retrieved March 17, 2015, from http://kykernel.com/2012/11/14/church-and-state-must-coexist-not-remain-separate/
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
GCE Protection
In our second unit of Argument we learned more about more what makes an argument and about different flaws and contradictions. We studied the US Constitution, and then looked at GCE's Code of Conduct and found all the flaws we could in the document. We then chose a policy and revised, giving our view on the issue. I was proud of the FE I helped make happen in this Unit; it was the closing argument of a trial, and I personally thought it was really interesting to get to see in real life.
The part of the Code of Conduct that I would like to change is the policy:
“Weapons: The possession of any weapons, tools, or objects to threaten the well-being of others (including firearms, knives, etc.) or poses a severe threat to the safety of the entire community. The DC reserves the right to suspend or dismiss a student for an offense which endangers life or health, or poses a special threat to any member of our School community.”
The argument supporting this rule is :
P1: Weapons can hurt people.
P2: Weapons are dangerous.
P3: School is meant to be a safe environment.
C: Weapons shouldn’t be allowed in schools.
The reason I think this should be changed is because of students’ circumstances. Some students may not feel safe without some form of protection, such as a pocket knife or mace. Some students live in bad neighborhoods and don’t feel safe walking home alone without anything. The rule says you can’t possess any sort of weapon, but I think this should be changed to not taking out, using, or threatening to use any sort of weapon that you possess. As long as students aren’t posing a threat to other GCE students or faculty, they should be allowed to possess something to make them feel safe. Students will not be allowed to take out their weapons during school, or make threats with it to any GCE student or staff member, and if they do this privilege will be revoked from them, and the only way they will be allowed to continue bringing a weapon is if they turn it in at the beginning of the day.
Many students live in unsafe areas, and allowing them to carry a weapon with them could stop a lot of bad from happening. These weapons, used for self-defense, are like a key, unlocking the door to safety. They could save a students’ life or prevent a student from getting raped. According to an article “Stranger kidnapping victimizes more females than males, occurs primarily at outdoor locations, victimizes both teenagers and school-age children, is associated with sexual assaults in the case of girl victims and robberies in the case of boy victims (although not exclusively so)” (Bilich). Another report asserts that: “1 in 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2014 were likely sex trafficking victims” (Key Facts). Issues like this could be eliminated if a safety weapon were to be carried. GCE doesn’t want any harm coming to their students, and to help make sure our students don’t add to statistics like the ones above, they should be allowed to carry a weapon.
One of our students, MV, stated “I think weapons should be allowed because a lot of students live in bad neighborhoods and feel unsafe walking home alone, and should be allowed something to make them feel safer.” A number of students feel this way, and it is the school’s responsibility to help make them feel safer.
Furthermore, this directly relates to the Second Amendment of the US Constitution- the right to keep and bear arms. This is pretty much the same argument as my amendment, that weapons should be allowed for safety. It protects our right to protect ourselves, and to possess weapons for our own safety.
In conclusion, my argument is that:
P1: Some students travel through unsafe areas before/after school.
P2: Weapons provide a self-defense method and protection.
P3: Students will be safer walking in dangerous areas, with a weapon.
C: Students should be allowed to possess weapons on campus, if they want to, in order to feel safe.
The following video shows what other Chicago students go through in order to safely get to school:
l
Work Cited:
The part of the Code of Conduct that I would like to change is the policy:
“Weapons: The possession of any weapons, tools, or objects to threaten the well-being of others (including firearms, knives, etc.) or poses a severe threat to the safety of the entire community. The DC reserves the right to suspend or dismiss a student for an offense which endangers life or health, or poses a special threat to any member of our School community.”
The argument supporting this rule is :
P1: Weapons can hurt people.
P2: Weapons are dangerous.
P3: School is meant to be a safe environment.
C: Weapons shouldn’t be allowed in schools.
The reason I think this should be changed is because of students’ circumstances. Some students may not feel safe without some form of protection, such as a pocket knife or mace. Some students live in bad neighborhoods and don’t feel safe walking home alone without anything. The rule says you can’t possess any sort of weapon, but I think this should be changed to not taking out, using, or threatening to use any sort of weapon that you possess. As long as students aren’t posing a threat to other GCE students or faculty, they should be allowed to possess something to make them feel safe. Students will not be allowed to take out their weapons during school, or make threats with it to any GCE student or staff member, and if they do this privilege will be revoked from them, and the only way they will be allowed to continue bringing a weapon is if they turn it in at the beginning of the day.
Many students live in unsafe areas, and allowing them to carry a weapon with them could stop a lot of bad from happening. These weapons, used for self-defense, are like a key, unlocking the door to safety. They could save a students’ life or prevent a student from getting raped. According to an article “Stranger kidnapping victimizes more females than males, occurs primarily at outdoor locations, victimizes both teenagers and school-age children, is associated with sexual assaults in the case of girl victims and robberies in the case of boy victims (although not exclusively so)” (Bilich). Another report asserts that: “1 in 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2014 were likely sex trafficking victims” (Key Facts). Issues like this could be eliminated if a safety weapon were to be carried. GCE doesn’t want any harm coming to their students, and to help make sure our students don’t add to statistics like the ones above, they should be allowed to carry a weapon.
One of our students, MV, stated “I think weapons should be allowed because a lot of students live in bad neighborhoods and feel unsafe walking home alone, and should be allowed something to make them feel safer.” A number of students feel this way, and it is the school’s responsibility to help make them feel safer.
Furthermore, this directly relates to the Second Amendment of the US Constitution- the right to keep and bear arms. This is pretty much the same argument as my amendment, that weapons should be allowed for safety. It protects our right to protect ourselves, and to possess weapons for our own safety.
In conclusion, my argument is that:
P1: Some students travel through unsafe areas before/after school.
P2: Weapons provide a self-defense method and protection.
P3: Students will be safer walking in dangerous areas, with a weapon.
C: Students should be allowed to possess weapons on campus, if they want to, in order to feel safe.
The following video shows what other Chicago students go through in order to safely get to school:
l
Work Cited:
-Bilich, Karin A. "Child Abduction Facts." Parents Magazine. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.<http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/>.
-"Key Facts." National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://www.missingkids.com/KeyFacts>.
-"A Dangerous Walk to School." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h2Yytecex0>.
-"Key Facts." National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://www.missingkids.com/KeyFacts>.
-"A Dangerous Walk to School." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h2Yytecex0>.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The 101 About Law 101
Our Argument class is all about the logic skills needed to analyze, develop, and sustain an argument. In our first unit we learned about the fundamental elements of an argument and the types of reasoning. I am proud of my understanding of the Venn Diagrams we did for homework and in class. We learned all the key concepts that make an argument and for our first action project we had to put these concepts to use by writing a course or independent study proposal.
At GCE, we are supposed to learn things that will benefit us in the real world. The school teaches what they consider to be the four principal values of global citizenship that form a durable foundation for achievement: accountability, purpose, autonomy, and gratitude. The school’s website claims that the education they provide, “Equips students to thrive in today’s complex world.” To achieve this goal, GCE offers a curriculum that is based around a hands-on educational experience where students take the concepts they learn in school and apply them to the real world as opposed to the more ordinary approach to education that most high schools provide. They already manage to do this quite well, but I believe with the course I have in mind, they could accomplish it even better. It is our right as students to be taught subject matter that will prepare us for when we are outside of school. I believe this requires a knowledge of our rights, not just as students, but as American citizens.
The course that I would like to propose is a Law class with the guiding question: what rights do we all have? It would take place during the fall term of senior year. The reason I chose this term is because the other course seniors take during that time is Economics, which involves topics such as taxes, which I think would tie into a law class. Taxes are a part of the law and there are many tax laws that must be followed. If students learn the laws about taxes along with the math concepts, they will understand their tax responsibilities better.
What are GCE’s goals? To prepare students for the real world. Adding this law class will increase the success of that goal, greatly. It is important to have a class about law because every citizen, no matter what age, should know his/her rights. This information is really practical, and could be helpful at any point in one's life. Also, senior year is when most students turn 18, which means they are legally adults and can now vote. This makes learning the laws even more crucial, especially if they will be leaving for college and going to be on their own for the first time. This class would prepare you for going into the “real world” and would benefit you your whole life.
Law 101 would take place on-site at GCE’s campus, and would be partnered with the law firm Baker & McKenzie, which has hundreds of lawyers practicing in every field of law. It is an international law firm headquartered in Chicago, and it would be the perfect firm to partner with because they don’t just have one specialty in law, they have lawyers in all the fields, so they could give us a wider range of education about the law. The class would also need a copy of the Constitution of the United States, the Illinois Constitution, and the law textbook, Introduction to Law and the Legal System by Frank August Schubert, to get some key points. They would also watch the films A Few Good Men and My Cousin Vinny to see the skills they learn put in action and to see that any type of person can be put in both the position of an attorney or the person on trial.
The content of the class includes some education in US History, the law, as well as debate skills. These are all important because GCE does not yet have a class that teaches us, strictly, American History and it is important to be educated about it, because it is famously said that those who don’t learn their history are destined to repeat past mistakes. The history part would focus mostly on the judicial branch of government which is based on precedent going back to the origins of the country. The laws would obviously be crucial to learning in this course since it is a law class, and debate skills are important because even outside of law, these skills help you make your voice heard and present your position, no matter what you're arguing for or against, in a logical manner.
Some of the FEs for students of Law 101 would be to different law firms such as the one we are partnered with, as well as court houses. This will allow them to see how these skills are applied in the real world and what happens to people who broke laws because they were uneducated about them. One of the Action Projects the students would have, would be a mock trial or debate. This would be done in pairs and the roles would be the defense and the other would be the prosecution, or if they chose to do a debate simply the two opposing sides. Another Action Project would be writing a persuasive paper about why they disagree with or how they would change an existing law, or what law would they like to add. The third project would be a video project teaching what to do in certain situations involving law/police.
P1: GCE's four values are: accountability, purpose, autonomy, and gratitude.
P2: Cultivating these four values prepares you for the real world.
P3: All citizens should know their rights and the laws.
P4: Knowing your rights and the laws prepares you for the real world.
C: GCE should offer a law class.
The goal for this course is for every student to understand the law, learn what their rights are, and how to exercise them. If this course is added, it will make a vast difference in students’ lives and their preparation for being on their own. GCE will be accomplishing their goals better than ever, and will truly be helping their students. I hope Law 101 will be taken into consideration.
Works Cited
At GCE, we are supposed to learn things that will benefit us in the real world. The school teaches what they consider to be the four principal values of global citizenship that form a durable foundation for achievement: accountability, purpose, autonomy, and gratitude. The school’s website claims that the education they provide, “Equips students to thrive in today’s complex world.” To achieve this goal, GCE offers a curriculum that is based around a hands-on educational experience where students take the concepts they learn in school and apply them to the real world as opposed to the more ordinary approach to education that most high schools provide. They already manage to do this quite well, but I believe with the course I have in mind, they could accomplish it even better. It is our right as students to be taught subject matter that will prepare us for when we are outside of school. I believe this requires a knowledge of our rights, not just as students, but as American citizens.
The course that I would like to propose is a Law class with the guiding question: what rights do we all have? It would take place during the fall term of senior year. The reason I chose this term is because the other course seniors take during that time is Economics, which involves topics such as taxes, which I think would tie into a law class. Taxes are a part of the law and there are many tax laws that must be followed. If students learn the laws about taxes along with the math concepts, they will understand their tax responsibilities better.
What are GCE’s goals? To prepare students for the real world. Adding this law class will increase the success of that goal, greatly. It is important to have a class about law because every citizen, no matter what age, should know his/her rights. This information is really practical, and could be helpful at any point in one's life. Also, senior year is when most students turn 18, which means they are legally adults and can now vote. This makes learning the laws even more crucial, especially if they will be leaving for college and going to be on their own for the first time. This class would prepare you for going into the “real world” and would benefit you your whole life.
Law 101 would take place on-site at GCE’s campus, and would be partnered with the law firm Baker & McKenzie, which has hundreds of lawyers practicing in every field of law. It is an international law firm headquartered in Chicago, and it would be the perfect firm to partner with because they don’t just have one specialty in law, they have lawyers in all the fields, so they could give us a wider range of education about the law. The class would also need a copy of the Constitution of the United States, the Illinois Constitution, and the law textbook, Introduction to Law and the Legal System by Frank August Schubert, to get some key points. They would also watch the films A Few Good Men and My Cousin Vinny to see the skills they learn put in action and to see that any type of person can be put in both the position of an attorney or the person on trial.
The content of the class includes some education in US History, the law, as well as debate skills. These are all important because GCE does not yet have a class that teaches us, strictly, American History and it is important to be educated about it, because it is famously said that those who don’t learn their history are destined to repeat past mistakes. The history part would focus mostly on the judicial branch of government which is based on precedent going back to the origins of the country. The laws would obviously be crucial to learning in this course since it is a law class, and debate skills are important because even outside of law, these skills help you make your voice heard and present your position, no matter what you're arguing for or against, in a logical manner.
Some of the FEs for students of Law 101 would be to different law firms such as the one we are partnered with, as well as court houses. This will allow them to see how these skills are applied in the real world and what happens to people who broke laws because they were uneducated about them. One of the Action Projects the students would have, would be a mock trial or debate. This would be done in pairs and the roles would be the defense and the other would be the prosecution, or if they chose to do a debate simply the two opposing sides. Another Action Project would be writing a persuasive paper about why they disagree with or how they would change an existing law, or what law would they like to add. The third project would be a video project teaching what to do in certain situations involving law/police.
P1: GCE's four values are: accountability, purpose, autonomy, and gratitude.
P2: Cultivating these four values prepares you for the real world.
P3: All citizens should know their rights and the laws.
P4: Knowing your rights and the laws prepares you for the real world.
C: GCE should offer a law class.
The goal for this course is for every student to understand the law, learn what their rights are, and how to exercise them. If this course is added, it will make a vast difference in students’ lives and their preparation for being on their own. GCE will be accomplishing their goals better than ever, and will truly be helping their students. I hope Law 101 will be taken into consideration.
Works Cited
- Home. (2013, June 20). Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://gcelabschool.com/
- Introduction to Law and the Legal System Hardcover. (2014, January 1). Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Legal-System-August-Schubert/dp/1285438256/ref=dp_ob_image_bk
- Baker & McKenzie. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.bakermckenzie.com/
Friday, October 17, 2014
Enough is Enough
This unit in Rhetoric was about what types of speeches inspire and mobilize people. We learned about what elements are essential for a good speech, and the types of language that attract people. Our final project was to use this new knowledge ourselves, and write our own speech on a change we want to see in our city, Chicago. I chose to write about police brutality, for many reasons, the main one being that one of my close friends was a victim of this. Writing this paper made me feel proud because I felt that I honored that friend by writing about this topic.
I have lived in Chicago my whole life. Over that time I have seen so many amazing things in our city, the diversity, the cultural attractions, the food; but lately I have been hearing about many terrible things as well. One of those terrible things that has continually increased over the years is police brutality. Lately, I’ve been hearing story after story on the news, seemingly every day. And I believe it is time to say enough is enough.
In 2012, the Chicago Police Department shot 57 people, killing 8 of them. Officer-involved shootings occurred in 14 of the 25 Chicago Police Districts, that is more than half of the districts. An author for the People’s Law Office website described the situation perfectly: “...it is important to recognize that police officers, government employees who are sworn to protect all of us, are far too often responsible for the gun violence against civilians.” (IPRA Releases Report on 2012 Chicago Police Shootings, 2012). This statement reveals the main issue, which is that the police are abusing their power. This has become a fight for equality, like previous fights for racial and gender equality, but this time it is for the equality between people in power and the average citizen. Just because someone is a police officer, does not mean he or she shouldn’t have to follow the same laws as everyone else. And if a regular citizen goes to jail for shooting or torturing someone, police officers should go to jail for this as well. Instead, many times they are let off the hook because it was just “a mistake”. On August 9 this year, in Ferguson, Missouri, an 18 year old boy named Michael Brown, with no priors, was shot and killed in broad daylight, and the police officer, Darren Wilson, received no disciplinary action against him, in fact his killer is still walking freely after two months having never been arrested for the murder. Apparently, Wilson shooting the unarmed boy was another instance of an officer “just doing his job” (Swaine, 2014). So is that what police jobs now entail? Shooting people? Shooting unarmed, not dangerous people? Shooting unarmed, not dangerous youth?
A national poll taken by police officers in 2012 showed that 42% of officers believe that “Always following the rules is not compatible with getting the job done”, meaning they think they are exempt from following the rules and laws. They should not be. 84% admitted that they have witnessed other officers use more force than necessary to make an arrest and 61% admitted that they don’t always report serious criminal violations that involve the abuse of authority by fellow officers (Erye, 2012). This shows how many officers use excessive force, and how many other officers allow it by being bystanders. They should not be. Between 2002 and 2004, 10,149 complaints were made accusing Chicago Police Department officers of excessive force, illegal searches, racial abuse, sexual abuse, and false arrests. Only 19 of these complaints led to any suspensions. 85% of the officers weren’t even interviewed about the complains that were made about them. This shows how little is done about police abuse, and that officers are given the impression that breaking the rules is okay and goes without consequence. They should not be.
Our own mayor is ignoring these issues. Some police officers were sued for torturing two prisoners, Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves. During the trial, the defendants claimed that over 120 men were tortured. And what was Rahm Emanuel’s response? “I’m sorry this happened. Now let’s move on.” (Wisniewski, 2013). Let’s move on? Let’s move on? This isn’t some small unimportant issue, this is a matter of torture and the abuse of power. We will not “move on”. We refuse to “move on”.
While some of you may think this issue wouldn't, or even shouldn't, touch me personally, it isn't small and unimportant issue to me. My good friend Dominique Franklin Jr., “Damo”, 23, was a victim of police brutality. He was a good person who made a mistake just like the rest of us. He did not come from a wealthy family, and didn’t always have the money to afford what he needed. So one day, he went into a Walgreens and yes, he stole something; yes, he broke the law. But was taking away a few dollars from a big company worth his life? I don’t think it was. When the police found Damo they handled the situation by tasing him, not once, but twice in what was clearly an unsafe area, because when they did, they caused him to fall against a pole, and be knocked unconscious. For around 15 or 20 minutes, no medical attention was provided for him. Instead, the police stood there, with no remorse for their actions. This unconsciousness became permanent because what the officers had really done was put this young man into a coma. And that cost him his life two weeks later. This was a clear case of police misconduct, and that is why Damo’s father is pressing charges against the Chicago Police Department. He says he is suing to “try and ensure that what happened to his child, doesn’t happen to anyone else.” (Puccinelli, 2014). And that’s all any of us want at this point. We are sick of the deaths all around us at the hands of police officers, the people who are paid to protect us. Our youth should not be meeting such early deaths. Rahm Emanuel talked a lot about safety in his inaugural speech and had said “The police cannot do it alone”, but he seemed to forget that often times, the police are the cause of the violence. He talks about the police as though all they do is help stop and solve crime, but too often are they the cause of the crimes in the first place. If Emanuel wants to make our streets safer like he claims, he should start on the inside- the police.
What is happening is not okay. Now is the time for a solution. In Rialto, California, officers are now obligated to wear a tiny camera that films all their interactions with the public. The result? Complaints against Rialto police officers fell by 88%, while use of force by officers fell by almost 60%. (Hulsey, 2014) This change is amazing and it is a change that needs to happen in Chicago as well. And for any brutality that continues after cameras are placed on the officers, there must be a NO TOLERANCE policy. The repercussions for the police's abuse of power are not nearly good enough. Most officers aren’t even suspended when complaints are filed. What message does that send? That they can do something extremely wrong and just get a break and still get paid? That is not the message we should be sending. Police brutality must not be tolerated or accepted at all. If a police officer is involved in brutality, sexual abuse, excessive force, or the killing of an unarmed person, they must be discharged, with no pay. They should not be allowed to return for at least three years, during which they should be required to go to therapy and anger management or other classes of such type. We need to stop making excuses for what is done and stop tolerating it; from now on if this happens, there must be an assurance that that officer will not make it happen again.
If we do not make a change, those who care about these issues will begin to fight back; there will be more riots in the streets such as the ones in Ferguson, and maybe eventually even a war. There will be more deaths, and it will come to the point where the deaths aren’t just those of civilians but of the police as well. There will be an uprising, because what is happening can only be tolerated for so long. And that time has ended. We demand an end to police brutality. Enough is enough. Chicago has to step forward and make the change. And then maybe we can be an influence to other cities. To the entire state. And hopefully then to the entire nation. But we must first start in our own backyards. So it is time for Chicago to enter a new era, one where police receive the same treatment as everyone else, and one where they are not allowed to go unpunished for killing our citizens.
I would like to see the day when there is no police misconduct and brutality. I would like to see the day when people see police as helpful and on their side, as they are supposed to. I would love to see the day, when I turn on the news, and hear nothing about a youth dying at the hands of an officer. And until that day comes, I will not rest, and I hope neither will you.
Sources
Erye, Pete. "Infographic: A Neutral Look at Police Brutality | Cop Block." Cop Block RSS. N.p., 3 July 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://www.copblock.org/17484/infographic-a-neutral-look-police-brutality/>.
Hulsey, Emily. "California Town's Simple Solution To Police Brutality Has Lowered Use Of Force By 60 Percent." Independent Journal Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.ijreview.com/2014/07/153997-california-towns-simple-solution-police-brutality-lowered-use-force-60-percent/>.
"IPRA Releases Report on 2012 Chicago Police Shootings | People's Law Office." Peoples Law Office. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://peopleslawoffice.com/ipra-releases-report-on-2012-chicago-police-shootings/>.
"Prison Culture » Damo’s Dead & Other Reasons to Fight…." Prison Culture RSS. N.p., 24 May 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.usprisonculture.com/blog/2014/05/26/damos-dead-other-reasons-to-fight/>.
Puccinelli, Mike. "Father Suing Police After Son Dies Following Use Of Stun Gun - CBS Chicago." CBS Chicago. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/06/18/father-suing-police-after-son-dies-following-use-of-stun-gun/>.
Shen, Aviva. "Chicago Police Cannot Keep Complaints Of Brutality Secret Anymore, Court Rules."ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/03/12/3393421/chicago-police-misconduct/>.
Swaine, Joe. "Ferguson police officer was 'doing his job', say supporters." The Guardian. N.p., 17 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/18/ferguson-supporters-police-killed-teenager-protest>.
"Timeline: Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo.." USA Today. Gannett, 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/14/michael-brown-ferguson-missouri-timeline/14051827/>.
Wisniewski, Mary. "Chicago Police Torture: Mayor Rahm Emanuel Apologizes, Says 'Let Us Now Move On'." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/12/chicago-police-torture-mayor_n_3910197.html>.
Hulsey, Emily. "California Town's Simple Solution To Police Brutality Has Lowered Use Of Force By 60 Percent." Independent Journal Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.ijreview.com/2014/07/153997-california-towns-simple-solution-police-brutality-lowered-use-force-60-percent/>.
"IPRA Releases Report on 2012 Chicago Police Shootings | People's Law Office." Peoples Law Office. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://peopleslawoffice.com/ipra-releases-report-on-2012-chicago-police-shootings/>.
"Prison Culture » Damo’s Dead & Other Reasons to Fight…." Prison Culture RSS. N.p., 24 May 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.usprisonculture.com/blog/2014/05/26/damos-dead-other-reasons-to-fight/>.
Puccinelli, Mike. "Father Suing Police After Son Dies Following Use Of Stun Gun - CBS Chicago." CBS Chicago. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/06/18/father-suing-police-after-son-dies-following-use-of-stun-gun/>.
Shen, Aviva. "Chicago Police Cannot Keep Complaints Of Brutality Secret Anymore, Court Rules."ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/03/12/3393421/chicago-police-misconduct/>.
Swaine, Joe. "Ferguson police officer was 'doing his job', say supporters." The Guardian. N.p., 17 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/18/ferguson-supporters-police-killed-teenager-protest>.
"Timeline: Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo.." USA Today. Gannett, 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/14/michael-brown-ferguson-missouri-timeline/14051827/>.
Wisniewski, Mary. "Chicago Police Torture: Mayor Rahm Emanuel Apologizes, Says 'Let Us Now Move On'." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/12/chicago-police-torture-mayor_n_3910197.html>.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Gender Inequality
Gender inequality has been around so long it is rooted into our history. Women in the United States finally took a stand against it and started the first wave Women's Right Movement between the years of 1848 and 1920. There were many important factors in this movement and many people who were crucial to making a change. One of these individuals was Susan B. Anthony. Alongside Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anthony formed the National Women Suffrage Association in May of 1869, based in New York City. The organization’s main goal was to achieve voting rights for women. Anthony herself made many speeches for the cause; being a teacher for 15 years, she was very educated and knew how to write exceptionally well. One of her most famous suffrage speeches was delivered in June 1873, while Anthony was under indictment for “the alleged crime of having voted at the last Presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote.” Anthony used her words in this instance, to prove that what she did was not a crime and that it was unconstitutional to consider her actions criminal. In her defense, Anthony makes strong appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos, which is why I believe this speech should be included in the Rhetoric course library.
Anthony begins her speech by explaining why she is under indictment. Her crime was voting unlawfully due to the fact that she was a woman. She makes the argument that to be incarcerated for this is unconstitutional. Providing the background that she does in the beginning of her speech adds to her ethos. Anthony states “I stand before you to-night, under indictment for the alleged crime of having voted at the last Presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote.” As a famous speech maker and writer she is already considered credible, and her fighting for such an important cause makes her morally likable. Anthony actually practiced what she preached, and fought for justice by fighting against unjust, sexist laws. She was someone who fought for the basic rights of everyone.
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| National Women's Suffrage Association.(1913) Internet: Wikipedia |
Furthermore, Anthony offers rationale for her cause by quoting directly from the Constitution, which states in the preamble: "We, the people of the United states...". Anthony focuses on this plural pronoun that clearly includes us all explains how “we” means that whether male or female, the people who make the Union are citizens including, her and all other American females. It shows how the Constitution should apply to women in this country as well. Anthony goes to make the point that women weren't specifically excluded from the laws. She quotes the Constitution again, referring specifically to a section that makes special mention of all those tho whom the laws do not apply. Those excluded are individuals who have been or may be convicted of bribery, larceny, or any infamous act. Anthony's argument is that, nowhere in that list of exclusions does it state "women", which shows that women are full citizens who should be able to excerside their right to vote. Anthony defends herself using a logical, text-based argument.
Anthony's tone in her speech is demanding; she fearlessly does not back down in her demand that she and all women of America are given their basic rights and allowed to vote. At the end of her speech Anthony proclaims "we propose to fight our battle for the ballot...persistently through to complete triumph, when all United States citizens shall be recognized as equals before the law." This statement and her strength in defending herself and women’s rights is really powerful, because it shows that she, alongside many others, will not stand down and will continue to fight until they get what is rightfully theirs. As a fighter for women’s rights, her words likely inspired her peers and gave them hope, I imagine that when she read this last line the audience felt all sorts of emotions, from sadness to joy, which appeals to pathos. She gave so many emotional examples throughout the piece as well as multiple anecdotes, such as her talk with Senator Sumner, where she asked him for his help in protecting women in their right to vote. Anthony really showed how women are strong and deserve to be treated as such.
Throughout the speech Anthony employs multiple rhetorical modes, including exemplification and process analysis. Anthony aims to prove the unconstitutionality of denying women the right to vote. She quotes Senator Sumner in her analysis of diction in the Constitution, as he had also helped protect African Americans in their right to vote and was now helping Anthony do the same for women. The Senator had stated that if you deny women the rights given by the Constitution just because it is written with masculine pronouns then you must also "exempt women from taxation...and from penalties for the violation of laws". This is a phenomenal point and proves that you can't make the argument that the Constitution only applies to men just because of the use of masculine pronouns. Anthony also uses process analysis, her speech itself is a step taken to reach the outcome: the right for women vote. Moreover, achieving the right to vote will bring them a step closer to ending women's suffrage. She shows that everything is just one step after another in a long process. Her political activism and her speech, along with others, are the steps being taken to be allowed to vote, which in turn is a step to reaching gender equality.
Anthony's tone in her speech is demanding; she fearlessly does not back down in her demand that she and all women of America are given their basic rights and allowed to vote. At the end of her speech Anthony proclaims "we propose to fight our battle for the ballot...persistently through to complete triumph, when all United States citizens shall be recognized as equals before the law." This statement and her strength in defending herself and women’s rights is really powerful, because it shows that she, alongside many others, will not stand down and will continue to fight until they get what is rightfully theirs. As a fighter for women’s rights, her words likely inspired her peers and gave them hope, I imagine that when she read this last line the audience felt all sorts of emotions, from sadness to joy, which appeals to pathos. She gave so many emotional examples throughout the piece as well as multiple anecdotes, such as her talk with Senator Sumner, where she asked him for his help in protecting women in their right to vote. Anthony really showed how women are strong and deserve to be treated as such.
Throughout the speech Anthony employs multiple rhetorical modes, including exemplification and process analysis. Anthony aims to prove the unconstitutionality of denying women the right to vote. She quotes Senator Sumner in her analysis of diction in the Constitution, as he had also helped protect African Americans in their right to vote and was now helping Anthony do the same for women. The Senator had stated that if you deny women the rights given by the Constitution just because it is written with masculine pronouns then you must also "exempt women from taxation...and from penalties for the violation of laws". This is a phenomenal point and proves that you can't make the argument that the Constitution only applies to men just because of the use of masculine pronouns. Anthony also uses process analysis, her speech itself is a step taken to reach the outcome: the right for women vote. Moreover, achieving the right to vote will bring them a step closer to ending women's suffrage. She shows that everything is just one step after another in a long process. Her political activism and her speech, along with others, are the steps being taken to be allowed to vote, which in turn is a step to reaching gender equality.
Gender inequality is still an issue today, but if it weren't for women like Susan B. Anthony we might not have come as far as we have. People question whether gender equality will ever be attainable. There are many articles on the issue, for example “Gender Equality” in the New York Times, where different people discuss their views on whether or not equality is a possibility one day. One of the women stated "I am always baffled as to why these concepts could ever be contentious." referring to gender equality and feminism. This shows how the issue still isn't revolved and is believed by people to just cause arguments. People still don't know whether or not this issue will ever be resolved. But the progress that women like Anthony have made gives us hope. The Rhetoric library needs this speech in order to show others what a good piece of writing looks like and to remind us that gender equality is an ongoing struggle.
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