Editorials

Police brutality questioned by many

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When the TV is turned on and the flat black of the glass screen bursts into colors and depth. But, all news programs seem to be reporting the same story, a black child was killed by a white police officer and now the african american community is calling the the indictment of said officer. These events of alleged police brutality have defined this millenium as the age of miscommunication, the decade of falsehood and the manipulation of the public millenium.

Recent deaths by the hands of police officers in the United States have sparked controversy about police officers racially profiling perpetrators and intentionally killing them because of their race.

These events have turned into a complete frenzy for not only the media but especially  for celebrities and social media users. Celebrities have used their status to spread their opinions , whether those opinions be educated or uneducated. Social media users have condensed their opinions into 140-word tweets and long-captioned videos on facebook. Unfortunately, while social media allows people to post whatever they want, people are posting false information and is creating more information and outrage.

The true information lies only in the hands of court officials and yet the media is tapping into the frenzy to extrude an emotional response  like one would tap into a tree to extrude maple syrup. Media makes their money on reactions like the ones going on in the United States and media is greedy and will do anything to make money. Thusly causing the media to spread false information to receive a greater emotional reaction. Media is portraying things worse than they actually are.

Many social media users have brought up the point that this serious problem about police brutality is not about race, it is not about right and wrong, it is about what the public does now. Violently protesting is not what should be done. Profiling all police officers as “bad cops” is not the answer. The violent tendencies of this nation, which have ultimately been revealed in the wake of this scandal, are not justifiable even when lives have been lost.

Everyone in this country has ten amendments just from them laying down their rights as citizens of the United States.

The first amendment of the United States Constitution reads as follows; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably assemble: and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

But these rights stop when acts become criminal.

Contrary to popular belief there is a federal government of the United States  that is doing all it can to protect this country from going down in flames. There is a government that this trying to right its “wrong”.

Teenagers are not the rulers of this country. Opinions on twitter are not going to be made into law, someones tweets are not going to get magically transformed into a bill and get voted on in Congress. So teenagers need to stop making generalizations and making these sad shootings about them. Teenagers need to stop tweeting about this situation only to get a certain number of favorites and retweets. Be constructive with opinions and try to seek change in a rational and realistic way.

This situation is about what the country does now and unfortunately peoples are making the “now” pretty bleak.

World Headlines

Attacks in Ferguson disrupt daily life

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Events taking place in Ferguson, Arkansas have been making headlines in newspapers all over the United States for the past month.

On Aug. 9, a cop received a call over a theft occurring in a convenience store.
That day the cop came across a boy who fit the description of the robber that had on reported to him. Events occurring during the encounter between the boy and the cop have differed between the individuals

interviewed.
According to New York Times.com, some witnesses say the boy punched the officer in the face. Other witnesses say the suspect never moved toward the cop at all.

The story has changed, but the ending result has not. Michael Brown, a 18 year old unarmed teenager was shot and killed by Officer Wilson.

Ferguson held a candlelight vigil to honor Brown on Aug. 10, which began as a peaceful memorial, but soon turned into a violent protest.

That night, USA Today.com stated that more than a dozen businesses were vandalized and looted and over

30 people were arrested that night, along with 2 cop injuries.
On Aug. 11, the first day of school was cancelled for safety of the children that could be walking that day. A large amount of death threats in relation to the shooting of Brown were said to be received by the police.

USA Today.com said Brown’s mother released a statement that day stating, “I would not want them to get out there and use my son’s situation for their personal violence. That is not what I want them to do. We are out there marching for justice for my son and peace for my family.”

Although the parents of Brown told the public they did not want their son’s death to be the cause for rioting, rioting continued to break out in Ferguson.

Along with Brown’s mother, President Barack Obama also spoke about the events in Ferguson to the public.

“I know the events of the past few days have prompted strong passions, but as details unfold, I urge everyone in Ferguson, Missouri, and across the country, to the remember this young man through reflection and understanding. We should comfort each other and talk with one another in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds,” Obama said.

On Aug. 24, Brown’s funeral was held where over 100 friends and family members gathered to view his body. The family hoped for peace on this day.

“All I want is peace while my son is being laid to rest,” Michael Brown Sr. said.
Sept. 26 was the day Officer Darren Wilson testified before the grand jury.
On Oct. 10, a four day peaceful protest began during the investigation of Brown’s death.
Waiting for the grand jury’s decision, Brown Sr. preaches peaceful protest while the people wait for the outcome.

An advocacy group, St. Louis Forward, posted a video featuring Brown’s father continuously saying that violence is not the answer no matter what happens. The decision was made by the grand jury on Nov. 24, declining indictment of the shooting and killing of Brown.

Despite what Brown’s father said, the protests have continued after the decision by the jury.
According to NBC News, the President plans to meet with young civil rights leaders, politicians, and law enforcement from around the country to build trust between the community and the police.

President Barack Obama said, “Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and around the country have shone a spotlight on the importance of strong, collaborative relationships between local police and the communities they protect and serve.”

Sports

Gymnastics girls spring into new season

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With a new coach this year, it does not look like the girls gymnastic team will have trouble springing into a new season.

“We have new coaches this year so we are going about prepping differently. We have practice after school and there we practice the events we will compete in,” senior Erin Kilke said.

The past few years the team has been very successful and new coach, Callie Jedrzejek, hopes to continue the tradition.

“I am hoping to improve on the girls skills, create a hard working environment for the girls, create team bonding and of course, have a winning season,”  Jedrzejek said.

This year, the team’s goal for the season is to achieve a score over 130.00 for one meet.

“We want to make it to states this year,” senior Jennifer Rinaldi said.

The team’s biggest rivals include: the Solon Comets, the Cuyahoga Falls Black Tigers and the Hudson Explorers with the Twinsburg Tiger’s trailing behind.

“Our biggest rivals would have to be Falls or Hudson, but I think we are going to beat them this year,” senior Emily Hudia said.

There are a few girls to watch out for this season: Sara Kasper is a level nine gymnast, who will be putting up some big scores this season. She is especially great on the floor and vault.

Hannah Schneider is a senior gymnast and her first time on the high school team. She is a level ten gymnast and will be contributing great scores on the bars and beams.

Jennifer Rinaldi is an all around wonderful gymnast who will be the lead scorer this season.

The girls have a tough gymnastic conference and have to be prepared if they want to win.

Rinaldi said, “We’re expecting this year to be pretty successful. We have a strong returning team and a couple of new girls who will definately be great assets. I’m looking forward to the season.”

Sports

Boys wrestling prepares for victory

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Dating all the way back to 776 BC at Olympia’s first Olympic Games, wrestling has not only been a recreational sport, but also a form of hand to hand combat.

Dan Gable, who had a collegiate career of 181-1 once said, “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”

Wrestling is a lifelong commitment for some people. Junior State Qualifier Kyle Jenkins says he has been wrestling for 12 years, ever since he was five years old.

We asked Jenkins, with the sport being so difficult, why do students continue to wrestle? He replied, “Everyone seems to have a lot of fun together. Wrestling makes people closer than anyone can imagine.”

Wrestling is a sport still growing in popularity. Since 2003, the number of student wrestling in high school has increased by 40,000.

How can such a popular sport still by growing. According to Jenkins, “The sport has great interest because it takes a lot of hard work and brings a great reward. It helps you grow as a person and is a great way to make new friends and have fun.”

Wrestling is arguably one of the toughest sports, Sophomore Joey Andrassy said, “Wrestling is a tough sport, its a grind.” He continued to say, “The season is long and having to cut weight during Christmas break is hard.”

When wrestlers cut weight, they attempt to lose as much fat as possible to obtain a higher strength-to-mass ratio. Theoretically, that should give an advantage against wrestlers at the same weight. Some wrestlers go to extreme lengths to cut weight, such as not eating for days on end and drinking only a microscopic amount of water. Then, after one weighs in, one eats a large quantity of food and liquid in a small time, only to starve it off the next day. No other athlete in any other sport can say they go through that trouble just to participate at the next match.

Jenkins said, “Last year overall wasn’t too bad of a season. It was a young team and a down year, this year should be a lot different.”

When asking Andrassy what he looks forward to this season he said, “I’m looking forward to wrestling down in Columbus (for states) at the end of the season, I want to win that state title.”

After the new year if one is looking for a way to support these hard workers, the James G. Tyree Invitational will be held in the gym of the high school on January 3.

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