| Avoiding mistakes Four New York police officers were recently acquitted in the murder case of an unarmed immigrant who was shot to death after the police mistakenly identified him. The case has brought to light the controversy of racial profiling. Profiling is the process police use to identify potential perpetrators based on their physical characteristics. A recent report by the Associated Press stated that many of the nation's police departments are moving ahead in eliminating race profiling - even before state lawmakers decide what to do - by requiring officers to record the race of all drivers they stop and question. Opposition to this extra step said it will only distract officers, and it will expose a problem that many are unwilling to acknowledge. "It's that we live in a society - and police are part of a society - where there's a lot of unconscious racism," John Crew, head of the American Civil Liberties Union's racial profiling project, told an Associated Press reporter. "People aren't even aware they're doing it." Police departments across the nation, and including some in Texas, are taking steps to make police accountable to specific stereotypes they may have when they stop potential perpetrators. We applaud these departments. The Houston police department recently announced similar plans to require its police officers to be accountable. Not only would these policies make police aware of their actions, it would also avoid future encounters with innocent men as observed in New York when Amadou Diallo was killed.
The dos and don'ts of college life I have begun to think about what I could say to incoming freshmen as they ask questions such as, "What is there to do here?"; "How can I be successful at TCU?"; "Should I go Greek?"; "Should I play sports?"; "Is it really OK to be a premajor?" I'm not sure of the following answers to these questions, but there are a few bits of wisdom I felt worthy of sharing, even with current students. It's easy to give utilitarian answers to TCU-related questions, but there are a few things to keep in mind while here at school that aren't in the literature. The following is an account of some of these things: Try something different. Be pleased that you woke up today, but be critical. Be glad you can walk to class, but don't be too happy with anything the professors say. They are students just like you, at least the good ones. Remember, nothing built or shown or read or proposed hasn't been done before. Try thinking original thoughts in the face of your professors and writing original things. Don't steal from obscure movies or books. Don't do the same thing every weekend. Grow up. Then, be a kid. Don't let the rest fool you into being like them. Try playing sports if you read too much, and try reading if all you do is play. Read something line by line, and then forget about it. Keep yourself healthy, but not too healthy, even in the mind. Make bold statements, and then don't back them up. Seek advice, but don't take it. Try running, and if you can't run, walk, or at least sit, awhile and think. Don't worry about other people's drama, and don't cause other people drama. Be hypocritical, but don't let it bother you. Take a chance by staying in. Turn off your television. Grow to enjoy the silence that surrounds you. Kiss someone when he or she doesn't expect it. Don't ever regret kissing. Call your parents for no reason, and tell them you're just like they are. Wear funny clothing. Always have gum for a friend. Pay attention in class. Don't just read the cartoons or do the crossword. Be obscure. Be irrational. Be completely fake, what's the real difference? Write to the newspaper, write to an old friend, write to yourself. Walk with Jesus. Walk with Buddha. Walk alone if you want, but don't just sit there. Know that you are still a kid and hope that you never turn 21. Doing so ends all good hopes. Read the newspaper, any newspaper. Have a decent conversation at least once a week. Make plans to do lunch. Make plans to travel abroad. Don't expect too much out of experiences or people. Let them surprise you. Go Greek, don't go Greek, don't worry about the difference. Go to church at least once a month, even if you aren't sure if God exists. Read the classics, and then reject them. Read the romantics, but rebuke them with the classics. Always go to football games, always go to basketball games even if you don't watch. Eat with a professor. Turn yourself inside out so that when you graduate, you might be just a little normal. Take all chances. Learn something while you're here, but don't think that's the end of learning. Ask somebody out, even if he or she is out of your league. Be a Frog, but be yourself first. This is my best idiosyncratic advice, or at least an attempt at some truth. Some of it may seem common sense, but more often than not, our senses become preoccupied by a number of less-than-rational pursuits. Incoming freshmen may not understand it at orientation, but I think you, as a current student, might.
Matthew S. Colglazier is a freshman news-editorial journalism and English major from Fort Worth. He can be reached at (mscolglazier@delta.is.tcu.edu). Verdict shoots down equality It's been a week now since four white New York City police officers were acquitted of all charges in what First Lady Hillary Clinton called the tragic murder of an African immigrant. Twenty-one-year-old Amadou Diallo was standing in the entryway of his apartment on Feb. 4, 1999, when he was fired on 41 times by plain clothed police officers. The officers said they believed Diallo was removing a gun from his back pocket. The object he was removing turned out to be a black wallet. Unfortunately, the officers didn't realize this until Diallo lie dying after being struck by 19 bullets. In a complete mockery of justice, the Albany jury - consisting of four blacks and eight whites - cleared officers Sean Carroll, Edward McMellon, Kenneth Boss and Richard Murphy of all wrongdoing Feb. 25. Supporters of Diallo and those empathetic to the plight of minorities in America were outraged. The Rev. Al Sharpton urged calm in the wake of the verdict. Susan Sarandon, former mayor David Dinkins and hundreds of demonstrators protested the jury's decision. But long after the civil trial and all the protesters have been charged and released, the questions raised by this case will still linger. Some of those questions have to do with effectiveness of racial profiling. The police officers have said they were looking for a black rapist. Because Diallo was black, he became the prime suspect on that night last February. Because of his race, he lost his life. Other questions have to do with police brutality. How much is too much? Did these police officers go too far in firing the 41 shots? If they did, why were they not punished? But one of the most important questions this case raises is about the importance of black life in America. Last week, when the jury let the four white police officers go free, it essentially told members of an entire race of people that if they are minding their own business, standing in their own apartments and are killed, the killers will not be punished. I have read the news reports about the events of that night and have honestly made a concerted effort to understand the officers' account of the incident. Carroll said he saw Diallo standing at his apartment looking suspiciously up and down the street. He said he fired the first shot because he thought the wallet really was a gun. He said he continued to fire because he thought Diallo was wearing a bulletproof vest. The other officers insist that they fired because they thought the sparks they saw as their bullets hit the door behind Diallo were sparks coming from Diallo's perceived weapon. And still, when you look at all the facts of the case - that they were acting out of the belief that Diallo had a gun, that they thought he was the rapist, that they thought he shot one of them - nothing justifies the barrage of bullets. Nothing justifies any of their beliefs or actions. If they thought Diallo was the rapist, whatever happened to questioning him? Was the plan to shoot the rapist on sight? If they believed Diallo was removing a gun from his pocket, why not wait until they actually saw the weapon, rather than just firing based on the assumption? And even if he was the rapist and did have a gun, why 41 shots? Why not two? The police officers in this case are murderers, even if the inept jury couldn't see that. They shot and killed an innocent, unarmed man, and the police officers are free. It is strange that this verdict would come at the end of Black History Month and at a time when the Skiff is attempting to address the issues of race relations here at TCU. Every year, during Black History Month, some television station shows those black-and-white newsreels from the '60s of an angry white mob following an unnamed black man down the street, pelting him with a brick as he bends over to pick up his hat. When I was younger, I used to wonder what it must have been like to live in a world where no one - not the government, not the police, not even the president - cared about whether you lived or died simply because you were black. The Albany jury let me know Feb. 25 that I could wonder no more because I live in that time right now.
SheriAnn R. Spicer is a senior radio-TV-film major from Fort Worth. She can be reached at (sheriannrspicer@yahoo.com). Quote / Unquote Quote/Unquote is a collection of quotes found in the Skiff during the past week. "Historically, deprived people have employed a policy of making fun of the rich and powerful, and this is accepted. But the rich and powerful are considered derogatory and self-serving if they make fun of those who have been deprived." - Mark Gilderhus, professor of history,
"No one gets naked. I can't promise we won't have people in bed, but it won't be gratuitous." - Richard Allen, an associate professor of radio-TV-film,
"The problem is that the stage is irregular shaped, which is fine. The thing is that the balcony has to follow the same lines (as the stage), and it doesn't follow the lines. If it did, you could see the acting." - Forrest Newlin, chairman of TCU's theater department, Letters to the Editor Racism reveals the hypocrisy of many Christians who should support more than just one individual I have a hard time expressing my feelings for those who would disrespect the black race. One might think that at a Christian university like ours, Christians would understand that Jesus Christ was black, but apparently not. I think this concept might change the way that many white Christians would conduct themselves if they realized that in their most intimate relationship with their Lord and savior Jesus Christ, they were actually talking to a black man. Do you think that makes God black, too? Secondly, white Christians might also realize that 'christ' is Greek for one who is anointed, and that his real name was Yoshua ben Yosef. We all should realize that the wealth of many of our founding fathers, and thus their standing in society, was made off of the black man's back. Interesting thought to see Thomas Jefferson atop of 100 black slaves that ensured his comfort. Also, while I am very happy that Robbyn Kindle will get that operation, that same $50,000 could be used to ensure that about 200 children in a third-world country will be fed, educated and immunized for the next year. Maybe a math major can tell me which helps the world more. I challenge the TCU community to raise that same $50,000 for 200 children that don't share most our skin color. Chris Dobson
TCU administrators should help, not continue to hinder, students who become pregnant in college I applaud your editorial concerning students with children. I agree that residence halls are not the proper place for a child. However, the administration still does a poor job of facilitating expectant mothers. A girl I know recently became pregnant. Because it was a surprise, she had to deal with the issue of guilt, deciding whether to keep the baby and the prospect of balancing school with raising a child. When she turned to TCU, all she got was more grief. Although she had been one of the top 10 students in her high school of 2,000 and would have been an asset to TCU, the administators she talked to were more concerned that her pregnancy would show during the school year. When a young lady is faced with such a sudden and incredible change in her life, this school should support her. TCU needn't go unreasonably out of its way to accomodate expectant mothers, but the school should certainly not cause them further grief. Perhaps she should have known better and arranged it so that she would not show until the summertime, but I guess she didn't; so she no longer goes to TCU. Thanks to the administration, our school lost a very interesting, very smart girl in exchange for our outward reputation. What a Christian thing to do. Bradley Freedman |
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