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WORLD & NATION WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM * Guns & anti-Semitisni: a behind-the-scenes look at the Kansas City shooting BY C.J. GREEN Staff Writer "Anti-Semitism has not and will not die if people like this still exist," said junior Josh Weil. Could we please have a moment of silence for the deceased? Now, can we take another moment for the families involved? Amen. April 13,2014, will now be a day of mourning for some and one of fear for others. At a Jewish living community in the Greater Kansas City area, a man in his early 70s killed three people in what initially seemed to be a random attack. It was not. Around 1 p.m., residents of the community were questioned by the attacker as to whether they were "Jewish." After many such encounters, the assailant unloaded his shotgim and directed his pistol towards those in his vicinity. Shortly after releasing a barrage of bullets, he was arrested by police. In his moment of defeat, the shooter made one more sinister gesture and proceeded to yell, "Heil Hitler," from the back of a police car before the sound of sirens drowned out the carnage left behind. Three victims lay at the scenes when police arrived: William Lewis Corporon and Reat Underwood at the community center and Terri LaManno at tihe Village Shalom senior living facility, none of whom were Jewish. Corporon, a physician, was taking Underwood, his grandson, to a singing audition before the two were fatally struck by bullets while in their car. LaManno was visiting her mother before she was shot and pronoimced dead at the scene. The shooter, Frazier Glenn Cross, was taken into custody by police after killing William Lewis Corporon, Reat Underwood and Terri LaManno. The man capable of the atrocities committed is Frazier Glenn Cross. A known white supremacist and former Grand Dragon of the * North Carolina division of the Ku Klux Klan, Cross has a history of violence. "I learned that this same guy was involved in the Greensboro Massacre," said senior Sol Weiner. "If the authorities weren't complidt in the inddent, then this tr could have been avoided.' Cross has had a history of radsm, spedfically: anti-Semitism. As’ n member, of the K]OC, Cross served prison time due to hfijs involvement in the Greensboro Massacre. During this time, he took the time to write "A White Man Speaks Out," a biography that details his time as a member of what he daims to be "the purest organization on the planet." According to the BBC, Cross \^tried his hand in: politics :dn multiple occasions,; using anti semitism, as a platform for change. -Despite a handful of iriciicatioits of Cross' potential for violence, he was freed and allowed to kindle his hatred of minority groups. "It's scary to think that anti- Semitism still exists, but it also scares me that events like this are used in discussions to justify Israel's existence," said iunior Sara Minsky, r . ': •; .;•; As wounds heal and memories linger in Kansas City, Americans — not just members of the Jewish community — hope for an end to ethnic violence. "All that we can do now is move on and hope to stop these types of evil against our people in what we call the 'land of the free,"' said Weil. Students giving to Sikkim INDIAN STATE’S TRIBAL CULTURES THREATENED, EIGHT STUDENTS TO HELP BY NELLIE VINOGRAD Staff Writer Sikkim, a landlocked state in northern India, is a hotspot for a variety of reasons. Bordered on three sides by China, Bhutan and Nepal, it is a melting pot of cultures and languages and one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. However, this hotspot is also in a precarious situation. Outside cultural influences put the traditional tribal cultures of the Bhutia and Lepcha people at risk. Its beauty makes it an attractive tourist destination, while its biodiversity and agrarian economy make it sensitive to environmental change. Last summer, a group of Guilford College students led by Associate Professor of English Heather Hayton traveled to Sikkim and discovered for themselves the intrigue of the area. They hope to develop a relationship with Sikkim that will continue into the future. "The people of Sikkim opened their homes and hearts to us, so we needed to find a way to reciprocate without just imposing our Western values or money upon them, or simply taking without ^ving back," said Hayton in an email interview. "I wanted to find a project that we could share and show students how we can work alongside local folks." This project took shape in the form of aiding a few schools in the region. The group of eight students, including seniors Lindsay Vanderhoogt and Charlotte Qoyd, who plan to return this summer, found that many children did not have access to school supplies like books, notepads and pens. Last year, they supplied 150 poimds of books to four schools and now plan to continue the supply drive in years to come. 'The schools we visited know we have access to money, but we didn't want it to just be us giving them money," said Qoyd. "Instead, we want to work with them to develop a sustainable model." Another project that the group will begin this summer is selling artisanal items from the relatively remote village of Dzongu, Sikkim. The money earned from the sale of these items will be returned to the people of Dzongu to help them support their community. "We didn't want to force our ways on them," said Vanderhoogt. "We wanted to support and help them." The idea of protecting Sikkim's environmental and cultural integrity is present in the upcoming work of Tom Qement '14, who will travel there this summer as a reporter for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Qement will focus on environmental issues in the area, such as how the area's rich biodiversity relates to farming practices. "I will be taking great strides to imderstand the history of colonization in the area and try to not reinforce those themes in my work," said Qement. "I want it to be a collalxiration and mutual exchange of information, so I plan to go into it with an open mind." Hayton emphasized the importance of respectful and responsible tourism, esped^y as Sikkim continues to interact with neighboring coimtries and opens itself to the Western world. Although tiiere are benefits to these connections, mere are also issues that the people of Sikkim must overcome. "The sacred rivers in Sikkim are being polluted and destroyed by hydro- damming projects," said Hayton. "Without a real political voice, rampant political corruption in India and no access to Western PR or funding, Lepcha and Bhutia leaders have resorted to hunger strikes to try to get attention for their environmental and religious issues. But thati s not a sustainable answer. "So, I have real and deep concerns for the people and land I have come to love." Wildfire in Valparaiso, Chile devastates homes, kills 16 BY NICOLE ZELNIKER Staff Writer Tens of thousands looked on as their homes burned to the ground in Valparaiso, Chile on April 13. While Valparaiso's residents evacuated the city, the wildfire continued to bum, killing 16 and injuring hundreds. "I had to flee when I saw the fire was coming down the hill," said Valparaiso citizen Maria Elizabeth Diaz in an interview with CBS. "I lost everything." This is said to be the most devastating fire in Chile's history. "We don't typically see 10,000 people burned out of their homes," said John Kroll, Valparaiso (Indiana) Fire Department's division chief of training and investigator, in a phone interview with The Guilfordian. "We can throw all the resources in the world at the fire, but the best thing to do is to get out of the way. Mother nature's in charge." It may be Chile's recently sporadic weather patterns that caused the raging flames. "Extended dry weather, in a climate that's normally not dry, can produce lots of easily combustible materials," said Professor of Geology and Earth Sciences David Dobson. According to the International Committee of the Fourtihi International, Chile has been experiencing unusual drought and extreme temperatures, both of which contributed to this natural disaster. However, according to Kroll, the damage can be attributed to more than changes in Valparaiso's weather. "A lot of the area is made up of lower income homes," said Kroll. "They're built very close. Fire hydrants aren't readily available, and the roads are hard for fire trucks to navigate." Local government officials, including Mayor Jorge Castro, agree. "We are too vulnerable as a city," said Castro in an interview with Chile's 24H channel. "We have been the builders of our own danger." Citizens are determined that their city be salvaged. "We're going to rebuild right here," said citizen Carolina Ovando in an interview with Claims Journal. "Where else would we go?" Inadequate government aid may also mean that merely rebuilding Valparaiso would only provide a short-term solution for a poorly constructed city. "It will be interesting to see if they implement more stringent building codes," said Kroll. "Unless the Chilean government wants to help, it's unlikely that they can build homes up to code." The Chilean government hopes to prove otherwise. "What we're looking at, in terms of reconstruction, is how to rebuild in a more orderly manner," said Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to NPR. Fortunately for Chile, scientists predict that the blaze will be of little consequence in the long run. "This fire isn't all tiiat huge on the scale of things," said Professor of Geology and Earth Sciences Marlene McCauley. "Environmental impacts are localized and relatively short-lasting." 'We can throw all the resources in the world at the fire, but the best thing to do is get out of the way. Mother noture's in chorge.' John Kroll, Valparaiso (Indiana) Fire Dept, division chief & investigator
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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