Op/Ed

The Bill Cosby Scandal: How we React.

December 11, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Chiara Nemati

Staff Writer

Lots of us grew up watching “The Bill Cosby Show” and have warm memories of the Huxtable family. These memories clash with the fact that in the last few months, many women have come out telling their story about Cosby assaulting or raping them. Most allegations occurred in the 60’s, so they cannot turn into legal allegations. Because of this huge time-span between the alleged rape and now, many believe that these women are making their stories up.

I do not agree with this viewpoint. Yes, these events occurred 30 to 50 ago so, we cannot forensically determine if these allegations are true, but so many women, some who had previous relationships with Cosby are telling their story. What this proves to me is having such a friendship and turning on it, without any chance of personal gain, must mean that these women are telling the truth. Imagine being friends with Cosby and accusing him of raping you, just so the media gets a hold of your name and tells the world about how you were drugged and then raped. Your name on every news outlet. Then it came out that you were lying? No one in any office or any field of work would want to hire you or even speak with you. This is why I believe that these women are not lying.

People seek to discredit women who accuse a man of rape because some feel that they are “asking for it,” they see the way some women dress and feel that this is an invitation. They slap a label on the girl walking down the street, without even knowing the girls name. People will say that the neighborhood, the people, her family, led her to the path that allowed her to get raped. But rape is by definition never a choice, no matter where you grew up or the way you dress. Society has even created these norms and classes, once that is broken or threatened, the people are apt not to believe any accusations. They are hell-bent on protecting the accused.

I grew up in Philadelphia, watching the Cosby show, so I understand the unwillingness to believe these accusations. Bill Cosby is a household name, and he is perceived as a family man. However, as I read more and more about each victim and each scenario it’s hard not to see some truth to what these women are saying. Here are some facts that swayed me to siding with the women who were allegedly raped. Joan Tarshis, Linda Traitz, and many others have stated that they were drugged, whether it was by drug or alcohol. Many of the women back then had a drug or alcohol addiction. This may cause some people to believe that these women could be making up these accusations and they may not remember.

Cosby’s attorney has stated that “it is illogical” for these women not to have told their stories in the years after the assault. Yet, as I kept reading I noticed that people in those years were ashamed of getting raped and did not report it to the police. For some people it may not have been an option.

According to the reports from his victims, Bill Cosby perfected his act and became an expert at seducing women just enough to get them to take his drugs. He would first become their friend. Go out a couple of nights, gain their trust, which was not hard for a man with Cosby’s personality and name. Later, after he had done this he would offer these women a drug. All the drugs were the same, but each woman was told a different story. Some were told by Cosby that it would help them feel better or have a good time, as well as it being a herbal pill. It is not okay for any person, man or woman, to drug a person into doing something that they want. Bill Cosby crossed this line for his own gain.

What’s most troubling is that no one took any of these accusations seriously until a male comedian made a joke about it at one of his shows that was in Philadelphia. I believe that this says a lot about society today and how we are acting. It is not okay that so many of these women were not able to tell their stories sooner because of sexism, and trust issues that this nations deals with. Just because Bill Cosby is a famed and loved actor, comedian and family man does not mean that these actions were just or that we should turn a blind eye.

There may be more women who still have not come out yet. How can so many people tell a different and unique story that shares so much? Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted these women for his own pleasure. He now sits with rape charges and will not speak a word. He does not even comment on these charges. Cosby allows his attorney’s to speak for him with orchestrated words.

Although a trial will never be able to happen because of the timeline of these events, we should at least bring attention to the issue of celebrities doing what they want without consequence. And this is the larger issue at hand, not only do we not know about all the other allegations towards celebrities, we choose not to believe them. We do this because in our eyes, all we see is the drug and alcohol addictions celebrities have, we do not think that they, in turn, could have other problems.

People in the entertainment business are punished by social media and reputation once the court of law is out of question for a punishment. The public seeks to punish them by ending their career, however some only end up thriving off of their scandals. For example, Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna, and still people idolize him. So, we have to ask ourselves: is our problem really the fact that these allegations happened 30 to 50 years ago, or is it the fact the accused is Bill Cosby?

Column: Why Ferguson Matters to Philly Students

December 6, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

RubyJane Anderson and Nomi Martin-Brouillette

Shortly after the die-in. Photo by Chris Lehmann.

Guest Writers

On December 5th at 11:43AM, SLA students held a die-in in. The action was covered by ABC News, WHYY, The Inquirer, and CBS. About 70 people participated. SLA students were not the only ones who had this kind of event. Masterman also organized a die-in this morning, attended by over 100 people, and Central is having a protest after school today.

Why did we do it?

We did this in honor of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sean Bell, Aiyana Jones, Oscar Grant, and Akai Gurley. We did this because there are countless others killed by state violence, including women, queer people, differently-abled people, and immigrants. We did this because the system that allows for unjustified violence against people of color is the same system that allows for the continued underfunding of Philadelphia public schools. We did this because black lives matter. We did this because every 28 hours, a black person is killed by a police officer, security personnel, or vigilante (Malcolm X Grassroots Movement). We did this because we have nothing to lose but our chains.

The action at SLA was inspired by the protests that have been happening across the country. This movement, started in Ferguson, is led by youth. We must take leadership roles because it’s going to be our world for longer. The now infamous and important hashtag, and rallying cry, “#BlackLivesMatter” was started by three young people. Youth are creative, energetic, passionate, and on the front lines of this movement. As students in Philadelphia, we too feel the responsibility to take action.

Franz Fanon said, “We revolt, simply because we cannot breathe.” Eric Garner could not breathe because of the literal chokehold he was put in by a white police officer. Across America, people of color cannot breathe because we are being harassed and killed by police. In Philadelphia, students of color cannot breathe because our education is being stolen from us. The issues of school funding and police brutality are inextricably linked. They are both examples of state violence against people of color.

It’s no coincidence that the most underfunded schools in Philadelphia are the schools with the most students of color, and that young black males are killed by police 21 times more often than their white counterparts. Both issues are fueled by the racism embedded in our social, political, and economic institutions. To fight the school funding crisis, we need to fight its root, which is institutionalized racism.

One of the reasons today’s action was so successful is because SLA’s environment encourages critical thinking. The day after the grand jury announced there would be no indictment of Officer Darren Wilson, honest and open discussions were held in and out of classrooms all over SLA. Our principal participated in the die-in.

SLA students are passionate about this. Senior Amani Bey said, “This has been happening for years, we can end it once and for all while we have the momentum and anger. We can make a change.”

Our teachers care too. Our health teacher Ms. Martin tells us, “I love you because you breathe.” It is human to care about other people. If we care enough to have sit-ins and walkouts about budget cuts to education, we also must care about our friends who are being funneled into the school to prison pipeline and those who are being harassed and killed by cops.

There will be a larger die-in, involving more schools from across the School District, neighborhood and magnet, next Wednesday. The goal of that die-in to highlight how budget cuts and police brutality are related. The Philadelphia Student Union is having a planning meeting for that action Monday December 8th, at our office in West Philly. If you are unable to make it to that, come to the Student Union SLA chapter meeting next Tuesday, X Band in Mr. Block’s room!

Editorial: Journalists Under Attack

December 1, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

As of 2013, there were 211 journalists detained around the globe. Turkey and Iran lead the list with 40 journalists and 35 journalists, respectively. Among those imprisoned in Iran is Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post. Rezaian was born in California, with Iranian background and currently maintains citizenship in both countries. In July 2014, Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi (who has since been released) were seized by Iranian officials, an arrest for which there has been neither a trial nor an explanation.

The primary reason the public cannot simply search the internet for reasons as to why Rezaian was arrested is because the record is simply not available. Iran is a closed society, where there isn’t freedom of speech, freedom of press or freedom of expression and the government does it’s best to control access of information. In an open society, the public can ask for a response. In a closed society, the government doesn’t have to offer a response. The government can put someone in prison without any explanation. They don’t have to admit or justify. This speaks to human rights, as well, because humans should have the right to the rule of law and the right to be tried. In an open society, the government has to account for themselves. Either a person is convicted and the evidence is known or the person is not convicted and the evidence is known. There are many countries where these freedoms don’t exist, Iran is one of them.

Though the assumption is that Rezaian may be released within the next month, authorities have not yet provided a firm answer.

The question we still demand a response to is: Why was Rezaian arrested and why is he still being held? Countries each have their own set of laws, regarding freedom of speech, and from what little we’ve been told, these journalists may be accused of breaching them (again, this is only speculative). While this may hold some truth, the government can also make up evidence. If there is an accusation, there should be a justification for this. The primary concern is that the rights of Rezaian, and journalists like him, are being disregarded. Those rights are, freedom of speech and the freedom to be informed.

Many of the countries who have imprisoned journalists have done so to protect information, themselves and to intimidate other people from voicing their opinions. The government is creating an element of fear. They don’t like the way they’re being portrayed. A main concern is fear that journalists will return to their countries with potentially damaging information, which could also inform their own public and then result in riots or an overthrow of the regime.

The primary reason we believe that Journalism is important, is the same reason that some countries fear Journalism. That is, to be informed and have honest and open debate. We consider this to be a cornerstone of American Democracy, but as it turns out, there’s not as much freedom of speech in the US as we thought.

Meanwhile, in Ferguson, Missouri, protesters suffer the same disregard of rights.

The shooting of African American teen, Michael Brown, which occurred in early August 2014, has since provoked mass protest as the grand jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown.

Protesters lined up and down the streets of the small town attempt to exercise their freedoms and make their statement about this decision. During the protest, police officers confiscated cameras and arrested people taking pictures of the scene.

Our concern surrounding the arrest of Rezaian in Iran is not limited to imprisonment of journalists, but as well the treatment of journalists, in both the US and foreign countries.

The Sunday Morning coffee-and-newspaper ritual has allowed the public to inform themselves on the news from the past week. Now, we can daily click on pages of news headlines, through websites such as, CNN, The New York Times, The Global Mail, etc, which some governments do their best to suppress access to. Our capacity to know what is happening outside of our homes, depends on the work of journalists. Many journalists travel to foreign countries to report from dangerous circumstances, putting their lives at risk for knowledge. Some journalists may visit a small town in Maine to report on seafood delicacies. And others may report on a subject from their own office. Journalists contribute greatly to our knowledge.

People for whom it is their job and passion to inform the world are necessary in order to have an informed population. We cannot make decisions for our country without being informed first. Similarly, a successful democracy cannot exist if the population isn’t informed on the decisions they’re making. It is very important to appreciate the work of journalists and to support them.

In Ferguson, we see citizens protesting. People who see the situation as unjust, unfair and unethical, challenge the system, and have the right to do so (keeping in mind that protesting can be legitimate or an excuse to create chaos or loot business). Many of us, perhaps a high school student typing an article for their school newspaper a thousand miles away from the event, rely on news coverage and the work of journalists for information.

As journalists, speaking to students who may want to become journalists, we want your work to be valued. The work that journalists contribute, to create an educated community, is under-appreciated, and often, used as grounds for persecution.

Regardless of the repercussions, journalists should not be afraid to write hard hitting pieces, because often, the backlash is an indicator of importance. Work should not be censored. As members of the community, be informed, and continue the conversation. People deserve to express themselves and be informed. Freedom of the press preserves and protects those rights.

unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of SLA Media Staff

Holiday Specials

November 28, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Dylan McKeon

Staff Writer

Holiday specials have alway felt a bit strange for me. Similar to the box of Christmas decorations in the basement, I never remember anything about the coming holiday until December comes around. It’s alway a weird feeling to turn on the TV after Thanksgiving and have hundreds of classical holiday movies announcing the season. For me, they’re a part of the classic holiday experience as well as a sign of the changing season, the moment where you know it’s time to get ready for winter.

In 1962 “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol” was the first animated Christmas special. Before this the holiday specials were typically live action adaptations of Christmas stories. The popularity of Mr. Magoo lead to many more animated specials we know and love today like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The popularity of the Christmas specials grew as variety shows began to die out in the late 80s. More specials were released and the heartwarming stories and characters became more popular than ever.

Why do these specials keep coming back year after year? It’s because they have managed to bridge the gap between modern technology and the old traditions. The best example of this is the aluminum Christmas tree which was quite popular until 1965, when “A Charlie Brown Christmas” which managed to point out the commercialization of Christmas with the aluminum tree as the prime example. This lead to many people switching to real trees, and two years after the special the aluminum trees were no longer in production.

In my humble opinion, the holiday specials simplify cannot be watched any other time of the year, as doing so would completely ruin the emotions behind them. It feels like there made to be forgotten until winter comes and we can all gather around and remember all of the excitement and happiness of the holidays. For me the specials serve as a reminder of the traditions and hope that the holidays bring, on the coldest time of the year and is likely to continue for many years to come.

Lunch Line: “What the hell happened?”

November 20, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By: Alhaji Koita

The 2014-2015 school year has blossomed and is far on its way, the exciting news of free lunch shook the SLA hallways with an almighty roar. Could you ever believe it? Lunch is free. No gimmicks, no hidden payments. Just type that 7-digit student I.D number and wallah, your own school provided lunch.

Sounds amazing right? You’re probably saying to yourself as an SLA student, “You’re giving this thing a little too much credit” or “ What are you talking about? By the time I get to the front, lunch is over”. The fact of the matter is that there are numerous unexpected dilemmas to lunch being free. One of them being that the lunch line wraps around the school.

SLA Media went around to ask students about their experiences in the endless line.

From what SLA Media picked up its hard to ignore the issues. This once exciting success for the school, now is a wave of uncontrollable lines, students jumping past each other. Pushing and bumping is what awaits students at SLA if you want a school lunch.

Solutions to stop this lunch line frenzy are already in place and has steadily helped change the lunch line culture.The new intern for Principal Lehmann now patrols the daunting line. Now this may sound childish and a little silly, but this precaution was necessary.

So is this free lunch worth it or is this luxury a bittersweet opportunity for students