PCC Courier, October 17, 1991

OPINION FEATURES SPORTS Confirmation Thomas is not the best man for the job Page 2 Premier Offering Bruce Gill challenges audiences in Rashomon Page 5 First LOSS Palomar proves to be too much for Lancers Page 6 Pasadena City College Pasadena, California Vol. 74 No. 5 ^ COUMER Thursday October 17, 1991 Students jailed after club protest at library By MICHAEL RHODES Staff Writer Two PCC students, Janet Mitchell, 21 and Beth Ford, 20, both members of the campus club InCAR (The International Committee Against Racism), were among six people arrested Saturday evening at a demonstration against the Populist Party held at the Hastings Ranch branch of the Pasadena public library. Arrests were also made at the Pasadana Police headquarters following the demonstration. The two students were both charged with suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. Mitchell, the first person to be taken into custody, was arrested about 15 minutes into the demonstration. She was held in the Pasadena jail for seven and-a- half hours before being released at about 1 a.m. Sunday on $10,000 bail. “My nose was scratched and my hands were bruised during the arrest,” Mitchell said. When asked if her injuries were serious Mitchell replied, “my lawyer has advised me not to be too specific.” Ford, who was also arrested early in the protest, stated that “basically, everything got out of control. The cop grabbed me by my arm, and she (the officer) pulled my hair.” Ford claims that she made it clear to the officer that she was not resisting arrest. The officer replied “it’s too late for that. "Ford was also held at the jail and later released on $10,000 bail. According to InCAR members, the Popu¬ lists have Neo-Nazis and current and former Ku Klux Klan members among their ranks. Roger Marheine, PCC assistant profes¬ sor in the English and foreign languages de¬ partment, is the InCAR adviser and was present at the protest.“I feel that the police acted excessively. The crowd was on one side of the police barrier and they (the PPD) were on the other. Things may have been thrown, but the charges seem a bit much,” he said. When asked if the police were using unnecessary force during the arrests, Lieu¬ tenant Frank Wills of the Pasadena Police Department said that “differences in per¬ ception do exist,” and added , “sometimes (during an arrest) a struggle ensues and trying to put handcuffs on a suspect is diffi¬ cult and can involve a struggle.” Wills said that the PPD has not received any complaints regarding last Saturday’s Please see Accusations page 4 College Information Day Katrina Ten/ The COURIER Representatives of more than 40 universities were gathered Tuesday Oct. 15 in the Quad. Representatives were at hand to inform students about transfer proceedures. A college information night is scheduled for Oct. 29 from 7-9 p.m. in D200. Protesters throw cans, disrupt meeting at library By JEFF GIROD Special Correspondant “You always hide behind the cops!” one demonstrator cried as she fought to see beyond the barricade made by about 18 Pasadena police officers. Approxi¬ mately 20 yards away stood three head- shaven young men brandishing a sign reading “Integration is the extinction of two races.” And so it went, as close to 100 protest¬ ers gathered at 5 p.m. Saturday evening outside the Pasadena Library in Hastings Ranch to voice their objections to the By DEREK HOGBERG Staff Writer The ballots have been tabulated. The results are final. And the 1991 Home¬ coming Court has officially been an¬ nounced. Those elected to the court are: Juanita Gonzalez, Misty Holan, LeAndrena Jackson, KijuaSanders, Tashaan Swayne and Adrene Watkins. One of these women will be crowned queen this Saturday night at the Homecoming Football Game. Ironically, though, there will not be a king this year. Only four men applied for the position and only two met the mini¬ mum requirements. monthly meeting of the Populist Party going on inside. The PCC club InCAR (International Committee Against Racism), made its pres¬ ence felt at the protest as members marched and carried signs accusing the Populist Party of being neo-Nazis and fascists. Terry Leveque, an active member of InCAR, was disgusted by the low turn-out of demonstra¬ tors. “Most people don’t know about these groups meeting. People don’t give a damn. They think Nazis are like little boy scouts.” Late arrivals trying to make their way into the Populist Party meeting were turned away by police officers, some were met with According to student activities adviser Rebecca Cobb the men competed along side the women for spots on the court. “I didn’t want someone saying, ‘I’m the only guy, therefore I’m king,’ it’s not fair,” she said. It seems that 1991 will be a year of female sovereignty. The proceedings began with 27 appli¬ cants. They then attended a required meet¬ ing where they went through an involved screening by several judges. The judges then selected eight nominees who then appeared on the homecoming elec¬ tion ballot. At this point the democratic process took over as all students were allowed to vote. The top six candidates chosen by the student flying soda cans from protesters. As police fought to restore order by restraining one woman with a billy-club choke-hold, the chant of “Just like Rodney King” rose up. Another man was wrestled to the ground by five officers as the other demonstrators could only look on in despair. In all, six people were arrested and taken into custody. Some demonstrators took a more passive role in the protest. Rabbi William Gordon, a resident of Pasadena with a congregation in Alhambra, found the situation dishearten¬ ing. “My presence here is to voice my pro¬ test against these kinds of group meetings in public facilities. I hope the Pasadena Li- body became the court and eventually the top vote-getter will be crowned as the queen during half-time festivities at next Satur¬ day’s homecoming football game. Cobb, who is in her first year in the posi¬ tion, said she didn’t know exactly what to expect but she did hope for a little more par¬ ticipation from the student body. “Next year I hope to get more going on,” said Cobb, “not just a pep rally and a football game. I ’d like to get the clubs involved and maybe have a fair.” Cobb expressed her personal reaction to the results saying, “I’m satisfied with the process of the election. The candidates were excellent and truly representative of what the school has to offer.” brary committee will reverse its policy on who can use the facilities.” John Klein , a part time student at PCC representing the Jewish Israeli popula¬ tion, agreed with the Rabbi, “they shouldn’t hold it in a public place.” As the crowd began to disperse about 7 p.m. to go bail out their arrested com¬ rades, one man remained where he was standing looking across the street into the library. Robert Brockton had been sched¬ uled to speak to the Populist Party on the Bill of Rights but arrived late. Brockton The court consists of six different women united by a unique similarity — their service to the campus and community. Juanita Gonzalez who is in her first year at PCC has served on a voluntary basis at the Los Angeles County/USC General Hospital and is eager to become more involved in student activities. Misty Holan, in four weeks, has become an active member of the African-American Student Association (AAS A) and the foren¬ sics team. She also assisted at a day-care center before college. LeAndrena Jackson is president for Lambda Delta Sigma, a sorority based on Christian principles. She is also a member of Pacific Dance and Fashion Company which is involved in doing programs that benefit such organizations as the City of Hope and Arcadia Children’s Health Center. Kijua Sanders is the current president of the AAS A and hopes to one day pursue a law degree and become a prominent citizen. Tashaan Swayne is a re-entry student as well as a single parent. She has served in the community and decided to return to college to further her education. Adrene Watkins is an active member of Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society and the AAS A. She has also volunteered her time at the Crippled Children’s Hospital. The court selection process is not like that of your typical beauty contest. Candi¬ dates are judged on intelligence, poise, per¬ sonality, appearance, verbal expression and community and campus involvement. All contestants must be enrolled in at least 10 units and maintain a 2.0 GPA at PCC. They cannot be on academic or disciplinary pro¬ bation. Fight breaks out in Quad, no arrests BY EDWIN FOLVEN News Features Editor Angry students caused a disturbance in the Quad Tuesday after a fight erupted be¬ tween two males near the C Building. A crowd of onlookers dispersed when officers from campus police arrived. However, dur¬ ing a separate incident about ten minutes later in the same area, the crowd formed again and surrounded the officers, forcing them to leave and regroup. Officer Steven Lester said four officers and himself were dispatched to the west end of the Quad at about 1 1 :20 a.m. after a fight was reported. After arriving at the scene, the officers questioned the people involved in the fight and released them after they agreed to leave the campus. Lester said the original fight was over some cassette tapes. About ten minutes later, a suspect wanted for questioning in another incident was seen in the crowd watching the fight. When offi¬ cers confronted the suspect and tried to question him, the group of about 25 people surrounded the officers and proceeded to push and shove them. The officers were forced to release the suspect to avoid any serious injuries. Alter the incident, the crowd dispersed and no arrests were made. “We were seriously overmanned. They tried to take him(the suspect) from our cus¬ tody,” said Lester, who likened the situation to a lynching. Philip Mullendore, director of campus police and safety, was also involved in the altercation. “Emotions were high after the fight. Several other individuals surrounded us and began pushing,” said Mullendore. He added that an investigation about the inci¬ dents is pending. In another incident reported last Thurs¬ day, a student said her arm was slightly injured as she fought with an unidentified male over a parking space. Mullendore said the recent incidents of violence and criminal activity reflects the findings of a report by the Carnegie Founda¬ tion for the Advancement of Teaching pub¬ lished in 1990. “After a survey of student services officials around the country, they determined that students are not civil to each other.” The report states that many other institutions are worried about increasing incidents of abusive language, fighting and drug abuse, as well as more serious offenses such as robberies and assaults. Oliver Nghiem/ The COURIER Homecoming court from left: Juanita Gonzalez, Misty Holan, Le Andrena Jackson, Kijua Sanders, Adrene Watkins, Tashaan Swayne Please see Populist page 4 Homecoming 691 to start, court is selected \