New York City is one of the many states protesting “Black Lives Matter” throughout the streets of the five boroughs as well as in front of our very own Queens College. The protests began shortly after George Floyd’s death on May 25, he was arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes which led to Floyd’s death. The people of Minneapolis rioted the day of Floyd’s death and it has led the Black Lives Matter movement to spread to the 50 states as well as other countries around the world. According to the Black Lives Matter Foundation, “ [the movement] began as…
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A One-Day Trip Back to the Age Before Technology
On Tuesday, June 2, Blackout Tuesday was an initiative to go silent on social media and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement which has grown larger after the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others before them from racial prejudice and police brutality. When it first started, these posts had the hashtag #BLM or #BlackLivesMatter. Later in the day, the hashtag was #BlackoutTuesday or #TheShowMustBePaused. The initiative started from music executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang who created theshowmustbepaused.com. This was done “in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard.” It was shown as…
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George Floyd: Public Execution in the Modern Age
“I can’t breathe,” were the last words George Floyd, 46, spoke before falling unconscious and eventually dying two minutes and 53 seconds later on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Moments before this, Floyd was accused of trying to use a ‘fake’ twenty dollar bill to pay for a pack of cigarettes, resulting in the store owner calling the police. Sadly, Floyd was unaware that these next few minutes, his last moments, would be spent facedown on the ground, handcuffed, and pleading for air. Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, the two responding officers, approached Floyd’s vehicle while Officer Lane already had his weapon drawn. He did not holster his gun…
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OP-ED: Are Students Willing to Return to Campus This Upcoming Fall?
As protesters took to the streets outside Queens College on Sat. June 6, one of the prominent questions of the summer once again flashed through the minds of hundreds of protestors, most of whom were Queens College students; if people are marching shoulder-to-shoulder on Kissena Boulevard, will in-person classes resume this fall? Although this topic has been discussed thoroughly among students and faculty, opinions remain uncertain and diverse: “It seems that every day we hear new things” said Josh Simanowitz, a Senior majoring in Political Science. “Only time will tell. I can’t know if I would feel safe returning to classes in the fall.” Since the Coronavirus pandemic has swept…
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“A New Normal”: NYC Preps for Phase One Reopening
On May 29, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York City will be entering Phase One of reopening on June 8 amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. New York residents who have remained quarantined since Governor Andrew Cuomo officially enacted the “New York State on PAUSE” executive order on March 22, may feel as if this order went into action ages ago. With this order came a set of rules that regulated social interaction amongst New Yorkers. Large social gatherings became prohibited and social distancing of at least six feet from others became enforced. Alongside these rules restricting individuals, Cuomo also forced the temporary closing of certain “non-essential” businesses. These businesses…
