THE
Daily
MISSISSIPPIAN theDMonline.com
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Volume 111, No. 17
‘The feeling is numbing’: Students grapple with police violence toward Black community In the last few weeks, several violent interactions between police and citizens have led to national outrage and protests. Here’s how Black students at Ole Miss feel. JORDAN ISBELL
thedmnews@gmail.com
On Jan. 27, surveillance footage was released to the public in which Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was severely beaten and injured by five Black police officers from the Memphis Police Department in Memphis. The attack occurred on Jan. 7, and he died three days later due to his injuries.
Public outrage intensified an already tenuous relationship between the police community and citizens. Senior Johnathan Sullivan, a computer science major, described his feelings on the killing of Nichols as a numbness. “The feeling is numbing, scary and utterly defeating. Another Black man murdered by
SEE POLICE PAGE 2
GRAPHIC: LIBBY FLANAGAN / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
State sees surge in anti-LGBTQ+ bills EMILY O’REILLY
thedmnews@gmail.com
Of the bills being introduced, HB 1125 is the closest to being passed. Also known as the “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures Act’’ (REAP), HB 1125 is a civil ban on gender-affirming care for people under the age of 18. In his 2023 State of the State Address, Gov. Tate Reeves said bills like these are designed to protect children. “We don’t let 11-year-olds enter an R-rated movie alone, yet some would have us believe that we should push permanent body-altering surgeries on them at such a young age,” Reeves said. “We must take every step to preserve the innocence of our children, especially against the cruel forces of modern progressivism which seek to use them as guinea pigs in
their sick social experiments.” Raney-Gray, an LGBTQ Justice Project staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, said that through censorship and limited teachings various bills are forcing the political beliefs of a small group of people onto all parents. “Although the bills attack various civil rights and civil liberties of members of the Mississippi LGBTQ+ community, many of the bills are anti-trans –– focused on denying gender-affirming care and penalizing parents, guardians and healthcare providers for supporting transgender youth,” McKenna Raney-Gray said. Sebastian Prisock, a transgender sophomore at Ole Miss, said this bill is a direct threat. “If someone under 18 is on puberty blockers, they will be
SEE LGBTQ+ PAGE 4
Double Decker 2023: Who will be performing this year? J.R. MULLIGAN
thedmfeatures@gmail.com
The entertainment lineup for the 26th annual Double Decker Arts Festival, scheduled for April 28-29 in Oxford, was announced at a press conference on Feb. 2. The conference also included remarks from Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill, information about the Double Decker Spring Run, artwork for this year’s festival and more. The lineup on Friday, April 28, consists of rising country star and 2023 Country Duo/Group Performance Grammy Award winner Ashley McBryde, “America’s Got Talent” finalist Chapel Hart, and up-and-coming college rock band The Stews out of fellow SEC member Auburn University. The Saturday, April 29, lineup is much lengthier, consisting of young star Marcus King; Atlanta Country Rock band Blackberry Smoke; singer-songwriter Lissie; the Memphis-based,
GRAPHIC: SEDLEY NORMAND
soul- infused Southern Avenue and Sensational Barnes Brothers; Vieux Farka Touré a Malian guitar player who has been labeled “The Hendrix of the Sahara,” and the University’s very own Mississippian Jazz Ensemble. The meeting was opened by Tannehill who was the director of the Oxford Tourism Council, now called Visit Oxford, during the inaugural Double Decker Festival in 1996. Tannehill described the people at Visit Oxford as “an outstanding group of people who want
to leave Oxford better than they found it.” She also sang the praises of Kinney Ferris, the current executive director of Visit Oxford. Following Tannehill was Pam Swain, coordinator of the Double Decker 5K, 10K and Kids Run preceding the opening of the second day of the festival. This year’s course will feature a multitude of Oxford locales, including Rowan Oak, the Square, the Grove, and other
SEE DOUBLE DECKER PAGE 5