Tuesday, Aug. 31 , 2021
Volume 157 No. 5 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
A&E
Opinion
Sports
Nirvana Soul hosts weekly open mic night
The Olympics hurt the people of host countries
Women’s soccer team loses season opener
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Page 5
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Protesters rally at Sigma Chi house Community members demand action from SJSU for Gregory Johnson Jr.’s death By Madilynne Medina & Evan Reinhardt NEWS EDITOR & STAFF WRITER
More than 70 protesters marched from San Jose City Hall to the Sigma Chi fraternity house on Monday evening in memory of Gregory Johnson Jr., a 20-year-old San Jose State student who was found dead in the house in November 2008. Among the protesters were San Jose State students, local community members and advocacy groups including Black Liberation and Collective Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.) Outreach. Gregory Johnson Jr.’s death was ruled a sucide by the University Police Department and the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office, according to the coroner’s office autopsy report. Johnson’s family and community supporters believe Gregory Johnson Jr. was murdered in a hate crime and have called on community officials to reopen the investigation. SJSU President Mary Papazian stated in a Feb. 18 campuswide email that the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and Coroner’s office agreed to undertake a new review of the coroner’s report, “once the pandemic allows them to do so,” and the university will cooperate with any requests for information. Papazian stated in the same email while privacy concerns limit what can be publicly disclosed about the case,
EVAN REINHARDT | SPARTAN DAILY
Protesters gather outside the Sigma Chi fraternity house on South 10th Street Monday, chanting “Justice for Gregory Johnson.”
UPD’s investigation, which involved interviewing more than 30 witnesses, revealed no evidence of “foul play.” Papazian said there’s been no new evidence which would warrant reopening the case since the conclusion of the investigation in 2009. “The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office laughed at me when I told them I found a crack in the back of my
son’s head and his neck was broken,” Denise Johnson, Gregory Johnson Jr.’s mother, said during the event. The evening demonstration took place at the same time as Sigma Chi’s “alumni night.” The alumni event was part of the fraternity’s fall rush events, according to an Instagram flyer posted by the Sigma Chi SJSU chapter.
President of B.L.A.C.K. Outreach Lou Dimes said if the Sigma Chi fraternity members really stood with Gregory Johnson Jr.’s movement they would “walk out of that house.” On Nov. 3, a few active fraternity members of Sigma Chi revealed a mural they painted of Gregory Johnson Jr. PROTEST | Page 2
Local leaders celebrated for change By Sandra Santos-Cruz PHOTO EDITOR
The Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) honored three local women during a Saturday Zoom event for inspiring intersectionality in the fight for social justice throughout San Jose. Meredith Curry, chair and commissioner for District 2 of the CSW, opened the event to honor guests Adrienne Keel, Latoya Fernandez and Darlene Tenes. “These three women exemplify strength, leadership, vision, compassion and heroism from coordinating drives for farmworkers, to uplifting the voices of our Black community and supporting our LGBTQ+ youth,” Curry said during the event, which had more than 120 community members in attendance. Adrienne Keel, a San Jose State alumna who graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, was honored for her work as director of
the Caminar LGBTQ+ Programs. Keel said the program serves to create safe spaces for queer and transgender people to receive the resources they need within the community.
Our team does this work knowing that each of our identities is nuanced and unique, and we hold ourselves accountable. Adrienne Keel SJSU psychology alumna, Caminar LGBTQ+ programs director
“Our team does this work knowing that each of our identities is nuanced and unique, and we hold ourselves accountable,” Keel said during the meeting.
California produces more than a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture website. Latoya Fernandez, a local for her advocate, was honored h founder of Youth work as fou Hype is a Hype. Youth Y c om mu n it y - b a s e d organization that org aaims to empower disenfranchised and marginalized youth. Fernandez said her organization’s h predominant goal pr is tto amplify young voices to ignite voic social change. said she’s She passionate about passion transforming education spaces, as educa she’s trained 400 local teachers on culturally teac responsive teaching res ILLUSTRATION BY HANZ PACHECO and justice.
Darlene Tenes, another woman in honor, was exemplified for her work as founder of a hispanic lifestyle company CasaQ and of the Farmworker Caravan, which provides food and emergency supplies to farmworkers working through wildfires, heatwaves and nd the pandemic. “I started [the Farmworker Caravan] because use everyone was talking about ut essential workers and d nobody was as talking about out the farmworkers, kers,” Tenes said during the event. “The farmworkers are the most essential people we have, ve, every single one of us eats in the nation,, as the farmworkers are the providers.”
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“I never was a kid that got a bunch of awards during school because I actually wasn’t an A student,” Fernandez said. Fernandez said she wanted to break Black stereotypes and upon recalling her childhood, she said it was strong women who helped her do so in her upbringing. “That’s not easy,” Fernandez said during the event. “When you think about where [I came] from, Hartford, Connecticut, which was the murder capital of the [U.S.] for a long time.” Fernandez said Youth Hype helped raise funds for the Black Lives Matter movement last year and offered prayers and solidarity with community families affected by police brutality. Fernandez said it’s important to fund these programs and make young voices heard. “I’ve been able to give direct instructions to over 1,000 students, closing the opportunity and breaking teaching records in the LGBTQ+ | Page 2
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NEWS
TUESDAY, AUG. 31, 2021
EVAN REINHARDT | SPARTAN DAILY
Top left: About 10 protesters knock on the windows of the Sigma Chi fraternity house, hoping for members to emerge from the house on South 10th Street Monday. Top right: Denise Johnson embraces a protester before she speaks at the demonstration. Bottom: Gregory Johnson Sr. sits in front of a banner held by protesters.
PROTEST
Sociology senior Amy Estrada said she believes the university mishandled Gregory Johnson Jr.’s case.
during a demonstration for Johnson. “We put together this mural to immortalize his legacy,” the Nov. 4 Sigma Chi fraternity Instagram post read. On June 5 2020, the fraternity also made an Instagram statement acknowledging the Black Lives Matter movement and Gregory Johnson Jr. Gregory Johnson Jr. was the only Black member living in the fraternity house at the time, the Johnson family said. “Gregory Johnson Jr. didn’t get to become an alumni, he was murdered,” Dimes said at city hall before the crowd took to the Downtown San Jose streets. “If [Sigma Chi fraternity members] are honoring the alumni, they’re honoring his murder.” The crowd marched down East Santa Clara Street chanting Gregory Johnson Jr.’s name. The protesters arrived at the Sigma Chi fraternity house and continued chanting, with some specifically calling out the Sigma Chi members and alumni to face Gregory Johnson Jr. supporters. Several students said they’re not satisfied with the status of Gregory Johnson Jr.’s case. Sociology freshman Victoria Gates said she wants the university to hold the Sigma Chi fraternity “accountable.” “Without [the university] holding these boys accountable, I feel as though they are protecting themselves [as administrators],” Gates said. “But, the idea is that they were supposed to protect Gregory and they didn’t.”
LGBTQ+ Continued from page 1 state of California by teaching the history and truth of our Black and brown youth,” Fernandez said. Susan Ellenberg, Santa Clara County District 4 supervisor, said she questions whether the San Jose community is doing enough for women. Ellenberg said there should be more affordable programs for housing, childcare and better school programs, as many
Gregory Johnson Jr. didn’t get to become an alumni, he was murdered. If [Sigma Chi fraternity members] are honoring the alumni, they’re honoring his murder. Lou Dimes B.L.A.C.K. Outreach president “What we’re demanding is clear. We’re not asking for a scholarship. We’re not asking for a memorial,” Estrada said in an interview during the demonstration. “We’re asking for justice. We’re asking for Sigma Chi to be banned from campus, and to be abolished. We’re asking for the case to be reopened.” The Associated Students board of directors passed a resolution in honor of Gregory Johnson Jr. in April titled “Addressing Anti-Blackness and Systemic Racism at SJSU.” The resolution calls on SJSU to provide more
women have had to choose between work and caregiving over the course of the coronavirus pandemic. She said about 2.5 million women have left the job market since the pandemic began, mostly Latinx and Black women. Ellenberg said women have taken on multiple roles and responsibilities in their community for years, but with the ongoing pandemic it has come to resonate even more for those who’ve stepped down to become primary child care providers. About 60% of jobs lost in the U.S. because of the pandemic around March 2020 belonged to women, according
resources for Black students and to acknowledge racism was a factor in Gregory Johnson Jr. ‘s death. In the resolution, A.S. board directors said they will also create and fund a scholarship in Gregory Johnson Jr.’s name, intended to support Black students. Denise Johnson said she met briefly with President Papazian and Patrick Day, vice president for student affairs, via Zoom in July to discuss the case. Johnson said Day expressed he doesn’t see “any reason” to shut the fraternity down during the meeting. Amy Estrada said she doesn’t feel safe walking past the Sigma Chi fraternity house, which is a couple hundred feet from the main campus on South 10th Street. “We’re not going to stop until there’s justice,” Estrada said. “The momentum is important because the more people know, the more we’re informed and the more the movement will continue to grow.” Lou Dimes said B.L.A.C.K. Outreach and Gregory Johnson Jr. supporters will be holding protests every Friday in September. “We’re demanding continuation [of the movement],” Dimes said. “We ought to take the avenues that this form of democracy allows us to take in order to do things, legitimately.”
to a Nov. 11 Montana State University report. These women might suffer long-term effects on their mental health, as they also sacrificed their professional careers and personal lives to care for their families and homes, she said. SJSU global studies sophomore Ariana Shah, who lived in Southern California with her family while classes were online in Spring 2020, said she had to make sacrifices in order to also be a caregiver. Shah took care of her grandmother from April to June 2020 after she came out of the hospital because of heart conditions.
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She said she noticed parts of her life were negatively affected while she stayed home and cared for her grandmother. “I couldn’t get a lot of things done and I had to sacrifice my school and my job to take care of my family,” Shah said in a phone call. In addition to honoring Santa Clara County women in action, the CSW is inviting women across the county to participate and become part of the commission, observe the committee or volunteer. Follow Sandra on Twitter @_sandraiveth_
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ART & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, AUG. 31, 2021
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Open mic continues cafe legacy
EVAN REINHARDT | SPARTAN DAILY
Left: Aisha Williams, an environmental science senior, performs her poem “Been Broke.” Right: The crowd observes and records local artists as they recite their poetry Thursday.
By Christine Stevens STAFF WRITER
Downtown San Jose’s Nirvana Soul was amplified with evocative words of poetry Thursday as it carried on the prior cafe’s longtime tradition, open mic night. Caffe Frascati once vitalized the SoFA District and welcomed local artists and community members to its weekly poetry reading for more than 10 years. Joy Hackett, project manager for Nirvana Soul, said they wanted to keep Caffe Frascati’s tradition to create a safe and artistic communal space. “We wanted to use the space to let local artists perform,” Hackett said. “We’re focused on
creating a space where people feel comfortable.” Hackett said the first Nirvana Soul open mic night went so well, they knew they had to continue it. “Our first open mic night was the second week of August and it was packed,” Hackett said. There were more than 15 performers and about 40 community members who attended Thursday night to listen to artists’ creative talent. Among the performers was Justise Wattree, a San Jose State humanities senior and local poet. Wattree said he avidly witnessed Caffe Frascati’s
era and was happy to see Nirvana Soul continue to give him a place to showcase his poetry. “I’ve been writing poetry since forever,” Wattree said. “It’s a passion for me.” Nirvana Soul hosted a diverse group of performers from high school and college, with topics ranging from comedic to serious. Consequential speakers unpacked topics including sexual harassment, the Black Lives Matter movement and suicide. At these times the entire cafe went quiet. Emotion poured out from the performers and drenched everyone in the audience.
CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Aisha Williams, SJSU environmental studies senior and open mic night performer, said sharing her poetry publicly helps her as an artist. “My writing comes from my struggle as a Black woman,” Williams said. “It’s therapeutic for me.” A book was passed around throughout the night where everyone got the chance to write some of their own poetry or a few sentences of their feelings. The same book was read aloud at the end of the night while Hackett played the piano in the background. When open mic night came to an end, attendees and
SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
artists meandered around in Nirvana Soul’s upstairs section, which showcases local art pieces. The cafe is expecting to have concerts on the first and third Friday of every month to give up-and-coming artists a space to perform. Barista Iliana Calderon said Nirvana Soul hosts different events for artists because they love to give back to the community they come from. “The community here is amazing,” Calderon said. “We have the nicest customers.”
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JOKIN’ AROUND “What’s the best thing about Switzerland?”
“I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.”
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Breast 6. By mouth 10. ___ du jour = Meal of the day 14. Bouquet 15. Soft drink 16. Relating to aircraft 17. Museum piece 18. Brother of Jacob 19. Cease 20. Seer 22. Figure (out) 23. Charged particle 24. French for “Storehouse” 26. Quiet 30. Indian hemp 32. Overweight 33. Streetwalkers 37. Harvest 38. French school 39. Welt 40. Force out 42. Chinese “bear” 43. Vagrant 44. The best of times 45. Between 47. Merriment 48. Laugh 49. A slight suggestion 56. Iridescent gem
57. Secure against leakage 58. Very slow in tempo 59. Window ledge 60. Adhesive strip 61. Cornered 62. 3 63. Immediately 64. Affirmatives
DOWN 1. Taverns 2. Chocolate cookie 3. Alone 4. Leave out 5. Device 6. Sea 7. Optimistic 8. Wings 9. Honoree 10. Corridor 11. Abatement 12. Got up 13. Spinning toys 21. Drunkard 25. Explosive 26. Achy 27. Wild goat
28. Jump 29. Particularly 30. Light-haired 31. Stop 33. Stigma 34. Cleave 35. Zero 36. Kill 38. Mandarins 41. Lenient 42. Punishment 44. Make a low continuous sound 45. Snouted animal 46. Cetacean mammal 47. A boneless steak 48. Party thrower 50. Tidy 51. The thin fibrous bark 52. Container weight 53. Angers 54. Curved molding 55. Gestures of assent
Aug. 26
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, AUG. 31, 2021
MOVIE REVIEW
ILLUSTRATION BY AMANI HAMED
New movie personifies social issues DaCosta’s Candyman continues Black horror renaissance By Amani Hamed STAFF WRITER
On a dare, you enter the bathroom with a friend. You turn off the lights. You look into the void where your face should be and say his name: “Candyman. Candyman. Candyman.” A noise startles you. Raspy breath, the buzzing of an insect. Did it come from behind you? From in front of you in the mirror? You clench your fists and say it again: “Candyman. Candyman.” You see a shape stir in the reflection and scream, but you leave the bathroom hot-cheeked and giggling. You and your friend are so silly. No one could ever come through the mirror. The latest adaptation of Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta, is as thrilling and terrifying as the original. The film has more innovative cinematography and sustained long-takes of Candyman cutting his victims to pieces while he can only be viewed in a reflection. The 1992 film, featuring Tony Todd as the murderous ghost of artist Daniel Robitaille, tells the story of the vengeful spirit of a lynched man with a hook where his hand once was. Candyman’s most terrifying aspect is its connection to real life. It’s based on the 1987 Chicago murder of Ruthie Mae McCoy (namesake of Candyman characters Ruthie Jean and Anna Mae McCoy), who called police to report someone was coming through her bathroom mirror. Her calls were ignored and Ruthie Mae was found over a day later, shot to death in her Abbot Homes project-housing apartment. Her stor y was later
made famous by a September 1987 Chicago Reader article. Though the specter of state neglect hovers over DaCosta’s Candyman, her addition to the franchise explores more recent abuses at the hands of police, directly recalling the 1991 police beating of Rodney King and the 2016 shooting of Philando Castile. Nia DaCosta’s continuation of the Candyman franchise is a timely and brilliant examination of police brutality, gentrification and state violence as both Black heritage and Black destiny. Rather than creating a film that simply displays violence against Black people as plot, DaCosta forces us to look deeply into the mirror and face the sinister practice of commodification and consumption of collective Black trauma as art.
film history, “Horror Noire.” “Horror Noire” is the definitive documentary on Black representation in and creation of horror movies. The film examines the changing image and narrative of Black people as seen through the white gaze and the eyes of Black filmmakers, and chronicles what many have hailed as the “Black horror renaissance” ushered in by “Candyman” producer Jordan Peele. “[Candyman is] a story helmed by a visionary director,” Burgin said. “Black horror has the ability to intersect with the daily struggles, triumphs and tragedies of the Black experience in America.” D a C o st a maste r f u l ly repurposes the themes and symbolic devices of the original 1992 film to weave together a story that is at once a mirror to reflect Black struggles and a hammer to shatter the Movie review false narratives constructed around Black experiences. While she doesn’t do away “Candyman” with the original film’s use of bees as a horror device, Rating: she repur p os es the terror of the swarm. DaCosta’s Candyman takes Directed by: on a different form than Nia DaCosta murdered artist Daniel Robitaille. Through a Starring: new iteration of the Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, classic villain, DaCosta Teyonah Parris examines police brutality against disabled people. Genre: A misunderstood man with Horror/ a prosthetic hook for a hand, Psychological thriller the new Candyman is murdered by a swarm of cops. DaC osta immediately confronts ableist societal Xavier Burgin, SJSU fear of people with radio-TV-film lecturer, said limb differences and he’s looking forward to seeing the mob mentality of DaCosta’s version of the police. horror classic. DaCosta’s faceless men in blue Burgin is the director of the present not as sober-minded critical documentary on Black individuals, but as faceless
members of the horde. Her murderous police come across as the most modern zombie interpretation yet: a hive mind bent on death, unfeeling and lacking in reason or empathy.
[Candyman is] a story helmed by a visionary director. Black horror has the ability to intersect with the daily struggles, triumphs and tragedies of the Black experience in America. Xavier Burgin radio-TV-film lecturer and Emmy-nominated director
The youthful new beating heart of the series, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, plays Anthony McCoy, the baby rescued by saintly Helen Lyle in the original film. Ignorant of his past, Anthony McCoy is a struggling artist who is sought after not for his prowess as a painter, but because the art world is hungry for more of the Black struggle. The more gore and pain, the more the viewing audience can breathe in stories and images of Black oppression and fear, the more they come alive. Candyman is not the same without the velvet-voiced Tony Todd, but for as much as we think of Tony Todd as the center of the Candyman franchise, the original film centered not Todd’s Candyman, but Virginia Madsen’s Helen Lyle. Lyle, a white woman and bourgeois academic, entered the violent world of the Cabrini
Green projects as a voyeur looking to capitalize on the murder of Ruthie Jean, a parallel to the real-life murder of Ruthie Mae McCoy. In her film, DaCosta puts our collective voyeurism on trial and centers Anthony McCoy’s struggle with his past and his fate. Rather than centering white-dominated perception of Black generational trauma, DaCosta forces Anthony McCoy to examine his relationship to its legacy. White characters don’t get to examine Black pain from within, like interloper Helen Lyle. Instead, DaCosta’s white characters reside in institutional positions of power from which they actively oppress Black characters, then consume art born of their struggle. The shocking ending creates ripples that alter both our understanding of the original film and our understanding of Candyman as a towering terror icon as he moves into the future. DaCosta’s Candyman is not just a horror villain. He is transfigured. He transcends. Already a master horror auteur, DaCosta has created a Candyman who will change film history and future Black representation on-screen.
Follow Amani on Twitter @Amani_marie_
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OPINION
TUESDAY, AUG. 31, 2021
5
ILLUSTRATION BY AUDREY TSENG
Olympics harm host-country communities Saumya Monga STAFF WRITER
While many fans cheer for their idolized Olympic athletes every four years from the comfort of their homes, thousands of people get abused by their governments to make way for the “extravagant” show. The Olympics have consistently been detrimental to its host country’s people, according to a July 29 Washington Post article. About 300 families were displaced to make room for the 2020 Summer Tokyo Olympics alone, according to the same Washington Post article. But this didn’t just occur in Tokyo. Harsh displacement has been a continued trend for the Olympics, despite the perilous coronavirus pandemic. The Tokyo Olympics took place July 23 to Aug. 8 after being pushed back because of the pandemic. It was originally scheduled to be in July 2020. While the delay increased the cost for Japan to host the games with rough estimates showing more than $14 billion being spent, the biggest cost of the Olympics was the effects it had on Japan’s people, according to an Aug. 6 New York Times article. The games exacerbated the effect the pandemic was already spewing on the people of Japan, especially because only 36% of the population was fully vaccinated at
the time, according to Our World in Data. The Olympics also had a similar impact on previous host-countries, even ones that were not impacted by a global pandemic. In 2016, Rio de Janeiro spent $13 billion to host the Olympics. It built massive infrastructure, cleaned up Guanabara Bay and created an entirely new subway line for the games. Meanwhile, more than 3,000 Rio de Janeiro residents were displaced, according to an Aug. 5, 2016 Forbes article. Any displacement caused by the games is cruel and unacceptable as whole families and livelihoods get uprooted or entirely lost. There can be many incentives to host the Olympics, such as an increase in tourism and infrastructure development. However, countries are too quick to neglect their local residents for the sake of vain tourism. In countries with giant wealth disparities, the poor are neglected and shunned by their own government. Throughout the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, attendees were kept at a distance from the favelas, where about 1.5 million people live, according to a Catalytic
Communities article. Favelas are neighborhood slums that are usually densely populated and have inadequate living conditions according to Britannica. Many Japanese people felt largely ignored by their government, which put the Tokyo Olympics ahead of their own health, according to the same Aug. 6 New York Times article. The Olympics are supposed to be a celebration for the people as much as it’s for the country’s leaders. A survey conducted prior to the games in Japan reported 83% of the Japanese public didn’t want Tokyo to host the games because of the pandemic, according to a May 18 New York Times article.
Any displacement caused by the games is cruel and unacceptable as whole families and livelihoods get uprooted or entirely lost. The pandemic appeared as a giant shadow above Tokyo with the city’s own people in the dark. The games made up a bubble within the Olympic village where the athletes resided, while Tokyo tried to mask the effects the pandemic was having on its people. Tokyo had some of the highest case numbers in Japan with more than 330,000 reported COVID-19 infections, according to today’s Google
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News data. Moreover, the nearly empty stadiums and few business sponsors made it difficult to ignore the pandemic. Tokyo was placed under a state of emergency because of the increase in COVID-19 cases, according to an Aug. 10 Al Jazeera article. Al Jazeera is a private, international news source based partially in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. There were 320 cases linked directly to the games within the Olympic village, according to an Aug. 4 BBC article. What’s even more harrowing is the number of cases outside the village. Japan made it apparent that lighting the Olympic torch was far more pressing than public
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health and safety. Japan’s government wanted visitors to only see the pretty infrastructure and grand display of affluence. They didn’t want anyone to see those who were affected by the pandemic, lower-income people and the numerous displaced residents. Many small businesses spent thousands of dollars renovating their stores in preparation for the influx of tourists, according
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to an Aug. 6 New York Times article. As most tourists vacated after the games, many businesses had no way to offset the overwhelming cost of renovations. This added further financial burden stemmed from the pandemic. Hosting the Olympics in the middle of a global pandemic was reckless and it shows. With Los Angeles set to host the 2028 Olympics, it’s already proven its pride comes before its people. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti passed an amendment on July 29 that stated homeless populations can’t reside within 500 feet of schools and other city facilities, according to a July 29 Southern California based organization Spectrum News 1 article. It’s likely we’ll be seeing similar initiatives being passed in the coming years to make sure Los Angeles looks desirable for the games. There are more than 60,000 homeless people in Los Angeles, according to a March 19 ABC7 News article, and it appears the local government is willing to do anything to ensure they remain invisible. Countries must place their egos aside and put their own people first before they overcommit to host the Olympic games merely for influence and power.
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SPORTS
TUESDAY, AUG. 31, 2021
TRAVIS WYNN | SPARTAN DAILY
SJSU quarterback Nick Starkel (17), Derrick Deese Jr. (87) and Tyler Nevens (23) begin an offensive play before the Spartans scored a touchdown on Saturday night.
SJSU dominates Southern Utah By Christine Stevens STAFF WRITER
The San Jose State football team began its Mountain West Conference title defense with a 45-14 victory against Southern Utah University Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium. This marked the largest home-opening win for the Spartans in the last 10 years. The game was also the first time CEFCU Stadium welcomed fans back in person since 2019 as 16,204 spectators filled the stands. Running back Tyler Nevens said the fans’ energy propelled him and his teammates to start off the game intensely. “With me being a senior, a veteran on this team, it was mesmerizing to see the fans out there,” Nevens said during a post-game conference. Quarterback Nick Starkel helped
SJSU get off to a quick start as he intercepted Starkel but he bounced scored the first touchdown of the game back by throwing another touchdown with a one-yard rush near the end of that advanced the score 35-14. the first quarter. Fans went wild for the Spartans’ final Starkel then threw a pass to wide score of half when placekicker Matt re c e i v e r Je r m ai n e Mercurio made a field Braddo ck for a goal that led the Spartans SPARTANS 23-yard touchdown that with a strong advantage of put the Spartans ahead 38-14 against the 23-0. Thunderbirds. Nevens scored the third Coming right from and final touchdown halftime, Starkel threw a of the first quarter in 14-yard touchdown pass THUNDERBIRDS a 12-yard touchdown run. to wide receiver Derrick SJSU’s ground game was Deese Jr., scoring the last touchdown of the humming for Nevens, who night and ending the rushed 12 times for 91 game 45-14. yards with 27 yards being Eyes were on Starkel Saturday his longest run of the night. Starkel threw the longest pass of as he completed 16 of 27 passes for the game with a 70-yard pass to wide 394 yards, four touchdowns, one receiver Sam Olson who scored the interception and a rushing touchdown. He said having fans back propelled Spartans’ fourth touchdown. However, the Thunderbirds him to put on a show and sparked a
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fire under him that he hasn’t felt since before the pandemic. “I absolutely loved the student section,” he said. “It fired us up on the field. It was a sight to see.” Head coach Brent Brennan said despite the big win, the team still needs to improve in certain areas and polish up executions before its next game. The Spartans are expected to play University of Southern California at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Aug. 4 at 2 p.m. “There’s a lot of stuff for us to clean up,” Brennan said. “We had a lot of high effort plays and we had some first game rustiness.”
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Women’s soccer team begins with rocky start By Don Le STAFF WRITER
The San Jose State women’s soccer team lost 2-0 in its opening home match against the University of San Francisco Thursday. SJSU head coach Lauren Hanson pointed to the team’s inexperience and youth as a key factor in the defeat. “There’s a lot of factors that probably play into [the loss],” Hanson said after the game. “We do have a very young team.” Nine new players, eight freshmen and one junior college transfer, have been added to the 2021-2022 women’s soccer roster, according to San Jose State Athletics website. This game also marked the Spartans’ first home game with fans in attendance since Fall 2019 as 606 spectators came, according to the box score. Despite the loss, SJSU goalkeeper Shayla Sugai shined as she had 2 saves per half for a total of 4 saves and held USF scoreless in the second half. “I was a little nervous, but shoutout to my upperclassmen for calming me down [and] making sure I stay composed,” Sugai said after the game. She said this loss was a big eye opener for the team. “I feel like as a team, we could do a lot better,” Sugai said. “We’re just gonna learn
DON LE | SPARTAN DAILY
The SJSU women’s soccer team prepares for its first home match against the University of San Francisco Thursday at the Spartan Soccer Complex.
from this experience and take on the next game.” SJSU struggled to create any chances in the game as it only had 6 shots on goal compared to USF’s 16. The Dons scored 2 goals in the first half and the Spartans couldn’t recover in the second half. “I was watching [game] film on [USF] earlier and they were a very big, aggressive team, so I felt like we were prepared in the beginning for those moments,” Sugai said. Going into halftime down 2 goals, the Spartans’ still
I feel like as a team, we could do better. We’re just gonna learn from this experience and take on the next game. Shayla Sugai SJSU goalkeeper
believed they could pull off the comeback. SJSU midfielder Jaiden McClellan said the team focused on retaining possession of the ball and competing harder
in the second half. “We thought we did a lot better [in the] second half fulfilling that requirement,” McClellan said. “It’s just having that mindset of being gritty and feisty.”
She said Thursday’s game against USF showed the team needs to work on winning possession of the ball and keeping it. “I think that we really do work well together on defense,” McClellan said. “It’s just after that, it’s keeping the ball possession so we’re not on defense the entire time.” Coach Hanson said the Spartans need to start their next game strong and continue improving their on-ball possessions as they begin the season. “You gotta win the ball first and then second, you got to
keep the ball,” Hanson said. “I think [the team] understands that they need to start right from this point forward and there are lessons to be learned and that was a tough one tonight.” The Spartans are expected to play against Southern Utah University at Thunderbird Soccer Field in Cedar City, Utah on Friday.
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