FALL 2011

INSIDE
OCCUPY
CHICAGO
pg.12

GREEK CRITIQUE

TAR SANDS

EYEWITNESS

pg. 03

pg. 20

pg. 22

how the system perpetuates

segregation

pollution in
Alberta, Canada

making a difference
in Bihar, India

THE PROTEST
FALL 2011

www.the-protest.com

nuprotest@gmail.com

CAMPUS
03 greek critique
04 nu graduate collective
06 sodexo exposed
08 intervarsity promotes social justice
10 nu sounds the horn for east africa
COMMUNITY
12 inside occupy chicago
14 dont call them gypsies
16 the need for immigration reform
17 the language of rape
NATION & WORLD
18 the problem of the innocent man
19 review: the valley of the forgotten
20 tar sands
22 making a difference in bihar, india
Cover photo by Anca Ulea.

STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Matthew Kovac
FEATURE EDITOR
Anca Ulea
DESIGN EDITOR
Jenna Fugate
PHOTO EDITOR
Kerri Pang
WEB EDITOR
Jack Foster
WEB ASSISTANT
EDITOR
Lauren Manning
WEB DESIGNERS
Anca Ulea
Stephanie Zucker
SENIOR EDITORS
Jack Foster
Charles Rollet
Becca Weinstein
CONTRIBUTORS
Arjun Chakraborty
Susan Du
Megan Hernbroth
Alexandria Johnson
Sharon Kim
Yvonne Ashley Kouadjo
Emma OConnor
Kathryn Prescott
Leah Varjacques
Corinne Zeman
Published by
Peace Project, an
ASG-recognized and
-funded organization.
The views expressed
in this publication do
not necessarily reflect
the views of Peace
Project or all staff
members.

GRSSK
CRITIQUE

We cant all be friends. With over 8,000

undergraduates, NU is too large. But seeing as college is a place to expand our
minds rather than stay in our comfort zones,
shouldnt integration, rather than segregation, be promoted?
With various pre-professional majors,
special interest clubs and the Greek system, as well as the separation of North and
South campuses, NU students associate
primarily with like-minded peers rather than
those with different opinions, beliefs and
backgrounds. The Greek system, especially, is a major player in this. It segregates
NUs social landscape such that people join
houses for the explicit purpose of entering
into a community of similar individuals.
This does make sense, though, since it
is the first time many of us have lived away
from home, and we want to find a familiar
community within the larger NU one. Also,
it is understandable that houses have remained mostly racially homogenous, since
the Greek system used to be discriminatory,
prejudiced and intolerant of other religions.
For example, in the 1950s, many organizations had discriminatory clauses in their
constitutions. One was only open to Caucasian students who were non-Semitic and
believe in the principles of Christianity.
The fact that houses have recently started popping up based on special interests
makes sense in this context. There are now
six African-American fraternities and sororities under the National Pan-Hellenic Council
(NPHC). There are also three Asian-interest
organizations, three Latino-based chapters
and one music fraternity established at NU.
But it seems that special interest houses
would have become less necessary, rather

the protest

How the system

reflects and
promotes social
segregation
by becca
weinstein

than more, in the society we perceive as totally tolerant. Why has it become more segregated, rather than less?
The basic desire to be around people of
similar backgrounds seems to be playing
the greatest role. Dallas Wright, senior and
president of Kappa Alpha Psi, did not join
an IFC house because culturally it was kind
of weird to be only one of a few AfricanAmericans. Michael Belmonte, President
of Omega Delta Phi, joined a house initially
founded as a Latino organization because,
he said, I wanted to find a close community
of people that I could rely on, a school family, if you will. I found that in the Latino community on campus. These were the people
that I identified with most, these were the
people who welcomed me with open arms
and showed me the ropes.
However, if the goal of the Greek system is to challenge students to achieve
even greater heights intellectually, personally and socially, as it says on NUs website, it seems that having a diverse group
of students within each chapter would accomplish this, rather than a smattering of
houses segregated by interest. With the
current Greek system, it is more difficult to
meet people from different backgrounds
of varied class, race and opinion.
It seems that as integration has become
more prevalent in this global society, the
integration within the Greek system would
drastically increase as well. However, today
more than ever, narrow interests separate
Greek houses. The Greek system should
either be abolished or drastically changed,
so that people can more effectively create
social groups that promote a mingling of
backgrounds and interests within NU.

MULTICULTURAL
GREEK COUNCIL
sororities

Kappa Phi Lambda

Promotes Pan-Asian
cultural awareness
Lambda Theta Alpha
Serves as a voice for
the Latino community
Sigma Lambda Gamma
Focuses on multicultural sisterhood
Sigma Psi Zeta
Promotes awareness of
Asian/Asian-American
cultures
fraternities

Omega Delta Phi

Aims to provide a diverse
fraternal experience
Lambda Theta Alpha
Serves as a voice for
the Latino community
Pi Delta Psi
Emphasis on AsianAmerican cultural
awareness

nu graduate collective

CAMPUS
by susan du

When Northwestern graduate students have

grievances about their work or quality of life,
The Graduate School guarantees them resources like the Graduate Leadership Council
and Graduate Student Association. These organizations are intended to express graduate
student needs to the administration. However,
some students feel more independent representation is needed and have formed another
group in support of graduate student interests:
Graduate Student Collective.
Unlike the other organizations, GSC is not
sanctioned by The Graduate School. In fact,
the group has remained largely underground
for the nearly two-and-a-half years since it was
formed. In addition to calling for reforms, organizers are seriously considering unionizing,
which is currently illegal for graduate students
enrolled at private universities, said GSC cofounder and fifth-year philosophy student Lee
Goldsmith.
The administrations always interested
in keeping this sort of radical behavior suppressed and so will take a sort of negative attitude, Goldsmith said. If you go to the administration . . . they can try to make sure that
you dont have any ability to make any change
within the institution by finding ways to get rid
of you or by sort of making it hard for you to
have contact with others.
During winter quarter 2011, GSC made a
new push to mobilize in preparation for going
public. Co-founder Jamie Merchant, a fifthyear sociology and rhetoric and public culture
graduate student, said that although the group
is loosely structured, its goals are clear.
The group in its most basic purpose is to
raise consciousness about the possibility of
organizing graduate students here at the university in some form of collective organization
that will be able to adequately represent the interests of all grad students, regardless of what
department theyre in, to the administration,
Merchant said.
Currently, GSC tentatively advocates higher
stipends, employee status for graduate students and changing administrative policies so
students can hold other jobs unaffiliated with

the university in order to compensate for inadequate stipends.

Simon Greenwold, senior associate dean at
The Graduate School, declined to comment on
whether there is room for negotiation on possible employee status for graduate students.
Students are students as far as I can tell,
so theyre not staff, he said. The teaching or
research they may do is part of their education. I havent heard any particular argument for
[gaining employee status] in order to react to it
in any official forum.
However, GSC members said they do not
need administrative recognition to proceed
with their agenda.
Merchant said the group was organized in
spring 2009 by a central cadre of four or five
students who believed The Graduate School
wasnt doing enough to address sensitive issues relating to the graduate student experience, ranging from lab safety to sexual harassment.
Really the catalyst was just seeing what a
lot of grad students experience and hearing
how they respond to these things, and how often the response is to chalk it up to the travails
and trials of professionalization, he said. [The
general perception was that] the difficulties we
encounter in grad school, no matter what form
they take, are always just sort of the norm. Its
just demonstrably false that thats the case. So
part of our project is also to correct that perception.
At the time, GSC distributed flyers and held
a meeting for those who were interested. About
25 to 30 students showed up, Merchant said,
in what was the groups true beginning.
If GSC decides to seek union status, NU
wouldnt be the only local university with a
graduate student union, he added.
Grad student unions have been active at
the University of Illinois at Chicago, at Urbana-Champaign, Merchant said. University of
Chicago has an inchoate union that has over
400 grad students in it even though they are
not formally recognized by the administration.
Still, not all graduate students believe that
there is a need for GSC. Theo Greene, a sixth-

the protest

year sociology graduate student who was a fice set up for graduate students and the board
member of the Graduate Leadership Council of directors shut it down. So they took up an
last year, said he felt GSC should learn more issue that we thought was an important issue
about other organizations with similar goals.
and tried to make change, but their means to
Some of their grievances really dovetailed make change must go through the administrawith some of the initiatives we were also work- tion. Its inefficient because the administration
ing with, Greene said.
will never willingly do anything outside of its
The Council has the opportunity to meet own interest.
with the administration once a quarter to exGreene said he brought GSC to the attention
press student requests, said Greene, noting of the senior associate dean of The Graduate
that it works with issues like space for grad School last year. At the time, Dean Greenwold
students to study and work, conflict resolution offered to meet with the organization, but that
[and] quality of life issues like stipend rates.
meeting never took place. GSC members said
Greene said that when GSC surfaced last they needed to clarify their strategy before
winter, he attempted to reach out to members, seeking official recognition, Greene said.
after which the organization appeared to disThe problem with graduate student life is
band as it actually went underground.
that were so insulated in our individual departWe really wanted an opments that we often fail to see
portunity to sit down with
the big picture, Greene said.
In addition to
them to see what their conThats kind of what my imprescalling for reforms,
cerns were and to see if
sion was when I met with them.
there were ways in which organizers are seriousGreenwold said although
we could work together, ly considering unionizsome of GSCs goals are negoGreene said. The organiza- ing, which is currently
tiable, he wishes the organization at the time did not seem illegal for graduate stution would approach him directto have much of a goal other dents enrolled at prily to state their case.
than just trying to start some vate universities.
I heard about this group
sort of on-campus revoluthrough our Graduate Student
tion, which I guess is where
Association, and the group was
I took issue probably because . . . they didnt concerned about the quality of life for graduseem to have much of a knowledge as far as ate students, which the Graduate Student Aswhat the role of The Graduate School was for sociation and the Graduate Leadership Council
the graduate students versus their own depart- cares about and we at The Graduate School
ments.
absolutely are concerned about, Greenwold
However, to some GSC members, it simply said. So if they have concerns, I would love
made more sense to stay discreet at the time. to hear them.
Goldsmith said its important for graduate stuTo Merchant, however, GSCs priority at the
dents to be represented by an organization that moment is to survive and stay relevant so it can
has no stake in administrative favor.
eventually gain enough participants to cham[The Graduate Leadership Council and pion students needs without fear of being shut
Graduate Student Association] are administra- down by the administration.
tive bodies, Goldsmith said. They were creIf theres sexual harassment going on, if
ated by the administration, so they have no youre being gerrymandered by the administrapower to make decisions that arent condoned tion on a certain point, if you have too high a
by TGS. So for example, after the GSA last course load, too high a TA workload its not
year discovered that . . . there were a bunch the case that thats just how it has to be, he
of people who felt that they were . . . unhappy said. Thats how it is, but Does it have to rewith doing their jobs, they tried to get an of- main like that? is a different question.

CAMPUS

S XPOSED
E
ODEXO
by alexandria
johnson

BEHIND THE FRENCH MULTINATIONALS

HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD
Earlier this fall, Northwestern University Sodexo employees gained
wage increases and free individual
health care benefits as a part of recent
contract negotiations. This recent development marks a common trend on
college campuses of holding the company accountable for its global history
of employee abuses.
They just raised our money this
year, said Fanish Bekele, Allison dining hall cashier. Everyone was very
happy.
NUs Living Wage Campaign assisted workers in the recent contract
negotiations by working with the union
and building relationships with employees. This helped them gain an 80-cent
wage increase and a wage floor of $10
per hour, plus an annual 50-cent raise
in the future.
This new, nearly $6 million contract
also grants workers at Norris University
Center pensions like those enjoyed by
other Sodexo employees. Free health
care for employees and an $85 flat
monthly rate for family health care are
also new additions.
Additionally, as a safety measure,
immigration protection language has
been added.
Generally, though, Sodexo negotiated in good faith, said WCAS senior
Kellyn Lewis, Living Wage Campaign
(LWC) chairman.
The new contract negotiations combined two collective bargaining agreements into one to increase wages and
benefits said Steve Mangan, nuCuisine
district manager.
In a dynamic relationship, theres
always issues that come up, Mangan
said. The dining on campus is an ever-changing process. We look to work
with our university liaisons up into the
student affairs department and try to

engage the students as much as possible and make decisions in partnership with university relationships to get
solutions.
Currently the LWC is continuing its
work for employees on campus and are
discussing with Sodexo Real Food
on campus, which provides healthy
and green options, as the next priority.
We really challenge the way people
think about getting stuff done, Lewis
said. Weve been doing what were
going to do. Having relationships with
workers and fighting for dignity and respect on this campus, not just within
Sodexo, but as a campus in general,
building leaders, is what weve been
doing and will continue to do.
Sodexo employees around the
world have cited poor wages and treatment, which is a recognized problem
on campus. Lewis encourages other
social justice groups to take active role
in the food service industry on campus,
not just recognize the problem academically.
I would challenge the social justice
groups to really engage in this with
us, and engage with the workers who
make the food, who then have to go
home to places where there is not real
food and dont get the food from other
sources, Lewis said. I would just try
to engage with workers as leaders and
to engage with this campaign, not as a
campaign, but just as something that
is literally creating a space where there
can be a vision of something that we all
actually really want.
Beyond struggles with the living
wage on individual campuses, the Sodexo corporation has been under scrutiny for its management practices.
Its a global company, said Vicko
Alvarez, domestic campaigns coordinator for United Students Against

the protest

photo courtesy/usas.org/campaigns/ko-sodexo/

Sweatshops. You will find it anywhere from the U.S. to Morocco to

the Dominican Republic, privatizing especially food service out to
anything from universities to gold
mines.
Sodexo began in France in 1966
and expanded into the United States
as the corporation developed.
Our definition of what would constitute some basic worker abuses
would be poverty wages and union
busting, which is pretty rampant
among Sodexo locations, Alvarez
said. Theres definitely a laundry list
of abuses that many workers have
reported.
Sodexo currently has been noted
for providing food services to a Barrick gold mine in the Dominican Republic, cited for intimidating workers
who were trying to organize for better work place conditions.
Sodexo also invests in private
prisons abroad, and according to
Alvarez, they invested in privatized
prisons in the United States about

10 years ago.
It was sort of this sick web of
business ties that Sodexo had between universities and private prisons, Alvarez said. A ton of campuses campaigned to get Sodexo
kicked off campus, basically meaning to cut contracts with Sodexo at
the university to get them to stop
running these prisons in the U.S.
Similar to NU, Ithaca College was
one of the first universities to hold
Sodexo accountable for paying its
employees a living wage. In 2010,
student groups hosted a variety of
events such as flash mobs, silent
demonstrations, downtown rallies
and directly contacting the university president with a proposal for
improving worker conditions.
I want what the workers want,
and I want whats best for them,
said Alyssa Figuerosa, Ithaca senior
and co-coordinator of the Labor
Initiative in Promoting Solidarity. I
personally would hope they would
all realize that the union would be

the best way to get fair wages.

With campus support at Ithaca,
Sodexo employees achieved a living wage, and student organizations
are currently monitoring Sodexo to
ensure that it maintains its accountability for employee payment.
At first we were met with a wall
by the administration, said Ithaca
College junior Taylor Long, L.I.P.S
media representative. They didnt
really want to talk with us about it.
After that, they caved and met our
demands. They have been supportive since that time, and we have
gotten really great feedback from
faculty who are proud of us for taking a stance against the Sodexo
corporation.
For NU, the contract negotiations
are just the start for assisting employees in the pursuit of desirable
work place conditions.
Theres a long way to go but a
contract for six million definitely
helps, Lewis said.

CAMPUS

nu intervarsity promotes
social justice
a closer look into the
organizations events this year

by sharon kim

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/

USA has been a center for college
students to cultivate their spirituality
since its founding in November 1941.
This year, however, the students of
Northwestern Universitys InterVarsity
are expanding beyond religious selfdevelopment and are attempting to
bridge the gap between Christianity
and social justice.
I think that in an ideal world, all
Christians should be very concerned
about social justice issues, and not
just Christians; I think people in general, said John Lee, president of
NUs Asian American InterVarsity. I
think as Christians, its important to
not only say that we do but also to
apply it.
InterVarsity, found on college campuses nationwide, consists of hundreds of different chapters. The ministries collectively aim to establish
and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus
as Savior and Lord, according to the
northwesterns asian-american intervarsity
chapter explores the question if god is just,
why is there

____? through engaging the cam-

pus in thought and intentional contemplation.

photos/Kerri Pang

the protest

organizations website. NU is home

to several independent InterVarsity
chapters, such as Arts Fellowship and
Asian American InterVarsity, as well as
the general InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
This year, the chapters on campus
have collectively encouraged their
members, through discussion, to explore the link between Christianity
and social justice. InterVarsity hosts
a weekly inter-chapter worship session called Connect Large Group. The
chapters also hold individual services,
prayer meetings and Bible study sessions where InterVarsity members, or
people interested in Christianity, can
further engage in debates about social justice and learn how to integrate
it into their personal lives.
Each ministry has crafted its own
independent agenda on promoting
social justice at both the individual
and campus level. The Asian American InterVarsity has decided to actively engage the student body in their
discussions on social justice. AAIV
has embarked on a yearlong exploration of the question If God is just,
why is there ______, and the ministry
is searching for the answers in collaboration with the rest of campus.
The chapter frequently sets up booths
called Proxe Stations where they
place boards that ask a series of questions, such as What injustices do you
see in the world? and How has this
affected you? Anybody is free to an-

swer these inquiries on sticky notes

and exchange their opinions with any
AAIV members.
House on the Rock, an InterVarsity geared toward NUs black community, is attempting to incorporate
racial understanding with social justice. Members of HotR, in an effort to
understand their own racial and ethnic identities, have planned quarterly
service days to promote interaction
with people of different cultural backgrounds and mentalities. The ministry
plans to volunteer with the American
Indian Center this quarter and the
Asian Youth Services during winter
quarter.
Despite this, some students have
expressed concerns about national
detachment of community outreach
and faith.
American theology separates justice from the gospel itself, said Esther Wang, a member of InterVarsity
Christian Fellowship. Its very natural
in other countries. You cant really love
God if you dont love people.
William Weber, a Small Group Bible
study leader for IVCF, has a similar
perspective on Christians responsibilities to promote social justice.
I feel like the perceptions of Christians are that were politically jaded
or focused on economics or bashing
gays, Weber said. But Gods telling
us to love each other and love people,
so Im wrestling with that and how to
challenge people to do that.

This summer, InterVarsity gave

both Wang and Weber the opportunity
to help the underprivileged through
the Chicago Urban Program during
the summer. The two volunteered with
the Lawndale Christian Church and
helped teach an academic enrichment
program at lower-income schools.
InterVarsity has been actively promoting campus participation in community outreach, but, according to
some students, it ultimately matters
what you are passionate about. John
Lee believes that individuals who are
unable to connect with the often toobroad themes, such as poverty and
homelessness, should not be viewed
as indifferent or heartless.
For example, if the issue of homelessness was presented, if youre not
on board with it, if you dont resonate
with it, or if you dont feel a passion for
that issue, its almost as if youre not
being a good Christian, he said. So
one thing Ive been trying try to tell
people is that even though your heart
might not be for homelessness, that
doesnt mean you dont have a heart
for social justice.
Through its embracing, yet vigorous approach, InterVarsity has helped
individuals find social justice issues
they care passionately about now,
and will continue to do so.
Its going to be part of my future,
Weber said. It doesnt look the same
for everyone. For me, it comes down
to just loving people.

CAMPUS

nu sounds the

horn for
east africa
by anca ulea

In an October 7 press release from

the United Nations Emergency Relief
Coordinators, it was stated that The
famine in the Horn of Africa remains
the biggest crisis in the world today,
but people and governments have
proved that when
needed, they can
as of novemcome together to
save lives and end
ber 1, nearly half a
suffering.
million children in
This is precisely
somalia are acutely
what NUs African
malnourished and
Student Association
the u.n. says tens of
aims to do with its
thousands of somanew campaign, NU
Sounds the Horn
lis have already died
for Africa, which
in southern somalia,
was started October
according to a report
17. Working in conby the associated
junction with other
press.
student groups on
campus, ASA hopes
to create awareness
and collect monetary aid to help those
affected by the famine in southern Somalia.
Nicole Magabo, a Medill junior and
president of ASA, says that this campaign is an effort to engage NU stu-

10

dents in the global world.

I think its extremely important that
we do not confine ourselves to either
the Evanston bubble, or the Illinois
bubble or the U.S. bubble, Magabo
says. So to me its really important
that we get the message across, that
Okay, theres something happening somewhere. I should know about
this.
The campaign is expected to continue throughout the quarter, with a
final culminating event in the winter,
according to Becca Abara, ASAs philanthropy chair. Fall quarter the campaign has focused mostly on collecting funds at booths set up in Norris.
The first week the group collected
about $500 from booths, Abara says.
The final event will consist of a panel of
experts on the famine in Somalia.
We are thinking of inviting a bunch
of different people who are connected
to Somalia in some way or form to
come and talk about whats really going on, Abara says. We want them to
talk about the politics behind it, why
its necessary that we continue to help
with aid and continue to think about
other people in other places.
ASA has chosen UNICEF as the
beneficiary for NU Sounds the Horn,
because the drought in Somalia specifically targets children, who are weaker
and more defenseless, according to
the campaigns website. As of November 1, nearly half a million children in
Somalia are acutely malnourished and
the U.N. says tens of thousands of
Somalis have already died in southern
Somalia, according to a report by the
Associated Press.
The famine in Somalia was recognized by the United Nations on June
20 as a result of a severe drought that

the protest

hit the Horn of Africa. Many consider

the resulting famine to be man-made,
because the militant groups in Somalia
prevent a large portion of the population from receiving food aid.
Will Reno, associate professor of
political science, says that although
the rains were not ideal this season, the
famine is a consequence of the political situation in Somalia. Reno was last
in northern Somalia, which is largely
unaffected by the famine, in August
conducting field research on organizational strategies and strategic choices
of Somali rebel groups. He says that
the political discord in Somalia is made
obvious when compared with the reactions of governments in Kenya and
Ethiopia, also affected by the drought.
[In Kenya and Ethiopia] its an eco-

nomic problem, but its not a humanitarian crisis because its being managed by competent governments,
Reno says. On the Somali side of the
border, there is no central government,
and [Somali militants] agenda is not
about getting food to people, its about
making sure that a particular political
agenda and version of Islam is being
practiced.
Another problem Somali people
face is that many NGOs are wary of
giving aid because they do not want
to be prosecuted for giving material
aid to terrorist groups under the Patriot
Act, Reno says. Al-Shabaab, the militant group that took control of central
and southern Somalia in 2006, is listed
as a terrorist group by the National
Counter Terrorism Center. An organi-

zation attempting to give aid to Somali

people could potentially be prosecuted under U.S. law for indirectly aiding
Al-Shabaab.
Reno says its good that students
are taking an interest in whats going
on in the Horn of Africa. Magabo and
Abara both agree that creating awareness of the situation in East Africa is
the main incentive of the NU Sounds
the Horn for East Africa campaign.
Weve been trying to balance creating awareness with acquiring funds,
Abara says. We dont want to get so
tied up in trying to get money that we
forget to really help people understand
whats going on in the Horn of Africa
and to have a greater, more expansive
view of Africa than this sick and dying
continent.

through nu sounds the horn, members of african students association engage students and invite them
to learn more about the famine and struggles of east africa.

photos/Leah Varjacques

11

COMMUNITY

INSIDE
OCCUPY
CHICAGO
by megan hernbroth

12

A leaderless group moved onto the worlds

finance capital Wall Street, Manhattan to
protest the growing economic division between the nations richest one percent and
the rest of its citizens on September 17. The
Occupy movement has since spread to many
American cities, and Chicago, which has the
nations largest stock exchange outside of
New York, has been far from immune.
We are a democratic organization open
to everyone, so we can share our skills and
knowledge, says Karen Looney, Press Committee member for the Occupy Chicago movement. The government is helping the rich get
richer and those who are actually working for
their money are not getting any benefits.
According to occupychi.org, the main goal
of the movement is to change corporate influence within the government. To protesters, seeing only a minute portion of the nation
flourish while watching the majority struggle to
get by goes against the American dream.
We are not looking to criminalize the rich,
says Looney. We are looking for personal autonomy. These companies have unrestricted
amounts of money that they can donate to
politicians, compared to the vast majority of
the people.
Protesters have occupied the space outside
of the Federal Reserve Bank for over a month,
and do not plan on leaving any time soon.
There are all types of people [protesting]
out there, says Looney. There are a lot of
students right now because they are paying
huge amounts in student loans and cannot
find a job in their field after graduation. A lot
of these people are very well-educated but are
underemployed.
Their efforts, however, are challenged by
a lack of food and monetary resources. The
movements website, occupychi.org, continually asks supporters for any donation they can

afford.
Food is a big one, says Looney. We need
to keep everyone fed, especially with the winter coming up, we all need the calories to stay
warm. Coffee is also really important because
this is a 24-7 occupation, so our troopers there
overnight need to have the energy to be there
overnight.
Limited resources are not the groups only
worries. Confusion over their overall organization and tactics has led the opposition to condemn many of the groups efforts.
One day, there was a man in his suit walking past us and he shoved himself in our faces,
yelling I want something for free! says Looney. A lot of people just think were hippies
looking for a handout.
But angry businessmen are far from the
groups only worries. On Oct. 15, the Chicago
Police Dept. arrested 175 protesters.
We were in the park for one of our major
occupation elections, says Looney. There
were about 3,000 people there. We had set up
a tent city in the park from donations and we
had the provisions to be out there longer and
engage with the public, but we were not allowed to have that space.
Many supporters, however, did not feel inclined to give up the space they needed.
Other cities had offered the Occupy supporters space, but Chicago has not been so
kind. The police moved in and gave us reminders that the park closed at 11 p.m. Around 175
protesters chose to stay anyway because we
believed that free speech should not stop at 11
p.m. on public property, says Looney.
After spending three hours in a cramped
holding cell, Looney and 174 other people
were released on bond, greeted by fellow supporters on their exit from the jail.
They did not anticipate our numbers, says
Looney. We streamed the whole event live, so

the protest

photos/Anca Ulea

we were in front of the whole world. The police seemed to support us; one said he did not
know why the city was wasting its time arresting us because weve been peaceful.
The cost of living is rising and little is being done to help out those most in need. The
Occupy movements around the country have
brought the majoritys plight center stage, and
the protesters are refusing to let their cause
fade away.
The government really needs to help our
citizens; the only ones benefiting are the profiteers because the government is geared towards profiteers, says Looney. That is what
we are fighting against.
The Occupy movement has been mostly
confined to large cities; however, the movement is spreading to smaller cities and universities, including Northwestern.
On Oct. 28, students rallied in an Occupy
movement when House Majority Leader Eric
Cantor (R-VA) came to speak about income inequality at Kellogg. Police lined Tech Drive as
Cantor was escorted into the building before
his speech, not far from the picket line of protestors blocked off by police.
The protestors waved their signs but mostly
kept to themselves, staying true to the peaceful premise of the movement. Cantor entered
the building with no complications and delivered his speech.
But despite increasing student awareness of
Occupy Chicago, the core Occupy movement
remains where the one percent is: downtown.
The Windy City has a reputation for being one
of Americas Most American metropolises.
Perhaps the fact that Occupy Chicago is still
standing firm, despite cold weather, lack of
food, and constant harassment from police, is
a testament to the uniquely American values it
promotes: fairness, and a chance for everyone
to make it.

TWITTER
@ OccupyThisHeart OccupyThisHeart

Hey @OccupyWallSt you have almost 500,000 dollars,

are you going to support occupations nationally who
need resources? #occupychi #ows
6 Nov

@ OccupyChicago Occupy Chicago

CPD continue to harass #OccupyChi when our numbers are low at Fed. They have taken ALL of our food
carts bc we could not keep them mobile
9 Nov

@ foxchicago FOX Chicago News

UChicago cancels event with Condoleeza Rice that

#OccupyChi was planning to protest
14 Nov

@ Trib_ed_board Tribune Ed Board

The relationship between politicians and protesters has

turned into a delicate balancing act #ows #occupychi
14 Nov

@ OccupyChicago Occupy Chicago

Sweet success. Rice & Paulson buckle to people power! #occupychi MT @OCPress: Celebrate!! The power
of #communityaction
14 Nov

@ redeyechicago Redeye Chicago

What does the winter occupation look like for #occupychi? Brrrrrr.
14 Nov

13

COMMUNITY

DONT CALL THEM

the history of the roma

by kathryn prescott
Dont call them gypsies. The term, considered pejorative, is generally used to describe
the Roma, an ethnic group that has earned
both a mystical reputation and considerable
amount of discrimination.
Gypsy stereotypes abound in mainstream
culture. Theres the image of the band of barefooted, longhaired outsiders travelling around
aimlessly, telling fortunes and stealing from
the settled folk to make their living. Communication freshman Katherine Ardeleanu, whose
family comes from Romania, a country remarkable for its Roma population, says that they
were viewed as thieves, lazy, dirty, irrational
[because they were generally very passionate], not trustworthy, traitors. Disneys Hunchback of Notre Dame drives the gypsy stereotype home for many young Americans with the
character of Esmeralda, a dark, beautiful, freespirited dancer who fiercely defends the rights

14

photo courtesy/dancecircus.com

of her people.
The Roma is an ethnic group now predominantly found in Europe, though it originally
comes from northern India and has nomadic
roots. The word gypsy originates in the mistaken belief that the Roma come from Egypt.
Today, Roma live around the world and most
have adopted a semi- or fully-settled lifestyle to practice their professions and keep
up with society at large. Those that stay true
to their nomadic roots often travel in trailers,
trucks and cars. Roma that live on the fringes
of settled society are blamed for an array of
evils, and despite attempts at assimilation by
local authorities, have faced systematic exile
in countries across Europe. Encyclopedia Britannica notes that because of their migratory
nature and exclusion from censuses, the world
Roma population is somewhere between two
and five million.
Many Roma have chosen to immigrate to
the United States, and many here continue to
keep their Romani origins under wraps, opting
instead to identify themselves to others by their
individual European countries of origin. Time
ran a story last year by Kayla Webley which estimated the U.S. Roma population to be about
one million. According to Time, the biggest influx of Roma in the U.S. came after the 1864
abolition of Roma slavery in the Balkans, with
more recent waves following the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989. Many choose
to live in large U.S. cities, where it is easy to
disappear among the masses. The Roma live
here quietly, coming together for celebrations
and many running successful business like any
other ethnic group in the country. According

photo courtesy/ournewoffice.com

the protest

to Time, many incoming Roma today struggle

with a complicated legal system governing
immigration, and unless they can claim political asylum from racism in their home country,
may be deported.
The modern Roma in the U.S. and Europe
engage in professions that suit their lifestyles.
Livestock trade and tinkering have been replaced by auto repair and sale and running
small businesses and sometimes travelling circuses. As for the accuracy of the stereotypes she has heard, Ardeleanu notes that
the Roma were probably forced to steal more
than others because they didnt have access
to adequate supplies. They also lived in extreme poverty and would resort to stealing in
order to survive. As far as being dirty, they
werent a particularly dirty people. They simply earned that reputation because they had
to live in extreme poverty. Some continue
the fortune-telling tradition, but have no more
magical abilities than any street corner psychic. Integration into settled culture has led
many Roma to pursue other, more conventional jobs as well.
Throughout history, discrimination has
gone hand-in-hand with Romani life on the
fringes of mainstream society.
Up until the 1850s, the gypsies in Romania were enslaved, Ardeleanu says. After
they were freed, they received some rights,
but they were never considered equals with
the native/local Romanians. . . . They were virtually ignored.
Nowadays, the discrimination continues,
albeit on a smaller scale. European Roma
Rights Centre (ERRC) has documented at

photo courtesy/scrapetv.com

least 48 violent attacks against Roma in Hungary, at least 19 attacks in the Czech Republic
and at least 10 attacks in Slovakia, resulting in
a combined total of at least 11 deaths since
2008. Cases of coercive sterilization of Romani women have been reported in many European countries, as recently as 2008, though
most of these women have yet to receive
compensation or even recognition for these
injustices. Segregation of Romani children in
schools across Europe also persists despite
rulings to change that. Even in the U.S., laws
have been passed restricting the rights of
Roma. The last one was repealed in 1997 in
New Jersey, which allowed local governments
to pass civil ordinances limited where Roma
could live and sell goods.
Discrimination is painfully evident in a Romanian childrens song Ardeleanu mentions,
which has a rhyme similar to Eeny, Meeny,
Miny, Moe. Translated from Romanian, the
lyrics are, A glass of cold water; to drown all
the gypsies in. Save just one [gypsy], to make
him burn to dust. Additionally, Ardeleanu
says, When a Romanian mother would want
her child to behave, she would warn the child:
Beware, if you dont behave, they gypsies will
come steal you and then eat you!
Thankfully, the Roma have some proponents working to protect their rights and keep
their culture alive. The Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015, an international initiative to
improve the welfare of Roma, marks the first
multinational effort toward helping improve
the lives of Roma socially and economically.
To help end the discrimination, just remember that they are Roma not gypsies.

15

opinion

COMMUNITY
THE NEED FOR

immigration reform
by leah varjacques

The fence on the US-Mexico bor- record and eliminates worksite raids,
der remains highly debated and very but more than half of the deported so
expensive. In 2006, George W. Bush far have been non-criminals.
decided that building a barrier along
In sum, current policies are not efparts of the Mexico-U.S. border was fective, and the ones proposed by the
the best way to suppress illegal immi- current presidential candidates do not
gration. Illegal crossings from Mexico seem very promising. The Republiare declining according to recent stud- can candidates have focused on the
ies, but this is more due to the reces- fence largely for its symbolic value and
sion and exorbitant prices smugglers have publicized their stance in overare charging than the actual fence. simplified terms; the immigration issue
The fence has also failed to concretely is much broader and complex than a
suppress drug trafficking and transna- 20-foot wall. Instead of being multiditional gang activity, which are the prin- mensional, policies have served only
cipal national security issues caused as weak and largely temporary Bandby illegal immigration.
Aid solutions.
Michelle Bachmann pledges to covPolicy makers have not given
er every mile, every yard, every foot, enough consideration to the roots of
every inch of the southern border; the problem. When one delves into
Herman Cain jokes about building a how the immigration issue came about,
20-foot tall electrical fence; Mitt Rom- it appears that the U.S. is not a victim
ney proposes to strengthen border of mass Hispanic invasion (as some
security and
would have it)
there is no gain in deporteliminate all
and has acing an illegal mexican mother of
social benefit
tually
been
incentives for three american toddlers or in denying
fomenting its
illegals; and education for children brought into
own
probRick Perry,
lem for quite
ironically the the country by their undocumented
some time.
most
pro- parents.
People imgressive of
migrate out of
the candidates in his proposed poli- necessity: lack or loss of jobs in their
cy, calls for more boots than fencing. home countries, exploitation and huThe Republican candidates all accuse man rights abuses, lack of opportuniObama of providing amnesty to ille- ties for socio-economic mobility, and
gals, although more than one million violence.
immigrants have been deported since
Under free trade agreements, subhe took office.
sistence farmer families cannot comSixty-seven percent of Hispanics pete with U.S.-subsidized crops.
voted for Obama in 2008 and their Many have moved to cities in search
vote is key to his reelection. However, of a new source of income and work in
he has not passed comprehensive im- maquiladoras where living and workmigration reform and the DREAM Act ing conditions are atrocious. Others
failed to pass through Congress this have been evicted from their land by
year. His policy prioritizes the deporta- foreign mining, oil, water and agricultion of illegal immigrants with a criminal tural companies that exploit laborers

16

and natural resources, creating huge

environmental and health issues for
impoverished communities. Moreover,
high demand for illicit drugs in the U.S.
directly influences the proliferation of
criminal organizations and drug cartels. And our main response has been
to provide more funding to the notoriously corrupt and violent Mexican military and police authorities.
To be sure, the countries governments and other internal factors are
also to blame in this issue, but the U.S.
can only fix itself. The United States is
a major cause of its immigration problem and must take long-term action.
A different discourse amongst the
candidates and within the government
would be more effective. There is no
gain in deporting an illegal Mexican
mother of three American toddlers
or in denying education for children
brought into the country by their undocumented parents. Foreign policies
toward Latin America that bolster efforts in these countries to provide better education, protect human rights,
and offer better economic opportunities can create a higher incentive to
stay.
Such relations could include encouraging and helping the country
invest in education reform and infrastructure; endorsing and participating
in efforts against impunity; encouraging more just representation in government and policies; setting an ethical standard for labor conditions; and
creating provisions within trade agreements to promote and protect developing nations sovereignty over their
territory and growth of grassroots entrepreneurial endeavors.
Tackling the roots of the issue is the
only way to provide a long-term solution to the U.S. immigration problem.

the protest

by corinne zeman

she

the

he
guilty
stop sex assault

LANGUAGE

of RAPE

the cultural desensitization to rape

In 1995, the National Center for Victims of Crime conducted a survey of

eighth and ninth graders. The results
were, in a word, horrifying. Eleven percent of boys agreed that if a girl said
no to sex, she actually meant yes;
27 percent believed that if a girl became intoxicated, she deserved any
fallout; and, finally, 46 percent felt
that rape is, more often than not, the
victims fault. How is it that twentieth-century children were ignorant of
rapes gravity? And how is it that these
boyswho, at thirteen or fourteen,
had merely toed the waters of sexualitywere entering adolescence as
rape apologists?
Fifteen years ago, the issue
stemmed from a lack of awareness.
But educational programs have snowballed in recent years, while statistics
have remained unaltered. The issue,
then, is more complex. Americans are
not saddled by a failure to discuss
rape, but, rather, by a failure to discuss rape in appropriate terms. We fail
to recognize that rape is an extraordinary event. It is extraordinary in that
it should not be normalized or condoned, regarded as an inevitable circumstance of urban or collegiate life.

But, unfortunately, thats exactly

what is happening. As they travel
Northwesterns campus, students lament that theyve been raped by an
exam, a sizable bill, or unexpected
criticism. Rape, in common parlance, has been re-appropriated. It is
casually inserted into conversations
about trivial offenses. And its meaningits connection to the terrors of
sexual assaulthas been distorted.
In part, this semantic shift is due
to the pervasiveness of rape imagery. Incidents of sexual violence have
become ever-present on television
and the silver screen. According to
a 2006 study by the New York City
Women and Media Committee, of the
R and NC-17 films that were released
between 1996 and 2006, 21 percent
featured rape, while 35 percent contained sexually violent behaviors.
These scenes are gratuitouslyand,
sometimes, creativelygraphic. But
whats interesting is that their aftermath is sterile. Plotlines follow an unchanging trajectory. The initial assault
is succeeded by emotional and physical trauma; disillusionment with life or
the culpable gender; and, ultimately,
vindication within a courtroom. Cen-

tral to this discussion is Law & Order:

SVU, whose images of violence are
corralled into 60-minute segments.
Their resonance is dulled by the inset of advertising, and their conclusion is marked by the sounding of a
now-famous tone. This uniformity
or, more exactly, the suggestion that
a rape may be neatly packagedis
misinformed. And, for audiences, it
is misleading.
In truth, the aftermath of a rape
can be more distressing than the
rape itself. Physically, of course,
there is a risk of unwanted pregnancy
and STDs. But, psychologically, victims grapple with far worse: anxiety
and PTSD, social stigma, a tendency
to shoulder guilt, emotional distance
and inorgasmia during sexual intercourse, and so on. There is no time
constraint on these repercussions.
But, amazingly, Americans tend to
overlook them. As we stare at images
of blood and mangled faces, or read
articles that describe fluids and
DNA evidence, we acknowledge
that the victim sufferedsuffered,
but does not suffer. We imagine that
a rape can be washed away, that the
reverberations of these crimes are tidied and settled.
This blinkered understanding
has anesthetized Americans. It has
taught a cohort of teenaged boys
that no means yes. And it is critical, therefore, that we restore the
definition of rape. Difficult as it may
be, we must acknowledge the full
horror of an undoubtedly horrible
word.

17

NATION & WORLD

THE PROBLEM OF

THE INNOCENT MAN

by matthew kovac

On September 21, Troy Davis was

murdered by the Georgia Department
of Corrections. Convicted of killing
a police officer in 1989, Davis was
almost certainly innocent. No physical evidence linked him to the crime.
Seven of the nine witnesses who testified against him have since recanted,
citing police coercion. Two of them
named another witness as the killer.
The execution has sparked the latest round in the death penalty debate.
But the most serious question raised
by Davis 20-year imprisonment and
murder has been virtually ignored. It is
a question that cuts to the heart of the
Davis case and all others like it. How
much of ones life is one obligated to
surrender to the state while the wheels
of injustice turn?
It is an all-or-nothing question.
There is no logical reason why the
wrongfully imprisoned should be obligated to give up five years but not ten,
or ten but not twenty. Either they are
obligated to give the state everything
it demands, up to and including their
very lives as it demanded of Davis

timeline
AUG. 23, 1989
At 20 years old, Troy
Davis is arrested as a
suspect in the murder of
an off-duty policeman.
APRIL 1990
information Davis pleads not
guilty at a prelimifrom the
Telegraph
nary hearing.

18

or they are not obligated to give it

anything at all.
If it is everything, then the imprisonment of innocent people is inviolable
except through legal channels. Such
prisoners must wait quietly in their
cells, for decades if necessary, until
they are officially exonerated. If exoneration never comes, they must passively accept their fate, even if it is life
imprisonment or execution.
If they owe the state nothing, then
their imprisonment is legalized kidnapping. The state has no justification to
hold them against their will for even a
moment. An innocent prisoner might
cooperate with the state on tactical
grounds, hoping to win freedom by legal means and avoid further persecution. But if the appeals fail or if at any
time the prisoner tires of captivity the
prisoner is justified in resisting the uniformed kidnappers and escaping.
There is no middle ground. Certainly the state does not recognize any. If
one is sentenced to prison, one is to
remain in prison until released. If one is
sentenced to death, one is to meekly

AUG. 1991
The trial begins.
Prosecutors
seek the death
penalty, and
Davis is found
guilty.

DEC. 2001
Davis files an
appeal. Almost
five years later
the 11th Circuit
Court will uphold
a retrial refusal.

MARCH 1992
A first request for a
retrial is refused. A
year later Georgias
Supreme Court upholds the sentence.

JUNE 2007
Davis execution
is set for July
17, 2007. On
July 16 Davis is
granted a 90day stay.

submit to execution once the final appeal has been exhausted. To resist is
to break the law. There are no exceptions for people found guilty in court
but innocent in fact.
And there cannot be exceptions.
State power and individual conscience
are irreconcilable. Milton Mayer highlighted this point in his On Liberty: Man
v. the State. There he juxtaposed two
quotations: one from Martin Luther
King, Jr., on the necessity of resisting
unjust laws, the other from an American Bar Association president who
noted that the rule of law could not
exist if people were free to determine
for themselves which laws were just or
unjust.
In the perpetual conflict between
law and conscience, to recognize the
supremacy of one is to invalidate the
other. To choose what is right over what
is legal is to destroy the very foundations of the state, because the state
cannot recognize such distinctions. It
can only demand obedience from the
police station to the prison cell, all the
way to the execution chamber.

SEPT. 23, 2008

The US Supreme
Court issues a lastminute emergency
stay dangerously
close to his set execution time.
JAN. 2011
Davis files
a new appeal. The
appeal is
rejected in
March.

SEPT. 7,
2011
Davis new
execution
date is set
for Sept.
21, 2011.

SEPT. 21, 2011

Troy Davis is
pronounced
dead after lethal injection.

SEPT. 21, 2011

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denies Davis final request for clemency
and a request to allow Davis
to take a lie detector test to
show his innocence.

review

documentary

the protest

valley of the forgotten

by yvonne ashley kouadjo
Charred trees scatter the lands
of Mato Grosso, Brazils third
largest state, where locals burn
the Amazon rainforest in retaliation against rival land owners.
The people are left to defend their
property because while the Amazon rainforest burns, the Brazilian
government remains absent in
defusing the conflict. They have
simply forgotten.
Such is the title of the documentary Valley of the Forgotten,
directed by Maria Raduan, which
focuses on the conflict in Mato photo courtesy/valedosesquecidos.com
Grosso. The film made its Ameritelling each groups perspectives,
can debut at the Chicago International Film Festival on October 15. Raduan does not distinguish the vilIt paints a portrait of Mato Grosso lains from the victims. Valley of the
inhabitants, who refuse to compro- Forgotten does not necessarily famise their land. Although El Dorado vor the Xavante, squatters or other
is not hidden within Mato Grosso, factions, but allows their voices to
the people there feel that the region be heard beyond Brazil.
The documentary is tedious at
is their one and only home, such
times,
with long takes of men in
that no other area can replace it.
chairs
and
children washing themThis seems to motivate everyone to
selves.
Raduan
shows that the daily
endure a fight that cannot end well.
lives
of
Brazilians
were reminiscent
The native Xavante people, ranchof
the
videos
American
elementary
ers, squatters, land grabbers and
school
teachers
would
show their
outside influences are all players in
classes
in
lessons
about
different
Raduans telling of how Mato Groscultures.
My
attention
span
has imso became an arena of conflict.
proved
since
the
days
of
recess,
but
The film opens with a forest fire,
as
women
picked
up
sticks
outside
visually illustrating how flames have
become a weapon in Mato Grosso. their homes at a slow pace, I only
By setting the Amazon on fire, it wished I could pick up a remote and
forces the current landowners to hit fast forward.
The tragedy of Valley of the Forevacuate and allow perpetrators to
gotten
is that the problems terrorizmove in. The fires are so commoning
Mato
Grosso will not be resolved
place that they can burn for months
soon.
Raduan
captures the fiery
without any intervention until the last
passion
behind
each
groups desire
spark dies. Blame circulates faster
to
remain
in
the
region,
but those
than the fires, each groups disdain
flames
are
destroying
another
forfor the other flaring deeper than the
gotten
entity:
the
Amazon.
vibrant flames.
With the difficult task of honestly

additional reviews

chicagoano.com

Every once in a while

something comes along
and reminds you that despite Brazils newfound
standing as a global power,
a good chunk of the country is still very much a wild
frontier. Sergio Barreto
hot docs: the canadian
international
documentary festival

Maria Raduans penetrating documentary puts the

Brazilian rainforest back
on the list of regions to
watch. Merrie Whitmore

uol cinema

The story of the long and

bloody dispute over land in
the territory formerly occupied by the farm-Sui
Missu (MT).

19

NATION & WORLD

TAR SANDS

pollution in alberta, canada

part 1 of a 2-part series by emma oconnor

20

In the north of Canadas Alberta province, a handful of aboriginal First Nation communities grapple
with a precarious balancing act. While the First Nations reap staggering economic benefits through
collaboration with the nearby oil sands extraction
industry, local doctors, environmentalists and citizens say the oil projects have dramatically harmed
native health and lifestyle. This ongoing dilemma is
perhaps most potent for the Fort McKay First Nation community, which winds its way through the
oil sands and sits less than 40 kilometers north of
some of Albertas largest excavation sites.
As part of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Fort McKay is situated on the western banks
of the Athabasca River, which stretches for a total
of about 1,231 kilometers and flows north from the
industrial boom city of Fort McMurray and through
oil sands sites. The Fort McKay River, or Red River,
feeds into the Athabasca River, which drains into
Lake Athabasca just north of the Fort McKay community.
As a First Nation, Fort McKay has been recognized by the federal and provincial governments as
an indigenous reserve through treaties in the late
19th century. Most of the approximately 700 people
who make up the Fort McKay First Nation trace their
roots to the Chipewyan Prairie, Athabasca Chipewyan and Mikisew Cree First Nations, according to
the Fort McKay website.
The oil sands, or tar sands, are large deposits of
crude bitumen, silica sand, clay minerals and water.
The heavy bitumen can be processed into synthetic crude oil for valuable petroleum products after
excavation. To extract usable bitumen, developers
either inject steam into the ground to liquefy the bitumen so that it can be pumped to the surface, or
they employ open-pit mining to dig up the oil sands
and separate the bitumen with hot water. Because
not all the bitumen can be recovered, oil sands extractionespecially via open-pit miningproduces
large, toxic tailings ponds out of the residual material, says Dr. Tom Etsell, a principal investigator at
the University of Albertas Center for Oil Sands In-

novation, or COSI.
Canadas oil deposits are second only to Saudi
Arabias in size, and the Government of Alberta
says the province alone can produce 169.9 billion
barrels of bitumen and 1.4 billion barrels of conventional oil. In Alberta, the oil sands underlie 140,200
square kilometers of land. As of June 2010, Alberta
boasted 91 active oil sands projects, disturbing 602
square kilometers of land, according to the provincial governments figures.
Since industry development began in the 1960s,
Fort McKays native elders say they have witnessed
the depletion of wild animal populations, the reduction of trap lands, and the pollution of air and waterways. Many oil sands development companies,
including Suncor Energy and Syncrude Canada,
have settled on lands close to the river that were
once precious to natives, says Fort McKay Chief
Jim Boucher. Albertas aboriginals have historically
relied on fishing, hunting, trapping and gathering for
sustenance, but the environmental changes have
forced them to abandon such practices, Boucher
says.
People were quite content maintaining a traditional lifestyle that was passed on from generation to generation, and we were quite knowledgeable about the land, the animals and the patterns,
Boucher says. But all of that changed since the
oil sands companies started coming in here, taking
valuable pieces of land and destroying the hunting
areas of our communities. After the projects began,
we lost an important area for families to go and do
their cultural activities.
Wilfred Grandjambe, a Fort McKay elder, says
the contamination of the local watershed has dramatically altered native customs.
Around here, we dont feel right about the oil
companies polluting the rivers, says Grandjambe,
74. They polluted the lakes where we used to get
ducks and a lot of the rivers where we used to get
fish.
Though he relied on tap water and rainwater
when he was young, Grandjambe says he switched

the protest

photos/Emma OConnor

to bottled water when he noticed more pollution in

the waterways downstream from industry.
If I use tap water in my teapot now, you can see
the stuff thats in there, Grandjambe says. You
can see that the top is oily and you can taste the
chemicals that they put in the water. A lot of people
around here complain that the water is no good.
Some Fort McKay natives insist that contaminated water has caused stomach problems and other
health issues, Grandjambe says. Boucher notes
that Fort McKay residents even avoid swimming in
Lake Athabasca where he used to play as a child
because of pollution concerns.
Industry outputs have also proved deleterious to
local wildlife, Grandjambe says, because the animals drink the river water and eat along the riverbanks.
The pollution has affected the animals, Grandjambe says. Weve always eaten beaver meat here,
but when my late brother and I were out in the river
here not too long ago, we killed a beaver, and when
we skinned him and opened him up, there were
bubbles on the stomach and on the guts. Wed

never seen that before.

Indeed, several studies in the last few years point
to tangible environmental impacts linked to oil sands
development. Alberta ecologist and statistician Dr.
Kevin Timoney released a study in November 2007
revealing unhealthy levels of carcinogens and other
toxins in fish, water and sediment downstream from
the oil sands. Dr. David Schindler, an ecology professor at the University of Alberta, collaborated with
other independent scientists to produce a study in
October 2009 that showed that the oil sands have
contributed toxic compounds to the Athabasca
River. Both researchers say that while industry and
its governmental supporters have dismissed their
reports, they think their findings warrant more serious attention from industry and the provincial and
federal governments.
That area will never again support the same wildlife that the native people have relied on, Schindler
says. There are more and more studies that indicate
that industry is promoting its expansion on unsubstantiated propaganda, not on scientifically defensible facts.

21

NATION & WORLD

making a difference
a lesson from halfway across the world

by arjun chakraborty
I intermittently checked my
watch as I waited for the driver
who would take me to the clinic
where I would volunteer. I did not
know what to expect from the
coming days of volunteering at
the A.B. Eye Institute in Kadam
Kuan, Patna, the capital of Bihar. I would be working with the
Sinhas, a family of charitable doctors who dedicate their lives to alleviating the ailments of the poor
in the state of Bihar. After an hour
of speculating in the hotel lobby,
the driver arrived and drove me to
the clinic.
I met the clinic staff. A young
optometrist gave me a brief tour of the
clinicI was taken to the operation
theater, wards for the patients, a room
for angiography, and the doctors offices, and, eventually, directed to the
vision room. Here, I conducted preliminary checkups every morning, taking
patients vitals and complaints.
Over the next few weeks, as I attended to patients from around the
state, I evidenced the health disparities between the rich and poor in Bihar. Amidst an 11 percent growth rate,
Bihar is the story of the romantic rise
of the wealthy and the forgotten plight
of the downtrodden.
In the state of Bihar, the poor live
on $5.50-$6.50 per month, less than a
fortieth of the earnings of the wealthy,
according to a 2008 article published
in The Times of India. The affluent hide
in their conclave of security, attend
lavish weddings in their spare time and
return to their palaces every night. In
stark contrast to the wealthy, the poor
struggle to make ends meet and put
food on their tables. Their meager liv-

22

ing conditions make them vulnerable

to disease. Additionally, many of the
poor live in villages where only primary
level care is available. In order to get
advanced care, they must often make
an overnight journey to Patna.
In Bihar, the impoverished are affected by eye conditions to a greater
extent than the wealthy. Whereas most
affluent patients at the A.B. Eye Institute came to get glasses to rectify a
simple refractive error, impoverished
patients came with a plethora of issues, including viral conjunctivitis. The
impoverished are more susceptible to
cataracts. The poorest of them often
have mature cataracts, because they
wait longer before dedicating their finances toward a cataract surgery. The
cost of the surgery itself is a burden on
low-income families.
The cost of cataract surgery ranges
from $10 to $600, depending on the
severity of the condition, according
to a 2008 article published in Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. This
amount is accumulated in two years
by a poor family, excluding any addi-

tional expenses paid by the family. Patients who cannot afford

the surgery must wait helplessly
as their eyesight slowly diminishes and eventually leaves them.
India has the worlds largest
cataract backlog, with approximately seven million individuals
in need of surgery, according to
a 2004 study conducted by the
Directorate General of Health
Services in India.
Even simple conditions, such
as refractive errors, have dire
consequences for the poor.
Many impoverished individuals
work as tailors and need to see
fine details of the cloth they work with.
Developing a refractive error makes
this next to impossible, rendering the
individual unfit for work. Eye conditions affect the younger generation as
well. Poor children lag in their education, because they cannot view writing
on the blackboard and their families
cannot afford glasses.
At first sight, the infrastructure in Bihar makes one wonder why there is a
health crisis. There are 200 hospitals
across the state, both private and government-run. Three large governmentfunded hospitals provide all forms of
care, with state-of-the-art technology
and complimentary medicines.
But the healthcare system in Bihar
is designed to shut out the poor. The
200 hospitals in Patna are too few and
far-between to cover the states population of 83 million. The poor are often
driven to cheaper hospitals where the
doctors are not as experienced. Additionally, government hospitals have
long waitlists and getting care in a
timely fashion is rare. I observed this

the protest
overcrowding at the Patna Medical
College Hospital, a government-funded hospital with a maximum capacity
of 1,700 patients. Only a small proportion of the individuals on the wait
list were admitted to the hospital. Furthermore, corruption within the health
sector is rampant in the bureaucracy
of such facilities. Medicines procured
by these hospitals are sold rather than
handed out to the needy.
The A.B. Eye Institute is run by a
family of doctors called the Sinhas. Dr.
Pooja Sinha specializes in the anterior
segment of the eye, and Dr. Satyajit
Sinha, her husband, specializes in the
posterior segment. Together, the family aims to eradicate preventable blindness.
In the evening, I accompanied the
Sinhas to charity clinics located in impoverished areas of Patna or in villages
surrounding the city. Throngs of poor
patients expectantly lined up outside
these health centers. Their faces revealed their eagerness to see the doctor, a privilege for them. Patients were
given a pre-checkup, where they registered complaints and were checked

for typical eye conditions. Dr. Ajit Sinha

and Dr. Satyajit Sinha then examined
the patients and administered simple
treatments like prescription eyeglasses. My job was to distribute glasses
collected from Lions Clubs in the United States each evening to patients
for whom they were prescribed. The
patients faces filled with joy and they
gasped with rejuvenated hope as they
realized they were able to easily read
words they could not discern without
glasses. For many tailors and other
professionals, new glasses meant returning to work and providing for their
families. Medications were also prescribed at such places and could be
purchased at a pharmacy adjacent to
the clinic. For surgeries, patients were
referred to the A.B. Eye Institute.
Cataract surgeries are provided at
the A.B. Eye Institute to any patient,
free of charge. These operations are
funded by donations from the United
States and paying patients. As many
as 15 patients line up every Thursday
to undergo single incision cataract
surgery. Some patients, intimidated by
the surgery, are not cooperative with

their eye movements during the operation, but the doctors and clinic staff do
their best to calm them. They breathe
a sigh of relief as the cloudy world they
see is taken away and replaced by an
immaculate picture.
The Sinhas epitomize the power of
courage and strength of dedication.
Their education and standing promises them a comfortable and wealthy
life anywhere in the world. But shunning all that, they use their skills to
bring hope to the needy in their community. Their efforts are going far in
preventing treatable blindness in Bihar. Every day, hundreds of patients
are treated at the A.B. Eye Institute
at a nominal cost. Patients with cataracts are bestowed the gift of eyesight as Dr. Sinha performs surgeries
in the afternoon. However, despite
the Sinhas accomplishments, much
remains to be done. There is still a
backlog of 16,000 cataract cases in
Bihar. Refractive errors and eye diseases like viral conjunctivitis remain
a burden for impoverished families.
Only a collaborative global effort can
improve conditions in Bihar.

photos/Arjun Chakraborty

23

FALL 2011

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