Student government calls on campus community to fight racial inequalities
Members of Notre Dame’s student government urged the campus community to do their part in combating racial inequalities in light of the recent murder of George Floyd in a statement released Monday.The statement cites the University’s mission statement to encourage students to take action.“Over the course of our Notre Dame education, these core tenets of Catholic Social Teaching have been inculcated within us, and we must now transform our learning into service to justice,” the statement said.At the same time though, members of the student government acknowledged acts of racism that persist on campus as well.“Demonstrations of hate have no place on our campus or in our world, and we all have an obligation to do better,” the statement said.In response to the University’s statement released Saturday on racial justice, student government members urged university officials to focus on advocacy work to benefit black community members in the present.“Rather than simply looking back to 1964 when Father Ted stood hand in hand with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we should be looking ahead to the ways we can contribute to the fight against racism in the present, to fight for justice and peace,” the statement said.Student government also urged the student body as a whole to combat systems of oppression for minority groups by speaking out and actively advocating for the oppressed.“As a Catholic university, we must acknowledge that thoughts and prayers and action are not mutually exclusive,” the statement said. “We appreciate the University’s effort to stand in solidarity with the Black community with the Prayer for Unity, Walk for Justice prayer service, and we encourage students to participate in this event. However, beyond prayer, we have an obligation to take concrete steps toward equality.”Campus community members were also invited to add their signatures to the statement.Tags: George Flloyd, racial justice, Student government
After selecting Westbrook fourth overall in 2008 out of UCLA, the relocated Thunder fired coach P.J. Carlesimo and replaced him with Scott Brooks shortly into the 2008-09 campaign. Oklahoma City jumped from 22-47 in 2008-09 to 50-32 in 2009-10 and made the NBA playoffs as an eighth seed. Though the top-ranked Lakers beat the Thunder in six games in the first round, Kobe Bryant predicted afterward the Lakers would have trouble with Oklahoma City in future postseasons. The Lakers eventually lost to the Thunder in five games of the 2012 Western Conference semifinals. “The organization does a great job in having the right people, right teammates, right personnel, right people in every aspect of it to make you a successful basketball player,” Westbrook said. “Not only on the floor but to do different things off the floor as well.” Like the Sonics/Thunder franchise, the Lakers made a coaching change by firing Byron Scott after overseeing the worst record in franchise history for two consecutive changes. The Lakers also have Brian Keefe as an assistant to help with player development, which sparked positive reviews from Westbrook, Durant and Ingram. “They’ve been playing well,” Westbrook said of the Lakers.Durant later filled in the details on why the current Lakers could grow as quickly as the Thunder once did. “They got great management, ownership and that seeps through the organization,” Durant said of the Lakers. “It falls down to Luke Walton. Being here now, you can tell the atmosphere they have and how it’s the same. A lot of stuff we run, they run. A lot of things we do, they do over there with the Lakers. It starts with being in an environment where it’s about the players and it’s about wanting them to get better.” The young players entered the NBA with intrigue on their talent and uncertainty on their trajectory. The initial stages of their career centered more on the team’s development than padding their win-loss records.This does not just describe the Lakers with D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. Well before their partnership ended by virtue of free agency, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook also were part of a young core hoping to bolster the Oklahoma City Thunder. The current Lakers may not want the end result – the pair made only one NBA Finals appearance with the Thunder (2012) before Durant left last summer for the Warriors. Yet, Durant has watched the current Lakers progressing so well that he cannot help but see flashes of a previous franchise that also built through the draft. “You can tell they enjoy playing with each other. You can tell Luke Walton has come over there and changed the culture a bit,” Durant said. “I’ve been on a team like that. You’re young and just want to go out there and have fun with the game with no expectations. You’re just playing.” Granted, the Lakers (8-8) would love to upset the Golden State Warriors (13-2) on Friday at Staples Center just as they did in a 20-point win three weeks ago. It would also rectify the Lakers’ 43-point loss to Golden State on Wednesday.Yet, Walton encouraged his players to forget about the game and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. It represented part of Walton’s season-long quest not to become hung up on devastating defeats or surprising victories.Durant judged his rookie season with the former Seattle Sonics the same way when they went 20-62 in the 2007-08 season. “It did wonders for me at that age, being around a bunch of guys that were just as hungry as me and wanting to win,” Durant said. “But when we lost games, we weren’t upset with ourselves. There weren’t any feuds. We knew it was a process.”That process eventually yielded results.
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Two men were robbed at gunpoint of the car they were in while at a Mountain View neighborhood grocery store, according to Vancouver police. Officers responded to Safeway, 13719 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., at about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday for a reported robbery, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. The two men were sitting inside a Honda Civic when they were approached by a man with a gun, Kapp said. The man pointed his gun into the car, demanded the men get out and drove away, Kapp said. Officers responded but did not locate the vehicle.