lewpoints EDITOR DEREK BEDRY

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MONTH 27, 2011 6

Occupy
must fight
City Hall

ccupy Vancouver may have
Oe a countdown to
extinguishment.

Mayor Gregor Robertson told CBC
earlier this week that the protest
would have to “wind down” because
the Vancouver Art Gallery is booked
for other purpos-
es. He has been
careful not to say
that the protest
must end entirely,
as long as it no
longer occupies
the Art Gallery.

But it’s clear
that Robertson
would like the
issue resolved
under his
government. It will propel him
toward the election as the candidate
who peacefully managed the
annoyance. His opponent Suzanne
Anton has made it a campaign issue,
calling for forceful police interven-
tion.

In a way, she has the right idea.
Occupy can’t have it both ways. It
needs to start proving itself.

The power of the current location
is in the fact that it occupies land
not owned by the city - and therefore
it might technically be illegal for the
government to intervene.

Another barrier to the occupation
is a new bylaw restricting erection
of protest structures that block any
“road, highway, bridge, viaduct, lane
and sidewalk, and any other way
normally open to the use of the
public”. To invoke it against Occupy,
the city would have to define the Art
Gallery space as a “way”. Arguable.

Plus, enforcing the bylaw to
repress legal protest and police a
space the city does not own would
reveal the so-far-ambiguous law’s
fascist side.

The protest cannot afford to
simply acquiesce to orders from the
city government if it is to maintain
what credibility it has been reluc-
tantly endowed with. Quitting now
would be hypocritical and, worse,
wasteful. It stands to influence not
only the social talking points David
Suzuki enumerated last Saturday,
but to expose potential corruption in
our local government.

I certainly don’t advocate vio-
lence. But so far the movement has
had little to resist beyond drunken
heckling. If it’s to have any impact at
all, the movement must stay put.

Especially if it means conflict.

OPINION

DEREK BEDRY

We want to hear
from you

Did we get a fact wrong?
Tell us.

Cot a different point of view?
Write to us.
Problems with something we've
said?

Let us know.
Journalism instructor
Nicholas Read oversees
The Voice. Email him at
nread@langara.be.ca

‘inat Core yom 129)

Sone
. Gughoted +e Oe /
edad 4 y

——

1 rare = th Logi.

~~ See Y
AD

rae thisQreat

CLS. ais |

a

* dem te Wee,

ri /
a.
rs

a

tne ) ,
The Voice is
published by Langara

College's journalism
department.

Editorial opinions are
those of the staff and
are independent of
views of the student
government and
administration.

We welcome letters
to the editor. All
letters must be
signed. They may
be edited for brevity.
Names may be
withheld in special
cases, but your letter
must include your
name and phone
number.

Adult Halloweening
need not be X-rated

approaching, but daydreaming
students still have plenty of
class time left to
come up with an
idea fora
memorable
costume.

This weekend
may be the only
time of the year
when it’s socially
appropriate to
walk the streets
dressed as a
swashbuckling
pirate, a dead
cheerleader, or President Obama.

For young adults, it’s an opportu-
nity to show off your creativity,

H alloween weekend may be fast

ae!
a
OPINION

CARLY WIGNES

indulge your alter ego or temporar-
ily adopt an entirely new personal-
ity.

While Langara students who
trick-or-treat might attract disap-
proving looks, a costume party for
young adults shouldn’t be hard to
find.

Challenge yourselves this
Halloween to push the limits of your
imagination.

It isn’t impossible to assemble a
prize-worthy costume with little
time and even less money.

And I’m not talking about the
young men who squeeze into a
one-piece, unicorn costume from the
children’s section of Walmart, or the
women who use higher-than-aver-
age stilettos and lower-than-usual

necklines to complete their sexy
pumpkin costume.

Try something new. Wrap a
bundle of brightly coloured mesh
around your middle and be a living
loofah.

Decorate yourself with tinsel and
paper snowflakes and be a Christ-
mas tree. Give yourself a fake black
eye and attach a broken pifiata to
your head and be the product of a
wild fiesta.

The options are endless and
varied. Even a quick peruse through
your recycling bin might spark the
perfect idea.

Most importantly, once your
costume is complete, don’t forget to
show it off at school on October 31.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Not concerned with civic
election? Think again

fou may not know a lot about
Yew 94 candidates running for

mayor, councillor, school board,
and parks board.

But if you need a reliable way to
get from your house to school, a job
after you graduate, a place to live
that doesn’t cost a million dollars,
and money left over to buy yourself
a latte every now and again, then
you have an opinion on municipal
politics.

Generations Y and X fail to show
up to vote in election after election,
and it’s catching up with us.

A UBC study released last week
showed that today’s young families
are working harder, making less,
and living in crappier apartments
than young families in the 1970’s.

Part of the problem, say the
study’s authors, is that young people
don’t vote, so the issues young
people face are never part of

OPINION.

JEN ST. DENIS

election platforms the way health-
care is, for example. Boomers vote.
We don’t.

“What’s new is the level of
non-participation is much higher
than it used to be
... especially =
among youth,” *
says Langara
political science
instructor r
Stephen Phillips.

“There’s a
larger pool of
permanent
non-voters than
there used to be.”

Municipal
elections attract
the fewest voters. In Vancouver’s
last election in 2008, voter turnout
was the lowest it’s been in 60 years.
Just 31 per cent of the city’s
eligible voters turned up to fill out a

ballot, according to the City of
Vancouver’s election records.

Phillips says voter turnout is
lower for municipal elections
because compared to federal or
provincial races, there is less TV
exposure, and municipal candidates
are not identified with traditional
political parties such as the Conser-
vatives, Liberals and NDP. He says
voters often complain they are “too
busy” to seek out information about
candidates.

Today’s young voters need to
decide whether they want to be
described as “permanent non-vot-
ers” or if, with a few clicks of the
mouse, they’d like to become
empowered to make a decision on
November 19.

For more information on the
upcoming municipal election, visit
the City of Vancouver’s web site at
vancouver.ca.

HOW TO REACH US

PHONE
604-323-5396

FAX
604-323-5398

E-MAIL
thevoice@langara.be.ca

DROP-IN

Room A226
Langara College
There is a mailbox at
the entrance to the
journalism rooms.

SNAIL MAIL

The Voice

100 West 49th Ave.
Vancouver, B.C.
VBY 226

WEBSITE

wwwlangara.bc.ca/voice

EDITORIAL STAFF
THIS ISSUE:

MANAGING EDITOR/
PAGE 6
Derek Bedry

PAGE EDITORS
PAGE 1

Natalie Cameron

PAGE 2
Anne Watson

PAGE 3

Kyla Jonas

PAGE 4/5
Celina Albany

PAGE 7
Brittany Lee

PAGE 8
Jesse Winter

MANAGING WEB
EDITOR

Jared Gnam

WEB EDITORS
Leah Goebel
Khethiwe Rudd

REPORTERS
Moma Casside
Lynda Chapple
Emma Crawford
Jennifer Fong
Shawn Gill
Alexandra Grant
Alanna Hardinge-Rooney
Matthew Hyndman
Patrick Johnston
Ruman Kang
Devon Mackenzie
Daniel Palmer
Jennifer St. Denis
Carly Wignes
Martin Wissmath

Check our
new blog:
http://langaravoice.
com

Find us on Twitter at
@LangaraVoice

Youtube at
VoiceLangara

Flickr at
Langara Voice