Teenagers should be taught how to interact with cops ?

I remember we discussed in class about John Whitmire, who is the Chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, and his proposition for developing the new curriculum for ninth graders. “What should we teach ninth graders so police won't shoot them?” is written by Scott Henson, aka, Grits for Breakfast in order to address his perspective on the issue discussed in the Whitmire’s proposal. The writer intended his audience to be the legislators. The writer Scott Henson is a former journalist and political opposition researcher. He has experiences in criminal-justice as he worked for the Texas' Criminal Justice Reform Movement for more than two decades. His perspective on this issue is creditable.  Henson states that kids should not be taught that they need to comply with the police regardless of whether their rights are violated, whereas John Whitmire says that “if you feel an officer does you wrong, you don't take it up with them out on the street, you take it up with an administrator…” However, Henson is concerned that the police officers will not be held accountable when the citizens complain even if there is video. The writer also addresses the fact that kids need to be aware of the different reactions of police officers to particular races. The white kids need to recognize the fact that skin color can cause things to be different for some of their minority classmates. Henson wants the new curriculum to teach teenagers how to interact with cops in a way that will protect their rights while also teaching them that police can arrest them for an offense like not using a turn signal when changing lanes and take them to jail, even when the law does not call for jail time as punishment for the offense. The writer states “a curriculum which taught students the legal limits of their personal rights when interacting with police might be useful”.  Henson concludes that the unnecessary aggressive interaction of some police officers to the public is another issue about which we need to be concerned. He further believes that any proposed legislation should require more training for police officers. He wrote that the police are the agents of the state, and they should be responsible.

I totally agree with this article.  The new curriculum should show kids what they should do when they are interacting with cops. However, it should educate them with facts and reality, not mislead them. In addition, the system needs to acknowledge that some police officers overuse their power to violate others’ rights because of their emotional and aggressive behavior.

It's time to address Austin's terrible traffic problems

Everyone has been talking about how bad Austin traffic has become. The number of cars is increasing every day. It is almost impossible to go through the I-35 highway without being delayed. The article “Time to unclog Austin’s traffic arteries” from mystatesman.com uses an interesting comparison between the human circulatory system and Austin's roads to address this current issue of heavy traffic and clogged roads. Anna Wynne and Mercedes Feris, who are the authors, work in the mobility industry. They have a good amount of knowledge and experience on Austin’s traffic throughout the years. The problem of traffic Austin is facing will lead to serious consequences in the future. It is like the blood blocked in the arteries will cause a heart attack; the clogged traffic will cause deadly accidents. The article states that there were 120 traffic fatalities in the previous year, and most of them happened on arterial roads. The traffic has an impact on the gas money and car maintenance. The article says:” Sitting on congested roadways costs the average Austin driver roughly $1,000 a year in extra gas and lost productivity”. Moreover, Austin’s lack of sidewalks is affecting the retail businesses. The authors write:” Businesses along our major streets suffer because unpleasant and unsafe walking environments depress foot traffic — the lifeblood of retail shops.” 

This article is intended to convince voters to vote for prop 1 on November 8. Prop 1 is proposed by Austin mayor Steve Adler and the Austin city council. It will put in 720 million dollars in critical improvements for the city. They state that Prop 1 will provide renovation to major corridors like North and South Lamar, Airport Boulevard, Slaughter Land and others. Moreover, safety issues on outlying roads such as Anderson Mill Road and U.S. 183, Parmer Lane, RM 620, Spicewood Springs Road and Oak Hill Parkway Bridge will also get addressed. In addition, a new signal technology system will be installed to better time the traffic lights to keep cars moving.  

            I totally agree with the authors. I take I-35 to work and to school. Sometimes I am fortunate enough to not meet any traffic in the morning on the weekend. However, the five o’clock traffic is always the same. My trip from point A to point B often gets delayed. I still think I am lucky because my workplace and school are close to home. What about people that live far away from their job or their school? I think it is a pain for them to commute every day.

Jessica Pham