TORRANCE TRIBUNE May 7, 2015 Page 3 Police Reports #chicagoGirl Uses Social Media to Coordinate the Uprising ALL MAY ARMED FORCES MONTH AT PALOS VERDES BOWL! Bowling .............................$1.50 Shoe Rental .......................$1.50 Lunch Specials ...................$2.99 Armed Forces Personnel and Veterans Join Us Everyday Before 5pm. To book your event or for more F FF F FF information, please contact Charlotte at charlotte@pvbowl.com or 310.326.5120 Film Review By Nelson Tracey for CINEMACY Coming off our coverage of The Newport Beach Film Festival is #chicagoGirl, a documentary from director Joe Piscatella about an American teenager who takes to social media to run a revolution in Syria, all from her bedroom. #chicagoGirl is currently available to stream on Netflix. For most of us, social media is a strange entity firmly rooted into our daily lives with little consequence; yet for protestors around the world, this tool is vital toward the fight #chicagoGirl -- The social network takes on a dictator. Photo courtesy of Revolution L.L.C. for freedom and democracy. #chicagoGirl (fittingly the first film I’m aware of that has a hashtag in the title) is the story of 19-year-old Ala’a Basatneh from Chicago, whose use of the internet serves as a key intermediary in both organizing protests in Syria and making sure that the media worldwide knows about it. Having Ala’a so far away from the conflict is crucial because she can put herself out there online without risking her life near the conflicts themselves. Ala’a started out like any other teenager using Facebook and Twitter, posting selfies at the mall or sharing milestones in her life online. But as soon as she became aware of the Syrian conflict, she found a call to action that dominated all other priorities. Ala’a abandoned her social life and academic prowess in order to continually coordinate the uprising. She serves as a liaison to the press, but more interestingly uses her social network to connect protestors that otherwise wouldn’t meet. When anyone she knows is detained, she is given their Facebook password and deactivates it to avoid letting the government find out who else they are connected to. It is no exaggeration to say that Facebook has never served a greater purpose. In past regimes, dictators could carry out heinous crimes because there would be no visual record. The power of video and sharing has never been harnessed more than it is today. With the advent of the Internet, an “information cascade” allows for so much to be shared so quickly. Unfortunately, as optimistic as all this sounds, the government is still in complete control, and sadly the Syrian regime has been much more difficult to topple than any contemporary uprisings. The film doesn’t shy away from the casualties of the revolution: we are emotionally swept by this documentary. We learn that cameramen are often the first people to be targeted in shootings due to how powerful and incriminating their footage can be. Because of how much footage exists from the various people documenting the ongoings, especially from photojournalist Bassel Shahade, there is a wealth of great documentation that keeps #chicagoGirl engaging. The biggest issue with the film, however, is that it doesn’t cover the crucial leap between Ala’a being a regular teen to an influential coordinator. Since this is the time that is so pivotal, and could potentially inspire others to do the same, it should have been a more integral part of the story. However, it isn’t hard to get past this since the content that follows is so gripping. While there are certainly moments where the film could benefit from being more specific, the overwhelming power of the storytelling here outweighs these criticisms. The reason why I love this film is for what it represents. This documentary is as much a call to action as any other piece of media that you will see this year. If we are going to make a difference in the world, it has to start with people like Ala’a who are passionately working to do so without any formal title. The ultimate irony is the film’s message, that in order to make a difference one has to go beyond using just social media. True change comes from tangible work – social media is just there to document it. This is a message that ought to be shared all across the world. • Burglary-Auto 4/26/2015 7:30:00 PM 3200 BLOCK 187TH ST Attempt stolen vehicle: ‘01 Saturn SL2 Theft 4/25/2015 8:23 PM 19800 BLOCK HAWTHORNE BLVD Suspect completes fraudulent return during course of employment Theft 4/25/2015 3:10:00 PM 2400 BLOCK PACIFIC COAST HWY Suspect(s) takes unattended property off of table/ cell phone Theft 4/25/2015 2:00:00 PM 16700 BLOCK YUKON AVE Suspect(s) takes property from victim’s residence without permission while there with permission/ jewelry Battery-Weapon/Agg 4/25/2015 12:36:29 AM 23300 BLOCK HUBER AVE Suspect throws victim to the ground and a second suspect drives his vehicle at him while he is still on the ground Theft 4/24/2015 10:56 PM 23300 BLOCK ARLINGTON AVE Suspect(s) takes property locked to staircase railing/ bicycle Burglary-Commercial 4/25/2015 8:00:00 AM 1300 BLOCK EL PRADO AVE Suspect(s) defeats door lock for entry and takes property/safe Vandalism 4/24/2015 10:28 AM 4800 BLOCK PACIFIC COAST HWY Suspect(s) enters unsecured window, sprays girls’ locker room with fire extinguisher and breaks locks on multiple lockers in boys and girls’ locker rooms Theft 4/24/2015 3:23:06 PM 3900 BLOCK 242ND ST Suspect(s) takes victim’s vehicle’s catalytic converter Theft 4/24/2015 7:00:00 AM 2600 BLOCK PACIFIC COAST HWY Suspect(s) takes victim’s vehicle’s catalytic converter Auto Theft 4/23/2015 8:00:00 PM 21800 BLOCK HAWTHORNE BLVD Stolen vehicle: ‘06 Chevrolet P/U Theft 4/26/2015 9:10:00 PM 21200 BLOCK HAWTHORNE BLVD Suspect(s) defeats window latch for entry and takes property/ third row seats Theft 4/24/2015 8:30:08 AM 5400 BLOCK CARSON ST Suspect(s) takes victim’s vehicle’s catalytic converter Theft 4/24/2015 5:23:14 PM 2900 BLOCK 235TH ST Suspect(s) takes victim’s vehicle’s catalytic converter Theft 4/23/2015 11:15:00 AM 2400 BLOCK 237TH ST Suspect(s) takes property from residence See Police Reports, page 10 Community Briefs Green Hills Vietnam Memorial Wall Green Hills Memorial Park, located at 27501 S. Western Ave. in Rancho Palos Verdes, will be featuring the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall on display 24 hours a day from Thursday, May 21, 2pm through Tuesday, May 26, 7am. The opening ceremony and patriotic ceremony will be held on Friday, May 22 at 6pm. Green Hills will also be having their 30th annual Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 25, starting at 10am. For more info, call the event line (310) 521-4460. North High Students Win Gates Scholarship Two academically outstanding North High students, Jacqueline Tayra and Ahsan Zaman, have been awarded the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship. The scholarship is given to those deserving students who have a record of exceptional academic performance, a dedication to community services, and an initiative to be a leader among their peers. Jacueline Tayra is an exceptional student, not only because of her 4.31 GPA but also because of her various extracurricular and community service projects, including volunteering at her church as a LifeTeen leader, and volunteering at the Madrona Marsh and the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve. Tayra will be pursuing a degree in International Relations and Business as well as a minor in Japanese at USC. Along with his 4.75 GPA, Ahsan finds time to be the president of the North High speech and debate team, a board member and volunteer tutor in CSF, and a laboratory technician at Experium Academy where he worked with younger kids, helping them foster a love of science. Zaman will attend USC in the Fall to pursue degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Friar Tux Shop Celebrates Celebrating the newly remodeled Friar Tux Shop on April 17 at 2535 Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance were (L to R) Friar Tux Shop District Manager Eric Acuna, Store Manager Shanti Telemaque, City of Torrance Mayor Patrick J. Furey who presented a congratulatory certificate, Director Store Operations Jeff Lemnitzer, Torrance Councilmember Heidi Ashcraft and Councilmember Mike Griffiths. Photo provided by Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce See Community Briefs, page 4
Torrance_050715_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above