Deafman with Cerebral Palsy Beaten and Arrested by Phoenix Police

Madison Moreno

 News reporter 28’

 

 The morning of August 19, 2024, Tyron McAlpin, a deaf black man with cerebral palsy in Phoenix, AZ,  was beaten and tased repeatedly by police. 

 

         The police were responding to a call that an assault was happening at a Circle K. When the police got to the scene, they asked McAlpin to stay where he was and to sit down. When McAlpin didn’t follow the instructions, the officers proceeded to get out of the car, run to him and punch him. They then pushed him on the ground to get ahold of him. After punching McAlpin, Officer Benjamin said “I think I broke my hand,” then brought out his taser and tases McAlpin four times while he is still being punched by Kyle Sue and squirming in pain. 

 

 ( Officer Sue and Harris both assault McAlpin; Photo credits: NBC News)

 

 This was found in an NPR article,and minutes after the assault, a woman named Jessica Ulaszek comes up and tells the police that she was McAlpin’s wife. She told the officers that he has cerebral palsy and was also deaf. McAlpin's wife told the officers to tell him that she was there to make him calm down but Officer Harris said that he didn't ‘need to know.” After putting McAlpin in handcuffs and taking him to jail, he was charged with two felony counts one for assault and another for resisting arrest.  McAlpin’s bail was $7,500 and had to spend 24 days in jail. He was able to afford to get out of jail thanks to The Bail Project non profit organization. It was announced on Friday August 30 that McAlpin’s attorney, Rachel Mitchel said that all charges against McAlpin were dropped. 

 

Mitchel said that the case should be brought back up to dig deeper into what happened in the situation and Mitchel said ‘I promise I would personally review the case including a large volume of recordings, police reports, and any other materials forwarded to my office.” In court, McAlpin's attorney said that he never assaulted Derek Steven’s and that he was the one who assaulted McAlpin. The investigator that Mitchel hired interviewed the Circle K workers into what happened that day. The worker says that McAlpin didn’t commit the assault and that it was Steven who did it.  

 

A June report found  in the police documents that the Phoenix Police would assault and discriminate Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans. The Police would also detain homeless people and use excessive force to arrest them. Vanden High schooler Jasmine Harris asked about the arrest with McAlpin and what she thought about the situation. She stated she saw it on the news and said she 

felt bad for the man and didn’t deserve what the police did to him and didn’t think it was fair that he got charged with assault and resisting arrest.   

The court took the charges away from McAlpin with body cam footage being shown to his family. McAlpin was overjoyed to be able to go home with his family. Both Officers Benjamin and Sue 

 

(Photo credit Atlanta Black Star)

were not charged with anything or had their badges taken away. Both are still working and for Steven he wasn't charged for anything or arrested for what he’s done.    

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former One Direction Star Liam Payne Fell to his Death at Age 31 

By: Kalia James 

News reporter '28 

 On October 16, 2024, One Direction's former star, Liam Payne traveled to Argentina and fell off his hotel balcony, killing him at 31.

                      Payne and his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, traveled to Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires and stayed at the Casa Palermo Hotel. It’s stated that Cassidy had returned to Florida two days before Payne’s accident according to the New York Post.

On the hotel CCTV footage, it’s shown that Payne originally fainted near the balcony, causing him to fall off the three stories onto the inner courtyard of the hotel. The autopsy reports revealed internal and external bleeding, as well as traces of pink cocaine, which is a powerful concoction of different drugs including: benzodiazepine, which is a depressant drug and cocaine.

Allison Johnson, health teacher and coach at Vanden states, “A lot of times pink cocaine doesn’t have actual cocaine in it. A lot of times it’s ketamine and MDMA. And Ketamine is a horse tranquillizer and a date rape drug. So ketamine makes it not just that you can’t remember but you can’t form memories”

The issue of drugs also seems to be a running issue among stars. Johnson states, “We’re seeing our youth, young kids, or teens, even young adults, but as soon as they’re getting into the Hollywood side of things or they're getting into the fame of their profession, right, they're a whole other side of things.” 

  She uses Drew Barrymore’s story of how she was exposed to adult parties and drugs at a really young age for example. “These kids are getting exposed to so many things at such a young age.”

According to ABC News, police also reviewed CCTV footage of multiple exchanges between a drug dealer and a hotel employee. The employee is being investigated in case he had any involvement with Payne. Hours beforehand, emergency services were called to the hotel, as someone reported a guest trashing their room intoxicated by drugs and alcohol. When investigating the room after Payne’s death, an improvised aluminum pipe, meant to ingest drugs was also found in Payne's room.    

    Furthermore, a Rolex that Payne had on his wrist in previous footage, was then missing. On CCTV footage, Payne is also seen twice sleeping with a bottle of whiskey in hand in the hotel lobby.  Following this, police identified two female escorts in the hotel lobby prior to his death, this all being found on ABC News.

Payne, prior to his death, had struggled with mental health and addictions. According to People.com, Payne explained that he used alcohol to cope with the “massive success” of One Direction. He compared going onstage to “putting the Disney costume on.”

Payne stated “I was drunk quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on, I mean it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a bit toxic.” According to People.com Cassidy, Payne’s former girlfriend’s most recent post on Instagram, states, “My heart is shattered into ways I can’t put into words. I wish you could see the huge impact you’ve had on the world, even as it feels so dark right now. You brought so much happiness and positivity to everyone-millions of fans, your family, friends, and especially me.”

Grief and concern lingers in fans, even at Vanden. Freshman Adrianne Biol states, “My heart goes out to his family and friends and lovers.

Many fans across the globe share these sentiments as multiple memorials are honored in his name. The One Direction former members came out to share their grief too, stating, “We are devastated by the news of Liam's passing… Our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly.” Posted on their One Direction official Instagram page.

Even after death, Payne continues to inspire fans across the globe, and will be forever loved.

 

Out with the Old and In With the New: Kamala Harris Takes on the Presidential Race

by Tamia Reid

Co-editor-in-chief '25

On July 21st 2024 American president Joe Biden announced that he would be dropping out of the 2024 made history. In a social media post the 46th president election race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on the role of the Democratic party's nominee. Never before in American history has a sitting president voluntarily stepped down from an active campaign; this historic first has led to several others, including Harris. Harris has now become the second woman, first Black woman, and first South Asian person to represent a major US political party.

Background                                                                                                

Kamala Harris was born on October 20th, 1964 making her 60 at the time of the 2024 election. She was born in Oakland, California to parents  Donald J. Harris and Shyamala Gopalan Harris. Her father was born in Jamaica and mother was born in India. Harris’s father is a prominent economist who served as a professor of economics at Stanford University from 1972 to 1998, and is now retired. He also served as an economic consultant to the government of Jamaica, and as an adviser to multiple prime ministers, according to his Stanford biography. 

Her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris worked as a renowned breast cancer researcher and scientist. According to Breast Cancer Action, Gopalan received numerous honors for her work as a research scientist. Her discovery related to the hormone-responsiveness of breast tissue led to many important advances in research. Kamala herself graduated from Howard University and then attended the University of California Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. Harris stayed true to her roots and began her law career right where she started, in the Bay Area.

Career 

Kamala Harris’s legal career began in 1990 when she became a prosecutor with  the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office specializing in the prosecution of child sexual assault cases, according to The White House. After working for the city attorney, she would go on to run for district attorney in 2004 against Terence Hallinan. She would win the election, serving as San Francisco District Attorney until 2011. Harris then served as California Attorney General, becoming the first Black American, first woman, and first Asian American elected to be the attorney general of California from 2011-2016. From 2017-2021 Harris would serve on the senate representing California, until being selected as Biden’s running mate on August 11, 2020 in the 2020 presidential election.

2024 Presidential Campaign    

     

With Biden no longer seeking re-election, Kamala Harris was swiftly endorsed by Biden himself, as well as other national and global icons including the Obamas, Stevie Wonder, the Clintons, and Beyonce. Harris’s campaign took off with great energy and momentum and continues to do so. Her husband Doug Emhoff, as well as her stepchildren Cole and Ella Emhoff, have played a significant role in her campaigning.

On August 6, 2024, Kamala Harris announced her VP pick as governor Tim Walz from the state of Minnesota. The running mates both took the stage during the Democratic National Convention which aired on national television through August 19-22, 2024, accepting their nomination.

 

Harris’s campaigning style has brought a sense of youthfulness and excitement to voters all around the country. Social Media has played a critical role in Harris’s campaign efforts. Grayce McCormick, founder of Lightfinder Public Relations states that Harris’s team has found a unique way to connect with young voters. Kamala Harris’s campaign TikTok account, Kamala HQ, averages six million views per post since July, and the account already has 4.8 million followers. The account specifically targets younger voters by jumping on viral trends and memes. Her social media campaign has created a vital connection with Gen Z, keeping her relevant. By engaging with the younger generation, Harris is approaching voters in a more interactive and relatable way which has been resonating with not just the youth, but social media users of all ages. 

Harris's campaign is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on ads and continues to keep her on a steady campaign trail, specifically targeting states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to AP News. These states, also known as 'swing states,' play a key role in the election as both the Republican and Democratic candidates have similar levels of support for each party. The Harris Walz campaign continues to trailblaze as they fight for a Democratic victory over their Republican opponents, the Trump Vance campaign.

Why Does the Internet Care About Nepotism?

 

Meet our Staff

Christopher Brookbank

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Christopher Brookbank is the dedicated Co-Editor-in-Chief of Vanden High School's newspaper and the President of Vikings for Humanity, a community action club committed to social change.

With a strong passion for social sciences, Christopher excels as a writer, researcher, and reporter, focusing on global conflicts and politics. An advocate for human rights and world peace, he is deeply influenced by Marxist principles and actively works to challenge capitalist structures.

In his downtime, Christopher enjoys playing video games and spending quality time with friends, balancing his activism with leisure. His commitment to social justice and thoughtful analysis makes him a vital voice in his community.

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Tamia Reid

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Tamia Reid is a dedicated and accomplished senior student journalist currently in her fourth year of Journalism. In addition to her editorial responsibilities, she actively contributes to the News section, showcasing her versatility and commitment to delivering accurate and engaging stories.

Beyond her journalistic endeavors, Tamia is deeply involved in her school community. She is a proud member of the Community Service Club, Friday Night Live, where she participates in various initiatives aimed at making a positive impact. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, and Link Crew, where she supports and mentors incoming freshmen. Tamia’s dedication to service extends beyond her school as she is also a Girl Scout Ambassador, embodying the values of leadership, community service, and personal development.

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Tamia Reid is a dedicated and accomplished senior student-journalist currently in her fourth year of Journalism. She is Co-editor-in-chief In addition to her editorial responsibilities, she actively contributes to the News section, showcasing her versatility and commitment to delivering accurate and engaging stories.Beyond her journalistic endeavors, Tamia is deeply involved in her school community. She is a proud member of the Community Service Club, Friday Night Lights, where she participates in various initiatives aimed at making a positive impact. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, and Link Crew, where she supports and mentors incoming freshmen. Tamia’s dedication to service extends beyond her school as she is also a Girl Scout Ambassador, embodying the values of leadership, community service, and personal development.

 

 

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Christopher Brookbank