PJC ABE student dies during police chase

MADELAIN TIGANO

The Corsair

PJC’s Adult Basic Education student, 17-year-old Victor Steen, lost his life early morning Oct. 3 after fleeing a construction site in Brownsville.

A News release states, Officer Jerald Ard, 35, from Pensacola Police Department saw Steen take off on his bicycle and proceeded to chase him with his cruiser. Ard tried to stop Steen with verbal commands, lights, and then a Taser stun gun. 

Shortly after the Taser was fired, Steen turned down R Street where he crashed his bicycle and was run over by Ard’s patrol car.  Whether the Taser hit Steen is uncertain.

“It is my understanding that at the time this incident occurred there wasn’t a policy with Pensacola Police Department saying that you cannot fire a Taser from a moving vehicle,” said PJC Police Chief, Nancy Newland. “Since that time, they have come up with that policy.”

The Pensacola News Journal posted “Assistant Chief Chip Simmons [from Pensacola Police Department] sent a memo saying officers are not allowed to fire their stun guns out of or into moving vehicles” in news report Oct. 10.

Newland also said, “Being on a posted construction site is a felony in Florida.” However, all detailed information will not be disclosed until the investigation is completed; meanwhile, Ard is awaiting further notice on administrated leave.

 “I was favorably impressed by Victor,” said London Bradshaw, Steen’s instructor. “He was quiet, polite, bright, and self-motivated in his studies.”

Steen attended reading comprehension, writing, and basic geometry classes at Richards Memorial United Methodist Church in Brownsville, an off-campus PJC location, for a total of three weeks before his death.

“Consequentlty, we didn’t get to   know him well and class reaction was less than had he been a student since the term began,” said Bradshaw.

According to Newland, when people witness a critical situation, like Ard or the witnesses who saw Steen die at Sluggo’s, “they have common reactions.”

“Officers who go through critical accidents have normal emotions,” Newland said. “They are human beings who pay bills and have families, just like you.”

“I’d be glad to meet with anyone who is having a difficult time dealing with what happened that night, and give them a little education on the normal reactions they would have to a situation like that,” said Newland.

PJC walks for hearts

KATIE COSEO
The Corsair

Downtown Pensacola hosted its annual American Heart Association; Heart walk teams from all PJC campuses participated. With heart disease and stroke being one of the leading causes of death in the U.S, Pensacola citizens came out with dogs, strollers, and walking shoes to show their support.

PJC had faculty, administration, and students walking the 5k meeting at 7:30 a.m. and the police cars pulled out to lead the way at 8:06 a.m. “It’s all inclusive Milton, Warrington and Pensacola,” explained Butch Branch, coordinator of the Fitness Center at Milton. “Many of our employees have had an experience with heart disease. I teach concepts of life fitness so it’s something I teach to my students about the prevention of heart disease.”

The Vice President of PJC, Dr. Gonzalez is a regular to the heart walk stating that this year’s his fifth time participating at the event.

“I try to support the college in this type of event,” said Gonzalez. “Secondly my father died of a heart attack and my mother had congestive heart failure, so I have a family interest as well as a professional work interest.”

Butch Branch and Sheran Noles, the Senior Administrative Assistant at Pensacola, organized the PJC team. Planning for the event starts back in July and early Aug.

“July kick off we have a big get together all of our teams all over the county come together,” explained Noles.

Noles also has personal reasons for participating in the heart walk, “My dad died of a massive heart attack in 1995.”

Teams from local businesses, organizations and all the area hospitals walked the three miles through Pensacola’s downtown area. PJC licensed practical nursing program also participated in the event with walkers as well as assisting with the Baptist tent set up for taking blood pressures for walkers.

Anyone could participate, either solo or by getting a team together. Dogs and families were welcome, and donations were optional but appreciative. All completed walkers were treated with a Subway sandwich.

Getting in shape and eating healthy is of course the mainstay of being heart healthy. There are risks that increase the chances of having heart disease such as smoking or having a family history.

“We’re all a heartbeat away from leaving this earth you know, and the more we do to help our own health, our personal health, the closer we are to staying around longer,” said Sheran Noles.

Was Steen’s death an abuse of power?

by Justin Otto

The recent death of Victor Steen raises some interesting questions.

What exactly was the crime he was being pursued for? He was hanging around a construction site which is apparently illegal, but why? If the thought was that he was stealing things from the site, I might see a reason for the pursuit by Officer Jerald Ard. In my opinion though, it would be more than a bit difficult to steal anything from a construction site on a bike.

So, why did this crime deserve chase? Still, no one but Mr. Ard himself knows why this was a justifiable pursuit when he flipped on his lights and gave chase after the young man for the minor crime of trespassing on a site that no one inhabited — a chase that ended in the death of 17-year-old Steen.

I am not bringing allegations that Steen was guilty or innocent of any crime other than trespassing because, granted, he was on a constructional site which is technically a crime.

But does the crime justify death, even if it was accidental? I am not bringing allegations that Officer Ard wasn’t just in pursuing him. What I am saying is that the Pensacola Police Department needs a serious evaluation and overhaul.

Since the incident, they have changed the protocol for taser use, so now an officer is not allowed to fire their tasers from moving vehicles. I always thought it was common sense that you wouldn’t do something that asinine in the first place, but I suppose I was wrong.

I myself have never been tased, but I have been stopped, searched and harassed for what seemed like nothing than the shear amusement of the officer at the time. What the officers in Pensacola, and in America in general, seem to forget most of the time is that they work for us. They are civil servants. We the citizens pay their salaries only sometimes to get treated as if we aren’t worthy to walk the streets.

There are times and places for the use of force and aggression, but there are many cases that seem the aggression gets out of hand. Why would you tase someone just to get them to stop riding their bike? Did you actually witness a major infraction of the law? If there was no real justifiable crime deserving of force and this boy got tased, does that mean that I could get tased for jaywalking? Is there a limit?

All in all, it teaches us a lesson. A lesson that says we might be better just sitting at home rather than going out due to the risk of allegations of minor offenses and the possibility of recourse for a crime that we may not have even been party to — or even known was a crime.

I have also on numerous occasions watched as officers flipped their lights and sirens on to simply get through a red light faster, only to flip them off once through. I have seen officers talk on cell phones while driving. I have seen officers not wearing seat belts. These are things that we the citizens cannot do without repercussion, so why no repercussions for the officers?

Running a red light just because you can is ultimately an abuse of power. That seems to happen a lot actually — abuse of power. Just because you can get away with something doesn’t mean that you should do it.

I always was taught to lead by example and I always thought that the police worked on the same policy. But when you see things like this current tragedy, you have to wonder if that is the example that we really should follow.

The Corsair awarded General Excellence

The Corsair placed in nine categories to take the General Excellence award Oct. 23 at the Florida Community College Press Association banquet in Ocala.  It was the fifth year in a row the PJC newspaper has won with Christina Drain as adviser.

Individual awards include -

First Place
Danica Spears - sports photo, picture story
Madelain Tigano – news story
Kristin Martin – in-depth reporting
Paul Smith – general column
Editorial – Corsair staff

Second Place
Jen-Beth Ball – ad design
Amethyst Strickland – humor writing

Third place
Lauren Fagler – sports writing

International Tenors perform an unforgettable show

KELCI PASCOE
The Corsair

The International Tenors put on quiet the show Tuesday evening in the Ashmore Auditorium.  Applauses and “bravo’s” flooded every corner of the building. Such a reaction to the tenors was well deserved.

The International Tenors performed a large variety of music from classic opera arias to pop performances. They even performed tributes to the three arguably greatest tenors of all time: Enrico Caruso, Mario Lanza, and Luciana Pavarotti.

“The Tenors performance was superb,” Rhoda Moya, box office manager and Lyceum assistant, said. “They sang a good variety of music and they received a lot of ‘bravo!’ yells and a standing ovations.”

Moya played a large part in coordinating this event and making it all possible

“I contact the artist’s agent and they mail a contract and I send it for approval,” Moya said. “Typically, I pick up artists when they fly into town, but Mitch Seekins drove from Canada to Florida and he picked up the other two tenors.”

The three tenors, Michael Toby, Derrell Hicks, and Mitch Seekins, were all able to showcase their impressive voices with complicated solos.

Toby sang “Una Furtiva Lagrima” first, then Hicks sang “Ach! So Fromm”, and last but certainly not least Seekins performed “Romanza.” All three of these solos were passionately and brilliantly executed.

The tenors have performed in well recognized and prestigious pieces such as West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Handel’s Messiah, Puccini’s Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and La Traviata.

Not only were the tenors extremely talented and proficient in their genera of music, they were also very personable. Throughout the performance they showed what a great sense of humor all three of them possess.

“They were very nice and came out front after the performance to sign autographs and posed for pictures with patrons,” Moya said.

PJC did a wonderful job selecting the tenors as part of a diverse musical line-up.

“The Lyceum Committee chose the Tenors,” Moya said. “They came as part of the Lyceum Series events. We try to keep the acts diverse.”

The International Tenors is an event that will be well remembered by all who attended.

“The event was well received and The International Tenors were a hit,” Moya said.

Two PJC students will be chosen for Academic teams

USA Today and Coca Cola Scholars Foundation are sponsoring the All USA Academic Team and the All Florida Academic Team for 2010.  Members of these teams have the opportunity to earn some of the $500,000 in stipends.  PJC is going to nominate two students for The All-USA and The All-Florida Academic Teams.  To apply, send in a 2 page essay (double spaced) on “My Most Significant Endeavor While Attending Community College” and an academic resume to Jeff Wooters by 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30.  To find out more about this opportunity and other requirements each student must meet in order to be chosen e-mail Jeff Wooters at jwooters@pjc.edu.

Pensacola Chamber of Commerce partners with PJC

ASHLEY THOMPSON -The Corsair

The Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with PJC to launch the Gulf Coast Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), an online community intended to help new high-tech companies in the area.

“PJC provides working space and a supportive environment that will serve as a bridge between the CIE and the home office for local technology companies,” said PJC President, Dr. Ed Meadows.

Entrepreneurs are described by Florida State statute as having an “independently owned and operated business concern incorporated in Florida which is not an affiliate or subsidiary of a business dominant in its field of operation and which employs 25 or fewer full-time employees.”

Current “tenants” of the CIE include: The Analyst Group, a company that provides staffing solutions and software development for the call center industry and The Advent Agency, a promotions and sales consulting firm specializing in text messaging advertising.

In addition to providing accounting support and a networking community, the CIE provides access to over 170 office suites, discounted rates on consulting services, entry into events and exposure to local markets.

The cost to enter the program ranges from $75 to $100 per month. The cost varies due to the amount of services provided to the company.

For more information on the CIE visit www.gulfcoastinnovation.com.

Adelitas Way come to Pensacola Civic Center

Timm Showalter - The Corsair

Shinedown fans attending the show this Friday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. inside the Civic Center might think they have passed through a time warp back to 1985 when they hear Eddie Murphy’s, “Party All the Time.”

Have no fear; this is just the precursor to the rockin’ out Las Vegas natives, Adelitas Way, will be doing as the opening act for Shinedown.

The band has been touring for the past eight months and is ready to “get the party started,” says lead singer Rick DeJesus. “We’re the beginning of your experience. We get the crowd rockin’; get everyone movin’.”

After doing their stretches, vocal warm-ups, drum warm-ups, and guitar warm-ups “we’re just gonna go out there and rock it!” says DeJesus. “We get excited; I get very excited. I can’t wait to go and rock with these bands.”

The band’s self-titled debut album was released in July and hit number 16 on Billboard’s Top New Artist Chart. Their first single, “Invincible,” is currently WWE’s theme song and was used in CSI: Miami’s 2009 season finale. Over the past few years the band has opened for bands such as Tantric, Hinder, Saliva and Sick Puppies.

Although the band has enjoyed ample success over the past few months, it didn’t start out this way. “We started off getting beer bottles thrown at us. We played every shit joint you’ve ever seen; in front of 15 people, 20 people.”

DeJesus points this recent success to Virgin Records. “The success we’re getting now is due to our great management team. We have a great label, Virgin Records. From management to store management our team is hard working, and I attribute a lot of our success to a lot of hard work.”

An all-star team like the one backing Adelitas Way came with a lot of effort. “We got beat up in the record industry for awhile. A lot of companies passed on us or said, ‘You guys don’t have what it takes;’ I was literally getting dragged out of label offices by security.”

Instead of losing hope, the band just kept writing more songs. “Eventually we just built up enough buzz to where these people just started calling us back and showing interest.”
As soon as the guys at Virgin got a hold of the band they were stoked. “Virgin really believed in us right off the bat. Our guy heard us one time and was like, ‘Dude, I want this.’”

In order to attract the attention of major labels, like Virgin, Adelitas Way had to enhance their song repertoire. To do this they started applying a more personal strategy to writing songs.

DeJesus says he’s an emotional guy and tries to write music based on real-life experiences. “I had a pretty tough upbringing; the neighborhood I lived in was rough. The first time I moved out of my house I thought it was gonna be easy. I did it and, it ended up being really hard. I couldn’t pay my bills, I ended up homeless and that’s what the song, ‘All fall down,’ is about.” Another song, “Brother,” is about DeJesus’ brother and his addiction to heroin.

The band writes all its own music. “I come up with a concept about what I want to write a song about, and I’ll come up with a vocal melody for a chorus.” After DeJesus has come up with a workable idea he’ll collaborate with guitar player, Chris Iorio, and sort of jam it out with the rest of the members over time. “You never know when you’re gonna write a good song.”

The name Adelitas Way came from an experience the band had in Tijuana where they were extorted by crooked cops. DeJesus was able to hide roughly 20 bucks in his shoes during the arrest. The band went to a local bar afterwards called, “Adelita.” It wasn’t long before he realized they were in a brothel.

During the time they spent at the bar he had an opportunity to speak with one of the girls. “I saw this girl who was like 16 or 17 years old and, she was beautiful. It turned out she was a prostitute.” DeJesus asked the girl, “Why are you doing this?” She answered that she was able to support her entire family from it since she was 12-years-old.

DeJesus said, “I left that experience realizing at that time that we’re all given opportunities to do what we like in life, and given a chance to succeed. Some people aren’t that fortunate and, Adelitas Way reminds us not to take for granted what we have.”

The guys have been pouring everything they have into the music since the band started. “We put all our eggs in the music basket and thank God it worked.”

PTK hosts Car Wash at Apple Market

The Theta Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa is having a car wash Saturday at Apple Market from 9am-12pm, Donations Only.  The students are raising money to go to the PTK International Convention.  This is a very large meeting that offers our students leadership workshops, world renowned guest speakers, team building activities, and networking with people from across the country and around the world.

The more money the students raise the more students that we can take to the convention.  Come out to support PTK and help our PJC students become leaders in their community!

If you have any questions or would like to make a donation contact the Theta Chi advisors Jeff Wooters, Jwooters@pjc.edu, or Jessica Petersen, Jpetersen@pjc.edu.

Lady Pirates earn ticket to state tournament

MADELAIN TIGANO

The Lady Pirates, PJC’s volleyball team, are now conference champions after winning Oct. 14 against Gulf Coast Community College in a battle for an entry to the state tournament.

“I’m excited to go to state,” said Cassidy Nance, freshman player. “It is what we worked really hard for, and we finally did it.”

Sophomore Jessica Guidry started the first set with a six-point serving run, leaving PJC in the lead six to one. Later, Jasmine Scott hit a kill for the eighth point, followed by Hannah Nichols’ kill for the ninth and Kali Pringle’s kill for the tenth. Cassidy Nance continued PJC’s domination with a kill for the game point, winning the set 25-13 which brought the crowd to a roar.

The second set took a similar route to the first with PJC winning 25-14.

“We came out aggressive in the first two games,” said Pete Pena, volleyball head coach.

In the third set, the Lady Pirates left the crowd cheering for a comeback as they fell behind by five points with the score becoming 10 to 5, Gulf Coast, and then rising 15-10. Gulf Coast took control in defense at the end of the set winning 25-16.

IN the fourth set, Gulf Coast’s Jameiha Maxwell gave away the match point to PJC by hitting the ball out of bounds, leaving the final score 25-18 and giving PJC its ticket to state.

“It’s nice to win and get to go to the state tournament again,” Pena said. “I am very proud of them.”

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