It would seem that the decision to invite Michelle Alexander, author of the book "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," to speak Monday at Saint Mary's College was inspired by stories ripped from recent headlines. Instead, Mana Derakhshani, a French professor and associate director of the Center for Women's Intercultural Leadership at Saint Mary's, says part of her interest in the book stemmed from her desire to find good material for a faculty reading group. [continues 667 words]
War on Drugs Focuses Examination of 2001 Violence at Rainbow Farm Dean Kuipers likes keep track of what's happening around his hometown of Kalamazoo. Kuipers, deputy editor of Los Angeles City Beat, receives copies of the Kalamazoo paper. So when Kuipers saw stories about the standoff at the Rainbow Farm, he was immediately interested. The story of the standoff pitting farm owners and marijuana legalization advocates Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm against law enforcement ended tragically in the late summer of 2001. [continues 551 words]
