4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 12, 2006

OPINION


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JASON Z. PESICK
Editor in Chief

SUHAEL MOMIN
SAM SINGER
Editorial Page Editors

ALISON GO
Managing Editor

EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890

420 MAYNARD STREET
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com

NOTABLE
QUOTABLE
Unscrupulous
cybercriminals
have shown the
desire and means to
exploit human
emotion."
- Part of an FBI statement on fraudulent e-
mails claiming to seek donations for the families
of the 12 miners killed in West Virginia last
week, as reported yesterday by CNN.com.

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KATIE GARLINGHOUSE 1IOUSE ARREST

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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All
other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their author.

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Don't forget your Mace
ALISON Go WH-o WATCHES THE WX'ATCHtM EN?
e all got The problem isn't that someone didn't send In the grand social contract, the police
the head- the holiday crime e-mail on time or that others should uphold the law, strike fear into the
scratching really thought that flying a "Lock Your Doors" hearts of would-be criminals and keep the
e-mail. The one that banner over a football game wasn't a waste of city's people safe. Ultimately, they are sup-
told us to be safe over time or money. The problem is that the city posed to offer residents a modicum of comfort
the holidays - told us, should really be thinking about how they can and security. By not leaning on the AAPD
among other things, to help us - not how we can help ourselves. in its supposed fight against crime, the city's
lock our doors, bring For every stupid kid who didn't lock his leaders do a disservice to the community. By
our valuables home and door, there is another who is cautious - even putting the burden of crime prevention onto
to make our houses look paranoid - but still a victim of crime. And the shoulders of the students and residents,
occupied. for me, each exclamation-point-heavy remind- our sense of security - offered by an effective
Well, to the University, the city, the police er from AAPD and Co. is a slap in the face. police unit - will eventually be replaced by a
and our landlords, thanks for the heads-up. I'm anxious to see if the numbers are any sense of paranoia.
Besides being painfully obvious, the advice better for crimes that aren't break-ins - the In all actuality, the AAPD isn't doing a hor-
was especially helpful when sent the day after attacks and reports of prowlers that are infi- rendous job. They on occasion catch criminals,
the last final, when campus was already aban- nitely scarier and creepier than your average and a lot of my own personal encounters with
doned and when there was little chance of any- home burglary. them have been positive (here's a shout-out to
one actually believing that our campus homes This past election season, the issue of the cop who responded to both my Peeping
were brimming with people. increased crime in Ann Arbor was posed to Tom and the gunshots fired outside my house
The crime prevention tactics of campus con- two City Council candidates at a debate. For last year). But there is still work to be done.
stituencies might be noble, but their efforts have the most part, the candidates answered the Everyone knows that money is tight, which
been generally mishandled and misguided. question by saying students should do a better makes it even more important that time, money
Though probably the most pointless, the job protecting themselves. "Much of this has to and energy are spent in the right direction.
belated e-mail was not the first effort of the Ann be the potential victims of crimes have to take There are many city leaders who echo Birkett
Arbor Police Department's "aggressive" cam- more seriously their role in preventing it," said - who don't think "that more police walking
paign to get students to protect themselves. Rich Birkett, who eventually lost the election. around the neighborhoods is an effective use
The beginning of the fall semester cer- Birkett then added that students should start of taxpayers' dollars." But then there those
tainly gave the AAPD reason to take notice. carrying cans of Mace. like Leigh Greden (who not surprisingly beat
The Ann Arbor News reported that the num- How disconcerting - especially to those out Birkett in the 3rd Ward) who recognize the
ber of break-ins has increased from 706 in who diligently lock their doors and are still importance of units that catch criminals and
2004 through mid-December to 809 in the robbed, to my friend who had then been the need to hire more police.
same period this year. Similarly, crime was up recently stabbed on her walk home, and to I have little problem with sending out low-
almost 10 percent in October. To the police's me, after my not-so-friendly encounter with cost, University-wide e-mails - even if they
credit, since October something they changed a cigarette-smoking Peeping Tom undeterred defy logic in some ways. But to forget and
must be working. Break-ins over Thanksgiv- by a window screen. Blaming crime victims ignore that the government has a bigger role
ing break leveled off when compared to last for their victimhood and the mace comment, in preventing crime would be unfortunate
year and actually decreased over winter break which later resulted'in a round of chuckles - especially because I'd like to one day be
- although I question the AAPD's records from the panel, is insulting, infuriating, insen- able to loosen the grip on my purse, unlock my
and wonder, with 103 more break-ins, if there sitive and so on. front door without a quickened heartbeat and
was anything left to steal. Where is the discussion over the police's take down the giant sheet that's hanging over
And I do agree with the authorities that role? What about actually catching these my window. And no number of patronizing e-
students need to be smarter and less careless, criminals, or at least scaring them into abiding mails is going to help me do that.
but by focusing so much of their energy on the law? Just because there are fewer things
reminding us kids to do so, the police and city to steal and fewer easy victims doesn't mean Go can be reached
are partially botching the operation. there are fewer criminals. at aligo@umich.edu.
VIEWPOINT
There is life after Coke
BY ADRI MILLER, LINDSAY ROGERS, CLARA Enterprises, Wells's job, very simply, is to membership director of Michigan Young Dem-
HARDIE AND AsHwINI HARDIKAR defend his employer against scrutiny. Often, ocrats, to discuss the effect on local jobs. They
Wells cites the supposed loss of local jobs as informed us that the Teamsters leaders and
Life after Coke: Area feels effects (01/11/2006), a reason contracts with Coca-Cola should not workers were aware of Coca-Cola's maltreat-
an article claiming to expose the "local" effects be cut, despite its labor, environmental and ment of workers in the United States as well as
of the University suspending its contract with human rights violations. The Coalition to Cut abroad, and supported the efforts of the cam-
the Coca-Cola Company, was an inflammatory the Contract with Coca-Cola met Wells sever- paign at the University. Black also referenced
article, devoid of facts and investigative report- al times earlier this year when he came to the Teamster president Jimmy Hoffa, Jr.'s statement
ing skills. The article did not examine critically University during the campaign. His interests in 2001: "There is no more unconscionable
whether local jobs would be affected by the were and continue to be aligned with Coca- offense than the violent attack on trade union
University's suspension of the Coca-Cola con- Cola and in sharp contrast with those of Coca- leaders to eliminate or suppress the rights of
tract. Instead, it cited slanted and biased opin- Cola's local unions and workers. Percy Wells workers ... The Teamsters union extends its
ions to support shaky claims recently raised by serves as another player in the public relations hand of solidarity in the struggle to protect the
the campus right. Notably, while the headline of game the company is desperately trying to human rights of workers everywhere."
the article implies that local jobs have already stay on top of. Many critics seem to be only ideologically
been affected, the subheadline reads "Nearby The issue of local jobs and the effect on aligned against the student campaign. They will
bottlers, distribution plants could be hurt by local union workers is one that the Coalition dismiss even hard facts in an effort to discredit a
University cutting Coke contracts" (emphasis has taken very seriously from the start. As an so-called "leftist" campus movement.
ours). The article simply speculates without international worker solidarity campaign, we In the name of human and labor rights for
offering any hard facts. The reporter only con- understood that global involvement is extremely everyone around the world, student members
sulted with one actual worker, Coca-Cola truck complex in its effects locally and abroad. The of the international movement to hold Coca-
driver Gordie Johnston, and one Coca-Cola coalition has personal contacts and is working Cola accountable believe that if we can't make
spokesperson, Percy Wells. He then came to in solidarity with the International Federation it profitable to be socially responsible, we'll
the erroneous conclusion that local jobs would of Teamsters, the affected Colombian workers' make it unprofitable to be socially irrespon-
indeed be affected. union SINALTRAINAL, United Steelworkers sible. We will not respond to public relations
The article stated that "Michigan's bot- Association, Stop Killer Coke, India Resource games designed to suppress our activism. Only
tling company employs about 2,000 people, Center, International Labor Rights Fund and when real workers come to us with complaints
64 percent of whom are unionized," yet failed United Students Against Sweatshops. will we back away from our strategy of pushing
to interview the local Teamsters union, the Recently, the coalition met with Bill Black, the University to uphold its own ethical Vendor
largest union of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Faygo the legislative and community affairs director Code of Conduct by continuing to suspend con-
workers. Instead, it misleadingly quoted and international representative of the Michigan tracts with Coca-Cola.
Wells, alluding that he was a representative Teamsters Joint Council No. 45; Rev. Charles
of the workers that might be affected by the Williams III of the Mary Church Terrell Coun- The viewpoint is written on behalf of the Coali-
University's suspension of the Coca-Cola con- cil for Community Empowerment; and Isaac tion to Cut the Contract with Coca-Cola. Miller is
tract. The opposite is true. As a spokesman for Robinson, Eastern Michigan field director for an RC sophomore, Rogers is an LSA sophomore,
the Great Lakes business unit of Coca-Cola Michigan Teamsters Joint Council No. 43 and and Hardie and Hardikar are RC seniors.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

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Editorial Board Members: Amy Anspach, Andrew Bielak, Reggie Brown, Gabrielle
D'Angelo, John Davis, Whitney Dibo, Milly Dick, Sara Eber, Jesse Forester, Mara Gay, Jared
Goldberg, Ashwin Jagannathan, Theresa Kennelly, Mark Kuehn, Will Kerridge, Frank Man-
ley, Kirsty McNamara, Rajiv Prabhakar, Matt Rose, David Russell, Katherine Seid, Brian

MSA should spend
student money better
TO THE DAILY:
If you've look at your tuition bill lately, you

of a higher minimum wage is nothing short of
absurd. Whatever your position is, MSA's opin-
ion has no bearing on this issue. MSA has no say,
at any level of government, relating to minimum
wage regulations. This is as absurd as if MSA

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