The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News & Arts
Tuesday, March 17, 2015 — 7

JEFF ROBERSON/AP

St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, left, speaks during a news conference as St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar listens Sunday, March 15, 2015, in Clayton, 
Mo. McCulloch said 20-year-old Jeffrey Williams has been charged in the shooting of two St. Louis-area officers. 
Ferguson prosecutors prepare 
to try police shooting suspect 

DON RYANY/AP

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signs an automatic voter registration bill, Monday, March 16 in Salem, Ore. 
Oregon adopts automatic 
voter registration system

Williams declines 
to make statement 
during trial briefing 

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — The 

man accused of shooting two 
police officers last week in Fer-
guson appeared in court Mon-
day, a day after his arrest on 
charges that he fired on the men 
during a late-night protest.

Williams, 20, did not make any 

statements during the brief hear-
ing. St. Louis television station 
KTVI said a judge read the charg-
es — felony assault, armed crimi-
nal action and a weapons offense 
— and gave Williams a list of pos-
sible private attorneys. His next 
appearance was set for March 31.

Williams is accused of shooting 

the two officers Thursday outside 

Ferguson’s police station, which 
has been the scene of protests 
since last summer’s fatal shooting 
of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Williams told investigators he 

was not targeting law enforce-
ment and had been aiming instead 
at someone with whom he was in 
dispute, authorities said.

“We’re not sure we com-

pletely buy that part of it,” St. 
Louis County Prosecutor Robert 
McCulloch said.

Williams used a handgun that 

matches the shell casings at the 
scene, McCulloch said. He was 
being held on $300,000 bond.

Ferguson activist Derrick Rob-

inson said Sunday that Williams 
told him during a jail visit that he 
had been robbed earlier on the 
day of the shooting and returned 
to the protest zone to retaliate. 
On Monday, Robinson referred 

inquiries to Wiliams’ lawyer, who 
did not immediately respond to an 
interview request.

The shooting happened as 

a demonstration outside the 
police department began to 
break up. The protest followed 
the resignation of city Police 
Chief Tom Jackson in the wake 
of a Justice Department report 
that found widespread racial 
bias in the city’s police practices.

Protesters did not recognize 

Williams as one of their own, 
and he was not well known 
among neighbors.

Brittany Ferrell, 26, a protest 

leader with the group Millen-
nial Activists United, said no 
one in her group knew Williams, 
and they checked with other 
frequent protesters, who also 
had not heard of him.

John Gaskin, a St. Louis 

NAACP leader, said of Williams, 
“I don’t know him. I’ve never 
seen him.”

On Monday, no one answered 

the door of the north St Louis 
County home Williams listed 
as his address on court records, 
and several neighbors said Mon-
day they did not know him. The 
home is about 5 miles northeast 
of the police department.

According to 2014 county 

court records, Williams lived in 
the nearby community of Jen-
nings, parts of which border 
Ferguson. But no one answered 
the door at that home either.

Online state court records 

show a man by the name of Jef-
frey Williams at the address 
police provided Sunday was 
charged in 2013 with receiving 
stolen property and fraudulent 
use of a credit/debit device.

New protocol 

aims to broaden 

participation 

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Seven-

teen years after Oregon decided 
to become the first state to hold 
all elections with mail-in ballots, 
it took another pioneering step 
on Monday to broaden participa-
tion by automatically registering 
people to vote.

Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill 

that puts the burden of registra-
tion on the state instead of voters.

Under the legislation, every 

adult citizen in Oregon who has 
interacted with the Driver and 
Motor Vehicle Services Division 
since 2013 but hasn’t registered 
to vote will receive a ballot in 
the mail at least 20 days before 
the next statewide election. The 
measure is expected to add about 
300,000 new voters to the rolls.

“It just changes expectations 

for who’s responsible for mak-
ing elections work,” said Barry 
Burden, a professor of political 
science at the University of Wis-
consin in Madison and director 
of the Elections Research Cen-
ter. “In every other state it’s the 
responsibility for the voters to 
make sure it happens.”

Some other states have consid-

ered such legislation but none has 

gone as far as Oregon.

Minnesota nearly implement-

ed automatic voter registration in 
2009 before the plan was vetoed 
by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who said 
“registering to vote should be a 
voluntary, intentional act.”

Similar concerns were raised 

by Oregon’s minority Republi-
cans.

“Simply because it makes us 

unique or makes us first does not 
necessarily mean that it actually 
improves on what we’re doing,” 
said state Sen. Jackie Winters, a 
Republican from Salem.

Oregon 
Republicans 
also 

voiced worry about potential 
voter fraud, the cost of imple-
menting the measure, and wheth-
er the DMV can ensure personal 
information remains secure.

Information the DMV has on 

file, such as age, residential infor-
mation, signature and citizenship 
status, will be transferred to the 
secretary of state, who will then 
automatically update registration 
information.

When it came up for a vote 

in the state Senate last week, all 
Republicans and one Democrat 
voted against it. The Democrats 
hold a 18-12 advantage in the Sen-
ate so the bill easily passed.

State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner 

Hayward, a Portland Democrat 
who carried the bill in the Senate, 
said there were rumblings the 

measure was a “secret plot” to 
enroll more Democrats. But she 
denied that was true.

Oregon already has one of the 

highest voter registration rates in 
the nation — 73 percent of Orego-
nians were registered to vote and 
70 percent of them cast ballots 
during the 2014 general election.

Tony Green, spokesman for 

the secretary of state, said the 
legislation is expected to even-
tually capture all unregistered 
voters who are in the DMV data-
base after taking actions such as 
obtaining or renewing a driver’s 
license.

Two years ago, when the mea-

sure was first proposed, Green 
said there were questions about 
whether the Driver and Motor 
Vehicle Services Division records 
were confidential under fed-
eral law. The legislative coun-
sel determined the secretary of 
state and the division could share 
information as long as it was for 
legitimate government purposes, 
he said.

People eligible to vote will get 

a postcard saying they’ve been 
registered and have three weeks 
to opt out. They’ll be automatical-
ly registered as unaffiliated but 
can select a political party from 
the postcard and return it to elec-
tion officials through the mail.

Automatic registration is not 

uncommon in other countries. 

Police reflect on 

moments leading to 

suspect’s arrest

BOSTON (AP) — Three police 

officers on Monday described an 
onslaught of gunfire and bombs 
thrown during a violent confron-
tation with the Boston Marathon 
bombers days after the deadly 
attack and one suspect’s furious 
escape in a stolen car that ended 
with him dragging his brother’s 
body through the street.

The testimony by Watertown 

officers came hours after jurors 
in the federal death penalty 
trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev 
went to see the bullet-ridden 
boat he was found hiding in the 
evening of April 19, 2013.

Earlier that day, shortly after 

midnight, one officer spot-
ted a carjacked Mercedes SUV 
on a quiet residential street. 
That set off a frenzied clash in 
which Dzhokhar and his older 
brother, 
Tamerlan, 
hurled 

explosives at police, including 
two pipe bombs and one pres-
sure-cooker bomb similar to 
those used near the marathon 
finish line that killed 3 people 
and injured more than 260 oth-
ers, the officers testified.

Joseph Reynolds, the first 

officer at the scene, said he 
“locked eyes” with the SUV 
driver, who was later identified 
as Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Reyn-
olds said Tamerlan got out of 
the car and began firing at him.

“All I could see was muzzle 

flashes,” he said. “I couldn’t 
count it. It was nonstop.”

The shots continued as other 

officers began to arrive, Reyn-
olds said.

He saw a wick and a lighter 

and then watched as an object 
flew through the air, landed 
in the street and exploded, he 
said, shaking him to his knees.

“I could feel all the debris 

landing on top of me,” he said.

Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese said he 

cut through backyards to get 
closer to the bombers, and he 
eventually could see their feet 
illuminated by car headlights. 
He said he aimed at the ground 
near their feet in the hope that 
the bullets would ricochet into 
their ankles.

But Tamerlan saw him and 

came charging up the street, 
firing at him, said Pugliese, 
who fired back.

The two men came face to 

face, with only 6 to 8 feet sepa-
rating them, Pugliese said. But 
Tamerlan had a problem with 
his pistol, the officer said.

“He kind of looked at his 

gun. He looked at me. We 
looked at each other,” Pugliese 
said. “I think out of frustra-
tion, he threw his gun at me.”

Pugliese 
said 
Tamerlan 

began to run away, but he tack-
led him. Tamerlan struggled 
as three officers tried to hand-
cuff him, even though he was 
wounded and bleeding, Pug-
liese said.

That’s when they saw the sto-

len car speeding toward them 
with 
Dzhokhar 
behind 
the 

wheel, Pugliese said.

The officer stepped out of the 

witness box to demonstrate how 
he tried to pull Tamerlan out of 
the way and how he rolled over to 
get himself out of the car’s path.

“The black SUV, it was right 

in my face,” he said. “I looked 
down, and I saw the front wheels 
were over Tamerlan.”

Marina and the Diamonds 
mines new depth in ‘Froot’

Pop musician 

balances 

bubblegum and 
meaning in latest 

album

By REGAN DETWILER

For The Daily

With the 

release 
of 

her 
third 

album, 
Froot, 
Welsh-born 
musician 
Marina and 
the 
Diamonds 

appears 
to 

have found 
her artistic 
center. Froot features bubblegum 
pop beats juxtaposed with lyr-
ics steeped in meaning, ranging 
from intimate personal reflec-
tion to dark social commentary. 

It’s impossible to take a good 

look at Froot without Marina’s 
previous two albums in mind. 
Marina first came into the spot-
light with her 2010 debut album 
The Family Jewels, which fell 
somewhere along the lines of 
electronic indie-pop, being remi-
niscent of Lily Allen or The Ting 
Tings. Branded as more personal 
by the alternative music press, 
the album secured her place as 
opener for Katy Perry on her Cal-
ifornia Dreams Tour and Cold-
play’s Mylo Xyloto Tour. 

Her 2012 album Electra Heart 

leans much more heavily toward 
pop. With tracks “How To Be 
A Heartbreaker,” “Bubblegum 
Bitch” and the popular “Prima-
donna,” the album’s themes are 
centered in a ruthless depic-
tion of American culture and 
especially its expectations for 
women. Without listening to 
the lyrics, Electra Heart might 
seem like an album filled with 
top-down 
convertible, 
feel 

good pop beats, but Marina’s 
highly intellectual and socially 
charged words create a differ-
ent picture. Her second release 
definitely widened the artist’s 

audience with its pop sound, 
but also served to upset some of 
her original fans who liked what 
was perceived as her more per-
sonal side.

Interviews with the musician 

reveal that this is exactly what 
she’s about: she’s an artist whose 
work is highly personal, but is 
also created within a broader 
social and musical context – and 
she knows it. She explains Elec-
tra Heart in an interview with 
music website The Line of Best 
Fit that “when I was projecting 
cynicism, or when I was being 
snarky or whatever, I was myself 
all the time.” She emphasizes her 
personal relationship with her 
music again in a 2013 Huffington 
Post interview, Marina said of 
her music, “I’ll always be present 
because I’m writing it.”

The artist, who will turn 30 

years old later this year, seems 
to have matured with Froot. 
After years of unhappiness and a 
lack of self-assuredness, her lat-
est release opens with the song 
“Happy,” with peaceful, dreamy, 
yet still slightly melancholy mel-
ody and lyrics of vulnerability 
and self-acceptance that com-
municate, “So now you know, 
you know it all/That I’ve been 
desperately alone,” but that “I’ve 
found what I’ve been looking 
for in myself.” She lets listeners 
know right away that although 
she’s faced hardship and regret, 
she’s at peace. 

Without 
a 
dull 
moment, 

Marina picks things up straight 
away 
with 
the 
title 
track 

“Froot,” which appeals to her 
pop side with a fast, electronic 
and swinging beat. Its candy 
sweet, feel good sound is remi-
niscent of some kind of hybrid of 
Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” 
and ABBA’s catchy ’70s beats. 
Similarly, listeners won’t be able 
to keep their shoulders from 
swaying to subsequent tracks 
“Blue,” “I’m a Ruin” and “Can’t 
Pin Me Down.” These tracks are 
fun and upbeat but with an edge, 
“Blue” and “I’m a Ruin” being 
about bad relationship habits 
and “Can’t Pin Me Down” play-
ing with some ideas about the 
American female archetype she 
explored in Electra Heart.

While 
she 
does 
let 
her 

pop 
tendencies 
show 
with 

Froot, Marina doesn’t forget 
the 
explicitly 
personal 
and 

insightful 
musician 
she’s 

always 
been. 
Even 
her 

brightest, lightest songs have an 
underlying eeriness because of 
the electronic minor vocals she 
incorporates into the harmonies 
of all her songs. In addition, no 
matter how happy and light 
her melodies and beats may 
seem, Marina’s lyrics are always 
steeped in critical introspection 
or insightful social commentary.

Directly 
appealing 
to 
her 

darker side are tracks “Solitaire” 
and “Weeds,” both covering 
deeply personal subject matter, 
using bass beats and dreamy 
electronic 
sounds 
in 
the 

background to create a heavier, 
more serious tone. “Solitaire” 
pairs sweet, twinkling, chime-
like instrumentals and echoing 
vocals with lyrics describing the 
emptiness of consumerism and 
materialism, saying “I see people 
and cars covered in gold / And I’m 
happy to be on my own.” 

So many songs with weighty 

lyrics about bad habits, mistakes 
and a certain cynicism do seem 
a little unexpected in the context 
of the album’s opening track, 
“Happy.” It seems like this song 
should be at the end of the album, 
the conclusion to all of the inner 
turmoil expressed throughout 
the rest of the collection. Instead, 
Froot ends with “Immortal,” its 
dark sounds and lyrics dealing 
with issues of human life’s 
meaning in context of its brevity, 
making sure listeners know she’s 
not to be taken lightly as an artist 
and a mind. 

Froot is undoubtedly a step 

forward for Marina and the Dia-
monds. She clearly has reached 
a level of self-acceptance as an 
individual and an artist with 
songs appealing to both pop 
elements and deeply personal 
elements, and not without the 
streak of intellectual social 
commentary that she’s become 
known for. People who aren’t 
yet Marina fans are sure to gain 
a newfound respect for her as an 
artist if they give this album a 
serious listen.

A

Froot

Marina and 
the Diamonds

Atlantic Records

Officers testify 
in Boston trial

ARTS

