Peralta Community College District's Only Student-Run Publication
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

PCCD offices. (Photo: Li Khan/The Citizen)
Board bears down on budget at 6/11 meeting
District faces $11.2 million deficit
Romi Bales and Li Khan July 10, 2024
Carpentry instructor spruces up department
Carpentry instructor spruces up department
Rym-Maya Kherbache, Staff Writer • April 24, 2024
Archives
Students discuss their work in class at the MESA center at American River College on April 25, 2024. (Photo: Cristian Gonzalez/CalMatters)
California boosts spending to help students earn math and science degrees
Li Khan, via CalMatters • July 9, 2024
Student Trustee Natasha Masand believes her voice has the power to impact the PCCD community.
Student Trustee Natasha Masand finds her voice
Isabelly Sabô Barbosa, Social Media Editor • March 19, 2024
Archives

    Violence still lives in MLK Jr.’s shadow

    I admit the fact that there are too many injustices in America against people of color, but I don’t think violence is the answer to this problem. This is not what Martin Luther King Jr. taught us.
    I believe that if Martin Luther King Jr. were alive, he would be deeply heartbroken with the American people. First, he would express his distress towards the police brutality; and second, to those who chose violence to fight against the injustices.
    In 2012, I immigrated to this country from Asia. Since then I have been living in Oakland. When I first arrived in this country, I had a belief that American people are fortunate to live in a society with equality, justice, and rich technology.
    I thought, the reason behind this privilege is because of the civil rights movement led by Dr. King. I didn’t have this privilege back in my country. I spent 20 years in a refugee camp, where it was hard to secure the basic needs to live a dignified life.
    Knowing injustices have been done to my community, I chose the path to violence in order to fight against the injustices. Regret, rage, and revenge were my path. It took me many years to finally
    understand that violence leads nowhere. It only breeds more violence resulting in more pain and suffering to the people.
    How did I come to this realization? It was through Martin Luther King Jr. He was my hero who inspired me to walk the path to peace. 
    When I knew that I would be coming to the country where Dr. King lived, my heart was filled with hopes and aspirations because I knew I was going to live my life in the most peaceful country in the world. 
    But, now, after three years of my residency, I know that I miscalculated.
    America still needs people like Martin Luther King Jr., people who can fight against the injustices in a constructive way; people who can bring together millions of people with his dreams; people who can teach love and compassion; and a man who is the voice of under-privileged people.

    About the Contributor
    In the fall of 2019, The Laney Tower rebranded as The Citizen and launched a new website. These stories were ported over from the old Laney Tower website, but byline metadata was lost in the port. However, many of these stories credit the authors in the text of the story. Some articles may also suffer from formatting issues. Future archival efforts may fix these issues.  
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