International
Parisians protest, riot over police brutality
Thousands of people protested in the streets of a Paris suburb on Saturday, Feb. 11, after a man accused police of raping him. The protests turned violent when a few hundred of the protesters broke off and started rioting.
Rioters vandalized two businesses and a bus stop, set trash cans on fire and smashed car windows. No one was injured, but 37 people were arrested. The police responded to attacks by firing tear gas into the crowd of rioters.
The mayor of Bobigny, the location of the protests, asked for peace and calm on Sunday.
Protesters wanted justice for a 22-year-old black man named Theo, who accused the Paris police of raping him with an officer’s baton on Thursday, Feb. 2. He sustained injuries severe enough to require surgical repair.
The four officers accused have been charged with aggravated assault, and one with rape. All of the officers have been suspended pending further investigation.
National
Damaged California spillway displaces thousands of residents
Erosion of a dam spillway in Oroville, California caused the evacuation of nearly 200,000 residents on Sunday, Feb. 12, after heavy rain and snow caused concern the dam might not hold the excess rain. A county sheriff announced Monday that the evacuees might not be able to go home until the damage in the dam is repaired.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea did not give a timeline of when that would be. The Department of Water Resources said they were considering using helicopters to drop rocks on the spillway.
The water level of the dam dropped slightly after months of rain and snow stopped in northern California, but rain is expected later in the week, giving only a few days for officials to find a solution.
Erosion of the main spillway came from heavy rain earlier in the month, causing a 200-foot hole that is 30-feet deep. The California National Guard stands ready in case the dam does overflow.
Local
School district investigates bus driver
The Washoe County School District announced Monday, Feb. 13, they will be opening an investigation into why a bus driver intentionally left a 7-year-old child at the wrong bus stop on Jan. 11.
Kian Mann was left one-tenth of a mile from his usual bus stop after the bus driver forced him off the bus because Mann was fighting with another student.
“A transportation manager spoke with Mr. Mann and apologized that the bus driver let his son off at the wrong stop,” said District Spokeswoman Victoria Campbell in a written statement, as reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Dena Snow, Kian’s mother, told the RGJ that her son was scared after being left and having to cross Neil Road by himself.
“I don’t understand why they just wouldn’t call if there was a problem on the bus,” Snow said to the RGJ. “If my son is misbehaving, we would certainly address that. I don’t let my 7-year-old wander around on streets by himself.”
Madeline Purdue can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @madelinepurdue.
