This is what the world will be like if weed is ever unambiguously legalized in all 50 states. Photo via Flickr user mardi grass 2011

Ever since Colorado and Washington voted last November to legalize marijuana and treat it like alcohol or coffee or anything else that comes from nature, maaaaaaaan, the question has been how the federal government would respond. Would the people in charge of conducting the war on drugs really be OK with letting state law trump federal law? Well, the Department of Justice released a memo today and it turns out that yes, they’ll let everyone from Seattle to Denver light up legally—but there are some caveats, as always.

The memo (which can be read in full here) says that the DOJ has already been prioritizing stopping the really bad crimes that are connected to marijuana, like the sale of pot to kids, revenue going to cartels and other criminals, and violence that’s connected with the weed trade. It goes on to advise prosecutors that focusing on those activities is still a good idea before tackling the meat of the matter at hand: though some states have legalized weed, it shouldn’t change the Feds’ policy of going after drug growers and dealers who are killing people, growing pot on federally owned land, or breaking the law in other ways. Or, in government-ese:

“In jurisdictions that have enacted laws legalizing marijuana in some form and that have also implemented strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems to control the cultivation, distribution, sale, and possession of marijuana, conduct in compliance with those laws and regulations is less likely to threaten the federal priorities set forth above.”

However:

“If state efforts are not sufficiently robust to protect against the harms set forth above, the federal government may seek to challenge the regulatory structure itself in addition to continuing to bring individual enforcement actions, including criminal prosecutions, focused on those harms.”

So the good news, bros, is that as long as Washington and Colorado’s regulatory schemes are judged sufficiently strict and their legal weed businesses stay within state lines, the DOJ is advising prosecutors to “mellow out” and not go after marijuana growers and sellers. But what’s not all that tight is that it sounds like the federal government is reserving the right to announce that the regulations set up by states are not working or inadequate to begin with and take legal action against Washington, Colorado, or any other state that legalizes weed in the future.

It also should be noted that this memo isn’t a change in law or even an ironclad policy—it’s just meant to advise prosecutors, who remain free to use their sometimes-fickle judgement. For instance, even though previous guidelines advised them not to go after individual medical-marijuana patients or small-scale distribution operations, that didn’t stop the DEA from cracking down on legal dispensaries in Washington last month. In fact, for some time now Barack Obama’s administration has been saying nice things about ending the war on drugs while continuing to enforce viciously unjust prohibitionist laws.

Just like the Feds are going to wait and see how the regulation of legal marijuana works out, drug-war doves are going to have to wait and see if agencies like the DEA and the FBI, who have been sending pot dealers to jail since J. Edgar Hoover was in panty hose, will really allow cannabis to be bought and sold in massive quantities. Likely, it really will depend on how strict the regulations are: the Feds are fond of raiding medical marijuana clinics in California, where there’s a lot of conflicting local laws and it’s often not clear where the pot comes from; Colorado’s dispensaries, however, electronically track every gram sold and have been largely left alone.

Legalizing weed at the federal level, which would likely solve many of the conflicts between local, state, and national regulatory regimes that make memos like this necessary, is still impossible politically. Maybe in a decade or two? 

More on weed:

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Butane Hash Oil

Photo by George Nickels

In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge committed one of the worst genocides of the 20th century, killing an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians (21 percent of the country’s population) through starvation, torture, and forced labor. The country is still deeply scarred and divided by the man-made disaster—in June a law was rushed through parliament by Premier Hun Sen making denial of the Khmer Rouge’s war crimes punishable by two years in jail, which critics say will let Hun Sen target his political opponents. The genocide also reshaped the country’s culture in countless smaller ways, including, according to some, altering its eating habits. 

Under the Khmer Rouge, starving people were forced to find food any way they could—including hunting, killing, and cooking the massive tarantulas that are found all over the country. Today you can buy fried arachnids for the equivalent of 8 cents, and spiders are often hunted by children no older than 12 as a way to support their families.

The photographer George Nickels recently spent some time with these kids and their families. We asked him what he saw.

VICE: How did you meet these kids?
George Nickels: I was in a coffee shop when I overheard a man talking about going back to his family in the jungle. Two hours later, we became friends, and he invited me to come and meet his family. They are very poor and virtually anything that moves is food—especially tarantulas, which are everywhere. 

How many kids did you see running around in the woods?
I remember seeing five kids who hunted for at least seven hours a day. They had absolutely no protection, not even shoes. To them, hunting tarantulas is just like picking fruit—as soon as you can walk, you can also provide food for your family. 

How do they cook the spiders? 
Once the spider’s caught, they put the—still living—thing into an old plastic water bottle to carry it back to their huts. Then they have a simple process of drowning and washing the spiders by putting them in a bowl of water and stirring them around with a stick. Spiders are then put in salt and fried in oil over a fire.

Did you taste this spider meat?
I did. They kept giving me the pregnant females full of eggs, and eating them isn’t that pleasant. When you bite into them the abdomen pops in your mouth. That’s a strange experience.

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The VICE Podcast is a weekly discussion which delves inside the minds of some of the most interesting, creative, and bizarre people within the VICE universe. This week, Eddy Moretti speaks with Frank Rich, editor-at-large for New York magazine and executive producer of Veep, about the platinum age of television and the changing landscape of news media.

Previously on the podcast: Wong Kar-wai on 'The Grandmaster' and the Essence of Kung Fu

It's time, once again, to name and shame the week's biggest pussies.

Cry-Baby #1: Houston Police Department

(via Gawker/screencap via Fox 26 News)

The incident: While playing doctor with a group of kids, a nine-year-old girl touched the genitals of a four-year-old boy.

The appropriate response: Telling her that's an inappropriate thing to do. 

The actual response: She was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault. 

According to Houston's Fox 26 News, a ten-year-old girl who they're calling "Ashley" (not her real name) was among a group of kids playing doctor in the courtyard of the apartment she lives in with her mother. 

At some point, a neighbor claims she saw Ashley touch a four-year-old boy in his "private area" and called the boy's mother to let her know. 

A few weeks later, Ashley was out playing with some friends when she got a call from her mom telling her she needed to head home. 

When she got there, she was arrested by officers from the Houston Police Department for aggravated sexual assault. 

"I was crying and they took me to the car and I didn't want to get in and I was crying and I was moving and trying not to get in the police car and my mom told me to calm down," said Ashley, in an interview with Fox 26.

We followed the multi-talented Action Bronson from the kitchen to the stage during this year's Bushwick Block Party. Action headlined the party and also ran his very own food truck, supplying the masses with gourmet goodness. In case you missed part one, go get caught up, and then come back here to watch part two, in which Bam Bam feeds hundreds of his fans.

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As you walk through Souk Ashia in Benghazi’s El Fonduc district, the transition from flea market to arms fair is gradual. First come small pistols, then shotguns, then the pure-blooded weapons of war: the grenades, the Kalashnikovs, and the large black machine guns that look like they should be mounted on the back of a vehicle and firing off 10,000 rounds a minute.

The customers in this section of the market are mostly young men, many of whom wear mix-and-match camouflage outfits. Behind the stalls selling assault rifles there's a makeshift firing range, where a couple of guys are strolling about smoking cigarettes. Well, I say it's a firing range, but there aren't actually any targets—just people letting off sporadic rounds in seemingly random directions.

As we browse the goods on offer, we’re given our fair share of stony looks and surrounded by a frenzy of clicking noises as prospective buyers slide clips in and out of guns and dry fire weapons. There’s a familiarity to the scene, with people moving between stalls intently hunting bargains, but—on top of the normal flea market murmers—there's a hard edge of paranoia. Which isn't exactly much of a surprise, considering there are very powerful weapons everywhere you look.  

It's legal to buy guns under Libyan law, but only if you buy them from a state-owned entity, you’ve got a license, and you register the weapon. However, since the beginning of the revolution, this law—like many others—has proved impossible to enforce, meaning people are free to stroll through Souk Ashia and pick up any amount of automatic weaponry at their own leisure.

Over the last two years, Souk Ashia has been raided on a number of occasions by government forces. A vicious battle has taken place every time, but the gun sellers always return. These days, police and official security forces are absent in the area—a stark contrast to the highly visible police presence in the relatively safe and wealthy areas around Dubai Street and Twenty Street, just minutes away from El Fonduc.

As we walk around the market, Benghazi local Emad Salem Bkkar explains that government officials are biding their time.

"When the gun market was attacked in the past it caused massive upheaval. Local businesses had to close and it created a dangerous situation for people in the area. The city is now concentrating on building up its forces so that the next time they attack they can continue to police the area afterwards and prevent the gun sellers from returning."

Despite the lack of security forces, Emad is adamant that this lawless area five minutes from the center of the city isn’t a cause for concern. "Tripoli is big, but Benghazi is small. If someone commits a serious crime here it’s easy to find out who they are and catch them. And, even though there are no police, the government has asked the big tribal families who live in this area to keep order. They make sure anyone who causes problems gets punished. The whole of Libya was like this after the revolution, but the government is taking control of more land every day."

"The gun market is tolerated," says Ahmed, another local resident. "It doesn’t cause many problems and the previous raids have been mainly about the illegal liquor and narcotics also sold by the traders." According to Ahmed, the area isn’t supervised by any single militia. "It’s too hot for anyone to really control, although there are a number of armed groups involved in the business that goes on there."

While local residents say the gun market itself isn’t much of a problem, the proliferation of weapons that it represents is proving to be a headache for the government. Over the last seven months, the French embassy has been bombed, the head of Libya’s congress survived an assassination attempt, an array of security officials have been assassinated, and the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff was abducted for eight days by gunmen. The abduction forced the Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan to make a statement saying that security was still weak, blaming the situation on the illegal circulation of firearms.

And, despite a UN embargo on movement of arms to and from Libya, the illegal circulation of firearms isn’t just taking place within the country's borders. In April, UN experts warned that Libyan weapons were spreading "at an alarming rate" to countries including Egypt and Mali and throughout the Gaza Strip. They also warned arms transfers to Syria had been organized from a number of locations in Libya, including Misrata and Benghazi. According to the report, the size and complexity of the deals indicates that representatives from Libyan local authorities "might have at least been aware of the transfers, if not actually directly involved."

Feeling the strain of being around so many men pointing so many guns in so many different directions, I suggested we head back to the other side of the market and spend some time looking at the t-shirts and herbs.

"For you, guns are something that are unusual and associated with violence," Emad says, correctly. "But guns are part of everyday life here. We keep them in our cars, we shoot them in the air when we celebrate at weddings. This is really very normal." He’s got a point. Throughout our stay, the sound of machine gun fire has regularly punctuated Benghazi’s normal busy bustle. Taxi drivers have casually offered to show us their pistols and we’ve found spent cartridges littering the streets all over town.

But, to the outside observer, the most troubling aspect isn’t the ease with which guns can be obtained or the casual way they are used. The scariest thing is the way the market illustrates the failure of government security forces to enforce the rule of law in the heart of Libya’s second city.

Driving away from El Fonduc, Emad points out a billboard that has been put up by the government that reads, "Respect the Police."

"It’s always been hard to keep order in Benghazi, but that’s what makes the city great," he says. "Our spirit of resistance means there will never be another dictator like Gaddafi. People say that if you control Benghazi you can control the whole of Libya, and that is true. But the fact is Benghazi is not something that can be controlled."

Follow Wil (@bilgribs) and Matthew (@MATTHEW_BARTON_) on Twitter.

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Dear most touring bands, you'll never get one of these $1,000 pinkies. Sincerely, the government.

On Wednesday, my Facebook news feed was still shaking from the aftershocks from the wildly inconsequential Robin Thicke/Miley Cyrus VMA fiasco, when a story from the Calgary Herald suddenly elbowed its way in between the massive social media reportage on squeaky clean twerking.

The Herald’s article announced brand new legislation that was shoved under the door almost a month ago and was quietly made official on August 7^th.  This new legislation states that non-Canadian bands that hope to play anywhere from Vancouver to St. John, or somewhere else along our frozen tundra, will now be faced to pay a fee of $275 per band member (or crew member), on top of an obligatory $150 per member for work visa.

If you’re scoffing at this seemingly nominal sum this would be for EACH Canadian show that is held in a bar or coffee house.  The kicker is that this money is non-refundable, so if your application for proper work visas is not accepted you must shell out the funny money once you re-apply. The old fee, before the legislation was passed, equaled a one-time payment of $150 per non-Canadian member with a cap held at $450. Using this old model, venue bookers from all across Canada would share the $450 ding for bands that would play multiple Canadian cities—not a fee paid per show.

So, let’s say a four-member band from Williamsburg, traveling with a roadie or a sound tech, will cost the booker or club $2125. This is just the first expense—long before the expenses of paying a local support band, promoter, postering, print and online advertising, bar staff etc.

If you run a small or even mid sized venue—or are an independent promoter—this automatic $2125 deficit will absolutely cripple you. The ultimate face slap here is that the majority of these clubs and independent promoters have been faithfully supporting independent music for years and years. This newly passed legislation defies logic, as most underground independent bands touring from the states are usually just trying to get a little gas money to make it to the next show, let alone drawing enough people to cover $2125 in work visas. That is almost 400% more expensive for local promoters and venue bookers to put on shows with touring bands from other countries. Sound fucked? You betcha!

If you’re just a regular concertgoer who’s not in the business of booking shows, you should realize this legislation can only mean an increase in ticket prices. This just can’t work, and what will inevitably happen is there will be fewer live shows to go out and see. This will also hurt the discovery process that makes small shows so great, where people who might be totally unfamiliar with a band will take a risk to see them play—because it’s cheap.

“Well, what about the local bands? Can’t they fill this void of non Canadian touring bands?” No way Poindexter! I happen to live in Montreal, and can honestly say our local music scene can easily go toe to toe with any other major city. But how many times can I see, say Menace Ruine or Ensorcelor? Both local bands are truly near and dear to my heart, but I only really need to see them about twice a year before they’ll lose their luster. If clubs and promoters are forced to scramble and over-book acts from their own area code, we’ll get an over-saturation of just local bands that will quickly kill the thrill of seeing live music, leaving us to live in provincially zoned cultural vacuums.

If you’ve been lucky enough to tour across Canada you’ll notice that local bands are exposed to all kinds of different live underground music (usually American) will have a far richer musical vocabulary, deeper sense of self identity, and leave a more indelible signature. That’s what makes Montreal’s local live music scene so fuggin’ great and I tip my cap to Montreal promoters like Blue Skies Turn Black, Greenland and the fine furry peeps at Casa del Popolo and La Sala Rosa and a host of others for all they have done for the local music scene.

These promoters that have helped shaped the scene will be screwed over by these fees. Will American bands and bands from other countries skip Canada on tours? You bet your hairy ass they will! Most of the promoters who are still in the game do it because they love it and are passionate about music; the business part for them came years later. Most promoters in Canada that booked my old band in the nineties are still around, but now will be forced out of work if this legislation is not recognized as myopic and quickly slashed. In fact, most promoters have booked shows with non-Canadian bands months in advance of this legislation, and are now trying to figure out how they will pay the exorbitant fees to get a band that is great—but can only draw a handful of people to get over the massive fees.

We may have come to accept the fact we’re losing our brick and mortar record stores, but if these promoters are forced into extinction as well, we will also be losing the true spirit of independent music. Are you ready for Clear Channel presents Wolves in the Throne Room? Well, buckle up.

While there are some small to medium sized venues out there that have exemption status from the border, and are therefore unaffected by this kind of craziness, the fact that any band or venue will have to be subjected to these exorbitant fees is a huge threat to the health of independent music in Canada. Most of my life’s most memorable, mind-altering moments have happened at live shows; and they were usually during a gig where a band from somewhere beyond the Canadian border was playing. Black Flag, Swans, Nick Cave, Om etc. All of these shows were in bars that will now fall victim to Canada’s new, backwards legislation. These new rules will suffocate new, spine-tingling moments like these from occurring for a future generation—that may miss out on the full spectrum of independent music entirely—as a result of this stupid, stupid money grab.
 

If you’re also upset about this crazy new legislation, you can sign this petition and cross your fingers for change.
 

More content about the exciting world of Canadian music:

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I’m standing in a shop in Leytonstone staring at a pair of fake breasts. However, the place is far from the fancy dress stag night vibe that you might associate with such a product; in fact, the environment I'm in feels more like a tea shop run by the Samaritans. Nestled between a Chicken Cottage and a cash 'n' carry on the Lea Bridge Road, Doreen Fashions has been selling women's clothing (and other accessories) for over half a century, and I’m taking a look at their latest stock.

Of course, women usually have their own breasts, so the fake pair's inclusion alongside a range of frocks, gowns and lingerie might seem a little peculiar at first. But, as owner Alan Freedman explains, "three quarters of our customers are men" – a sex not typically known to come equipped with a natural bosom.  

Now in its 60th year, Doreen's is one of the longest-running suppliers of outfits for cross-dressing men in the UK. However, as with most cult phenomenons, this wasn’t the original intention. “It started off as a woman’s shop,” says Alan. “Then, in the 1960s, the transvestites started coming in. Mum had a good rapport with them, so they just kept on coming. They were often showbiz types – she liked showbiz.”

Alan’s showbiz-loving mum Betty opened the first branch of Doreen Fashions in 1953. Part-time secretarial work was giving her repetitive strain disorder, so she decided to pack it in and start her own business. At the shop's peak in the 1970s and 80s there were five branches – other locations including Trafalgar Square, City Road and Baker Street. Unfortunately the chain was hit hard by rent hikes and, more recently, the recession, so now the only branch left is the Leytonstone shop I'm currently standing in.

The fact that gay men were still being imprisoned for their sexuality might tell you that the 50s weren't the kindest decade to Britain's LGBT community. So it comes as little surprise that it was kind of difficult for a man to go into a high street shop and buy a dress, let alone have a chance to try one on for size. Doreen Fashions was the exception to the rule.

A few years before Betty's death, the Fetish Channel made a documentary about the shop – think lo-fi cut scenes of indistinct stock soundtracked by "Hey Big Spender" – where you can really see her action, helping the glamorous, broad-shouldered presenter pick an outfit for a party.

And not too much has changed – you can still expect an exceedingly high level of customer service these days. The store is staffed by long-term shop assistants Claire, Marcia, Jane and Lena. Between them they have clocked up over 35 years at Doreen's.

“I didn’t know they catered for men when I first started,” admits Claire, in a thick East End accent. “It was a surprise, but I didn’t mind. Cross-dressing – it’s not a fetish thing, it’s just something that keeps them going. They may have broken up from their wife or just worn their mum’s heels since they were kids. Betty simply taught me to treat everyone the same.”

She strums her fingers on the counter. “Here, it’s one-to-one – we help you from the moment you walk in. It’s like a personal service. We are reasonably priced and there are very friendly staff. If you go on Google and search “big shoes”, “large outfits” or “tranny dress”, Doreen’s comes out on the first page.”

The clothes rails inside are stuffed with plus-size dresses and glamorous party outfits. Fake lashes, padded bums and corsets hang on hooks, and it doesn’t take long to spot another shelf holding stacks of boxes containing Transform Super Perks, or artificial breasts. (I'm not a perv, I promise – they're just sort of mesmerising.)

It’s as if every constituent part of the female form has been exploded around the shop, before being neatly organised into stacks, placed on a shelf and labelled with a price. “Breastforms are bestsellers,” Alan tells me. But you’ve really got to want some; a pair will set you back anywhere between £95 to £305.

The store caters for a wide range of clientele, from drag performers to guys looking for a pair of stockings "for their girlfriends" (“They say that, but we know!” laughs Claire) and women looking for women’s clothes. While I’m there, an elderly Greek lady in a mink coat who appears to be on a shopping spree dumps a pile of a dresses on the counter before unsuccessfully haggling the price down. She doesn't look like the type of person who'd be phased if she bumped into a man wearing the same outfit as her. 

The staff have a policy of discretion, so won’t spill the names of any celebrity clientele. But I spoke to artist and well known cross-dresser Grayson Perry about Doreen Fashions and, unsurprisingly, he has paid the store a visit – his first purchase being a sequinned top from the City Road branch at some point in the 80s.

“It seemed old fashioned even then,” he tells me. ”It’s never been what you’d call a ‘cutting edge’ shop – more budget glamour. But then that’s what a lot of trannies go for.”

He continued, “It was a very important gateway place for people who didn’t have the confidence to go to the high street. It seemed like a safe haven. It still is.”

Another key figure on London’s trans scene is Vicky Lee, author of The Tranny Guide, which – during the mid-90s – was the definitive resource for cross dressers. Vicky tells me how the increase of discreet, easy-access online shops has made it harder for shops like Doreen Fashions to stand out. Then there’s the fact that the high street has become far more tolerant of cross-dressing customers than they were in the past.

“Nowadays, you can pretty much go anywhere to shop,” Vicky says. “The shops train the assistants to value every customer, whether they’ve got one leg or are painted green.”

However, while that may be the case nowadays, in the 90s Doreen Fashions was one of only two women’s clothes shops in the capital that catered for men.

“Once you found it, it was like a one-stop shop,” says Vicky. “Before the internet, it was essential. It was the only place you could find out everything else about the scene. Inside, there were absolutely no questions asked. Betty just wanted people to feel good about themselves. They still treat each customer like they’re on the birthday card list.”

And what exactly is the treatment a man can expect when they walk into Doreen Fashions?

“Well – if you didn’t have one already, we’d give you a feminine name,” says Claire.

“You could be Wilma, to make it easy for you to remember. Then we’d fit your inner – you need a corset to get that hourglass shape before you can put on a dress. Then you’ll need a padded bum.”

When it comes to those dresses, their most popular designs often have long sleeves and crew necks, because – according to Claire – “Not everyone can shave their arms, you know? And we have everyone come in – road sweepers, teachers, coppers, you name it.”

There's something captivating about Doreen Fashions; from the outside, an unremarkable storefront selling women's clothing, but – on closer inspection – a radically progressive haven for a previously sidelined section of society, located in an area of London that's never been known for being particularly progressive or tolerant.

It's testament to the genuine sense of community that can spring up around local, independent businesses, and – while I can't quite afford to shell out £305 on the boobs as a sign of support – I'd hope that Doreen's carries on attracting trans women from all around the south east to keep it flourishing, rather than becoming the next institution of a local high street to face the blue and red rehaul of a Tesco takeover.        

Follow Will on Twitter: @will_coldwell

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Safe Passage worker Theo Bridges stands guard at Halsted Street and Garfield Boulevard in Englewood, one of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods. All photos by Max Herman

Shaking off summer brain drain and heading back to class after three months of vacation is tough for any kid, but on Chicago’s South Side the worst part is getting to and from their schools. More than 500 people were murdered last year in the Midwestern city, and violent crime is clustered in a few poverty-stricken neighborhoods. There’s so much concern that children who have to cross gang turf as they travel from home to class and back will end up caught in the all-too-frequent crossfire that the police and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have rolled out a program called “Safe Passage"—miles of routes around schools are now patrolled by uniformed cops and around 1,200 unarmed workers in neon vests who are paid $10 an hour to stand guard on street corners.

The program is costing the city a whopping $15.7 million, which seems relevant given the massive budget problems the school system is dealing with. To cover a $1 billion deficit, CPS fired thousands of employees (including 1,700 teachers) and closed nearly 50 schools, most of them in the same low-income neighborhoods that are struggling with violence. Parents and community activists responded with massive protests all summer, and dozens of students boycotted schools this week. Meanwhile, 12,000 schoolchildren displaced as a result of the cuts (out of the 400,000 in the district) had to trek to their new schools, which for many of them involved passing through unfamiliar, potentially dangerous territory.

As the final bell rang Wednesday signalling the end of the third day of the school year, students bolted out of the doors of Nicholson Technology Academy, one of dozens of schools surrounded by Safe Passage streets. Nicholson, which took on students from shuttered Bontemps Elementary, is located in Englewood, the notorious South Side neighborhood whose persistent history of violence has earned it the nickname “Stranglewood.” Yesterday, a 23-year-old man was shot a block away from Englewood’s Bass Elementary, and on Monday, Streets and Sanitation workers making their rounds discovered the body of a man beaten to death and stuffed in a garbage can along the Nicholson Safe Passage route.

With that brutal incident fresh in their minds on Wednesday, parents went about the routine business of picking up their kids. Wearing a T-shirt that read “I Got That Good Good,” Princess White, 30, escorted her 13-year-old daughter, Brianna, past a group of police officers stationed in front of Nicholson. Princess was on edge because a friend was recently shot while riding his bike in the neighborhood—a case of mistaken identity, she said. “I’m really praying for a safe school year,” she told me, “because the kids’ education should not be affected by the stupidity that’s going down on the streets.”

“It’s scary to worry about my safety to and from school,” said Diajanae Mitchell, 14, an eighth-grader at nearby Dewey Elementary. “We all have to watch our backs, and we shouldn’t have to.”

Chicago police officers patrol the grounds of Englewood's Nicholson Technology Academy Elementary.

The cops on the route say all the things you’d expect. “When you’re a kid fearing for your life, it’s definitely a distraction from the task at hand: learning,” said officer Joe Slomka, who’s among the 110 new recruits who graduated from the police academy on Tuesday and were assigned to the Safe Passage beat Wednesday. “Hopefully with us here, it’s one less thing for students to worry about,” he added, putting on a superhero inflection.

But many parents didn’t hesitate to call bullshit on what they perceive as an expensive, overhyped program. “This ain’t gonna change nothing!” said Leena Rankins, 24, walking near Halsted and 60th Streets with her three-year-old preschooler, Dominique Crosby. “People be shooting all over, so putting up a Safe Passage sign isn’t going to solve nothing.” Sporting a shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Stop the Violence Now,” Leena said the environment in Englewood is so hostile she plans to move to the West Side, another crime-ridden pocket of Chicago, in the hope that she and her daughter will feel less threatened there.

Parents aren’t the only skeptics. Surprisingly, some Safe Passage employees freely admit they don’t believe the program can work and see it simply as temporary part-time employment. “It’s more of a show,” said Malika Black, 21, who stood on a corner along Garfield Boulevard looking bored. “This is not as effective as people think it might be. Standing here watching the kids go back and forth, we’re putting ourselves in danger and it’s not a guarantee that we can actually help. It’s not like we have weapons or anything.”

In lieu of Tasers or Mace, each worker is given a walkie-talkie and told to call a supervisor or police if they witness escalating violence or anything that might fall under the vague category of “suspicious activity.” Malika said that the previous day there was a fight outside nearby John Hope College Prep that several squad cars responded to, but overall things have been relatively quiet.

Across the street, 43-year-old Safe Passage worker Theo Bridges wasn’t so much patrolling his beat as pacing it. “Some of the kids are glad we’re out here, but if we weren’t, most of them wouldn’t care,” Theo said. “A lot of these kids, they’re kind of desensitized because they’ve seen so much violence go down around school and home—fights, gang activity, and shootings. It’s sad to say, but they just look at it as life.”

Police sirens whined in the distance. A mother with four kids in tow trudged along Halsted in an oversized “You Only Live Once (So Do It Up)” skirt-shirt. “It’s serious out here,” said the woman, who requested she not be identified. “As a parent, all you can do is believe in God and pray for your kids.”

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Board of Education flacks have been eager to deem the start of the 2013–14 school year a success, because after the first few days of class, no kids have been gunned down. It’s the bleakest of brags, but when it comes to the city's beleaguered schools, the bar for “success” tends to be set that low.

Safe Passage workers worry that week one is merely the calm before the storm, however, and Chicago Alderman Scott Waguespack pointed out on the first day of school that the program may not be sustainable for more than a few weeks; police and other city workers involved will eventually have to return to their regular posts. Other officials were thinking outside the box. Alderman George Cardenas advocated on Twitter for a potential alternative to the manned patrol: “Why not use drones in safe passage.??" [sic] Like the woman in the YOLO shirt said: pray for your kids.

Follow Jake on Twitter: @jakemalooley

More from Chicago:

Hanging Out with Chicago's Scrap Metal Collectors

House of Jealous Lovers

Fred Sasaki's Sticker Proposal for the City of Chicago

In a city crammed with 8 million people, New York City’s North Brother Island has sat abandoned since the 1960s. It's about a thousand feet from the shores of the South Bronx, and like the adjacent Rikers Island with 14,000 inmates in its infamous prison, and the potter’s field on Hart Island where 850,000 unclaimed bodies are buried, North Brother Island has been used to house things that the city would rather not think about.

In 1885, a hospital was built on the 13-acre site to quarantine smallpox victims. Those displaying the disease’s characteristic fluid-filled blisters would be rushed to the island by ferry. A third of all patients died there, and three quarters of the survivors were left disfigured by scars. In time, the hospital expanded to house carriers of numerous infectious illnesses. The one-woman-epidemic Typhoid Mary was forcibly detained there for over two decades in the early 20th century. She died on the island in 1938. The New York Times, in a tiny obituary, called her a “veritable peripatetic breeding ground,” and a “human culture tube,” of the bacteria that causes Typhoid Fever. She was North Brother’s most famous inhabitant.  

In 1904, the steamship General Slocum, carrying church members from the Lower East Side’s Little Germany, sank after catching fire in the shallow waters near North Brother Island. Patients and staff members of the hospital helped rescue victims who had been weighed down by iron bars added to the ship’s life vests by the manufacturer in order to meet a puzzling minimum government weight requirement. One thousand twenty-one of the 1,342 passengers died. It was New York’s greatest loss of life until the September 11th attacks nearly a century later.

A housing shortage after World War II saw North Brother used to accommodate returning G.I.’s and their families. For a while, it was a city within a city, with its own power plant and theater.

After the departure of the soldiers, the island was abandoned until the 1950’s when it became a treatment center for adolescent drug addicts. Graffiti scratched into one of the isolation room walls still reads: HELP ME I AM BEING HELD HERE AGAINST MY WILL. Widespread faculty corruption and patient relapse were responsible for the closing of the island in the early 1960’s.

Since then, North Brother has been declared a bird sanctuary and the buildings left to decay. In its half century of disuse, nature has rebounded, hiding buildings under ivy and filling them with vegetation. I set off recently by kayak to photograph what remains.

Roc’s new book, And, was released last year. You can find more information on his website.

More travel:

The Prebuscent Spider Hunters of Cambodia

On Patrol with Ontario's Suburban Batman

The Magician's Retreat

Photo Courtesy of Mriga Kothare and Prajakta Karekar

On Wednesday, my roommate told me women were on strike, and when I asked her which industry, she said, “No, just women. I called in sick… They asked me what I had, and I said I was sick of rape culture.” Women in India changed their Facebook photos to read "I am a woman on strike, are you?" Then, they did nothing. Bosses received sick calls. They didn’t go to work, ignored their household chores, and some even refused to go outside. In my head, I pictured women sitting on the couch with their arms crossed, smugly watching the men in the household picking up the slack, while daytime television ratings spiked.

Six months ago, thousands protested in New Delhi when a young student was gang-raped and eventually died as police failed to initially arrest the rapists. Female protests returned in April to Mumbai, New Delhi, and other major Indian cities to march and voiced their concerns about law enforcement's failture to take rape cases seriously. Just last week, five men brutally gang-raped a female photojournalist on assignment in Mumbai, after they tied up her male colleague. When the story got international attention, law enforcement arrested all five of the alleged rapists. Indian women aren’t satisfied and believe something drastic needs to happen to address rape culture in the country. Something like a strike, so the country couldn’t function.

As of 2010, women were 26 percent of rural workers and 13 percent of urban workers, but these statistics exclude the economics of household labor, or "the work that makes all other work possible." In 2010, 216 million women in India were doing some type of domestic labor. If these women didn’t go to work, the country would stop, according to Mriga Kothare and Prajakta Karekar, the organizers’ of Wednesday’s strike. If there's anything that has a history of forcing the people in power to listen and do something, it's a strike en masse.

I spoke with Mgira and Prajakta about their plan to combat rape culture.

VICE: How did this campaign come about?
Prajakta Karekar: Recently there have been many episodes of rape that have been taking place continuously, one after the other, and all this while we have just been the silent spectators to these episodes. Not even women, for that matter, have understood their strength completely.

Mriga Kothare: It was a thought provoked by the latest gang-rape case that happened in Mumbai on August 22. There has been turmoil post the Delhi case last December, anyway, but Mumbai was a complete different story. Mumbai has always been a safe haven for women. We could go home alone after a late-night movie in a cab at 1 AM, or go for a drive with a friend at 3 AM and grab some roadside tea or live alone in a rented apartment without the fear of being followed and raped. This incident changed that notion for most women here. I have girlfriends and sisters who I care about and who shouldn’t have to live in fear. The campaign was born out of outrage and passion for freedom that this city has always offered us.

Why A Strike?
Mriga: The whole point was to do something different. Protest rallies and marches and demonstrations have been done and done. They haven’t had any lasting impact over the years. The idea was to show the power of women as a collective, influential group of the society. No one has calculated the revenue the country generates only through women. If all women collectively decided to hang up their boots for a day, the economical ramifications wouldn’t go unnoticed in a country that only understands the language of money. For instance the "Save Electricity" campaign, where everyone in the world, switches off the lights for whatever given time. That's how big an impact this can potentially create if people empathize with the cause.
Prajakta: If women did not go for their daily work like household, office, parliament, business, etc., the family, schools, business, parliament, homes, offices, and men would not be able to function completely. At least 49 percent of the population in this country is actually women, and imagine if they all said, “We are on strike and refuse to function.” That strength would be well understood and good enough to bring in confidence among women to stand for themselves, fight back bravely, and bring in a new change.

Do you know how many women decided to strike?
Mriga: We have managed to reach around 4,500 people in support. We have heard from women across the country who have willingly supported the cause.
Prajakta: We don't believe on imposing thoughts, and it was also not a compulsion for all to be a part of this. We were absolutely aware of the constraints of women who would not be able to go on strike. For example, we had a woman saying that she completely supported the cause but couldn't go on strike because she was a mother of a very young baby. We had a lot of people liking the cause, spreading awareness, and then many actively going on strike.

What does "striking" entail?
Mriga: No cooking, cleaning, feeding the kids, sweeping, storing water, going to work, teaching, and so on. Women run and contribute to every single activity happening in the country. There are [women] who fill a corporate boardroom, the Parliament, local trains, and our own homes. Everybody needs to know that the world cannot operate without women. It's high time that we get the respect we deserve. We cannot be taken for granted, or be thought of as powerless or helpless. The strike will show how a day without women looks like. We're giving them a visual of the future: treat us wrong, and we'll disappear.

How Did It Spread?
Mriga: We do have a Facebook page now and promoted it on Twitter but mostly by word of mouth.

So what did you guys do on Wednesday?
Mriga: Personally, I did not go to work. I did not run errands. I did no leave the house and I basically did not interact with anyone outside my family. My mom did not go to work, but she had to cook and do other house work as my grandparents are dependent on her.
Prajakta: My own mother and friends were a part of this.

What has been the response?
Prajakta: We had a mixed response. There were a few who did not agree with this kind of a strike as they felt violence is the only way to change the system. 
Mriga: Surprisingly, the men I have come across, have not only been supportive of the cause, but have actively helped spread the word to their family and friends. But of course, a large part of the population unfortunately still includes male chauvinists who’d not get the whole point anyway. Some have said things like, “Women can’t strike, baby!” or “It’s better to just go away to another country than trying to clean up this mess. It’s a lost cause and nothings gonna change” or "It is better to just avoid going out late or wearing such clothes; it’s all because of how girls nowadays live.” So yes, it has been a hard, rocky road.

Do you have a list of demands?
Mriga: Laws are already made, but we want them to be implemented. We need quick procedures. We want an example to be set. Nobody fears the law today. The guilty get away too easily. A few years doesn’t cut it anymore. It's all taken for granted. The government needs to take a drastic step. Besides that, education needs to be imparted at the grassroots level. Most of our rural population is uneducated. We cannot forget how important education is. Sex education, self-defense, and basic social and moral sciences should be made a compulsory subject in every school starting from first grade. Even parents at times need to be taught right. Usually, their thoughts and views are reflected in the children. For instance, how a husband behaves with his wife plays a very important role in what the kids see and learn and eventually behave like.

How do you see this strike changing rape culture?
Mriga: When men see that they really can’t live in a world without women, when the country sees the power women have in the society, the contribution they make to the economy, there will be a rise in the respect that women get. Women will not be perceived as helpless, powerless, and be taken for granted. The world will know that we will stand against any injustice, that we will stand together, and we will fight back.

Will you be striking again?
Prajakta:Yes, definitely! I am not giving up on this. It’s time we realize the strengths within us.
Mgira: We need a strong-enough response to carry this forward to a bigger level. Women on Strike is looking to go to the root of the problem rather than cleaning it up superficially.

What will it take to change rape culture in our society?
Prajakta: Strict revised laws, self-defense, self-confidence, respect, and support of all should act as weapons to stay protected from rape.
Mriga: No one asks to be raped. It is my choice and comfort and freedom if I want to wear a short skirt or if I want to sit alone late at night. That by no means justifies me being raped. The basic mentality of “she asked for it” has to go. It could very well have been you. And as long as even one individual is willing to stand up and fight for it, it is not a lost cause. We took 200 years, but we did manage to get freedom from the British. It will take years and countless efforts, but I believe we will fight this too. And so can anyone else if they have a strong-enough will.

@rrrakia

More stories from around the world on the rape epidemic:

The Rape in Delhi: Thousands Protest for Women's Safety in India

I Was Raped—and the Police Told Me I Made It Up

The Place Women Go to Get Raped

I fell in love with Myla Sinanaj the first time I saw her big, magnificent round ass in a bathing suit on TMZ. My love quickly turned to hate, however, when I learned she was dating former Nets center Kris Humphries. Then, when I realized that her dating Humphries was only news because it angered Kim Kardashian, who I hate almost as much as the Nets, I fell in love with her all over again. The first 30 seconds of my imaginary relationship with Myla were a real rollercoaster ride.

I won’t get into my tirade about why I hate Kim Kardashian and her unapologetically privileged family of shallow, vacant narcissists. I think we can all agree that they are everything that’s wrong with America. My guess is if we hired a team of private investigators we would learn the Kardashians are somehow behind the recession, the war in Iraq, world hunger, and 9/11. I’m even willing to bet they had something to do with the Holocaust.

But do you know what’s worse than the Kardashians and the Holocaust? My New Jersey Nets, the team I’d stood by for decades, aligning themselves with a mediocre rapper and then uprooting and relocating to Brooklyn.

Fuck the Nets.

I stuck with them through every possible incarnation of suck from every 80s’ dud draft pick to Euro stud Dražen Petrović’s death to ball-hogging Starbury’s refusal to be a team player right up to the J Kidd trade that briefly made us a contender. When they shipped my beloved Kenyon Martin to Denver and hired the ginger ball boy, Lawrence Frank, to be our coach I was bummed, but I’d been through so much worse with the team that I was willing to let it slide. But when they announced they’d sold the team to a building developer who couldn’t give less of a shit about basketball—and that he was using the team as leverage to get prime reality in Brooklyn for pennies on the dollar in exchange for building a stadium and moving my team—I officially washed my hands of them.

I remember the night of the Nets’ last game in Jersey when our fat New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, said, “You don’t want to stay? We don’t want you!” I was like, “YEAH! FUCK THOSE DUDES.” I honestly felt like my wife just walked out and handed me the address of her lover’s house where I could forward her belongings.

Had they forgotten everything we went through together? Had they forgotten those nights when I was one of ten people at the game and they’d make us keep moving to where the TV cameras were to make the stadium look fuller? Did they forget how loud I screamed for them when we crept upon the longest losing streak in NBA history? Did they forget that time I pulled a Fletch in Indiana the last regular season game of 2003 and lied and said I was with Dime magazine to get press credentials and then roamed the halls and locker rooms, dressed in all Nets gear, posing with Pacers players and Coach Isaiah Thomas?

And how could they forget how I single-handedly won the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals for them against Boston with my "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE STAB PAUL PIERCE SIGN?" Pierce, who was stabbed 11 times in 2000, was lighting us up, averaging 26 points per game before I held up my sign in Game 5, causing him to clank both his free throws and choke the last two games, allowing the Nets to advance to the Finals against the Lakers (where we got smoked). Sure, my brother (who was holding the sign with me) and I were voted Worst Fans of 2002 by Sports Illustrated, but that sentiment was not shared by any Nets fan.

People actually ask me if there will ever be a day when I forgive the Nets. I tell them to ask Baltimore Colts fans or LA Raiders fans or Seattle Supersonics fans if they ever came around. No, this wound will never heal and that day will never come. To root for the Nets would be like rooting for the new guy fucking my wife, and that’s never going to happen.

Two weeks ago Myla Sinanaj, ex-girlfriend of Kim Kardashian’s TV puppet Kris Humphries, dropped a celebrity anal-sex tape. I assumed that since she lived in Jersey and dated a former Nets player that she would join me in my anti-Nets crusade, so I decided to sit her down at NJ Skateshop to discuss who her picks are and who is the biggest threat for the 2013–2014 season. Sadly, she and I do not see eye to eye on anything sports-related, and I doubt our romance will blossom.

The one thing Myla and I can agree on is that my VICE book, Skinema, is best enjoyed half naked in bed before butt sex. In Myla Sinanaj's Celebrity Sex Tape for Vividceleb.com there's a brief moment before the romance begins where she is reading it, probably in an attempt to moisten herself. When I sat Myla down to talk basketball, I also asked her if she'd be so kind as to read an excerpt from my book. Here is that:

Previously - Skateable Art Is Not a Crime

Watch Myla’s sex tape here.

Follow Myla @NYAngel24

More stupid can be found at Chrisnieratko.com or @Nieratko

Welcome to the “I Have a Dream”-speech-anniversary edition of This Week in Racism. I’ll be ranking news stories on a scale of 1 to RACIST, with “1” being the least racist and “RACIST” being the most racist.

- Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, which was cause for celebration for some, somber reflection for others, and for a select few, a very good reason to advance a political agenda or say something vaguely racist.

It's been less than a week since Miley Cyrus changed the face of race relations in America with her bold full-body dry heave at the MTV Video Music Awards. Plenty has already been said on the subject, most of it by people who think a "ratchet" is something you use to fix a car.

The Guardian's writer Hadley Freeman regurgitated the standard righteous indignation and even invoked Dr. King's memory in chastizing Miley for her display of gluteal dexterity. Freeman writes:

"Sadly, King omitted to say whether he also dreamed of 'little white girls from Tennessee mimicking anilingus on little black girls wearing giant animals on their backs', so it's impossible to know how he would have reacted to Miley Cyrus' performance at the VMAs on Sunday. But it seems likely that not even he could have foreseen how the American celebrity world would manage to twist his image into something quite so, if not actually racist, then certainly race-ish."

I googled "race-ish" and the top of my search results read, "Did you mean 'radish'?" Maybe Hadley Freeman meant "radish." We'll probably never know, just like we'll never know if MLK would have been "down as fuck" with Miley, which is why there's no point in speculating. The bizarre fascination with ascribing modern opinions to historical figures is the reason why American religious zealots invoke famously skeptical people like Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin to justify their insanity. You actually will never know what any dead person would think about a current news story. Sure, I sometimes wonder what Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees would think about the effects of global warming should he have survived to see the year 2013, but I'll never really know. It's a goddamn shame, but let's allow our icons to live in their time and not in ours. 

That said, if I had to guess (like, I had a legally obtained firearm pressed to my temple and George Zimmerman was holding it there), I'd say Martin Luther King Jr. would totally be into Miley Cyrus. It's common knowledge that MLK had a sweet tooth for the ladies. Plus, I bet somewhere in that dream of his was a white girl who actually had rhythm. 3

- English people aren't the only ones who felt the need to use Martin Luther King's dream for their own benefit. One-term congressman Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) took the opportunity to offer his own series of dreams on his radio show:

• I have a dream that all black parents will have the right to choose where their kids attend school.
• I have a dream that all black boys and girls will grow up with a father.
• I have a dream that young black men will stop shooting other young black men.
• I have a dream that all young black men will say "no" to gangs and to drugs.
• I have a dream that all black young people will graduate from high school.
• I have a dream that young black men won't become fathers until after they're married and they have a job.
• I have a dream that young unmarried black women will say "no" to young black men who want to have sex.
• I have a dream that today's black leadership will quit blaming racism and "the system" for what ails black America.
• I have a dream that black America will take responsibility for improving their own lives.
• I have a dream that one day black America will cease their dependency on the government plantation, which has enslaved them to lives of poverty, and instead depend on themselves, their families, their churches, and their communities.

Some of these “dreams” are pretty reasonable. Graduating from high school, having a father present, not joining a gang, and taking personal responsibility for your own life are all acceptable goals for any person, regardless of their race. Maybe the ones about parents having the "right to choose where their kids attend school" (a thinly veiled reference to private-school vouchers) and their reference to the "government plantation" and "blaming racism for what ails black America" just might be not-so-clever ways to advance a partisan agenda while gloming onto a dead guy's memory. He could have added a dream about all African Americans having access to affordable health care, but that's some fucking "Commie shit." This isn't necessarily racist, it's just tacky. 2

- People like Joe Walsh have it in their best interest to make it seem like racism doesn't exist by saying things like African Americans should "quit blaming racism" for their problems. Maybe we can stop blaming racism for our problems when racism is dealt with openly. If we pretend it doesn't exist, and let it fester in the dark corners of the internet, we'll never truly achieve King's dream. It wasn't hard to find the following photos:

This isn't just racist—it's also a really bad Photoshop job.

Frosty the Snowman is a real fucking dick now.

ET phone... the Southern Poverty Law Center!

We've come a long way since King's speech, but racism isn't dead. It's just hiding in a bunker in Idaho, hoarding guns, eating canned baked beans, and farting. Like, a ton.

The Ten Most Racist Tweets of the Week [all grammar sic]:

10. @jamie_geeee: I'mnot being racist, but you don't know why you're being stopped & frisked? really, how bout you pick your pants up and stop being rowdy

9. @Mattypbebe: I'mnot racist but black on white crime is exponentially higher than white on black. Why is this?

8. @DrewLamle: Lol I look like a ch*nk eye in my year book picture haha it is so bad

7. @JonFreund: Mexicanscan turn a perfectly good truck into a lowrider piece of shit.

6. @Rachelllll_D: I'm not being racist but why do black people not tip? Like I know some white people don't buy it's like 50 % of my black customers don't tip

5. @misbah_nawaz: Just a flipped off some fuckin be*ner who didnt know how to drive

4. @FTALEPRiNCESSS: N*gger loving dick fucker.

3. @NOOOIT: That group of 4 mexicans at the gym reeking of cologne and wearing jeans collard shirts and hats while working out

2. @Kriegsson: White people are the first in history to give up their countries without any fight at all and also pay for their invaders' toilet paper.

1. @WVGirlLife: Some black guy just walked up to me in the mall and said "dayum shawty you like older guys? Black dick?" Uh no I don't. Fuckin n*gger.

Last Week in Racism: “Paula Deen” is Going to Kill “Trayvon Martin” on TV

@dave_schilling

“Make-Shift field hospital in Rabaa moments ago. It was filled w/injured & dead bodies when torched,” tweeted Mohamed Soltan. Photo by Amr Salama El-qazaz.

In July, an Egyptian-American named Mohamed Soltan left the United States to join protesters in Egypt who opposed the military coup that ousted Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed and first democratically elected president. On Tuesday, Egyptian authorities arrested Mohamed Soltan, along with several chief members of the Muslim Brotherhood. He is charged with being in possession of documents that detailed plans to destabilize Egypt by calling for police and soldiers to defect. Although Mohamed is an American citizen, US Embassy officials in Egypt have yet to comment on his arrest.

Mohamed was among those at Rabaa Al-Adawiyah on August 14, when the military massacred hundreds of protesters, and where he told me he was shot by a sniper while coordinating interviews between protesters that oppose military rule and journalists with the foreign media. The bullet remained in his arm for two days, because he couldn’t seek medical attention.

Widespread violence plagued Egypt during the past month, as the military cracked down on public gatherings organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and anti-coup protesters. Over a thousand people died during the dissension that followed with many more injured. Egypt is currently under a state of emergency, which imposes martial law. A military-enforced curfew limits citizens’ activity from 6 AM to 9 PM, except on Fridays when everyone must be inside by 7 PM. It's a tumultuous time for politics as well. Egyptian vice president, Mohamed ElBaradei resigned on August 14 to protest the deadly assaults on protesters. Former President Hosni Mubarak, who was previously given a life sentence for failing to prevent the deaths of about 900 anti-government protesters, was released from prison last Friday. Many view interim-President Adly Mansour as the puppet of General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces. 

“I always knew blood was freedom's price, I just never imagined it being this horrific. Not in my worst nightmare!!” tweeted Mohamed Soltan, with photo.

The divisions in public opinion aren't so black and white either. On the streets of Cairo you'll find anti-Morsi protesters, pro-Morsi protesters, pro-military protesters, and anti-military protesters who aren't pro-Morsi.  Mohamed’s job was to form the “Anti-Coup Alliance,” or gather anyone who opposed the military removal of ex-president Morsi. He says his efforts aren’t necessarily aligning friends of the Muslim Brotherhood, but rather to bring together peaceful protesters who are all “pro-democracy.”

Mohamed is the son of well-known and controversial Islamic scholar Salah Soltan, who is known for his anti-sematic and close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. In the past, Mohamed has said he doesn't like the term “Islamist” and describes himself as a moderate Muslim. When asked about his father’s views, he's described them as "irrelevant." Mohamed earned his degree at Ohio State University while his father taught in America and served as the president of the American Center of Islamic. His father is now wanted by the current Egyptian government. Over a year ago, while Mohamed was still in college, there was a fire inside his apartment. According to local police and the FBI, the cause of the fire was arson. Police had been to Mohamed's residence prior to the fire after it was vandalized with anti-Arab slurs.

I spoke to Mohamed about his experiences in Cairo before he got arrested. Our conversation took place in English via Skype as he was resting at a safe house, at an undisclosed location. The connection dropped several times and before we finished the interview, contact with Mohamed was lost completely. 

An x-ray image provided by Mohamed of the bullet in his left humerus (arm bone).

VICE: You’re an American citizen, what led you to join protests in Egypt?
Mohamed: I graduated from Ohio State University last year, in 2012 and then moved to Egypt in early 2013. I got a job at an oil service company as a business development executive. I'm an Egyptian-American, so I wanted to come back and be part of the rebuilding process of Egypt.

Were you at the sit-in at the Rabaa Al-Adawiyah Mosque on August 14? Who else was there, and what did the protesters want?
Yes, I was shot on the Rabaa mosque stage. I'm part of the "Anti-coup Alliance”. I help liaise between foreign media, the Anti-coup Alliance, and the Muslim Brotherhood. When we came to the protest, there were a few of us who weren't Islamists or Muslim Brotherhood members. But we were “anti-coup,” so we pushed the alliance as much as possible to widen the umbrella a little bit so that so that it could include more people in it. Not just Islamists, but anybody that doesn't want to live under the military rule, anybody that's pro-democracy, anti-coup. We were pretty successful at that after the first ten days. People were talking about Morsi's legitimacy, but it became bigger than that. It became bigger than Morsi. It became about being anti-military coup. This is the exact same thing we fought for on Jan 25. I came down from the US to join the Jan 25 revolution to stand with my Egyptian brothers and sisters to denounce the police state that has been ruling the country for over three decades.

When we joined the Rabaa protest, we joined knowing that we may disagree with Dr. Morsi on some things. We might not agree with him on some of his policies or some of the ways he handled the state. He took a route that went against what some of the revolutionaries wanted. The revolutionaries wanted to cleanse—wanted to purify the government and institutions. Although we might disagree with him, we still believe that he's the first democratically elected president of Egypt, that he should finish his presidency's term. That's the only solution. You can never really get a headcount [in the streets] but what you can really count are ballots.

Backup cameraman's helmet. Photo by Mohamed Soltan.

You said you were shot, but stopped there. How exactly did you get shot and who did the shooting?
On Wednesday, we took some of the media team and we went out to Youssef Abbas and El-Nasr street intersection. It was the best vantage point. There's a triple intersection where the police and army had come from three different sides so, from a cameraman's perspective, it was strategically the best place to be. The police started coming in, and I started tweeting out at that time. My phone was nearly out of battery.

The bulldozers came in first with the tear gas. Within the first ten minutes there were five people shot right in front me. I was wearing a gasmask. I made my way back to near the stage because I wanted to make sure that my sister, my younger sister, and my father were OK. I sat in a corner near the front left corner of the stage. There was a power outlet there working off of the generator. I plugged in my phone, and I was taking pictures and live-tweeting what was happening. About a minute later, an Al-Jazeera cameraman was shot in the hospital. The backup gentleman came literally two minutes after him. He put a helmet on. After a minute he was also shot in the head. I took a picture of the helmet and tweeted it. It was very brutal.

About an hour later, they're still shooting and there's tear gas everywhere. I bent over to the right a little bit to pull my phone off a charger. Literally, as soon as I moved down to grab the charger, a bullet goes flying by my left ear. The first bullet was intended for my head. Half a minute later, I get a shot to my arm. The people on stage grabbed me, took a scarf from my head, and wrapped my arm where the wound was. I went to the field hospital, but the cases there were so severe. They stitched me up with the bullet still inside. They gave me painkillers, and wrapped my arm where the wound was, and told me to go get it x-rayed some other time.

Right after they shot me, they just started randomly shooting at the stage. We moved closer to the mosque. After the amount of teargas that we breathed, we just got so used to it. We moved back to the field hospital, because it got heavier and they were firing on us. I didn't even go to a real hospital. I just went to someone who we know here. They removed the bullet and kind of fixed up the bone that had shattered. Right now my arm is in a sling, even after the surgery. If I get stopped at a checkpoint and they know that I got shot in a protest, they'll automatically [decide] to make [me go] to jail.

“My bones bent Elsisi's bullet! I always knew drinking my milk would pay off one day :)” tweeted Mohamed Soltan.

You've referred to many of the people killed this week in Egypt as martyrs. You've tweeted, "Either we live free on this earth or six feet under with the righteous," and that millions will have to die before Egypt will be ruled again by a military force. Do you think more protesters will eventually openly call for violence to combat the military crack down on demonstrations?
My tweet was the Egyptian version of what I learned as an American in civics class: “Give me liberty or give me death.” We're fighting for Egypt's freedom, we're fighting for Egypt's independence—political and economical. We're fighting for our future. You have a country that's population is made up of 80 percent under the age of 35. You're looking at one of the youngest countries in the world that stood up on Jan 25 and said no to the military rule. So if an entire generation has to sacrifice itself for the next generation to be free, then so be it. Does that mean that we're going to abandon our principle of peacefulness? No. Because that has been our strength all along. Our voice has been our biggest strength. Will we take up arms? No. I don't think we'll ever do that.

How do you respond to accusations by the Egyptian government that pro-Morsi demonstrators are terrorists?
You have a government that's—I mean, I don't give a crap about Adly or whatever his name is—the person who really rules the government right now is [General Sisi]. He swore an oath in front of the first democratically elected President. This man has dishonored his oath. This was an oath on the Egyptian constitution. Anything is possible after that. If you watch the Egyptian news channels, it really reminds of me of Fox News post-9/11.

If you're asking me what my response is to these accusations, they're bullshit. It's propaganda. They're taking a page out of the Bush administration's playbook, where you do the act and you put propaganda out there that “we're fighting terrorism.” We're the ones being killed here. We're the one's being injured. We're the one's that are unarmed and being murdered in cold blood while the entire world watches. How are we terrorists?

There have been many Christian churches that have been attacked and burnt. Are there groups that are taking advantage of the situation and committing acts of violence?
The burning of churches to spark a sectarian war between Muslims and Christians is ridiculous. This is literally a page out of Mubarak's playbook. This is all intelligence work. How come we haven't had one church burned in the last two and a half years? The last church that was burnt was in the Mubarak era. Every single time Mubarak wanted a justification to take harsh security measures against Islamic groups or Islamic movements, they'd go burn a church. Then they'd impose martial law. They aren't creative enough to come up with new ideas.

[Editor’s note: There were several churches attacked from January 2011 to April 2013, which is the time Mohamed claims no churches were burned.]

You've reported on children being tear gassed by the Egyptian military, including your younger sister. Do children really belong in the streets?
I think a lot of parents didn't know where to put their kids, so they brought them. I think now that it has been so violent, people are going to think ten times before bringing their kids. The real questions should be why the hell is the military shooting at peaceful protests where there are thousands of women and children. That should be the real question. It's not like we're holding up arms and calling for armed opposition. It's a peaceful protest. 

According to a recent Facebook post, translated from Arabic, Mohamed and his friends are now being held at Tora prison, the previous home of Hosni Mubarak, and they have been interrogated there. They are facing charges related to “broadcasting false news” that harms national security and “joining a banned organization.” According to the post, no lawyer was present during the interrogation.

@dellcam

@CassandraRules

For more on Egypt:

Activists Find No Place on Egypt's Streets

I Escaped Death in an Egyptian Police Van but Witnessed an Attempted Rape

Is Egypt Doomed to a Civil War?

Reddit is known for lots of things, mainly talking arguments about libertarian politics, Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes, and occasionally ruining people's lives. It’s also an extremely powerful communication tool for local affairs, with subreddits for every major city. I frequently check the Los Angeles subreddit to find out about what's going on in the town where I live. Last week, a woman under the username Tiredoftheabuse posted the plea for help you see above. 

The story blew up, skyrocketing onto the site’s frontpage with 1,500 comments and hundreds of upvotes. Within two hours, a user named FireflyySerenity offered to pick her up.

FireflyySerenity was true to her word. After chatting with Tiredoftheabuse through private messages and texts, she hopped in her truck and drove down to the San Fernando Valley to get her. It’s been a week since it happened, and I sat down with both of them at FireflyySerenity’s house (not their real names, obv) to see how they were both doing.

VICE: How have you been holding up?
Tiredoftheabuse: Every day I feel a little bit better. Obviously it’s gonna take time. It’s gonna be a long time before I feel whole again. The good news is that I start my new job next week. 

Why did you decide to turn to Reddit? 
I left my boyfriend previously in April and ended up staying with a friend for a couple of weeks. She was literally the only friend I had in Los Angeles. The reason I couldn’t stay with her this time is because she has two people already living with her in her tiny apartment. She knows the situation, and she’s been very supportive. I had nowhere to go and had to take this avenue. I wouldn’t have had to take the drastic measures I did if I had a healthy and open relationship. 

You ended up getting back together with him?
I felt like I was being a burden to my friend. I wasn’t able to find a job quickly. My boyfriend also promised he would stop drinking, we would go to therapy, and that everything would change. He lured me in with, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I treated you terribly. Things will be different now,” and I completely bought it. [laughs] People stay in abusive relationships and come back to them when they escape because it’s what’s familiar. Being in an unfamiliar place didn’t help. I have a great support system now and I’m going to move forward with my life and put the past behind me. 

How long did you stay in therapy?
We went for about a month. Eventually, when I asked about it, he said, “If you want to go to a therapist you can fucking pay for it.” I’m not trying to make my ex look bad. He needs help. I just wanted to get out. I was open to going to a shelter, but I didn’t know who to talk to, or anything about getting around LA, or the resources I had available to me. FireflyySerenity came in with her roommates and luckily I didn’t have to go to a shelter. 

FireflyySerenity, how did you come across Tiredoftheabuse’s post? 
FireflyySerenity: I go on Reddit all the time. I have an app on my phone, and I work as a nanny, so when the kids are taking a nap, I’ll fuck around. I subscribe to r/losangeles, because it’s got good stuff. Concerts and stuff like “20 percent off if you mention Reddit.” I was browsing when I saw the SOS. It was a giant block of text, and I knew something was wrong. I read half of the post and instantly responded. Intuition kicked in, and I had to respond. After texting back and forth a bit, we started creating a plan to leave in secret. I told her not to hesitate to call the police. I was talking to my friends later that night when I got a text message that read “Help.” 

What happened? 
Tiredoftheabuse: My ex had found the post. I locked myself in the bathroom while he was yelling through the door. He’s had to repair that door several times from breaking it. I knew I needed to get my stuff together quickly and get the fuck out.  

FireflyySerenity: I brought my huge-ass roommate. I texted her and told her to grab her things and get out. When we showed up, we thought her ex was gonna swing on us, but he didn’t. We got in the car, and Tiredoftheabuse was shaking and crying with a dog and a bag of miscellaneous shit. We brought her over to the house. I was also getting a lot of threats on Reddit from people who accused me of being a liar after I offered to help. 

So, back to the begginning, your ex flew you out to LA? 
Tiredoftheabuse: I came here from Florida. I met my ex through Twitter after he found my blog and really liked it. He said, “You don’t have to work. I’ll take care of you while you pursue your creative passions,” and I asked him about my car payment, and he said “I’ll pay for it.” He never did once, and now they’re looking to repossess it. 

It seems almost too good to be true to hear that from someone you met online.
No one wants to think that they’re naïve and that people would take advantage of them in that way. Everything was fine at first, as it usually is in relationships. There were little red flags that started to show, and before I knew it he was completely in control and I didn’t have an out. 

It didn’t feel safe to just drive off?
Right. And where was I gonna go?

Did you have any friends to talk to? 
They were mostly his friends. He wouldn’t let me hang out with any of them without him. Hanging out with anyone of the opposite sex was completely forbidden. He would yell at me if he thought I was staring at someone for too long. He would accuse me of wanting to fuck them. He would tell me what to wear because he didn’t want other men wanting me. 

What was the final straw?
The night before I left he brought me flowers, but within an hour he flew into a rage and broke the bathroom scale by stomping on it. So I just lay in bed and waited for him to pass out. I made the post, and I had no idea it was going to blow up the way it did.

Has there been backlash since you’ve left?
He’s been showing everyone the Reddit post and telling everyone that I’m crazy and lying about the abuse. 

Does he seem aware that he’s been physically and emotionally violent with you? 
He must be, because the way he acted around other people with me was nothing like he was behind closed doors. When he gets drunk, his anger comes out. Sometimes he’ll yell at people or be a dick to them, but when he’s sober he is very charming. He would complain to friends that I took advantage of him for his wallet. It got to the point that he wouldn’t apologize anymore for his behavior. He would sober up and act like nothing happened, and sometimes he would still stay mad at me. I just didn’t want to get hurt anymore. 

Have you heard from him since?
No. He knows to stay back. He’s just telling everyone how nuts I am. 

How do you feel about everything now that it’s been a week?
FireflyySerenity: I would want someone like me and my family to get me if I was ever in a situation like that. That’s why I did it. If I could just help one person get out of an awful situation, then maybe it could inspire other people to help someone. Do something good for someone else. You don’t always have to do things to get something in return. I hate it when people say “What are you getting out of this?” I have a friend I’ll have forever. It’s a bond that many people won’t understand or believe, and that’s fine. Let them look at me. That’s fine. 

@JonathanDBrown

More About Reddit: 

Reddit's Jailbait Section Is Dead

Reddit Wants the Boston Bomber's Blood

Reddit's Spacedicks Section Is the Internet's Actual Asshole 

Photo courtesy of BAMcinématek/Photofest.

For this week's Mahal, I talked to director George Gage about his film Skateboard. Released in 1978 and starring Tony Alva and Alfred Hitchcock's daughter, the film tells the tale of a semi-bald loser who decides to manage a team of skateboarding teens to cover some unsettled debts with his bookie. Skateboard is the opening film for BAMcinématek's Skateboarding Is Not a Crime, a tribute to the best movies about skateboarding, which will be screening everything from Larry Clark's Kids to Spike Jonze's Yeah Right! I called George to talk about skateboard culture and whether or not Tony Alva busted his balls. 

VICE: So, how did you end up with such a cool name, George Gage?
George Gage: [Laughs.] I don't know. I mean my family named me George, and our name Gage is the family name. My grandfather was named George, my uncle was named George, and my daughter kept the name Gage when she got married, so her kid is named Gage.

Do you have more experiences with skateboarding or disgruntled bookies?
That's a good one. I had no experience probably with either. I never skateboarded; I didn't skateboard during the movie, because I was afraid of getting hurt. One of my good friends had broken his ankle on a skateboard shortly before the movie. I never got on a skateboard, and I have never been a gambler. 

How did you come up with the film and trailer's music?
Mark Snow was the composer and came up with the “Skate Out” song. When the skate team goes from being losers and not doing well to starting to do well, we have a big musical montage in the middle of the movie that was a take off on the song “Night Moves.” It's one of my favorite parts. 

I think I am too young to have heard “Night Moves.” What was that all about? 
Well, I think it was about getting in the back seat of the car in the 60s. How you move on a girl and all that kind of stuff. Bob Seger sang “Night Moves.”

What was it like on set with all those skaters—did Tony Alva bust your balls on set?
It was nerve-wracking for a couple of reasons. One reason was that Tony Alva would always have his headphones on. One time that comes to mind is giving Tony a five minute spiel on what I wanted him to do, and all of a sudden the headphones came off, and he said, "Huh?" because he had never heard a word that I said. Whenever you're trying to block shots, there were just skateboards going all over the place. Instead of really paying attention to the director some of the times, they would be doing wheelies or flipping on their skateboards and stuff like that. They never sat down. They would be skateboarding all day long in between takes and sometimes even when in wardrobe. That being said, I actually adored those kids. We lived on the beach in Malibu, and those guys would pop into my house years after the film—surfboards with them—to say hi or have a beer, and then they would hit the waves. I kept in touch with Tony. He's a 50-year-old guy now and still really cool. He's got that skateboard company in California. 

Is he still into wearing headphones all day?
I don't know. I mean we did the DVD extras, and he didn't have headphones on. He's come out here to visit a few times and hasn't had headphones on. He's kept with it though. He's a hip guy.

What other skaters appear in the film?
Stacy Peralta, who went on to make amazing documentaries, was in it briefly. Chad McQueen, Steve McQueen's son, who went on to be an actor, was in it. Ellen O'Neil, who plays the pretty young girl, was a professional skateboarder at the time. The whole Leif Garrett story is interesting, because he was the teenage idol and could skateboard just a little bit and was a bit of an outsider amongst the skaters. But by the end of the film he had gained all of their respect. When it came down to the big race at the end of the film, he was able to do his own stunts. He became one of them.

How have you seen the skate scene change from when you made the film to how it is today?
I think that our film had a lot to do with the changing scene. Dick and I came up with some events that skateboarders were not doing back then. I don't think the big, mile-long race was done then, which is something that's done now. We did other things like high jumps, where you jump off your board and over things and land back on your board, and we had guys leaping over 14 or 15 barrels. A couple guys could jump over cars and land back on skateboards. A lot of these extreme tricks they were doing caught on with the skateboard scene. Tony was going back and fourth in the pool so many times—it was unheard of. We were definitely pushing the envelope and influencing surrounding skate scenes. 

To watch Skateboard and ask George any questions I failed to address, check out the screening and Q&A at BAM in Brooklyn on Friday September 6th at 7PM. 

@RedAlurk

Previously - Marco Hernandez: The Skate Life Photography King of Staten Island

Photo courtesy of Angela Wieland.

Since the military ouster of Muslim Brotherhood-backed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on July 3, Egypt has been in turmoil. The country is operating under emergency law, and a strict curfew is enforced from 6 AM to 9 PM, except on Fridays when civilians must be indoors by 7 PM. Over 1,000 civilians died last month during the bloody standoff between the Egyptian Army and Muslim Brotherhood members. These dangerous and violent battles pushed revolutionary youth off the streets—the original organizers who fought for democracy since January 25, 2011. Many had planned to protest last Friday during the release of Hosni Mubarak, the dictator who ruled Egypt for 30 years, but the planned gatherings were cancelled. 

On Friday, the revolutionary youth returned, as the “Ahrar Movement” protesters, who rejected both the military rule and the Muslim Brotherhood. They called for a new system, one free from the Muslim Brotherhood, the Army, or the old Mubarak regime. They peacefully sang and chanted that the “Ministry was full of thugs,” as they marched down the streets of Cairo. Six Ahrar protesters were reportedly killed later that day.

VICE's Wail Gozly sent us videos and photos from that day.

More news from Egypt:

Interview with an American Shot and Aressted in Egypt

Activists Find No Place on Egypt's Streets

I Escaped Death in an Egyptian Police Van but Witnessed an Attempted Rape