North Miami City Councilman Scott Galvin is known for his unique approach to serving his constituents.
An early adopter of email newsletters and blogging to keep people that live in his city informed, Galvin has recently started producing web videos for the same purpose.
But none of that quite compares to what Galvin did to support the Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival.
Galvin is not afraid to take a stand on issues that are a bit bigger than North Miami, a diverse northern Miami suburb with nearly 60,000 residents.
So he decided to make fun of Republican Presidential front-runner Donald Trump to raise money for the AIDS walk.
Galvin dressed as “The Donald” and walked around the event carrying fake money with Trump’s face on it.
“I’ve been wearing silly costumes in the Walk since 2009, when I was a leprechaun,” Galvin said in an interview with RISE NEWS. “I always try to do something unique, as it’s a big point in my fundraising efforts. This year, I truly didn’t have an original idea. And then I saw a recent Republican debate. My costume immediately became clear.”
Galvin has been involved with AIDS walks for years and has been walking in them since 2007.
While most people at the walk understand that Galvin was making fun of Trump and his arrogant manor (he was also saying one-lines as he walked around like “I’m building a wall around YOUR house”), some people didn’t get the joke.
“A few were unsure, however, and wondered if I was supporting Trump,” Galvin said. “A few wouldn’t even take my fake money and just gave me disgusted looks.”
While it was all in good fun, Galvin said that he really does believe that Trump poses a threat to the LGBT community.
“An affront to any minority community is an affront to us all,” Galvin said. “If we sit silently as Trump insults Mexicans and Muslims, who will be around to defend us when it is our turn?”
Galvin’s efforts seemed to have paid off as he was able to raise around $8,000 for the walk.
“Trump’s campaign is as much a hot mess as I was walking in the sun wearing a clown wig and orange make up,” Galvin said. “At least I was able to turn his idiocy into a few laughs for a good cause.”
Cover Photo Credit: Scott Galvin/ Facebook
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us!
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How Donald Trump Is An IRL Internet Troll
The following is an opinion piece that does not necessarily reflect the views of Rise News. It was originally published in Rise Miami News.
By Fred Russell
In watching the almost continuous news coverage of Donald Trump’s recent gaffs, I started to notice a pattern developing. There was a word for how this man was acting.
I had my suspicions about what he may have been doing, but I couldn’t be sure. It all started when he made openly bigoted statements about Mexican immigrants, suggesting they were “rapists” and “criminals”.
Then, at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, he disrespected Senator John McCain by suggesting that he was not in fact a war hero, because he had been captured. At this point it was starting to become clear that Mr. Trump was saying these things purely to gain attention from anyone who would look in his direction.
This type of behavior is known among some internet users as “trolling”. At least that’s what it seemed like to me. Urban Dictionary defines the word “Internet Troll” as: “Someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.”
I woke up a few days later, flipped the television on to watch the news with some coffee. My suspicions were confirmed in such spectacular fashion, I did a spit-take and sprayed Mr. Trump directly in the face with my morning cup of joe. Donald Trump had publicly listed the cell phone number of a U.S. Senator, and encouraged millions of viewers on live television to give him a call. A video surfaced the next day on the internet of Senator Lindsey Graham destroying his cell phone by throwing it at a wall.
So there it was. Doxing. Wikipedia defines doxing as: ”Doxing (from dox, abbreviation of documents), or doxxing, is the Internet-based practice of researching and broadcasting personally identifiable information about an individual.”
They go on to explain: “Doxing may be carried out for various reasons, including to aid law enforcement, business analysis, extortion, coercion, harassment, public shaming and vigilante justice.”
In this case, I would say that Donald Trump had doxxed his fellow Republican presidential candidate for the purpose of harassment. In true troll form, he had inconvenienced someone simply because it garnered attention for him.
I am sure some will suggest that if I know he just wants attention, I should probably refrain from writing about him and stop giving him what he wants. However, anyone familiar with the garden-variety internet troll knows that in any argument, there will be one person who points out the troll and makes a great suggestion. I am that guy.
Most internet message boards and social networks come with a special option, which allows users to break contact with anyone who bothers them. Hit the block button. Ignore him, America. Put this bigoted, antagonistic ass behind you. That is where asses belong.
Cover Photo Credit: Sarah Russell
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Israeli Soldier Kills Palestinian Woman In West Bank
A 19 year old Palestinian woman was shot and killed by a Israeli solider on the eve of Rosh Hashanah in Hebron, a city in the West Bank.
The Israeli Defense Force announced the shooting via Twitter.
BREAKING: Palestinian attempts to stab soldier at military position in Hebron. Forces responded with fire at the attacker & identified hit.
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) September 22, 2015
According to multiple media reports, Hadeel al-Hashlamun was a student but it is unclear what exactly led to the shooting- although Israeli officials say that al-Hashlamun was trying to stab a soldier.
The shooting comes on the heels of a failed terrorist attack a few hours earlier in Hebron.
From Reuters:
“A Palestinian militant died when a bomb he was trying to throw at Israeli forces blew up near the West Bank city of Hebron overnight, officials from both sides said on Tuesday, as tension mounted on the eve of the Jewish Yom Kippur fast day.”
Watch: A video showing the aftermath of the shooting of Hadeel al-Hashlamun.This is a developing story.
Like this piece? Rise News just launched a few weeks ago and is only getting started. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with global news. Have a news tip? Send it to us- [email protected] (We can keep your identity hidden.)
Cover Photo Credit: Youth Against Settlements/ Facebook
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Algae Blooms Are Making People Sick In Parts Of Florida
Algae blooms that have been making people sick have spread to Martin and St. Lucie Counties in Florida, according to WPTV.
TCPalm reports that officials in both Martin and St. Lucie County have appealed to Florida Department of Environmental Regulation to test the water, determine what type of algae is in it, and see if it’s related to blue green algae linked to Lake Okeechobee’s freshwater discharges.
Tourism could be affected by the algae blooms.
Nerissa Okiye, who is the Marketing and Tourism Director for Martin County, told WPTV that she has been fielding questions from people who had placed trips to Martin County before the algae blooms began.
She told WPTV that “When they’re seeing this, it puts a hesitancy. Do I want to go there?”
The algae has been known to cause rashes and hay fever like symptoms in people that it has come in contact with, and nausea and vomiting in people who ingest it.
In the meantime, signs have been put up advising people not to approach the algae, and affected beaches have put up red flags as to advise swimmers.
Martin County Health Department spokesperson Renay Rouse told WPTV that “It is unusual…As a precaution we wanted to get the signage out there. The big message is if you see algae avoid contact with it.”
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Brian Goodwin/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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