Rip Issue 2 Sept. 22, 2021

20th anniversary of 9/11
News, Page 2
Bakersfield College hosts
art gallery
Campus, Page 6
Vol. 97 ∙ No. 2 Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 Bakersfield College
The Renegade Rip
BC Wide Reciever Jalen Blizzard (4) celebrates after a
90-yard kick return in the 3rd quarter against El Camino
during Renegade Football’s home opener on Sept. 11.
Bakersfield College hosts its first art gallery since the
beginning of the pandemic.
HILARIO GOMEZ / THE RIP
9/11 remembered.
RAZAN MAKHLOUF / THE RIP
COLLIN ACEVEDO / THE RIP
The Renegade Rip @bc_rip @bc_rip Follow us online at www.therip.com

Page 2
News
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021
BC Veteran’s Center honors 9/11
By Justin White
Reporter
City marks 20th anniversary of 9/11
By Collin Acevedo
Reporter
For the 20th anniversary
of the Sept. 11 attacks in
2001, the students of Bakersfield
College were able
to view a temporary memorial
monument that honored
the lives of those who died.
It was placed in front of the
Veteran’s Center on the BC
Panorama campus. Jeremy
Staat, the creator of the
memorial, is also a Marine
Corps veteran and welding
professor at BC. “I received
an email from Jenny Frank,
who is a Marine Corps veteran,
and who I have known
for years. She asked if I
would be interested in building
a memorial for the 20th
anniversary of the 9/11 attacks…
I knew I would need
to build something that was
monumental to honor the
fallen, to represent the responders,
and those that answered
the call to serve.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEREMY STAAT
BC Welding Professor Jeremy
Staat sits next to 9/11 memorial
he built
The monument is made
out of 2”x 2” square tubing
with a 16-gauge floor,
using the Gas Metal
Arc Welding process.
Staat said he used this
process to “place small
amounts of filler metal
down, known as tack
welds, to form solid
welds on the joints.” He
stated that he laid down
about 3,000 tack welds
to represent the almost
3,000 individuals killed
in the 9/11 attacks. He
also noted that “red
carnations and personal
messages” are adorning
the memorial as
“representations of the
victims and personal
notes left behind” from
those affected by the
The ambiance was settled
Saturday the 11th, at Fire
Station 15 on Buena Vista
Road as a remembrance service
was in place for those
lost 20 years ago in the attacks
upon the World Trade
Center. The service held a
vast array of people from
service members of the military
branches, local law enforcement,
firefighters, and
an assortment of bikers.
There were scattered
faces of many, some wore
their cards where you can
see them, while others only
shared their tinted eyes of
settled pain. They remember
watching the TV and at
will, they can recall all the
events which played before
them and the rest of that
slow ill-fated day. Most saw
it in their younger reaches
of youth and within two
decades passing they have
sprouted families. Now they
educate their children upon
the travesty which rattled
them and America.
A video memorial was
displayed, giving further
insight into the history of
that day before the anthem
was played, followed by a
moment of silence. The
speeches read by political
figures and other higher officials
addressed the people,
showing how far this affected
everyone establishing a
connection and intertwining
the stories to show a bigger
picture.
There were big local faces
who made an appearance
such as Congressman Kevin
McCarthy, Mayor Karen
Goh, and Sheriff Donny
Youngblood. Both McCarthy
and Goh shared their insights
on that day, with Goh
ending off her speech by
stating, “God bless the United
States of America, we will
remember all of them.”
Amid the remembrance
of those present, they also
shared a moment for those
who were lost along the way.
The Portrait of a Warrior
Gallery, which is located
attacks, and from those
that wished to leave a
message of encouragement
or a prayer for the
victims and their families
Ḟor such a milestone anniversary,
Staat clearly understands
the significance of
this memorial, and was glad
to be able to create it. “It is
an honor and a privilege for
me to build this piece,” Staat
says. “ I can only hope that
it will bring healing to those
that need it, convey awareness,
and educate those who
were young or not even born
when the attacks happened.”
He also says that while the
memorial is currently only
temporary, he hopes to build
a permanent version soon,
and already has some ideas
for a possible permanent
memorial, saying “I would
like to incorporate a water
feature in the base of the
memorial that mirrors the
9/11 memorial in New York
City.” The memorial is available
for viewing outside of
the Vernon Valenzuela Veterans
Center at Bakersfield
College for a limited time.
downtown, shares a piece of
art dedicated to those who
made the ultimate sacrifice
in the line of duty. The gallery
was produced to further
educate and honor veteran
sacrifices.
In the end, when the last
roll was called and all the
flags accompanied by the
night’s sky laid still, the service
which began in prayer
ended with a demonstration
of patriotism. As all the
names were carried away
with the wind once more,
they still stand on the tip of
our tongues. They are still
there even after 20 years,
standing taller with each anniversary
in our memories.

Page 3
News
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021
Kern County Fair 2021 is on!
The Kern County Fair pre-COVID in 2019.
THE RIP
The Kern Couny Fair ferris wheel in 2018.
By Breonna Zapiain
Reporter
THE RIP
THE RIP
Scene from a previous Kern County Fair in 2019.
After being canceled in 2020, the Kern County Fair board
announced that the Kern County Fair will be happening in
2021. The fair is scheduled to take place from Sept. 22 to
Oct. 3. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some precautions
and guidelines will be in place at this year’s fair.
According to responses on social media, many Bakersfield
locals will not be attending the fair. COVID-19 and the
health concerns surrounding it are cited as reasons why some
people are not attending.
“I’m not going to the fair this year because I don’t think
enough people have been vaccinated for me to feel comfortable,”
said Bakersfield College student Damien Lyons.
There are also different reasons others may not attend this
year’s fair.
“The fair is expensive and I am a working-class lad with
bills to pay,” said BC student Josiah Nguyen.
In light of the pandemic, there will be precautions taken
at the 2021 KC Fair. These include hand sanitizer being
available at all tables and vendors throughout the fair, efforts
will be made to keep fair sanitized, and contactless options
for tickets and vendor payments will be available. The Kern
County Fair website encourages all to “…attend only after
evaluating their own health risks” and advises that “an inherent
risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public
place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely
contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death.”
The Kern County Fair has released a lineup of the events
that will take place this year that can be found on the fair’s
website and social media. Some of these events include a performance
by Walker Hayes on Wednesday, Sept. 22 which
is free to attend with fair admission, and Smash Mouth on
Saturday, Oct. 2.
Tickets for the KC fair are available for purchase online at
kerncountyfair.com at a discounted price of $9 and will be
available at the gate for $12. For children under 5 and those
with a Military ID, admission will be free. Carnival wristbands
are also available to purchase online for a discount and
will be available for purchase at the fair.

Page 4
Sportss
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021
BC football is
back, winning
HILARIO GOMEZ / THE RIP
Renegade defense lines up for a big goal-line stand against the El
Camino Warriors.
By Hilario Gomez
Reporter
The Renegade football team
capped off their home opener
with a 24-13 win over the El
Camino Warriors on Sept. 11.
New head coach R. Todd Littlejohn
starts his tenure with a
crucial win at home after the
cancellation of last season due
to Covid-19 built up suspense on
how the Renegades would look
under his guidance. Littlejohn, a
former Renegade football player
himself, had enormous shoes
to fill after long-time head coach
Jeff Chudy stepped down after 16
seasons and definitely has taken
his first step to doing so with that
win.
The Renegades looked explosive
and physical on special teams
with two different 90-plus yard
returns although one was called
back due to a penalty. The player
responsible for the negated return
running back Zachariah-Au
Hawkins was just as explosive
on the ground with 75 yards on
the day with a long of 55 and a
touchdown.
While at points the team did
look shaky and had problems
with penalties, that is to be suspected
when their last game was
almost two years ago.
Altogether, the Renegades
showed quite a bit of promise in
their first outing and showed they
could really make some noise this
season in the Western State Conference.
Editor’s note: Bakersfield
College also beat Golden
West 20-19 on Sept. 18 to remain
undefeated. For more
information visit therip.com.
The worst narrative
Football is back, and
with week one concluding
offseason narrative
killing has just begun.
Countless narratives
and presumptions were
droned over and repeated
by media pundits
since the end of the
last regular season. “Insert
team name here”
is soft, “insert coach
here” is on the hot seat
and can’t handle the
big stage, it all has been
said way too many
times to count. All of
it is just words until we
see it come to fruition.
Personally, I’d love to
dismantle my most hated
offseason narrative.
“The Cardinals
are soft”
The slander for a
young Cardinals team
was one of the odder
narratives of the offseason.
Sure, the team
does have some warts
that could be cause for
concern but that’s true
for literally every team
not named the Buccaneers.
The Cardinals
were dubbed a soft team
who wouldn’t be able to
match up with teams
upfront with physical
teams because of their
college-like playstyle
and their young coach
in Kliff Kingsbury.
Offseason additions JJ
Watt and rookie Zaven
Collins were said
to not be enough to
transform their defense.
Oh, how were so many
completely wrong. The
Cardinals ended week
one with a 38-13 dismantling
of the most
Everything football
By Hilario Gomez
Reporter
Hilario Gomez
physical teams in the
league last year in the
Titans. From the jump,
Arizona just dominated
the Titans upfront,
holding them under
100 yards rushing and
having a combined six
sacks. Arizona has definitely
taken its first step
to killing their bad narratives.
Prospect Highlight
Another week of
college football means
another prospect highlight.
Enter Aidan
Hutchinson. Michigan
defensive lineman
Hutchinson had a quiet
season last year due to
injury and left the public
spotlight. Expectedly,
that put a chip on
his shoulder and he let
it be known that he deserves
to be mentioned
with the best when he
lined up against highly-touted
Washington
offensive tackle Jaxon
Kirkland and made
him look like a peewee
player in Michigan’s
win. He logged multiple
sacks while showcasing
rare athleticism
and power that always
entices NFL teams at
the top of the draft.

Campus
Page 5
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021
C.O.P. The Color of Power
By Raul Padilla
Reporter
The Levan Center Humanities
kicked off its first event of the year by
introducing Dr. Tommy Tunson. A
retired police chief and professor in
criminal justice, he aims to enrich the
community with a new course under
his instruction. The event took place
on Sept. 9 via Zoom webinar.
Tunson had worked for 33 years as
a black police officer. His experience
had let him be a front-line witness to
events that lead to him wanting to create
a new educational class for people
across the nation.
He presents a new class for BC,
TPM (Transformational Policing
Model) where students will analyze
the historical impact of racial injustice
across the country. Additionally, they
will undergo training to assist police
and community members in forming
positive, productive partnerships. “It
provides awareness into the sensitive
issue of racism which has been in our
country from the beginning.” Tunson
added.
The class will be “two-pronged.”
First is C4, (Collaborate Community
Cultural Coaching) focusing on training
of law enforcement and community
attendees together in the same
classroom. Emphasis is placed on
understanding the historical origins
of mistrust in the country. Second is
CCJE (Community Criminal Justice
Education) the role of police and
community members working together
Ṫhe class had originally started as
a two-day course in Sacramento, and
as the course succeeded and gained
more traction it was able to transition
to a full BC class. It will be offered as
either a three week or full semester
course. “This course is put together to
make sure that we come together as
one.”
To pair with the new class, Tunson
introduced the book that will go
with the course, “C.O.P. The Color
of Power: Odyssey of a Black Cop.”
The book offers insight on many of
the topics that will be covered during
the course.
Regardless of whether you take the
class or not, Tunson recommends the
story to “anyone who cares about the
future of this country.”
RAUL PADILLA/THE RIP
Photographed above is Dr. Tommy
Tunson during his many years as a
police chief.
Deep Cuts and Conversation
By Jaylene Collins
Features Editor
Deep Cuts and Conversation spoke
about the music they don’t like in their
first installment of the semester that
was held on Sept. 14 via Zoom.
Deep Cuts and Conversation is a Levan
Center event and hosted by professors,
Josh Ottum, Kris Tiner, and
Reggie Williams where they and the
audience have an open conversation
about music. This session was planned
to take place in person but with the
surge of COVID-19 cases recently, the
event was moved to Zoom.
The topic of this session was popular
music the hosts and the audience wishes
they were able to enjoy.
“It gets even deeper, at least when I
think about this stuff,” Ottum, a music
professor, said. “It’s like maybe I do get
it [a song], as a trained musician, you
know what I mean? And I kinda like
wished I liked it, but I don’t.”
As an example, Ottum said an artist
he couldn’t get into was the Rolling
Stones.
“It’s not bad music but I don’t– I’m
not pulled into it in a way,” Ottum explained.
Tiner, another music professor,
agreed with Ottum. He said he once
had a Rolling Stone phase, but now he
can no longer find their music entertaining.
“That’s another aspect of it, our
tastes evolve over time as we change
and get older and everything,” Tiner
stated. “Some things will resonate with
you for a minute and you wish you can
still be into them.”
While going through a list of the
best albums of all time according to
the Rolling Stone Magazine, Ottum
said he didn’t listen to most of the artists
on the list.
“If I’m sitting down to like check
stuff out I basically don’t like anything
a white, boomer, rock critic likes,” Ottum
said.
Other artists the hosts and audience
shared on the topic were, the Beetles,
Jefferson Starship, Led Zepplin, Radiohead,
Frank Zappa, and Tupac.
Deep Cuts and Conversation’s next
session will be on Oct. 13 from 12 p.m.
to 1 p.m.

Page 6
Campus
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021
BC Art Faculty Exhibition
By Razan Makhlouf
Photo Editor
In a time of uncertainty,
when the arts world
came to a stop, artists
did what they always
do: found beauty, inspiration,
and meaning in
their work.
The Wylie and May
Louise Jones Gallery
presented an exhibition
of work from the Art
Faculty of Bakersfield
College.
Eleven artists were
featured in the 2021
Bakersfield College Art
Faculty Exhibition, and
their work displayed
expressions of stress,
chaos, change, loss, and
peace.
The exhibition contained
18 works including
photography, acrylic
and watercolor painting,
paper collage and a
woodblock print.
Ronnie Wrest, gallery
co-director and art
history instructor said,
“the past 18 months has
changed the way many
of us work, interact with
our community, and go
about our daily lives. We
found the continuation
of a daily routine in our
typical art practice as
a good therapy for the
team’s environment that
we were in,”.
Department chair
and art faculty member
Kristopher Stallworth
displayed his artwork
at the exhibition. In his
abstract, yet actual place
depicting images, he
wanted to explore a different
way of approaching
the landscape. “In
some ways this parallels
my experience through
the pandemic. My world
became much smaller,
and it gave me a chance
to focus on life’s little details,”
he said.
While some artists’
work was disrupted
through the pandemic,
they still managed to
find therapy and maybe
normalcy in their art
practice. Jeffrey Houston,
Professor of Media
Arts at Bakersfield College
said, “I was still able
to do the hiking process
exploration through the
pandemic. Aside from
national park closures I
wouldn’t say my art was
disrupted,”.
On the other hand,
Darrin Ekern, Ceramics/
Sculpture Professor
at Bakersfield College,
explained that his art
process was disrupted.
“My practice was really
corrupted because I
work in such a physical
medium and my home
studio became my class,”
he said.
Along with Wrest,
Houston and Ekern,
other faculty artists displayed
their artwork like
Professor Adel Shafik,
Dacey Villarreal, Gina
Herrera, Jamee Eaton,
Joseph Tipay, and Nyoka
Reed.
You can visit the Wylie
and May Louise
Jones Gallery Monday
through Thursday from
1-4 p.m. The artwork
that will be on display
through Oct. 22
RAZAN MAKHLOUF/THE RIP
Artwork by Professor Adel Shafik
at The Wylie and May Louise Jones
Gallery.
RAZAN MAKHLOUF/THE RIP
Ronnie Wrest (left), Darrin Ekern
(middle), and Jeffrey Houston
(right) at The Wylie and May Louise
Jones Gallery
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The Renegade Rip is produced by Bakersfield College
journalism classes and is circulated on Thursdays
during the fall and spring semesters. The newspaper is
published under the auspices of the Kern Community
College District Board of Trustees, but sole responsibility
for its content rests with student editors. The Rip is
a member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association,
Associated Collegiate Press, and California
Colleges Media Association.
The Renegade Rip
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-Chief.........................Nick Covello
Senior Digital Editor........Hugo Maldonado
Garcia
News Editor.................Aubrianna Martinez
Photo Editor.....................Razan Makhlouf
Features Editor.....................Jaylene Collins
Copy Editor...............Teresa Balmori Perez
Adviser.........................................Erin Auerbach
STAFF
Reporters/photographers:
Erami Dominguez
Hilario Gomez
Collin Acevedo
Raul Padilla
Justin White
Breonna Zapiain
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Page 7
Our Town
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021
Second Saturday in sunny
Bakersfield
that downtown has to offer
and give people an excuse
or occasion to explore downtown.”
Councilman Gonzales
said in a KGET interview.
Gonzales shared his excitement
about more people
wanting to be in downtown
since the pandemic.
“You are starting to see
blocks create their own sense
of character, uniqueness,
and identity,” he said.
“I am hopeful that Second
Saturday can be that conduit
at least once a month to expose
the coolness in Bakersfield.”
Labare said.
BY RAZAN MAKHLOUF
Locals walking around downtown Bakersfield on Second Saturday.
By Razan Makhlouf
Photo Editor
Second Saturday is the
second Saturday of a month
where the Bakersfield community
designates this day
for local events, with the goal
of encouraging the population
to get active and explore
their community.
In Bakersfield, Second Saturday
is organized by a nonprofit
organization called
The Hub of Bakersfield. It
was created to encourage
residents to spend one day
a month downtown, to support
local businesses.
Every month, the Hub of
Bakersfield releases a map
highlighting the downtown
businesses offering special
discounts, offers or experiences.
The map spans across
downtown Bakersfield, and
it includes information for
all participating businesses
so attendees can plan their
route for the day.
In an interview with Shannon
Labare by KGET, cochair
of The Hub (Second
Saturday’s sponsoring organization)
she said, “Second
Saturday is a monthly activity
that we set up every single
month with downtown storefronts.
They sign up and they
let us know what is going on.
They let us know what specials
they are offering, and
we share it through our platforms.”
“Every month we deliver
out a map that shows what
is in context with each other,
how to get from one place
to the other, so you essentially
complain your whole
Saturday from coffee to an
evening nightcap throughout
downtown” she added.
Second Saturday was the
brainchild of councilman
Andrae Gonzales. Labare
stated that Gonzales brought
the idea to her as he “saw a
lot of businesses in downtown
doing some really cool
things and wanted to celebrate
that,”
“Second Saturday is the
one day of the month that
we want to as a community
want to promote everything
BY RAZAN MAKHLOUF
Padre Hotel offering $5
bloody mary for Second
Saturday.
BY RAZAN MAKHLOUF
Aunt Mae’s Sweet Tooth
offering ice cream sandwiches
for $7.75 for Second
Saturday.

Page 8
Opinion
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2021
Shang-Chi is
10/10 rings
By Jaylene Collins
Features Editor
“Shang-Chi and the
Legend of the Ten
Rings” was released
in theaters on Sept. 3
making it the latest—
and one of the best—
film installments in
the Marvel Cinematic
Universe (MCU).
The film is one of
the first Marvel movies
since COVID-19
that premiered solely
in theaters instead
of having a theatrical
release accompanied
with a Disney+
streaming option.
“Shang-Chi” was given
a 45-day window
of playing time at
movie theaters. Local
showtimes are available
online.
The MCU is coming
back in full swing with
their movies after only
releasing TV shows
on Disney+ during
the height of the pandemic.
“Shang-Chi”
has been the second
MCU movie released
in 2021 after “Black
Widow.”
The film follows
Shang-Chi, played by
Simu Liu, a seemingly
average adult working
a valet parking job
with his friend Katy,
played by Awkwafina.
However, Shang-Chi’s
story turns out to be
far from average.
The antagonist is
Shang-Chi’s father
(Tony Leung Chiuwai),
the
current
holder of
the ten
rings. It
falls upon
Shang-Chi
to face his
past in order
to stop
his father
and the ten
rings before
he tries
to destroy
the world.
Shang-
Chi is one
of the new
leaders of
the current
phase the
MCU is in
and is a lesser-known
hero to most. This
movie and actor Simu
Liu couldn’t have been
more perfect for this
hero’s live-action debut.
Director Destin
Daniel Cretton pulled
out all the stops for the
film. Everything about
the movie was stellar.
Each cast member
gave amazing performances
for the movie,
epecially Liu, the lead.
Of course, it is expected
for the lead actor to
be the best, but he was
the best and so much
more. Liu embodied
Shang-Chi perfectly
from the beginning till
the end of the film.
The film was also
visually stunning to
look at. The scenery
was beautiful and each
color worked well on
GOOGLE IMAGES
each scene. From each
costume to each set
piece, it was prevalent
that a lot of care went
into crafting each shot.
However, the fights
are what stood out
the most. The fighting
choreography
was insanely good.
Each fighting scene
had one’s full attention
from the start all
the way to the end.
“Shang-Chi’s” fight
scenes can honestly
put all other superhero
actions scenes to
shame.
“Shang-Chi” blows
most other superhero
movies out of the
water. Even if you haven’t
kept up with the
MCU or aren’t the
biggest fan of Marvel,
you should see the film
Renegade Events
Campus Events
Sept. 22: Our Ranchero Roots: A History
of the Mexican Rancho, Development,
and Emigration Webinar at 6:00 p.m. on
Zoom.
Sept. 23: Faculty Art Exhibit at the Wylie
and May Louise Jones Gallery at 1:00 p.m.
Sept. 24: Strategies for Effective Research
Workshop at 8:30 a.m. in the Library,
room 217.
Sept. 27: Virtual Special Recognition of
Cindy Collier at 4:00 p.m. on Youtube.
Sept. 30: Detecting Fake News Workshop
at 2:30 p.m. in the Library, room 217.
Sept. 30: Canvas Gradebook and Extra
Credit Workshop at 3:30 p.m. on Zoom.
Oct. 1: Evaluating Internet Sources
Workshop at 4:00 p.m. in the Library, room
217.
Oct. 2: Finding Books and eBooks Workshop
at 11:15 a.m. in the Library, room 217.
Oct. 2: Evaluating Books and Articles
Workshop at 12:30 p.m. in the Library,
room 217.
Oct. 4: A2MEND Power Hour Event at
12:50 p.m. in the Library Fireside Room.
Oct. 4: Evaluating Internet Sources
Workshop at 4:00 p.m. in the Library, room
217.
Oct. 6: Virtual Express Enrollment Event
at 12:00 p.m. on Zoom.
Oct. 6: Using Google for Internet Searching
Workshop at 1:00 p.m. in the Library,
room 217.
Oct. 7: Finding Articles in Periodical Databases
Workshop at 10:00 a.m. in the Library,
room 217.
Oct. 7: Distinguished Speaker Dr. Pamela
Douglas Event at 8:00 p.m. on Zoom and
BCSGA Facebook.