“Somebody tried to run me over because I was wearing ‘girl’ clothes.” “A man in a passing car yelled ‘you’re gay’ to a friend and me.” “I was assaulted by a UC Davis professor.” And “I was raped.” Over the course of an hour on March 18, a sign lying on the North Quad titled “This happened to me…” was slowly filled by a number of these shocking narratives.

Next to the first sign, a second poster titled “I’ve been called this…” asked UC Davis students attending a rally against queer violence titled “This is not OK” to fill in the sentence. Replies included “tranny,” “bitch,” “bê đê” (gay in Vietnamese), “bull dyke,” “whore” and “cunt.”

March’s rally was organized with the intent of bringing campus attention to several recent events — such as the March 10 bashing of Davis community member Mikey Partida and the transphobic “outing” of two candidates during the winter ASUCD elections.

In support of the event, straight ally Mayor Joe Krovoza shared an experience when he was called a “fag” when camping with a friend. Along with this show of solidarity, students and community members shared stories about how sick they are of everyday occurrences — including being stared at, being harassed and having to explain their sexuality to strangers.

Rally participant Erica Kenney, a 21-year-old food science major, was upset by the lack of new faces at the rally. “I felt like, once again, I was disappointed that the same people were showing up and we are not reaching out the way I would like to be. I struggle to think of ways that these stories could be heard,” she said.

“I have been fighting for years, why isn’t this over? I’m so fucking tired of this,” declared civil engineering major and student activist Adam Horn when he stood up to the microphone. “What else can I do?”

Horn implored witnesses to speak up on behalf of victims of discrimination. “Allies are our strongest advocates; when they stand up for me it speaks volumes.” Horn spoke of the violence that is still being silenced in dominant campus discourse. “It was a huge deal when Mikey got beat up, but there is still a lot of trans violence that goes unnoticed.”

Now, almost one month after the “This is not OK” rally, third-year physics student and trans woman Eva Angeli has a blood-red eye and and a fist-sized indent on her left cheek. Angeli was walking home from school on April 4 when she “heard a girl screaming and a guy yelling.”

She said that, while trying to de-escalate the situation, she was punched — “everything went black for a second.” Angeli said the unidentified suspect then “called me a faggot and said that he was going to beat me up.”

Angeli says that she filed a police report because “a lot of times, things get passed over — the perception that Davis is a perfectly safe place allows for the invisibility of victims.”

Alfredo Del Cid, LGBT Resource Center office coordinator, believes that victims of violence in Davis “often feel discouraged [from reporting] because they see similar issues not being resolved.”

Del Cid believes that one of the ways to make sure that queer voices are being heard is to assure community members that the LGBT Resource Center staff is willing to help provide support and guidance during a Campus Violence and Prevention Program or police reporting process.

Join Facebook groups to become aware of upcoming events (Queer Student Union, UC Davis LGBT Resource Center) and make new friends during Crafternoons — 3:30 p.m. Fridays at the LGBT Resource Center.

If you are queer or an ally, come to events and speak out — society won’t change itself.

KATELYN RINGROSE is tired of campus cruelty. She can be reached at knringrose@ucdavis.edu.

Last week, a group of international students sent a letter that detailed their difficulties with integration and expressed disappointment with the community’s lack of support.

As the number of international students grows on campus, so does the importance of this issue. Currently, we host over 2,000 international students, with the 2020 Initiative intending to bring in thousands more in the coming years. For Fall 2013, UC Davis received 6,747 freshman applications from internationals — a 65 percent increase from the previous year.

Members of the editorial board have studied abroad and are preparing to study abroad in the near future. We understand the importance and allure of global education. And more than that, we understand what it’s like to drop everything you know, immerse yourself in a foreign country with bizarre customs and suddenly find that you can’t communicate as well as you thought you could.

It’s what we, as internationally-minded students, sign up for. As sad as it is to read that our foreign comrades feel disconnected, we also know from experience that it’s a shared burden. International students at UC Davis need to put in a lot of effort if they want to learn about the American way of life, improve their English and make local friends. They need to embrace the discomfort and throw themselves into as many new situations as possible. They need to say “yes” to opportunities that might make them cringe and, probably, experience a fair amount of rejection.

This is not as easy as it sounds. And we know that American students could be more helpful. It’s a strange “us versus them” mentality, where, stereotypically, groups of international students sit together in class and speak foreign languages while groups of American students dissect the season premiere of “Mad Men.” This separation is alienating and unfortunately self-perpetuating. Students on both sides need to make the conscious effort to cross the room and strike up awkward conversation.

There are a lot of resources on campus and in the City of Davis for international students, as well as for locals looking to mingle. These resources are difficult to find though — they aren’t publicized and there doesn’t appear to be a single web page that lists them. Instead, students are running around in circles looking at websites for Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS), University Outreach and International Programs (UOIP), UC Davis Global Ambassadors, the Partners in Acquiring Language (PAL) program, the International House, Club International and a vague International Students UC Davis student portal.

Even though Club International claims over 500 American and non-American members on Facebook, some complain that it’s really only international students hanging out with one another. Meanwhile, the university doesn’t facilitate any way for international and local students to live together. Other schools have thriving programs for this, whether it’s merely matching students who then arrange off-campus housing together or it’s an International House with residency options. We can’t think of any good excuse as to why — when there are many ethnic-themed floors — the dorms can’t offer an International Floor.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi was an international student at UCLA. She knows the challenges international students face. She should be making sure that the university isn’t merely recruiting more and more international students for their money — $36,780 in student fees next year compared to $13,902 for residents — but is actively working with them to make UC Davis the global campus that administrators claim it is.

For those of you who did not read my column last quarter, I will be writing about capitalism and defending it against various criticisms. Rather than a technical philosophical defense of capitalism, though, I will be focusing on concrete issues. I should also note that the system we have today in this country does not qualify as capitalism, but instead is a mixed economy with improper government controls and cronyism. I refer you to my first column last quarter for a fuller discussion of what I mean by capitalism.

Often, when I tell people that I support laissez-faire capitalism — the system in which the government does nothing but protect the life, liberty and property of its citizens, and all property is privately owned — it is asked: “What about the poor?”

I could just as easily respond, of course, by asking, “What about them?” The hidden assumption behind the original question is the view that no one has a right to exist entirely for her own sake — to produce and enjoy her own wealth free from the coercive interference of government. No, some people must be forced to sacrifice their values for the sake of the poor, or less fortunate. This is the premise that has to be challenged if we are to live in a moral and free society.

First, it is a misconception that the poor are worse off in a laissez-faire capitalist system — because everyone can benefit the most from productive geniuses in such a system. By this I do not mean some sort of “trickle-down economics” (a term best avoided because of how politically charged it is) but rather that if productive individuals are left to their own devices, their value creation creates more opportunities for wealth and improvement in the standard of living: you do not have to be rich to benefit from what producers such as Bill Gates or Sam Walton have accomplished.

Moreover, entitlement schemes and wealth redistribution aimed at reducing poverty can cripple the self-esteem of their recipients. The precondition of true, lasting self-esteem is independence, productiveness and self-reliance. Applied to economic situations, this means working to provide others with values as a way of acquiring wealth. Coercive redistribution negates this by transforming economic relationships into those between victims and parasites. Worse, such policies can incentivize idleness or other kinds of self-destructive behavior, resulting in even more poverty.

Second, although I am optimistic that in a laissez-faire capitalist society private charities could alleviate the worst aspects of poverty, we should reject the notion that poverty is necessarily a social problem, i.e. a problem that society as a whole has a responsibility to solve. In a free society, wealth is distributed according to voluntary choice: People agree to work for a certain wage, pay a certain price, accept the terms of a contract and so on. Thus, it is not the fault of wealthier individuals (or anyone else) that others are poor (in a semi-free society, this may not be the case, but then that is just an argument for true capitalism).

Poverty can arise from many circumstances, such as a lack of education or simply misfortune — I do not hold the view that people in a free society are necessarily poor because they deserve to be. This does not change the fact that morally each individual is responsible for her own life. Only you can make your life meaningful and successful by choosing goals and achieving them — you cannot properly shift this burden to others.

Ultimately, although it may be moral if one can afford it to support charitable causes, poverty is not an important issue in a technologically advanced and productive laissez-faire society. What matters most is pursuing your values and trading with others to achieve your rational goals: developing a career, cultivating romantic relationships, enjoying art and so on. To act on your values, you need to be free; laissez-faire capitalism is the system that reflects this fact.

TRISTAN DE LIEGE can be reached at tflenaerts@ucdavis.edu.

Bad trips suck.

Sometimes they happen because you smoked a little too much, other times because you hadn’t eaten all day; or maybe because you weren’t used to smoking out of a bong and didn’t expect such a potent hit. Sometimes even something as trivial as the temperature or lighting might cause them.

Either way, bad trips ruin your high and put your body in an uncontrollable panic.

While weed usually helps calm your nerves, it can also put you in a state of increased sensitivity and hyper-awareness. This is cute and funny when it happens to the kids on “That ‘70s Show,” but it is actually extremely uncomfortable and scary.

During a bad trip, every single thought becomes urgent, and the feeling that something terrible is about to happen becomes impossible to ignore.

Sometimes people get extremely paranoid and they worry that the cops (or somebody’s parents) are going to show up out of nowhere and throw everybody in jail. Other times people get exaggeratedly worried about their health, and they get the feeling that they cannot breathe properly or that they are about to have a heart attack or brain aneurysm.

In their frantic state, people will catastrophize every little sensation or fear. Their minds become obsessed with negative thoughts that grow and spread through their entire being. They become anxious and fearful for no logical reason.

It might sound as if someone should be able to escape a bad trip simply by thinking happy thoughts, but while this is half-true, it is not that easy. The mind is extremely complicated and powerful. Sometimes it seems to develop a mind of its own and refuses to be tamed.

Trying to get out of a bad trip by telling yourself to think positive thoughts is like trying to fight fire with fire. It usually only makes things worse by adding to the million swarming ideas in your head that already have you incapacitated.

Instead, it is better to concern yourself with mundane, even boring matters. Do things that you can do automatically and that don’t require much thought.

Wash the dishes. Clean your room. Pick out your outfit for tomorrow. Organize your bookshelf or music library. Make your roommate a sandwich.

These tasks are not at all stressful, but they provide enough mental and physical stimulation to distract you from your irrational paranoia. Plus, they leave you feeling quite productive and accomplished.

Do something artistic or constructive. The same animated state of mind that is causing your paranoia can be converted into a creative, uninhibited point of view that can allow you to approach the world in a curious, beneficial, almost enlightened manner.

Draw, sketch or color in a coloring book. While a lifetime of honesty and civility might have left you inclined to always color inside the lines, in your altered state you might feel the urge to avoid this temptation. Go crazy.

You should embrace this newfound feeling of rebellion and question everything.

Work on some puzzles, solve some mysteries, pop in a song or movie and see if you notice things that you’d never noticed before.

Again, your paranoia stems from an increased awareness of yourself and of the world around you, and you should try to focus on something healthy and interesting. This way you are not simply carrying around an acute sensitivity that quickly over-exaggerates every single negative thought.

I am not saying you should ignore any serious signs that your health might be in danger. If you honestly feel as if you are suffocating or are having a heart attack, then you should definitely see a doctor.

But take the time to ask yourself if there’s a chance it might just be in your head. There are a number of emergency room visits by first-time smokers who freak out and think they are dying. But after being examined they are simply told to go home and rest so they can come down from their high.

If you can still talk in complete sentences, and if your face is still its natural color, and if you can still walk around on your own, then you’re most likely alright, and you should just enjoy your weed and watch some more episodes of “That ‘70s Show.”

LEO OCAMPO and his bong can be reached at gocampo@ucdavis.edu.

On March 28, owners of Common Grounds Coffee in South Davis posted a Facebook status announcing that their landlord refused to renew their lease in favor of a Starbucks, closing its doors on March 31 after 13 years of business.

A week later, the owners announced that they will open again in three months, thanks to customer support. The owners made an agreement with their landlord to move to a location adjacent to the shop’s previous location.

This is sadly part of a growing trend, where local businesses are displaced by chain stores.

As a city known for its small-town feel and sustainable transportation practices, it’s disconcerting to see small businesses known for their unique quirks or specializations disappearing. And it’s not just because we like having things that others can’t have.

Independent businesses are struggling to stay afloat due to increased competition from online retailers, the presence of more big-box retailers and high rent costs, to name a few. Operating costs can also get quite expensive over time.

Additionally, the term “land oligopoly” is being thrown around as a reference to how so few people own a majority of the commercial real estate in Davis, a big influence over the costs of rent.

Common Grounds is just one example of a small local business facing setbacks. Davis has lost several other independent businesses in recent years, such as the Wash Mill Laundromat and Rostini Italian Kitchen, with high rent and high operating costs cited as respective reasons for their closures.

Meanwhile, we’ve had Whole Foods, Panera, Forever 21, Habit Burger and Pinkberry open up, taking precious consumer dollars. And Wingstop is on its way.

We’re not saying we never shop at these big-box stores — who doesn’t want to stock up on cheap generics? But we also don’t want Davis to lose its character.

According to the Davis Downtown Business Association’s (DDBA) website, six cents of every dollar spent at a big-box retailer is recirculated in the community and 20 cents of every dollar spent at a chain store is recirculated in the community, whereas 60 cents of every dollar spent at an independent retailer is recirculated.

“A dollar spent at a locally-owned store is usually spent six to 15 times before it leaves the community,” the website stated.

In addition, small businesses create more local jobs, buy more of their goods and services locally (which lessens environmental impact), give back to the community more and increase sales tax revenue, according to the DDBA.

We hope chain stores and small businesses can coexist. As customers did for Common Grounds, we encourage individuals to show continued support for local businesses because, really, there’s no place like home.