The Messenger’s digest of current events at Northview and around the world.

Abhay Bethur, Staff Writer

NBA boycott

On Aug. 27, 2020, The National Basketball Association (NBA), had a temporary shut down when the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott a game to make a stand for Jacob Blake’s murder. This decision led other NBA teams to boycott their upcoming games as well. Things came to a head in a massive meeting between several NBA players when star player, Lebron James, allegedly stormed out. According to NBA insiders, his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, and cross-city rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, voted to shut down the entire season unless the owners came up with a plan to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Players decided to regroup to make a final decision on whether to come back. The following day, according to ESPN sources, each team made a unanimous decision to play this season and the owners put together a plan that the players liked. 

Together, they made three commitments. First, the NBA and its players must create a social justice coalition. The second commitment was that NBA stadiums will become voting facilities, and the third was that the league must work to make more advertisements pushing for social justice. Only time will tell how these changes will fare in the long-term political environment.

Chief Byers and JCPD

In June, Johns Creek Police Chief Christopher Byers caused outrage when he wrote a Facebook post criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement and stating he did not support it. In the post, which he has since deleted, Byers wrote:

"I believe that the lives of every black man, woman, and child matter just as much as the lives of every white man, woman, and child and police officer. Just as with every other nationality we get the privilege of calling our neighbors and every religion represented. But I do not support the Black Lives Matter as a movement as it seems to glorify the killing of my brothers and sisters. It is not what you pastors and religious leaders think it is. Stop trying to be relevant and look deeper into what you are saying, posting, and tagging before you do it.”

This caused immediate backlash from those in the Johns Creek community and led to Johns Creek City officials forcing administrative leave. After careful consideration, officials asked Byers to resign. The Johns Creek City Manager is currently consulting members of Johns Creek community and the police department to appoint the next police chief. 

RNC and DNC recap

From Aug. 17, 2020 to Aug. 20, 2020, the much-awaited Democratic National Convention (DNC) occurred. At the DNC, Joe Biden was formally announced as the Democratic Presidential Candidate, and Kamala Harris was announced as his running mate. The event spanned three days, during which multiple Democratic politicians spoke and famous singers, such as Billie Eilish and John Legend, performed. It concluded with a speech by Biden and the DNC after-party. Meanwhile, the Republican National Convention occurred from Aug. 24, 2020, to Aug. 27, 2020. At the equally anticipated convention, Donald J. Trump was formally announced as the Republican Presidential Candidate. Similar to the DNC, many well-known Republican politicians spoke at this convention. These conventions mark the beginning of a tumultuous two months of presidential campaigning leading up to the November election. 

Virtual Welcome Week

Every year during the second week of school, Northview Student Council holds Welcome Week, where students are treated to a week of treats. This year, however, it had to be different. When COVID-19 hit, there was a lot of uncertainty about how school would come back and if it would be in person or virtual. To prepare for both, Student Council made plans in case either one happened. Northview ended up having its first-ever virtual Welcome Week, featuring a virtual scavenger hunt, a student panel, a Kahoot game, and to end it all, a bake club. 

“I feel like it was a success based on how much effort and time that we had put into it,” Janice Nam, Student Council President, said. 

The amount of time, care, and effort it took to plan everything in these tough times must be commended.