news // 6 theotherpress.ca NYPD officers protest by lowering arrests, tickets » Protest briefly put aside in honour of slain officer Wenjian Liu , Angela Espinoza News Editor Minews @theotherpress.ca be == Ihe New York Police Department (NYPD) is currently undergoing what the New York Post called a “virtual work stoppage.’ The label refers to the NYPD officers who have been protesting by deliberately not making arrests for minor crimes since December 22. The “stoppage” began as a response to the murders of two NYPD police officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, on December 20. The two officers were shot and killed on duty inside a squad car by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who then committed suicide. Media have suggested due to Brinsley’s race that his attack was in retaliation of the December 3 ruling in the Eric Garner case. Garner, who was unarmed, was killed by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo on July : 17 via chokehold. However, : despite being ruled a homicide, : Pantaleo was not indicted for : the death of the black Garner. As the case followed the As NYPD have been : protesting however, ina : December 29 article the New : York Post noted the mass : decrease in arrests. “Tickets and : summonses for minor offences” : reportedly decreased by 94 per : cent, lowering the number from: : thousands of weekly tickets and : summonses to several hundred, : while overall arrests dropped by 66 per cent. NYPD Commissioner : Bill Bratton said in an open : statement to officers, “I issue no : mandates, and I make no threats : : of discipline, but I remind you : that when you don the uniform : of this department, you are : bound by the tradition, honour, : : and decency that go with it.” : media frenzy that occurred after : : the death and similar ruling : in the Michael Brown case : throughout 2014, racial tensions : have been high in the US. The : ruling in the Garner case saw : mass protests occur throughout : December in New York and other parts of the US. Critics have taken the : Opportunity to review whether : or not the lack of arrests in : relation to minor crimes will : havea great social effect, and : what that determines about the : police system within New York, : and possibly other US cities. While the protest is not : over, officers honoured Liu at : his public funeral on January 3. : Tension was expected as Mayor : Bill de Blasio, who has publicly : stated he does not support : the protest, was in attendance : for the funeral, but the event : occurred without incident. In turn, at Ramos’ funeral, : held the week before, officers : turned their backs to de Blasio : in response to his public speech : in honour of Ramos. Protests are expected to : continue as talks continue between Bratton and de Blasio. Food waste bins mandatory January 1 » Metro Vancouver businesses called out for wasting food Businesses that will be using : bins is part of a citywide plan 4 , Angela Espinoza | News Editor 4 x . Mnews = -- | @theotherpress.ca Fe disposal bins are now required for major food businesses of Metro Vancouver as of January 1. The green bins are a response to the vast amount of food waste the city produces each year. A report from Value Chain Management International from December stated that roughly $31-billion is year in Canada. : the bins include restaurants and : grocery stores, both of which : play large roles in contributing : to mass food waste. Farms were : also blamed for mass food waste, : making up 10 per cent of food : waste in Canada, according to the Value Chain report. In an interview with CBC, Malcolm Brodie, Chair : of Vancouver's Zero Waste : Committee, stated, “We : recognize there may be unique : challenges initially for some : businesses and this phased wasted on food disposed of each ! approach is intended to help : resolve any issues.” The introduction of the : to encourage recycling and : healthier living throughout : Vancouver in 2015. CBC has also stated that : in order to enforce regular use : of the food waste bins, garbage : picked up from contributing : companies will have their : garbage inspected, and will be : flagged if garbage contains more : than 25 per cent food compared : to what’s collected from food : waste bins. Food waste recycling was earlier introduced to Metro : Vancouver homes with smaller : bins, and has been successfully : in practice for the past year. Hundreds of seabird deaths on Pacific Coast » Cause could be lack of food A=, Angela Espinoza : News Editor 4 x . Mnews = -- \ @theotherpress.ca Si October, numerous seabirds have been found dead throughout the Pacific is currently unknown, but with the number of deaths in : the hundreds, scientists are concerned. : : According to the Huffington : : Post, the birds’ deaths are a : result of mass starvation. One : theory presented is that an : overwhelming amount of the species of bird had bred to the Coast. The cause of their deaths ! point where their regular food : sources are scarce. The LA Times stated : the birds breed in BC, thus : making their deaths a possible issue for local environmental : scientists. The number of birds : dying has grown significantly : as of December, yet professor : of marine sciences at the : University of Washington Julia : Parrish told the LA Times that : despite the hundreds dead, the death rate for the birds is not : out of the ordinary. “If the bottom had fallen : out of the ecosystem, you : would be seeing everybody : dying, but we are not,” Parrish : said. “There isa little bit of a : mystery to it.” Climate change has also been listed as possibly : contributing tothe deaths of —: : the birds, as many of them were : : likely already weak from lack : of food. The increasing heat, : according to Inquisitr.com, may : have caused the birds’ food : source of zooplankton to not > produce as much. While there are some ideas : as to what has caused so many : seabirds to die at this point, : no official statement has been provided on the cause.