5NEWS Peter Makori Flees Kenya to Escape Death, Experiences a New
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www.unews.com NIVERSITY UMKC’s independent student newspaper since 1933 NEWS Vol. 80 // Issue 8 // Oct. 8, 2012 Peter Makori was forced to leave his home country of Kenya after a decade of political harassment, imprisonment and false charges of murder. Makori is now a Communications Studies senior at UMKC. NEWS Photo Illustration by Nathan Zoschke and Roze Brooks Peter Makori flees Kenya to escape death, 5 experiences a new life at UMKC NEWS FEATURE FEATURE Faculty Senate vote Latino students at Homecoming week frees 3 could signal an end for 11 UMKC reflect on their 12 student minds from mid- the WEPT cultural heritage semester stress Photo Illustration by Meredith Shea 2 News Oct. 8, 2012 Vol. 80, Issue 8 News 3 student profile NIVERSITY NEWS UMKC’s Independent Student Newspaper Helpful Links Missouri Secretary of State www.unews.com voting www.sos.mo.gov 101 Kansas City Elections Board 5327 Holmes St. Kansas City, MO 64110 www.kceb.org Editor’s desk: 816-235-5402 Kansas Secretary of State Advertising: 816-235-1386 A beginner’s guide to voting www.kssos.org Fax 816-235-6514 Nathan Zoschke Kansas SOS Voter Lookup Absentee voters Popular vs. myvoteinfo.voteks.org Editor-in-Chief U-News Senior Staff If voters move within Electoral vote the same county, they are The deadline to register to State, local and U.S. Senate Editor-in-Chief Online Editor vote in the November election responsible for updating voter Nathan Zoschke Sai Srikar Kadiyam registration information with and House of Representative of redistricting based on is quickly approaching. candidates are elected by a population data from the 2010 Missourians have until 5 the local elections board. Advertising Manager Senior Staff Writer If voters move to a new majority popular vote—the U.S. Census. Luis Ruiz Kate Baxendale p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, number of votes cast for each Missouri was among 10 Roze Brooks to submit a voter registration county or out of state, they Business Manager Kharissa Forte must submit a new registration candidate. states to lose representation Xuan Cai Riley Mortensen form through mail or in person The presidential election is in U.S. House seats due to at any local elections board form. Kynslie Otte Because the Kansas City determined by the Electoral population growth rates below Production Manager office or public library. Forms College. the national average. Rep. Russ Johanna Poppel Staff Photographer can be obtained through www. portion of Jackson County has Meredith Shea Sai Srikar Kadiyam its own elections board, voters Each state has as many Carnahan (D) lost his seat due sos.mo.gov. electoral votes as it does U.S. to redistricting. Kansans have until Tuesday, who move between Kansas Left: A journalist by profession, Managing Editor Production Assistant City and other municipalities senators and representatives. Rev. Emanuel Cleaver II Elizabeth Golden Aaron Cecil Oct. 16, and may register (D) saw his district, Mo. 5, UMKC senior Peter Makori Mal Hartigan Kynslie Otte in Jackson County must submit Each state has two U.S. Student Peter Makori finds refuge in the U.S. documents his struggle for online at www.kssos.org. senators and at least one expand to include sections of exoneration through a collection of LaShonda Washington In order to register, one must a new registration form. Copy Editor However, students from out U.S. representative, with the the Northland and rural areas article clippings. Roze Brooks Distribution Manager be a U.S. citizen 18 or older on number of representatives extending east into central after fleeing political retaliation in Kenya Photo by Roze Brooks Kharissa Forte Johanna Poppel the date of an election and of town may still vote in the jurisdiction in which they are dependent upon the state’s Missouri. However, it no longer Right: Makori holds a 2006 opinion Michelle Heiman reside in the state in which includes Belton, Raymore or Faculty Adviser registered by requesting an population. In addition, the Roze Brooks Copy Editor to the investigation of injustices previous night in a neighboring town column he wrote in The Kansas Jon Rand they vote. certain parts of Lee’s Summit. City Star. absentee ballot, which can be District of Columbia has three Nathan Zoschke Editor-in-Chief stemming from the corrupt called Suneka. Incomplete registration electoral votes. In a bizarre redistricting Photo by Nathan Zoschke forms, such as those lacking a found at www.sos.mo.gov. government administration. Makori made a call to the district Applications for a mail-in A candidate must receive stunt, Missouri Senate valid signature, will be rejected. Districts 7 and 10 traded spots A history of violence had commissioner, the official above the Board of Publishers absentee ballot in Missouri 270 of 538 electoral votes in “It was dark and no manifested in this district. chiefs, to find that he was not home. Once one has registered, order to win. If there is a tie, on the map. he or she will receive a voter must be submitted by 5 p.m. Makori had been in contact with Makori traveled to the scene. them I am a man who believes in Stephen Dilks (chair) Chad King on Wednesday, Oct. 31 to the the president will be selected Jolie Justus (D-10), hailing one was around. They justice and I’m not going to confess information card in the mail from Kansas City’s left-leaning the head of administration about the Upon arrival, he found a grade Robin Hamilton Andrew Kraft local elections board office, and by state delegations in the came out and told me, potential government involvement school teacher being bludgeoned on a murder that I do not know Allen Rostron Jordan Brooks within 7-10 days verifying House, and the vice president urban core, in January will registration. requests for in-person absentee ‘Say your last prayers!’ in extrajudicial killings and was with various weapons for allegedly anything about how it happened.” Jon Rand Joseph Salazar voting must be submitted by will be picked by the Senate. serve a conservative district He was kicked, shoved face-first Nathan Zoschke Shannon Jackson The card will also list a voting northwest of St. Louis for the assured the occurrences would be killing the two chiefs. The district Tuesday, Nov. 5. The president has also Of course I silently said investigated. commissioner and the entire security into walls and stepped on, resulting Patrick Hilburn Catherine Saylor location and instructions carried the popular vote in last two years of the term. Patty Wolverton Michael McDonald on how to vote, including In-person absentee voting in my last prayers, inside Once serving as a stringer, a part- detail oversaw the event. in serious injuries for which he Missouri began on Sept. 25. every recent election except Missouri voters can find received no medication or treatment. necessary documentation. their district on the Secretary me. Just, ‘Lord, take my time correspondent for BBC, Makori Makori took a photo of the scene. In Kansas, advance voting 2000, when then-Texas Gov. reported information to the British He was quickly arrested as an alleged Stopping in the middle of a Missouri voters can check George W. Bush defeated of State website, www.sos. their registration status by begins Oct. 17. Voters have soul. I am an innocent media outlet about a mass killing in accessory for the murders he was wooded area late at night, the Mission: To provide relevant, timely coverage Vice President Al Gore in the mo.gov. visiting www.sos.mo.gov/ until Nov. 2 to apply for the region, telling BBC to contact attempting to report. policemen, with their guns drawn, of the UMKC community by seeking truth, Electoral College but came up Kansas voters can find their person.’” elections/voterlookup/. advance voting ballots to be the aforementioned government He was taken into custody and and pointed at Makori and shouted, fairness and accuracy in reporting while short in the popular vote. district at www.openkansas.org. ************* Kansas voters can visit mailed, and they have until official. He also worked with Reuters given minimal information. Later “Say your last prayers! This is the end preserving the integrity of U-News as an [email protected] myvoteinfo.voteks.org. noon on Nov. 5 to cast in- enior communications studies and the Associated Press from his that night, he was transferred to of your life!” independent student-run publication. Redistricting Sample ballots can be person advance voting ballots major Peter Makori was certain base in Kisii. a primitive area and waited until Makori felt death coming over obtained through local at the county elections office. he would be killed. Displeased with this contact, the the next day when an armed police him. His hands and feet were bound About us: The U-News is the official Voters may live in a different elections board websites, such The Kansas advance voting state or U.S. congressional Eight instances of arrests and official contacted Makori inquiring if squad arrived, asking questions and as he waited for a fatal shot. independent student newspaper of UMKC, application can be found at S as the Kansas City Elections detentions, tainted further by he had sent this information to the expecting him to confess. “I waited for them to pull the produced each week by a staff consisting entirely district than they did in Board, www.kceb.org. www.kssos.org/elections. 2008 or 2010. This is because relentless beatings and unthinkable BBC. They ordered him to strip down trigger,” he said. “This was the height of students. living conditions, haunt Makori on a “During that time, the political from the suit he had been wearing of extrajudicial lynchings.