“Opinion: Homelessness in Syracuse sparks need for unconventional reform” by Saimun Uddin is an opinion piece where the writer explains the rise of homelessness and how it is becoming a problem that should not be ignored. Uddin gets his point across in several ways. Still, one that sticks out is the statistic he used towards the beginning of the article, which is, “Since 2021, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Onondaga, Cayuga, and Oswego counties has surged by 150%, according to the Housing & Homelessness Coalition of Central New York. Even more troubling, family homelessness in central New York has jumped by a devastating 192% since 2019.” Uddin used these statistics because they jump out at you showing you the increase in homelessness. Uddin also elaborates on how there are plenty of homeless people around Syracuse University and it makes a lot of the students feel unsafe and there have been plenty of reports to the Dean about it. There are constant muggings, property crimes, and assaults that go on between these homeless people and it makes Syracuse feel like an unsafe university. To end the article, Uddin provides what he believes to be a potential solution that the University and other people should be trying to work on, “Addressing the crisis means investing in affordable housing, holding negligent landlords accountable, improving safety near our schools and finding new ways to give in a digital world.”
“4,000 gather in downtown Syracuse for ‘Hands Off!’ anti-Trump protest” by Harry Kelly is an article that elaborates on the protest that happened in Syracuse last Saturday. Kelly explains how over 4,000 people gathered in the city to participate in the “Hands off!” protests that are rallying against President Trump’s efforts to limit LGBTQ+ and immigrants’ rights, shutter federal agencies like the Department of Education, and undo climate protections, among others. Kelly also explains how students from Syracuse University were involved in this protest as well, for example Kelly interviews Tyler Toledo, the president of College Democrats at SU, who said he was there to fight for his right to peacefully protest in the first place. Toledo talks a lot about how the students at the university feel, and he also talks about how the majority of the country is upset as well, so something needs to be done in order to change that. Kelly interviews other people as well to get more insight on the protests, but everyone he interviewed has the same opinion as Toledo.
