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Culture > News

HC Wake-Up Call: First New Zealand Victims Laid To Rest, Andrew Gillum Launches Voter Registration Campaign & Florida Pushes Bill Making It Illegal to Abandon Dogs During A Hurricane

Carissa Dunlap

Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds — we’re all only human, after all. 

But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.) 

Five Days After A Terrorist Attack At Two Mosques In Christchurch, The Community Buried The First Two Victims. 

On Wednesday, the community held its first funeral for the New Zealand mosque shooting victims for two Syrian refugees. Khalid Mustafa, 44, and Hamza Mustafa, 15, were a father and son who sought sanctuary in the country after fleeing war-torn Syria.

According The Times, the Mustafas lived in Jordan for six years after leaving Syria. The family only arrived in New Zealand seven months ago. Zaed, Hamza’s 13-year-old brother, survived the attack with serious injuries and currently has to use a wheelchair. He attended the funeral with his mother. 

Mourners told The Associated Press that Zaed, whose leg and arm are wounded, was determined to participate in the ceremony and shake hands with everyone who attended. 

“We tried to not shake his hand, and not touch his hand or his foot but he refused, he wanted to shake everybody’s hand, he wanted to show everyone that he appreciated them,” Jamil El-Biza told AP. “And that’s amazing.”

Hundreds gathered to mourn the Mustafas, as well as six other victims who were also buried on Wednesday.Their bodies were carried to Christchurch’s Memorial Park Cemetery, where they were buried.

More burials will continue this week, but not all 50 victims have been identified yet. According to The Huffington Post, New Zealand will broadcast the Islamic call to prayer nationwide on Friday, and the country will hold a two-minute moment of silence.

Andrew Gillum Launched A New Voter Registration Campaign Ahead Of 2020 Elections

Former Florida gubernatorial candidate launched a major voter registration campaign on Wednesday in attempt to defeat President Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020, Politico reports.

Gillum reportedly plans to register around a million Florida voters before the 2020 election, according to the HuffPost. The voter outreach organization is called Bring it Home Florida, and it’s based off the Democrat’s signature campaign phrase. 

“It requires that we get out there, and that we organize, and that we activate and that we produce a voter who is going to show up not just on Election Day, but the day after, they’re gonna be there to hold you accountable,” Gillum said, per HuffPost.

Millions of Florida residents aren’t registered to vote despite being eligible, The New York Times reports. Gillum said he was optimistic because of the states historic vote in November. The state removed the Jim-Crow era policy, and it restore voting rights to people with felony records in January.

“Because we turned out and we voted like our lives depended on it, 1.4 million people now have the ability to register to vote here in the state of Florida,” Gillum said per HuffPost. “That is a big deal.”

Gillum joins former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in the fight for voting rights.

Abandoning Dogs During A Severe Storm Could Become Illegal In Florida

Florida Republican Sen. Joe Gruters introduced earlier this month a bill that would make it illegal to abandon dogs during hurricanes and other natural or manmade disasters, The Hill reported.

The bill passed through the states Agriculture Committee on Monday, and it is now headed to the state Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Gruters tol The Palm Beach Post that “We want to give these dogs a fighting chance.”

“A person who leaves a dog outside and unattended by use of a restraint during a manmade disaster or a natural disaster commits animal cruelty, a misdemeanor of the first degree,” the bill states.

Florida is frequently hit by ferocious hurricanes, and the bill aims to provide some protection for dogs during these natural disasters. In 2017, USA Today reported that “dozens of dogs” were left behind when Irma hit the state.

The bill may or may not become a state law, but the Florida legislation could spark a nationwide conversation on pet safety. 

What To Look Out For…

Wedding bells might in the air for 2020 hopeful Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson.

Carissa Dunlap is a Her Campus News X Social Intern for Summer 2018. She is a current Publishing major and Journalism minor at Emerson College (Class of 2020). When she isn't perusing the YA bookshelf at the bookstore, she can be found watching dog videos on Facebook, at her favorite coffee shops, or relaxing on the beach. Follow her on Instagram @dunlapcarissa or Twitter @Caridunlap.