Republic News
Protests in Republic City as Tensions with Police Rise
By Zheng Wang
Protests have erupted throughout Republic City as Avatar Shen's trial date is still in question. The Avatar has been charged with the murder of teenager Hou Chen of the Misty Palms Oasis and the assault of two of his companions.
According to political analyst Reina Saitou, the cause for this polarization is the press. "You see, time and time again with things like this, the press always taking sides. The Yuan News and the Elemental Times are the worst offenders. Their opinion pieces spread outrageous ideas that polarize the public, spreading misinformation." It is important to note that Avatar Shen's trial has not occurred yet, and he is assumed innocent.
The most recent protests have turned violent, as hundreds gathered at City Hall, urging for President Hiro to stay the Avatar's execution in the event he is found guilty.
An anonymous protester present had this to say: "This isn't a matter of justice. It's about keeping the world safe. To just get rid of an Avatar… it's frightening, it truly is. We cannot allow this execution to occur. If the police are afraid of a fully realized Avatar, what do they have to hide?"
Many legal questions still stand if the president can even do that. Legal scholar and Avatar historian Lo Feng had this to say:
"Usually, the president is separate from the courts. That was the plan Avatar Korra and the original council had in place all those years ago. The implications of a president overruling the court decision, especially the Superior Court's, are definitely frightening."
The protesters were met with much police resistance, who attempted to break up the crowd. Also present at City Hall were counter protesters who were against the Avatar. Both protesters and police alike were injured, some even in critical condition. One man firebended columns of fire into the surrounding crowd, leaving six protesters and three police officers hospitalized for second- and third-degree burns.
Republic City Police released a statement shortly after the protest at City Hall. They say, "All these protesters are doing is obstructing our abilities to find the truth and bring justice. Our hearts go out to the three officers who are currently in critical condition, as well as to their families. We thank them for their service to this wonderful city. And to those who wish to continue obstructing justice, let this be a warning that we will not take this behavior lightly, and punishment will be inflicted." The department's threat seemed to have no effect on protesters. On the contrary, their numbers doubled shortly after the police's statement.
Avatar Shen is currently staying at the home of Chief of Police Lu. Many have been concerned that the young Avatar is being mistreated. The police chief stated, about the Avatar, "[he's] being properly taken care of as we speak. His needs are being fulfilled, and he is extremely comfortable. All these rumors that he's being chained up in my basement are nonsense."
The Republic City Police are enforcing a curfew for all citizens of Republic City, starting tonight. No person may exit their homes without a permit past sundown, the penalty being fines to even jail time.
Avatar Shen is expected to make an appearance at City Hall, where he will address the press and meet with his lawyers to begin crafting his defense.
The Elemental Times
Opinion: The New Amon
By Kenzo Amano
As protests erupt throughout Republic City, its hardworking citizens watch as their city burns to the ground. A dozen people, including three police officers, are hospitalized as water healers scramble to save their lives. Such civil unrest has not been seen in Republic City since Amon's Equalist uprising. So, as this all happens, those same hardworking citizens can't help but ask why? Why did this happen? Who is responsible?
The answer is simple: the reason for all of this is our very own Avatar Shen. He has proven in his short tenure as Avatar that he cares not for the regular people of the world, but instead for saving his own life and consolidating his own power. Amon and he share many similarities.
Both Amon and the Avatar hide behind a carefully made mask. Amon's mask is quite literal. Who can forget going to the Republic City Museum as a kid with your third-grade class and seeing the cold, empty eyes of Amon's shattered mask? However, the mask of Avatar Shen is a metaphorical one.
Shen hides behind the identity and behind our expectations of what an Avatar is. He proclaims that he is here for us—that he wishes to serve the people of the world, like every Avatar before him. But this is simply a facade, meant to bring nostalgia to those who remember Avatar Korra's tenure and to trick those who grew up after her death that this is what an Avatar looks like.
Amon's Equalists and Avatar Shen's supporters both use propaganda to further their agenda. Over eighty years ago, Amon preached the rhetoric of equality and justice for the non-benders of the city. He spoke with such resolve that persuaded even the most ardently against him to agree.
Now, it's obvious Avatar Shen does not have such speaking capabilities (his speech at City Hall is evidence of that) but something the Avatar does have is the media. Many media outlets and newspapers were quick to defend the new Avatar as nothing more than a struggling youth, perpetrating the other side as heartless for wanting to execute a child.
But we here at the Elemental Times speak nothing but the truth. And the truth is that Avatar Shen is neither a child nor innocent—he has the potential to threaten the balance of his world with his incredible power. Other media outlets are too afraid to say the cold hard facts at the expense of Republic City's citizens. The media's perversion of the truth has polarized the public, leading to the violent protests we see now.
Unfortunately, something Avatar Shen and Amon also share in common, is that they do not hesitate to use violence when things don't go their way. At the source of all this, Avatar Shen himself is under investigation and will stand trial for murdering a neighbor using bending. Amon too, famously took away people's ability to bend for "equality."
Their supporters, like them, do not fear the law nor police. The Equalists held a violent takeover of the city eighty years ago that only ended when Avatar Korra revealed Amon to be the fraud he was. In the present day, one could see that the Avatar's supporters are doing the same. Those dozen hospitalized people? They were all injured at a protest against the police, in which a man from the crowd firebended haphazardly. Is this the "peace" and "balance" Avatar Shen brings with him?
It is said that history repeats itself, and in this case, it appears so. However, we the people have the ability to make sure it does not. All the signs are there that point to Avatar Shen being a menace. Do not let them go unnoticed. We, like Avatar Korra before, must rip off the mask of this phony. His rampage has already cost one life and the security of our own city. Who will be next?