Southwest
Oklahoma State conservative students press charges, demand accountability after harassment at table
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Student leaders from Young America’s Foundation (YAF) at Oklahoma State University are speaking out following heated confrontations that left their table trashed during four interactions in one day by the same individual. Fox News Digital spoke with YAF Chairman Thomas Hatfield and Vice Chairman Caleb Buxton about the incident, the university’s response and what they hope to see from school officials moving forward.
The students explained what happened and why they believe it is “dangerous” for those on the left to freely describe conservatives as “fascists” and why they think leftists have been “brainwashed.”
The YAF chapter was holding a table in support of traditional marriage last week and hoping to conduct productive debate. They said they first saw an individual approach them from a pro-Palestinian table nearby and looked angry.
YOUNG AMERICA’S FOUNDATION TABLE GETS TRASHED AT OSU BY PERSON WHO TELLS CONSERVATIVES TO ‘F— OFF’
“When they got to the sidewalk, they pushed through all the people who were there talking to us and started grabbing all of our stickers, pins, everything that was on the table. We started recording, and I followed the individual about 50 yards away to the nearest trash can, where they disposed of all of our stickers and stuff,” Buxton said.
After this first incident, they didn’t think the person would come back, but soon realized that wasn’t the case.
“They came back for a second time, this time walking about three or four hundred yards away from the table. While I was following them, I was able to have a little bit of a discussion with him, but it always resorted back to, ‘You’re a fascist, and I’m not stealing because this isn’t worth a lot of money. They’re just stickers.’ They threw our stickers across the sidewalk and, while I was having that discussion with him, five or six college students were kind enough to start picking up the stickers.”
They came back two more times following the second incident.
“About 15 minutes after that, the individual came back again for a third time, again walking away, throwing the stickers, and this time it ended with about a 20-minute conversation with this individual, where they called me a fascist 16 times in that one sitting and justified everything they were doing because I was a fascist, saying that fascists don’t have rights, they don’t have any reason to be out there, their opinions aren’t worth anything.”
OKLAHOMA COLLEGE STUDENT SAYS HE WAS SCOLDED BY FACULTY AFTER WEARING TRUMP HAT DURING CHARLIE KIRK TRIBUTE
Buxton shared why he considers the use of the term fascist “dangerous.”
“I think that shows how the left, always pushing fascist rhetoric, has really brainwashed a lot of their followers into thinking that anybody on the right is a fascist, and they don’t have any rights, so I can do whatever I want to them because they’re evil people and I think that’s really dangerous.”
Buxton said if supporting Trump made him a “fascist,” then that would apply to over half of Americans, which he said he didn’t believe is true.
“The person then walked back over to our table a fourth time, grabbed our stickers again, threw them again, which is where the viral clip came from, taken from one of the other people at the table… and this conversation went very shortly and the person walked away. That was kind of the end of the discussions with the individual,” Buxton said. “Then the police came shortly after, and we talked to them for a while, and we are currently pressing charges against the individual.”
The students are seeking charges and hope to see further disciplinary action from the school.
“We will continue to press on until due justice is given to us and to all people who have had free speech incidents on campus because we want to send the message that this is unacceptable and this will not stand,” Hatfield said.
‘TOXIC’ BY DESIGN? THE LAW STUDENTS WHO SAY CAMPUS DISCOMFORT IS THE POINT
Oklahoma State Library on the campus of Oklahoma State University on October 1, 2005, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
“If this were to happen to a leftist club on campus, there would be all kinds of emails — do you need mental training or anything like that or therapy? So we haven’t got any type of outreach like that,” Buxton said.
Regardless, YAF at OSU plans to continue pushing forward.
“We’re going to keep working hard to push on social issues that we have always worked on,” Buxton said. “We’re going to have to keep pushing on them and never back down no matter what happens. I think if you back down during times of trouble, that’s not going to help anyone.”
Hatfield is also encouraging the school to sign a contract put forth by the YAF Federation.
“We would also like to, officially, as Young Americans for Freedom at Oklahoma State University, demand that Oklahoma State sign on to the Contract for Safe Campus dialog as put forward by Young America’s Foundation and the president of the Young America Foundation, Governor Scott Walker,” he said.
“We demand that Oklahoma State University sign this contract and this charter to ensure that all students, no matter what side of the aisle they stand on politically or socially, may have a place to speak at Oklahoma State University and to ensure that an incident like this never happens again,” Hatfield continued.
“And we ask Oklahoma State university not to sign this as lip service to our side, but we ask them to sign it as a commitment and to release us and many statements to enact policies, committing to fostering an environment where everyone’s First Amendment rights are respected,” he added.
OKLAHOMA STUDENT SAYS STAFF ‘THREAT’ AFTER CHARLIE KIRK TRIBUTE WON’T SILENCE HIM
OSU commented on the viral post, writing, “Oklahoma State University supports free speech. The OSU Police Department is actively investigating this incident.”
In a comment made to Fox News Digital on Friday, OSU wrote, “Oklahoma State University supports the rights of student groups to express their opinions and speak freely. The OSU Police Department has investigated the incident, and charges are pending.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to OSU following the interview with Hatfield and Buxton and was provided with the same response: “Oklahoma State University supports the rights of student groups to express their opinions and speak freely.”
“The OSU Police Department immediately investigated the incident, and charges are pending. Additionally, while federal law prohibits the university from sharing information on specific students, we can share that our student conduct team is engaged in this matter and will address any violations of our student code of conduct,” the statement added.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum and Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
Authorities are investigating a shooting that left a man dead in a car in Boyle Heights on Sunday night.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a “multiple shots fired” call came out at 9:45 p.m. near 4th and Mott streets.
“When officers arrived, they found a vehicle stopped in lanes,” an LAPD spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. “Upon further investigation, they found a man … suffering from a gunshot wound.”
The victim, who was only listed as a Hispanic man in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene by L.A. Fire Department paramedics, the LAPD spokesperson said.
There was no information on a suspect right away. Video from the scene showed investigators centering their probe around an SUV, with the area blocked off and a white tent erected.
Nancy Fontan and KTLA photojournalist Dan Lunsford contributed to this report.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Detective Robert Bolanos has died after a “lengthy illness,” the sheriff’s department announced Sunday.
Detective Bolanos joined LASD in 2000, working in the North County Correctional Facility and the Men’s Central Jail. He completed his patrol training at the Century Sheriff’s Station, where he later became a school resource officer.
He ended his career as an LASD detective working out of the Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones, friends, and partners in tan and green during this difficult time,” the sheriff’s department said.
Los Angeles, Ca
A strong El Niño is coming to California. You may notice something different at the beach
El Niño is known for bringing soaking storms to California, especially the state’s southern half. A lesser-known side effect of the climate phenomenon? The Pacific Ocean’s famously frigid waters may be a little more welcoming.
El Niño tends to be associated with warmer-than-average ocean temperatures all along the West Coast, NOAA research scientist Dillon Amaya told KTLA’s parent company, Nexstar.
Just how warm are we talking? There’s a range of outcomes, Amaya explained. If you look at the two strongest El Niño events on record – the one from 1997-1998 and the one from 2015-2016 – the water at Scripps Beach in La Jolla got as warm as 74 or 76 degrees in late summer. That’s compared to around 68 degrees in an average year.
This year’s El Niño could be one for the record books, as well. The latest forecast showed an increased chance of a “super” (or very strong) El Niño.
“Much of the U.S. West Coast is currently experiencing a strong marine heatwave,” Amaya pointed out. “Add in El Niño and long-term warming from climate change, and we could be looking at record-breaking ocean temperatures this year.”
To get a better sense of what we might be in for, take a look at the chart below of sea surface temperatures from Scripps Beach.
The black line shows the average water temperature when you look at every year since 1950. The orange and purple lines show the water temperatures during our strongest El Niño events.
“These ‘Super El Niños’ kept ocean temperatures much warmer than average for almost the entire year,” Amaya said.
Now focus your attention on the columns of the chart shaded in red. Those are the winter months when an El Niño was present. While it’s more likely you’re brave enough to get in the water in the summer months, the effects of El Niño are more pronounced in winter and spring, Amaya said.
You can see the range of all El Niño water temperatures in that band of gray, from as low as 54 degrees to as high as 64 degrees in winter. But there’s a lot more gray above the black line than below it, Amaya pointed out, showing more often than not the water is warmer-than-average during an El Niño winter.
In addition to bringing the heat, El Niño tends to have other impacts on West Coast beaches, as well. It can create higher tides and stronger swells, pounding California’s beaches and contributing to erosion along the coast.
Not to mention the other problems associated with warming oceans. “The last time we had a very intense and sustained marine heatwave, we saw mass seabird die-offs, whale entanglements, kelp forest degradation, harmful algal blooms which poisoned shellfish (and surfers!), sea lion starvation and northward fish migration,” Amaya said. “These impacts could resurface if El Niño prolongs or even intensifies the ongoing marine heatwave.”
Warmer waters can also make storms more intense, and in rarer cases bring tropical cyclones to the California coast.
It’s too soon to tell how El Niño will play out this year. It’s favored to begin soon, at some point between now and July.
-
Augusta, GA5 minutes agoAugusta honors fallen service members during Memorial Day ceremony
-
Washington, D.C11 minutes agoCompany that turns light posts into EV chargers among 3 to win energy grant from DC
-
Cleveland, OH17 minutes ago2 hospitalized after Cleveland house fire, 6 displaced
-
Austin, TX23 minutes agoTransfer Receiver DeAndre Moore Jr.’s Keys to Raising NFL Draft Stock
-
Alabama29 minutes agoAlabama Baseball Earns #7 National Seed
-
Alaska35 minutes agoCrash closes Seward Highway near Portage, police say
-
Arizona41 minutes agoWhat to Expect When Ole Miss Baseball Takes On Arizona State
-
Arkansas47 minutes agoState gobbler harvest highest in 20 years | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
