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Oklahoma State conservative students press charges, demand accountability after harassment at table
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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.
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Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum and Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi contributed to this report.
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A 48-year-old man who led law enforcement on a dangerous pursuit lasting more than an hour is in custody in connection with the shooting deaths of a man and a woman at an upscale Pomona apartment complex Thursday, police announced.
Officers with the Pomona Police Department responded to the Monterey Station Apartments, located at 180 E. Monterey Ave., near North Garey Avenue, just before 3:30 p.m. on reports of a shooting, according to a department news release.
Police, along with responding Los Angeles County firefighters, found the two victims in a fourth-floor apartment.
Paramedics immediately began life-saving measures, but both victims were ultimately declared dead at the scene, investigators said.
Neighbors told KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade that the suspected shooter, Robert Galtman of Pomona, shot his girlfriend and another resident of the apartment complex.
“He shot the girl, that was the girlfriend,” one woman, a resident of the building who did not want to give her name, told KTLA. “I know them because he had tried to hit on me and told me the situation that she was beating him up and that she cheated on him with this guy, the one that was killed.”
Authorities were searching Galtman, who was believed to be in dark-colored sedan that fled the apartments northbound on Towne Avenue near Holt Avenue.
Just before 5 p.m., officers with the California Highway Patrol spotted his vehicle traveling northbound on the 5 Freeway, officials confirmed to KTLA. When officers attempted a traffic stop, he failed to yield and led authorities on a high-speed pursuit that lasted more than an hour.
During the pursuit, he made a U-turn on the freeway and headed southbound before exiting in Castaic and taking Lake Hughes Road through the hills toward the Antelope Valley.
Sky5 was over the dangerous chase as Galtman was seen tossing unknown items from the vehicle, including some type of liquid, swerving dangerously onto the shoulder and refusing to stop as at least four CHP units followed closely behind.
He initially dodged several spike strips deployed by officers, at one point driving on the shoulder in Lancaster before clipping one of the strips with the vehicle’s left side, causing both tires to deflate.
Still refusing to stop, Galtman continued at about 30 mph until a CHP officer accelerated and performed a PIT maneuver that spun the vehicle and disabled it.
He was quickly surrounded by officers with guns drawn but did not immediately comply.
Following law enforcement commands, Galtman exited the vehicle, surrendered and was taken into custody.
The identities of the two victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Authorities have not released a motive in the deadly shooting. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Pomona Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 909-620-2085.
A stand-up comedian is set to face criminal charges in the first case filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s newly created Business Tax Fraud Unit, officials announced Thursday.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the defendant is comedian and actor Carlos Mencia. District Attorney Nathan Hochman is scheduled to announce the charges during a 2 p.m. news conference at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles.
Officials have not yet disclosed the nature of the charges.
The prosecution marks the first case brought by the Business Tax Fraud Unit, a specialized division created under Hochman’s administration to investigate and prosecute tax-related crimes involving businesses.
Mencia, whose real name is Ned Arnel Mencia, rose to fame through his stand-up comedy career and as the host of the Comedy Central series Mind of Mencia.
The comedian has previously faced tax-related issues. In 2021, reports indicated that the Internal Revenue Service filed liens against three properties he owned in Georgia over more than $1 million in unpaid federal income taxes.
The District Attorney’s Office said Thursday’s announcement will be streamed live on its social media platforms.
No additional information about the case was immediately available Thursday morning.
KTLA will update this story following the district attorney’s announcement.
Multiple people were arrested after local and federal law enforcement agents descended upon L.A.’s MacArthur Park to carry out a nighttime narcotics enforcement operation.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) descended on the park at around 9 p.m.
Among the personnel who arrived at the scene was First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who joined authorities in overseeing the operation.
In a statement, LAPD said officers were “assisting our federal partners in a joint narcotics enforcement operation in the MacArthur Park area. This operation is focused solely on drug-related criminal activity. There is no connection to immigration enforcement.”
More than 100 law enforcement members were involved, including around 60 DEA agents and 55 LAPD officers. As officers converged on the park, many people were seen running away.
Six people were eventually taken into custody for felony drug charges.
Officials told KTLA’s Jillian Smukler that they intentionally waited until nightfall after frustrated business owners said that most of the visible drug activity occurred at night, following previous raids that took place much earlier in the day.
“We’ve been hearing that a lot of stuff has been moving to later in the day, so that’s why we’re coming out later in full force to show them that this is not a joke,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, a DEA spokesperson. “We are taking the park back for the people. This will happen. It’s going to take time, but it will happen.”
DEA agents are supporting LAPD efforts as part of a long-term strategy to eradicate a troubling increase in drug activity at MacArthur Park.
Authorities had targeted the park multiple times in the past for narcotics-related operations.
The latest incident occurred on June 4 as officers carried out a mission named “Operation Free MacArthur Park,” which involved serving arrest and search warrants in the area surrounding the park. Thirteen people were arrested for various offenses and officers recovered drug paraphernalia during the operation.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at the time that authorities were targeting the demand side of the drug trade, going after small-time drug dealers and the drug addicts who are using every day.
“I refuse to allow MacArthur Park to be a cemetery, and that’s what it’s been,” Hochman said. “Because we’ve had individual after individual after individual die of drug overdoses, so much so that the local fire department spends much more time trying to revive people with Narcan who are on death’s door than they do putting out fires in this area.”
Authorities told KTLA they will maintain a presence at the park and work to eliminate all drug activity, allowing the park to be a safe place for residents and visitors.
“We remain committed to keeping our communities safe and informed as this operation continues,” LAPD said.
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