UCSB Professor Accused of Assaulting Anti-Abortion Activist

[alp227]

This story has been going around right wing media; there's even video:

The Santa Barbara Independent, an alt media source, reports:

An anti-abortion ministry known for its aggressive and controversial outreach work is pursuing criminal charges against a UC Santa Barbara professor, who allegedly stole one of its banners, assaulted one of its members, then helped destroy the banner during a confrontation on campus last Tuesday. The UCSB police department is investigating the incident.

According to 21-year-old Joan Short — a student at Thomas Aquinas College and a member of the Christian pro-life group Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust — she, her 16-year-old sister Thrin, and 11 other Survivors had set up three large signs in an area of campus heavy with foot traffic called the Arbor. The banners, along with literature the activists handed out, displayed graphic imagery of late-term abortions that Joan said was intended to “begin conversations” with passing students.

Joan said that at around 11 a.m., Dr. Mireille Miller-Young — an associate professor with UCSB’s Feminist Studies Department — approached the demonstration site and exchanged heated words with the group, taking issue with their pro-life proselytizing and use of disturbing photographs. Joan claimed Miller-Young, accompanied by a few of her students, led the gathering crowd in a chant of “Tear down the sign! Tear down the sign!” before grabbing one of the banners and walking with it across campus.

Joan said she called 9-1-1 and Thrin started filming, and that the pair followed Miller-Young and two of her students — who Joan referred to as “the fugitives” — into nearby South Hall. As Miller-Young and the students boarded an elevator, Joan said that Thrin repeatedly blocked the door with her hand and foot and that Miller-Young continually pushed her back. Miller-Young then exited the elevator and tried to yank Thrin away from the door while the students attempted to take her smartphone. “As Thrin tried to get away, the professor’s fingernails left bloody scratches on her arms,” Joan claimed. The struggle ended when Thrin relented, Miller-Young walked away, the students rode up in the elevator, and officers arrived to interview those involved.

If the professor really conducted herself as badly as the wingnut activist claims, the anti-college right wing just has more ammo to paint liberals as totalitarian narrow minded thugs. I found this story under "related stories" when reading the Facebook page of LA's NPR station KPCC.

One comment on the SBI site says:

Anyone with a sophisticated understanding of the law knows that our First Amendment rights are within the reasonable time, place and manner criteria. Although I believe the Arbor passes that test, I also believe the Professor has an equal right of protest to tear down the signs "in protest." It will be interesting to see how this pans out legally, sounds like the anti-abortion group provoked the physical confrontation by blocking the elevator. I think the professor was within her rights to push them away and escape. As for the high school, we don't need these crazies harassing our children and I hope the School District does something about it.

Another:

No, the professor had a right to place her own signs, not destroy the property of others she disagreed with. I'm no defender of the anti-abortion crowd, but this is a free speech issue, not an abortion rights issue. Free speech shouldn't only apply to issues you agree with.

And:

I'm also no defender of the anti-abortion crowd BUT too often on campus there exists an attitude ( often brazen and entitled ) that IF you don't like someone's speech you have a right to block, shout down and deny them from speaking. Throwing a tantrum is another common tactic. I've seen it happen on numerous occasions.

This is a serious problem and should be seen for what it is a free speech issue. Academics and their student followers ( speaking of brainwashing ! ) have a right to not agree with people who come on campus but they should NOT be able to stop them from speaking or use physical violence to stop them. Those here that are ONLY critical of the anti abortion group involved, and their tactics, are missing the point.

And:

SAH is especially aggressive and provocative, and willing to intimidation tactics; because of their tactics they are disavowed by mainstream Pro-Life groups. Like the Westboro Baptist Church, they seek to create incidences for publicity and monetary gain through the court system.

Oh yeah, regarding the group being called "Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust", I guess they burst Godwin's Law.

[MO_Moderate]

1. That's messed up

People shouldn't allow themselves to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Especially a professor.
Perfect teachable moment wasted.

[Tikki]

2. First of all…my alma mater…grand University. If the girls from St.T. Aquinas had proper permits..

than the professor was not acting correctly.

Stay sharp…if the Professor had known ahead of time about the girls' display she might have had a chance to
set up a counter action.

Wonder if there is a campus bulletin or such that announces all that is going on…

I would have gone to raise my voice against those girl's actions.


Tikki Class of '95

[cali]

3. even if she didn't have the permits, the professor was dumb to engage on that level

[Tikki]

4. I agree…but the backlash might have been metred a bit then.

I wonder why the Professor didn't know about the St. Aquinas girls' planned activities before hand.



Tikki

[Ilsa]

5. So anti-choicers get to murder abortion providers

but whine when taken to task over their extremism when they get a few scratches. I'd rather they martyr themselves. All of them.