On Saturday, June 6, there was a Black Lives Matter rally in Delihi, N.Y. Delhi is the seat of Delaware County, and the only town in the state's largest county to have a college. The rally was attended by over 200 people, and was orderly and peaceful.
However, during the rally, a men wearing a MAGA hat and carrying an offensive sign approached the rally. He was accompanied by a young girl, who appeared to be a grade school student. Almost immediately, this man was aggressively confronting the smallest black teenager he could find.
A group of older women got between the man and the teenager. They attempted to reason with him, which only resulted in his becoming enraged. He actually threatened to punch one old lady. This was clearly upsetting to his daughter (or granddaughter), and other children attending the rally.
Luckily for this fellow, a Delhi police officer intervened and removed him from the rally. When two newspaper reporters asked him his name, he refused to answer. However, some people at the rally recognized him. His name is Chris Cormier, who teaches introductory psychology at SUNY-Delhi.
There is a grass roots' effort to get the college's administration to evaluate Mr. Cormier's actions. This is not about free speech, bu rather about the synergy of hate speech and physical threats. The state's colleges and universities should not employ such a man.
Below is a petition from change.org asking the college to take action:
https://www.change.org/p/suny-delhi-professor-cormier-is-punished-for-his-unjust-behavior?recruiter=1113947083&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_petition&recruited_by_id=74026130-aa75-11ea-89a7-711bf497498c
SUNY-Delhi's president is George Spielman, who can be reached at 607-746-4090, or by e-mail at president@delhi.edu .Please consider signing the petition, and contacting the college's president.