We have been following a rise in political violence and property destruction on the left this year. The latest such example is from UCLA where a young man destroyed pro-life posters. This man is accused of previously stealing signs from the group and the group has posted images of the alleged perpetrator wearing a “UCLA Law” sweater.(Note: There has been no official determination or charge that this is the culprit by police).
Justice for All posted the pictures and alleges that this apparent student previously attacked their displays two years ago. The group issued this statement:
A UCLA student vandalized our signs with spray paint. He also stole four of our signs in 2023, and has yet to be found by police. If anyone knows who this is, DM us. A police report has been filed, and we will press charges both for the theft and for the vandalism.
A police report has been filed, and we will press charges both for the theft and for the vandalism. Thankfully, most pro-choice people are not like this. They are respectful and willing to dialogue and wouldn’t think to do something like this. You can hear in the background a man telling him this is wrong even though he disagreed with us. Most of our outreaches are peaceful, and we are able to have respectful conversations with those on the other side. Sometimes that’s not the case though.
We care about this student which is why we want him held accountable. This behavior is unacceptable.
The sweater could be misleading as to his association with the law school. However, the possibility that he is a law student is chilling for a number of reasons. First, it would mean that law students and possibly faculty may be aware of his actions but have not come forward. That may include the person heard in the background telling him to stop.
Second, it shows the sense of impunity and license that some have in committing criminal acts for political purposes. This could be someone who actually wants to practice law, but believes that he has a right to commit such criminal acts.
Students do not come to this sense of license on their own. Faculty have reinforced the sense of impunity with their own actions.
We have seen conservative and pro-life groups attacked on campuses across the country, including by faculty members (here and here). A recent attack occurred at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where a young man tossed a pro-life display while declaring, “I f**king hate you.”
It is now common to hear inflammatory language from professors advocating “detonating white people,” denouncing police, calling for Republicans to suffer, strangling police officers, celebrating the death of conservatives, calling for the killing of Trump supporters, supporting the murder of conservative protesters and other outrageous statements. One professor who declared that there is “nothing wrong” with such acts of violence as killing conservatives was actually promoted.
Faculty have resigned from UCLA over the intolerance for conservatives and libertarians. UCLA law school has been challenged over its own conduct toward faculty with dissenting views. Faculty at the school have had to secure police protection due to threats.
That is the culture that produces this type of extreme rhetoric among students. These faculty members have normalized violent speech and conduct.
Of course, some professors have gone further and committed acts of political violence. Such conduct should be prosecuted and those faculty members fired. However, even in those extreme cases, liberal faculty have often rallied around their colleagues.
Years ago, many of us were shocked by the conduct of University of Missouri communications professor Melissa Click, who directed a mob against a student journalist covering a Black Lives Matter event. Yet, Click was hired by Gonzaga University. Since that time, we have seen a steady stream of professors joining students in shouting down, committing property damage, participating in riots, verbally attacking students, or even taking violent action in protests.
At the University of California Santa Barbara, professors actually rallied around feminist studies associate professor Mireille Miller-Young, who physically assaulted pro-life advocates and tore down their display. Despite pleading guilty to criminal assault, she was not fired and received overwhelming support from the students and faculty. She was later honored as a model for women advocates.
At Hunter College in New York, Professor Shellyne Rodríguez was shown trashing a pro-life display of students.
She was captured on a videotape telling the students that “you’re not educating s–t […] This is f–king propaganda. What are you going to do, like, anti-trans next? This is bulls–t. This is violent. You’re triggering my students.”
Unlike the professor, the students remained calm and respectful. One even said “sorry” to the accusation that being pro-life was triggering for her students.
Rodríguez continued to rave, stating, “No you’re not — because you can’t even have a f–king baby. So you don’t even know what that is. Get this s–t the f–k out of here.” In an Instagram post, she is then shown trashing the table.
Hunter College, however, did not consider this unhinged attack to be sufficient to terminate Rodríguez.
It was only after she later chased reporters with a machete that the college fired Rodríguez. She was then hired by another college.
Another example comes from the State University of New York at Albany, where sociology professor Renee Overdyke shut down a pro-life display and then resisted arrest. One student is heard screaming, “She’s a [expletive] professor.” That, of course, is the point.
In Wisconsin, a department chair was recently shown destroying a table of conservative students.
In such an environment, it is hardly surprising to see an apparent student calmly destroying displays with no sense of fear of repercussions.
The question is whether UCLA, which has had the picture of the alleged culprit since the first incident two years ago, will now take action.
