Two students disrupt College Republicans tabling event at UC Santa Cruz, prompt university police response
First posted April 15, 2020 8:28am EDT
Last updated May 11, 2020 8:01pm EDT
All Associated Themes:
- Identity
- Protest Politics
- Violence / Threats
On Feb. 7, 2020, two University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) students damaged an informational table manned by members of the UCSC College Republicans, an act the club and university police say violated the members’ Free Speech.
Key Players
The University of California, Santa Cruz is a public university of approximately 18,000 students on the coast south of the San Francisco Bay area.
Dylan Temple is president of the UCSC College Republicans club.
Further Details
Members of the College Republicans, along with a conservative activist they had been hosting for the day, were tabling near the entrance of the school’s Quarry Plaza when the confrontation broke out, according to The Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Video of the incident showed the two students who initiated the conflict tearing one of the College Republicans’ signs — which Temple claims was worth $60 — and spitting on a Betsy Ross flag the group was displaying, saying they believed it to be “a flag of white supremacy.”
Additional footage shows Temple following one of the two students to an LGBTQ center on campus, allegedly to ensure that the student did not escape and would be held accountable. But Temple claims he was then shamed and ultimately doxxed online for having followed the student to the center and allegedly attacking his peers, The College Fix reports. Temple, however, maintains that he did not engage with any other students while he was at the center.
Temple issued a statement following the disagreement, emphasizing his organization’s mission of promoting nonviolence and describing the alleged aggressors’ behavior as “shameful.”
A university spokesperson told The Sentinel that “campus officials were aware of the incident.” Additionally, a report was filed with the campus police for battery, assault, and vandalism.
Outcome
UCSC Police speak about the incident
On Feb. 16, the UCSC Police Department spoke with KSBW Action News 8 and discussed its commitment to supporting diversity, freedom of expression, and Free Speech on campus.
Two days later, the department issued a public statement stressing its commitment to making sure all students could enjoy their “freedom of expression, speech and assembly … in a safe environment.”
UCSC did not respond to inquiries as to whether any disciplinary procedures were initiated against the two students who disrupted the College Republicans’ tabling event.