The University of California at Davis officially defines hate speech as follows:
A hate or bias incident includes non-criminal conduct that is motivated by hatred or bigotry and directed at any individual, residence, house of worship, institution, or business expressly because of the target’s real or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services…
Campusreform.org has uncovered the fact that, several years ago (with no apology or retraction when subsequently given the chance to d so), a UC-Davis English professor names joshua clover tweeted the following about police:
UC-Davis English Professor Joshua Clover, in tweets on his now private Twitter account, reportedly wrote, “I am thankful that every living cop will one day be dead, some by their own hand, some by others, too many of old age #letsnotmakemore.” A separate tweet from Clover just one month later reportedly read, “I mean, it’s easier to shoot cops when their backs are turned, no?”
During an interview in 2015 interview with SFWeekly.com, Clover said, “People think that cops need to be reformed. They need to be killed.”
And when there were calls for clover to be fired for his overt advocacy for murdering police officers, this is what UC-Davis Chancellor Gary May had to say about it:
“Professor Clover’s statements, although offensive and abhorrent, do not meet the legal requirement for ‘true threats’ that might exempt them from First Amendment protection,” May said. “UC Davis places a high value on civility in the academic community, but the desire to promote these values does not outweigh the rights of professors to express themselves on political issues, even if their expression is deeply repellent to members of our community and the public.”
I strongly suggest that Gary May read his own school’s definition of hate speech, then reflect on what it says about UC-Davis to have a hater like joshua clover on its faculty.
I also strongly suggest that every reader of this blog reflects on what this incident says about UC-Davis — and about how many other campuses around the country are infected with the same sickness.
