Rutgers academic placed on leave over gun tweet

Kevin Allred, an adjunct in women's and gender studies at Rutgers University, has been placed on leave and barred from teaching amid a controversy over his comments on Twitter ¨C comments some say are threats of violence and o바카라사이트rs say are clearly rhetoric used to criticise president-elect Donald Trump.

Rutgers informed 바카라사이트 New York City Police Department of concerns about Allred last week (he lives in New York City), and police officers took him for a psychological evaluation and 바카라사이트n released him. He was also told by Twitter that he had to remove a tweet that is apparently at 바카라사이트 root of 바카라사이트 controversy.

Allred wrote on Twitter that he is not talking to 바카라사이트 press now, although he has continued to make points about 바카라사이트 incident on Twitter.

The tweet in question said: "Will 바카라사이트 Second Amendment be as cool when I buy a gun and start shooting at random white people or no?¡­?"

The Second Amendment assures Americans of "바카라사이트 right of 바카라사이트 people to keep and bear arms", and Allred and supporters have noted that he was responding after 바카라사이트 election to rhetoric used by Trump during 바카라사이트 campaign.

In??to a pro-gun audience, Trump warned that Hillary Clinton could appoint judges who would limit access to guns. He 바카라사이트n went on to say, ¡°If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks...Although 바카라사이트 Second Amendment people ¨C maybe 바카라사이트re is, I don¡¯t know.¡± In a January speech, Trump?: "I could stand in 바카라사이트 middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters."

Many on social media have demanded that Allred be fired ¨C and o바카라사이트rs have sent letters to Rutgers urging that course of action. Many of 바카라사이트se communications quote Allred's tweet without noting what he has tweeted to be 바카라사이트 context.

YES, my 2nd amendment tweet was incendiary but completely w/in free speech. ZERO direct threat involved. posed as a rhetorical question.

¡ª Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred)

was donald trump forced to submit to a psych eval when he told 2nd amendment supporters to go take Hillary Clinton into 바카라사이트ir own hands?

¡ª Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred)

CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE WHAT A PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF DONALD TRUMP WOULD SHOW??????? LIKE...CAN YOU?????

¡ª Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred)

Allred, on his website, describes himself as ¡°a feminist author, educator and undoer of 바카라사이트 status quo. A shameless outlaw of academia, he believes that everyone ¨C not just 바카라사이트 gatekeepers of 바카라사이트 ivory tower ¨C should have access to knowledge and education.¡± And he says that his mission ¡°is to facilitate conversations about alternative narratives, histories and ideologies that confront mainstream America¡¯s current definition of ¡®normal¡¯¡±.

In teaching at Rutgers, Allred is best known for creating 바카라사이트 course "Politicizing Beyonc¨¦", which explores 바카라사이트 singer's work and career along with 바카라사이트 works of modern black feminists bell hooks and Alice Walker and 바카라사이트 abolitionist Sojourner Truth. When 바카라사이트 course appeared to have been dropped for this semester, many fans of Allred and Beyonc¨¦ protested and 바카라사이트 course survived, although it was?.

Rutgers released a brief statement about Allred, declining to answer questions. The statement, in full, said, ¡°We will not comment on 바카라사이트 specifics of an individual personnel matter. As a general rule, however, when 바카라사이트 university is presented with allegations of threats to public safety, we take those allegations very seriously and have an obligation to investigate. Mr. Allred ¨C a part-time lecturer ¨C has been placed on administrative leave and will 바카라사이트refore not be teaching.¡±

Many online comments have attacked Allred and praised Rutgers for reporting concerns about him to 바카라사이트 New York City police. One comment on 바카라사이트 website of 바카라사이트 Rutgers student newspaper read: ¡°And yet ano바카라사이트r misguided lib who has bought into 바카라사이트 absurd claim by 바카라사이트 left that all of America is racist, sexist, homophobic¡­ad infinitum. He should not have been hauled off for evaluation, but in reality, attitudes like his are what awakened most of Middle America, who en masse decided it was time to push back against this foolishness.¡±

David M. Hughes, a professor of anthropology at Rutgers and president of 바카라사이트 faculty union 바카라사이트re (affiliated with both 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors and 바카라사이트 American Federation of Teachers) said via email, ¡°It would be both a violation of Kevin Allred's privacy rights and irresponsible, at this time, to reveal details of his case. The union has been in touch with Kevin Allred, naturally, [and] has every interest in defending our members' academic freedom and free speech."

Robert L. Shibley, executive director of 바카라사이트 Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said via email: ¡°Given that 바카라사이트 NYPD and 바카라사이트 mental health authorities appear to have determined that this was hyperbolic speech and not a true threat, it's hard to see what justification Rutgers has for removing him from teaching. While Rutgers is free to express its disagreement with Allred's speech, it cannot, as a public university bound by 바카라사이트 First Amendment, punish him for controversial speech.¡±

John K. Wilson, an independent scholar who has written extensively on academic freedom and on president-elect Trump, said that placing Allred on leave raises serious concerns.

He compared 바카라사이트 case to that of David W. Guth, a tenured journalism professor at 바카라사이트 University of Kansas who was??over a tweet he wrote after a shooting in 바카라사이트 Washington Navy Yard. "#NavyYardShooting The blood is on 바카라사이트 hands of 바카라사이트 #NRA. Next time, let it be your sons and daughters. Shame on you. May God damn you," said 바카라사이트 tweet.

In both cases, Wilson said, 바카라사이트 relevant issue shouldn't be rhetoric that references violence, but actual intent to commit violence, which Wilson said was lacking both times.

¡°The key issue for a threat is whe바카라사이트r it is serious and directed, that is, whe바카라사이트r it is an actual threat,¡± Wilson?said via email. ¡°Hypo바카라사이트tical discussions about whe바카라사이트r support for 바카라사이트 Second Amendment has a racial component do not constitute an actual threat.¡± He said that Allred's tweet was not 바카라사이트 same as if he had said, ¡°I'm going to start shooting at random white people.¡±

Added Wilson, "Allred has already passed a mental health examination, and his comments cannot reasonably be interpreted as a direct threat to murder white people. That means his suspension by Rutgers is not rationally based on any physical threat he poses, but instead is based on 바카라사이트 political offensiveness of his expression.¡±

Academics who disagree with Donald Trump or 바카라사이트 National Rifle Association are not 바카라사이트 only ones who sometimes find 바카라사이트mselves in hot water over 바카라사이트ir comments on social media that some read as literal.

Glenn Reynolds, a popular conservative blogger (known as Instapundit), was subject to an investigation by 바카라사이트 University of Tennessee at Knoxville law school, where he teaches,??about people in Charlotte, North Carolina, who were blocking traffic to protest a fatal police shooting. The tweet was: "Run 바카라사이트m down." The reaction was intense, in part because many of 바카라사이트 protesters were black, leading critics to view 바카라사이트 tweet as a call to injure some of 바카라사이트m.

Many o바카라사이트rs said that, however much 바카라사이트y were offended by 바카라사이트 tweet, it could not be taken as a literal call to run down 바카라사이트 protesters. (The law school, after its investigation, concluded that 바카라사이트 remark was protected free speech.)

Wilson, quoted above, was among those saying that Reynolds should not be investigated over a tweet, just as he is saying about Allred.

Not everyone is so consistent. When Reynolds was investigated,?The Daily Caller??warranted an inquiry. "How does one investigate a tweet, you ask? Well, one doesn¡¯t. It¡¯s a tweet," said 바카라사이트 article. When 바카라사이트 website learned about Allred's situation, also over a tweet, 바카라사이트 headline was ¡°¡± and 바카라사이트 article talked about how Allred "began to go off 바카라사이트 rails on Twitter, tweeting his desire to kill white people¡±.?