The Sacramento State College Republicans are considering inviting the controversial right-wing blogger Milo Yiannopoulos to campus while one of their members is pressing charges against a man he alleges assaulted him at a campus anti-Trump demonstration on Feb. 2.
Mason Daniels, the president of the club, said that he will decide whether to invite Yiannopoulos — whose attempt to speak at UC Berkeley on Feb. 1 was shut down by protesters — after he has a meeting with Sac State President Robert Nelsen and ASI President Patrick Dorsey this Friday.
“I can make it happen,” Daniels said. “I got the connections.”
Earlier this month, Daniels wrote a letter to the editor of The State Hornet addressed to Nelsen and Dorsey, asking them to resign if they did not condemn the violence in Berkeley that prevented Yiannopoulos from speaking there.
“Many conservative students already do not feel safe on your campus,” Daniels wrote. “Please take a stand against bigotry and hate.”
Yiannopoulos, an editor with the right-wing Breitbart News, has gained notoriety with the rise of the so-called “alt-right” — a loosely-connected group of opponents of multiculturalism.
Meanwhile, College Republican Floyd Johnson is seeking to have charges filed against a man who allegedly shoved him during the “no ban, no wall” protest in the library quad earlier this month.
Several members of the College Republicans staged a counter-protest — chanting “build the wall, protect us all” — and at times attempted to obstruct the path of the anti-Trump marchers.
“There was someone who said ‘We should give (the College Republicans) the chance to talk’ and I went over into the circle and they opened up a little but but I was pulled back by a guy behind me,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he was a victim of racial slurs and epithets targeted against him because he is a black Republican.
“One person I heard said ‘learn your history,’ and I said, ‘I do know my history,’ and she called me a ‘token’ n-word,” Johnson said. “It’s hurtful because it suggests I have to fall in line. A lot of black people are called ‘Uncle Toms’ just because they’re conservatives.”
Daniels said that he and Johnson reported the incident to Sac State police.
“(The police officer) was concerned with someone putting their hands on Floyd,” Daniels said. “He said ‘That’s battery. That’s not OK.’ ”
Mark Iwasa, the Chief of the Sacramento State Police Department, said that the police would like to talk with witnesses.
“There is no arrest warrant in the system — however, we would like to interview anyone who may have been involved in the assault complaint,” Iwasa said.
A “wanted” poster of questionable legality with an image of the man alleged to be the one who shoved Johnson was posted by the College Republicans to their Facebook page late Tuesday.
The poster offers a $100 reward for information that can lead to identifying the individual.
Iwasa did not know about the poster when asked about it.
“Obviously, the ‘reward’ and the term ‘wanted’ have nothing to do with the Sac State Police Department, but was put forth by the author of this poster,” he said.
Daniels said that many Republican students have told him that they do not feel safe on campus following last November’s U.S. presidential election.
“We had a meeting with (Vice President of Student Affairs) Ed Mills because people do not feel safe about being a Republican on campus,” Daniels said. “People don’t speak up in classes, for one, because professors will shut them down. If you have a slightly different opinion to the right, you get called ‘fascist,’ ‘racist,’ ‘bigot,’ (or) ‘piece of s—.’ ”
Daniels said that police were outside of last week’s College Republicans meeting after a rumor made the rounds that students were going to protest it following his ultimatum to Nelsen and Dorsey. He also said that Republicans are speaking out in spite of the campus environment.
“People are coming out of the woodwork right now because they see the hypocrisy of what’s going on,” Daniels said.
LJ • Feb 17, 2017 at 11:32 am
Great that these young Republicans are taking a stand! Please continue your journey and voice of reason. I have 2 high school age boys and I am concerned about what college will be like for them. We are a dedicated Christian family who believe and stand for Republican pride and patriotism. My sons need these examples! Carry out your mission…don’t be silenced by hypocrisy! #MAGA
Candis • Feb 16, 2017 at 4:42 am
debouncong the protests against yiannopolous would be promoting bigotry. Why doesn’t the president of the college republicans understand this? Asking people to resign over not denouncing the protests, really?
Any monster that is willing to support a racist executive should most certainly be afraid to speak at an institution of higher learning. Of course, not against the threat of a physical confrontation. Pertaining to class discussion, everyone is better off not having to listen to their indefensible racism. No college Worthy comment can be made in support of trump and anything he does.
Candis • Feb 16, 2017 at 4:43 am
Denouncing*
Stop Crying • Feb 15, 2017 at 4:11 pm
Racism has no place on campus.