Mizzou police issue advice for reporting 'hateful and/or hurtful' speech

[B2G]

Um...what??

******************************************************************

Mizzou police issue advice for reporting 'hateful and/or hurtful' speech
1 hour ago • From staff reports

In the wake of racially charged student protests at the University of Missouri, and the exits of two top officials Monday, the Mizzou police emailed on Tuesday new guidelines to students for “Reporting Hateful and/or Hurtful Speech.”

The email lists a process for students "who witness incidents of hateful and/or hurtful speech." They are:

• Call the police immediately at 573-882-7201. (If you are in an emergency situation, dial 911.)

• Give the communications operator a summary of the incident, including location.

• Provide a detailed description of the individual(s) involved.

• Provide a license plate and vehicle descriptions (if appropriate).

• If possible and if it can be done safely, take a photo of the individual(s) with your cell phone.

The email states that, “Delays, including posting information to social media, can often reduce the chances of identifying the responsible parties. While cases of hateful and hurtful speech are not crimes, if the individual(s) identified are students, MU's Office of Student Conduct can take disciplinary action.”

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/mizzou-police-issue-advice-for-reporting-hateful-and-or-hurtful/article_f549c11a-1951-5295-a72d-044bf0d20459.html

[geek tragedy]

1. cops, left-wing extremists find common cause in embracing authoritarianism nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. I am hurt and offended by your comment. I'm calling the cops now.

Wow, imagine if we could do that on discussion boards!

[Iggo]

3. Alright...Who fucking called the cops?

Jeezus fucking christ!

[SickOfTheOnePct]

4. Ridiculous n/t

[Throd]

5. This whole thing is crawling up its own ass rather quickly.

[hifiguy]

40. No surprise there, none at all.

[cwydro]

45. I totally love your comment lol.

And I intend to steal it for future use.

[Shandris]

6. Why are people surprised?

You were warned what would happen (repeatedly). Common sense tells you what will happen. HISTORY tells you what will happen.

And now people are shocked. "Why, who could have ever seen that coming?!" Tch.

[loyalsister]

7. People of color shouldn't leave their houses if they don't want to be threatened

It is not new. These students are showing deniers what really happens when people of color have the nerve to just be.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

8. Being threatened is completely different

from being offended or bothered by "hurtful" words.

[loyalsister]

9. Until you hear iy directed at you, I suppose

I have never in my life had words intended to hurt me hurled my way. If the intent is to actually cause someone pain, how is that not threatening?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

10. You can't be serious n/t

[11 Bravo]

14. If someone was to tell you that you're ugly and you dress funny ...

you might in fact feel pain. That statement would be rude and offensive. If, however, you feel "threatened" by those words, I'd have to say, "Get over it."

[loyalsister]

15. Righhht that's the same

Not so much. Ugly can apply to anyone, and it is very general and it does not conjure images of lynching and being beaten.

Words that having meaning associated with violence are threatening.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

20. Fortunately

Your personal opinion doesn't mean squat when put up against the First Amendment, which the Mizzou obviously realizes, since they can't do anything to the students except administratively.

Using police officers to round up people for administrative action is a huge waste of resources, IMO.

[cwydro]

46. I'm a gay woman who never hid who I was.

I had lots of those words hurled at me. I came out in the 70s.

I don't need a "safe space." The world is not safe.

I dealt with it.

There are some babies in this country who need to put on their big kid pants and get on with life.

[loyalsister]

47. Are you receiving hate mail for being involved in these protests?

I know some white faculty members who are. To assume that people who are willing to send them aren't serious could be dangerous. To assume it is not the person who is shouting slurs as they walk down the street could also be dangerous.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

48. Drama llamas n/t

[cwydro]

50. I could tell you some stories about things that happened to me if you want.

None of it was pretty, and none of it came in a mail package.

It happened to my face. I'm a small woman, and I was set upon by big "macho" (ha) football players. I was threatened personally, and because of the articles I wrote for my college paper, these big morons came to threaten my editor and faculty advisor.

So, no, never got any mail. I doubt most of the morons even could put a sentence together. Now this was before the days of the internet, so maybe they could have said. "F U Beeotch", which probably would have been about as far as their literary abilities could take them, but we didn't have texting then.

So they came to the newspaper office and threatened me and my co-workers.

So no, I didn't get any hate mail. I was threatened personally.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

51. Threats are different from slurs and hate speech

Threats aren't protected speech; slurs and hate speech are protected, at least from criminal prosecution.

Police officers shouldn't be involved in dealing in any way, shape or form with protected speech, other than to protect it.

[loyalsister]

52. Had you gotten threatening hate mail....

Then had a round of slurs thrown at you when you were walking alone in the dark, would they worry you? Would you have considered the possibility that they were connected?

[cwydro]

53. Did you not read what I wrote?

I was threatened in person. These assclowns came to my newspaper office and asked where I lived.

These big strong football players told my editor that they were looking for me and would find me. It was not a big campus.

They threw slurs at me in the day light...in those days they didn't have to wait for after dark.

But yes, as far as slurs thrown after dark...yes darlin', as a gay woman coming out in the 70s...oh yes...I heard plenty of slurs thrown after dark. Heard them in the light of day as well. Had people ask me why didn't I have a man. Those of us coming out of the gay bars on a Saturday night...mm hmmm, usually good for a few asshats screaming invective at us.

Here's my favorite memory, when I was still a mere young'un. Outside a gay bar in Charlotte, NC...bunch of us outside smoking whatever....several drag queens outside with us. Bunch of rednecks pull up, throw beer cans and scream (well you can imagine what they screamed). I was still pretty young because the drinking age was younger then. Drag queen closest to me reaches in her purse, pulls out a handgun and says, "Oh yeah, mother f----r, I got a fa--ot for you." No he didn't shoot, but you should have seen that redneck pull out. It was scary at the time, but dayum if we did not love telling that story to our friends later.

Darlin', you're cracking me up if you think I don't know about this crap.

[loyalsister]

55. And I asked

If you had gotten threatening hatemail before the in person threat would it have worried you a bit more? Or would you have ignored any thought of a possible connection in the name of free speech?

[cwydro]

56. Hmm. So if I got a LETTER before the big giant football player showed up in PERSON

should I have been more scared?

The big football player did not write a LETTER (probably because he was illiterate), but he did pass a VERBAL message to my editor that he was looking for me. He and his big friends.

So a LETTER would be more scary than that??? Then they see me in the student union area and start verbally harassing me? Oh, I'm sorry guys...I didn't get a letter from you first, so I'm not scared. I laughed at them. I told them to write something in response if they wanted. Ha, crickets.

Omg, I am cracking up here.

And no, he did NOT shut down my free fucking speech, and I continued to write as I saw fit. Lol, since I could write my editorials from afar, the editor did tell me not to come to the office.

And this meant I had to have someone hand-deliver them to the office, because we had no internet in those days.

[loyalsister]

58. These threats are getting very serious

Students have been receiving threats via social media all day and now we see this. Should it not be taken seriously because the gun was just brandished and not aimed at anyone? Or maybe we should give it a second look since someone said they were going to kill all the black people they see?


University of Missouri alerts students to 'active threat'

http://www.kmbc.com/news/university-of-missouri-alerts-students-to-active-threat/34961858

[SickOfTheOnePct]

59. For fuck's sake

A threat is NOT the same as a slur or having your feelings hurt.

It's way out of line to tell people they should call the police if someone says something "hurtful". If they can't handle being offended, they should quit college, go home, put on a diaper, climb up on mommy's lap and cry themselves to sleep while sucking their thumbs.

Tough enough to bring down the two top people in the university, but too fucking wimpy to hear words they don't like.

[loyalsister]

62. Ya think it's remotely possible that the people doing the threatening

that has been going on all freaking day might also be willing to throw around hate speech?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

63. Very possibly

But hate speech is still protected...you obviously don't like it, but tough shit. That's why we have the First Amendment - to protect unpopular speech.

What a bunch of crybabies.

[loyalsister]

64. What I really don't like is that my friends are facing real threats

And people want to make it about their free speech.

This is not just unpopular speech these are real threats. But, it's a pretty reasonable guess that along the way to the threats, someone was just having some fun throwing around hate speech. Crybabies? Really?


http://www.abc17news.com/news/mu-increases-security-after-reported-threats/36375446

[SickOfTheOnePct]

65. Yeah, whatever

I'm sorry that you can't differentiate between the threats they're (allegedly) receiving and someone yelling a slur at them from a passing car.

Thankfully, the vast majority of people can differentiate between the two.

[loyalsister]

54. Students are truly scared

"I'm going to stand my ground and shoot every black person I see" was posted to one of the students on twitter.

If some yells a racial epithet at him on his way home should he ignore it and assume there no connection? Would you personally advise him to do so?

[kcr]

78. Well, see. They should be separating the threats from the words

And understanding that it's just free speech, and get over it. Can't they do two things at the same time?

This is what they should do. Call the police but make it clear it's ONLY for the threats. Then hold a free speech rally supporting the people threatening them. Show that they're grown ups!

[loyalsister]

97. Damn straight

And the proessors who told their students that missing a test would count against them and that they should "stand up to bullies."

[X_Digger]

109. Are you fucking serious??? *shaking my head* n/t

[Recursion]

75. There are death threats happening *right now*.

This isn't some concern trolling on the part of campus over the possibility of death threats. This is a response to the fact that doxxing and death threats are happening to black student protestors right now.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

76. Then why doesn't it say "call if threatened"?

It says call to report hateful and/or hurtful words.

Big difference. Huge.

[kcr]

79. Because that would be stupid

Sometimes threats are made using words. Sometimes threatening behavior includes hurtful words. Sometimes the very same people using hurtful words are also the ones making threats. I know the police often get a bad rap, but they sometimes actually want to be effective, and stating that they only want to be contacted if one type of evidence presents itself would be bad policy. Just like the fire department doesn't tell people to only contact them if they see a fire, and don't bother them otherwise.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

81. If that's the case

then why did the campus police say that they couldn't take any action over hate speech/hurtful words?

[kcr]

82. Then what is your beef, exactly?

If the police didn't actually take action merely over hurtful words, then I don't get what the problem is. It's clear there is more than just hurtful words happening. I'm sure it was evident to the students. Why so upset?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

83. My "beef"

is that it borders on fascism to warn people that if they say something that offends someone else, the police will be brought into the matter. It's an intimidation factor.

Second, it's a waste of police resources to have them responding to calls from people just because their feelings got hurt.

[kcr]

84. If this were an incident where only hurtful words were happening, you'd have a point

But it's clear there is more than that happening here.

It's as if you're standing by a burning house and wagging your finger about reporting false fire calls.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

86. The email from the campus police

says nothing about threats, and it came out prior to the news yesterday that there widespread threats happening. It had only to do with hate speech/hurtful words, not threats.

Hate speech isn't illegal.

Hurtful words aren't illegal.

Telling people to report either of the above to police smacks of intimidation, and I'm surprised that anyone who supports the First Amendment would support bringing the police in to try to stop free speech.

[kcr]

88. Okay. But there are threats.

The police know there are threats. The people on campus know there are threats.

No one is saying hurtful words are illegal. I'm not sure why this is so hard. I'm guessing it's because context is hard for some people. I'm sorry for them, but once it's pointed out that threats are happening, I'm not getting what the problem is.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

89. The problem is

that people should be told to report threats, not hate speech and/or hurtful words.

It's really pretty simple...the former is illegal, the latter isn't, and shouldn't be treated as if it is.

[kcr]

90. Generally speaking, yes

But not with this specific situation WHERE THREATS ARE HAPPENING OMG WHAT IS SO HARD. When threats are happening, and they need to find out what is going on? Why would they hamstring that effort?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

91. I support free speech

even ugly free speech. You of course are free to not support it.

You are equating hate speech and hurtful words with threats - they aren't the same thing. The time spent by campus police responding to the whiners who are offended by mean words would be better spent tracking down the lowlifes who are actually making threats.

[kcr]

92. Guess what? I do, too.

I just don't think supporting free speech has to mean supporting threats. I also read the email and note it says nothing about arresting students merely for words. It just says they will forward the info to school admin for discipline. I have no problem with that. Schools can do that.

I am not equating hate speech to threats. I'm pointing out that threats are also happening. IF you want to pretend that someone making such threats could in no way also be saying hurtful words, well, go right on ahead with that fantasy.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

93. Have you not read anything I've written?

I don't support threats either, but threats aren't what the email from campus police were talking about.

And if you support calling the police when someone's feelings are hurt by ugly words, then no, you don't actually support free speech.

Supporting free speech and supporting the reporting of offensive speech to police are mutually exclusive.

[kcr]

94. Yes, I've read them

And I'm trying to figure out why you want to remove the context. Nowhere in that email is it stated that anyone will be arrested for hurt feelings.

I don't support calling police over hurt feelings. I support a campus dealing with assholes who make the college campus a harmful place. No one is being arrested for hurt feelings, here. Removing the context and making it look like this is ONLY anti- freedom of speech warriors who want to arrest people for hurting feelings, and that is ALL this is about is nonsense. You can't ignore the context.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

42. Why aren't my family members treated like you describe?

[loyalsister]

49. Your family members who are

MU faculty? Activist supporters of #ConcernedStudent1950?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

73. You cannot comprehend the damage you're doing.

You want a cause - no matter what.

It's a shame that people like me and my family will have to pick up the pieces whist you move on to something else to interfere with.

[cwydro]

57. Sigh hon.

This one cannot be reasoned with that I can see.

I did try.

[Nye Bevan]

11. Wait..... when was the "butthurt exception" to the First Amendment enacted? (nt)

[SickOfTheOnePct]

12. + 1 LOL n/t

[B2G]

13. I know right? Lol.

[pintobean]

18. "Nine one one, what's your emergency?"

... sob.... sniff...
my... sniff
my... my fee-fees!

[Eric J in MN]

16. Having too many cops leads them to do things

...which cops shouldn't be doing.

This size of police-forces should be small enough that they're focused on felonies. Not non-crimes.

[loyalsister]

17. It's interesting how people love to make outher people's pain about their rights

Last night, I heard an economics professor speaking in favor of Citizens United say, "we can have freedom or we can have equality, but we can't have both."

I reject that premise.
But, people do seem to demand unconditional freedom at the expense of any moves toward equality. If people are disproportionatly maligned and directly insulted verbally in the most painful ways possible, are they equally safe?

Are they equal to someone for whom comparable words do not even exist? Are the equally free?? Or is freedom only for the powerful?

[geek tragedy]

19. would you be comfortable with white people being able to call the police

every time black folks said something that made them feel uncomfortable?

[loyalsister]

23. I would be comfortable if words were recognized as having real effect

And if "rights" weren't used to defend and enable the white supremacy ideology that says the rights of white people take precedent over the safety and well being of people of color.

[geek tragedy]

24. whatever set of rules get put in place will be used to benefit the dominant class.

So, if censorship and thought policing become the rule, you can probably guess who's going to wind up getting hassled by the police.

it isn't that prioritizing free speech is by design racist, it's that any set of rules, as interpreted by a white supremacist power structure, will be racist.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

25. Offending someone with words

is not a safety issue. Not now, not ever.

[loyalsister]

29. The 1st Amendment does not protect a "right" to insult people

without criticism or without calling attention to language that is hateful and has a lonsgstanding attachment to violence.

A person can feel comfortable enough hating people that they have not reservation about making a deliberate effort to hurt them.
But the targets of that hate are also free to interpret and criticize it with history in mind as well as to express their understanding of attached motivations.

[geek tragedy]

30. absolutely people have a right to call a racist a racist nt

[Throd]

31. Actually it kinda does.

And those who feel insulted get to insult you back if they so choose.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

32. You're right, the First Amendment

doesn't protect people from criticism of their speech...which is also free speech.

Criticizing and calling out hateful speech is commendable.
Calling the police to whine about hateful speech is childish.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

96. Who is demanding anyone called a racist slur sit there and take it?

On the contrary, out the bastards. Upload it to You Tube and social media. But calling the cops for a non crime is pointless.

Just as the bastard who wanted to sic the cops on an Asian student journalist got what was coming to them.

[loyalsister]

98. The word "hurtful" is rather vague

An subject to interpretation. Yet a lot of people apparently believe that their definition that includes every kind of insult possible reigns and that they instantly fall into an arrest worthy construct recently put forth by police.

The idea that "hurtful" language in this very specific context and time.
That it would apply equally to any insult and outside of the context of an endless stream of threats reflects a real lack of understanding of what is happening on the ground here. The police are busy and they are not going to waste time with insults that are not relevant to the threats that have been accumulating over the course of days.
This situation is so serious that some students and community members organized a system to escort students who request it. Because they really are reasonably afraid. Not every threat is making it into the news media.

[hifiguy]

106. Calling "hurtful" a "rather vague" term

is like saying the universe is "a big placce."

And to give cops or the judicial system the power to define it is flat out insanity, not to mention grossly, facially, and inexcusably unconstitutional and so close to totalitarian it ceases to be even slightly funny.

[loyalsister]

110. Have you ever read a pice of legislation?

The first few pages are definitions of the language used in the legislation.

[WinkyDink]

22. Yeah, those pesky "rights"! They really ought to sit in the back of the waaaahhhmbulance!

[romanic]

27. If you say something that makes someone "uncomfortable" or hurt

and they called the police on you; would you be saying the same thing?

ETA: Even a better question, if the police were called on you because a person felt hurt by hearing something you said; would you not feel like you're rights were being violated? Or would you forgo any rights you had and accept whatever punishment the police had in store for you? Think real hard about it.

[loyalsister]

33. I don't think you have a clue as to what is happening here

There are white students who are angry, faculty members are flinging the N word, and we are only just now discovering how common it is because people are hearing it more than they used to.

Claiming that any given insult is going to be interpreted the same way does not make it so. It does however come across as an effort to defend the desires of racists and hate mongers to inflict pain.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

34. And they should be reported to the police for this? n/t

[romanic]

35. Deflecting.

You not answering my questions shows you being the clueless one, not me.

[B2G]

36. Faculty members are flinging the n-word?

How in the world did I miss that??

[loyalsister]

44. First hand account here

http://time.com/4107202/university-of-missouri-cynthia-frisby/

[exboyfil]

66. She cites two examples unrelated to faculty

Why doesn't she name the faculty members who directed a racial slur against her? Did she report it? If she didn't did how can the administration deal with it? Do you honestly think a verifiable case of a racial slur directed at a faculty member or student by a faculty member would not immediately lead to sanctions with the strong likelihood of dismissal even if the faculty member had tenure. I work for a pretty conservative business, and I guarantee you I would not finish the day if I used a racial slur at work.

[lumberjack_jeff]

103. The right to which you refer is articulated by the first amendment.

The bulk of that amendment refers to religious liberty. A great many people find pain in the idea that their religious values are offended by the behavior of others.

Do you suggest similar deference to their pain?

Freedom isn't one thing, if society is going to defend yours, you're gonna have to tolerate mine.

[WinkyDink]

21. Good-bye, 1st Amendment. It's been real.

[hifiguy]

39. The "left" if it can be defined as that

is now driving more stakes into the heart of the First Amendment than anyone has since Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy. Trying to turn "hurt feelings" into a matter for the goddamned police is truly an indescribable obscenity.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

41. Couldn't agree more n/t

[Comrade Grumpy]

95. Please don't call this "the left."

This is social justice warriorism devoid of any link to leftism.

[hifiguy]

104. That is why I used the conditional

"if it can be called that." There are some who would claim this to be of the left, though I am not among them.

[romanic]

26. The language of this is too broad

and easily open to being abused by anyone who feels slighted. They should have specified "racial intimidation and/or physical threats relating to the victim's race" instead of "hateful/hurtful speech" which again, could mean anything.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

28. Yep

Or how about intimidation or physical threats, period? Either are wrong, regardless of why they're being done.

[Lee-Lee]

37. If you've ever complained about the overuse of police or the existence of a "police state"

Here you go, a perfect example of what causes that.

The decision to put this out want made by the campus PD, I am sure they see it as incredibly stupid.

It was made by the people they answer to.

If your a person actually defending this stupidity, next time you complain that the police have too much power or harass people too much or infringe on your rights take a good look in the mirror- people demanding police get involved in crap like this that isn't a law enforcement matter is what leads to much of what you complain about:

[hifiguy]

38. Revolting on too many levels to even describe.

Totalitarianism, pure and simple.

TOTALITARIANISM.

[beevul]

43. When did police get group host powers? N/T

[Imajika]

60. LOL, people call the police for hurtful speech now?

This is real?

Unbelievable.

Sorry but political correctness has absolutely run amok on too many college campuses. And this is problem primarily of the left. Good grief, are they going to start dialing 9-11 if someone hurts their feelings?

I resented speech codes when I went to university and knew it would lead to this. And no, I had no inclination to use any of hurtful language against others so I didn't need some list to tell me what I could and couldn't say.

Too many students seem to feel that they should be insulated from any idea, thought or concept that they may not agree with. And if they should hear something that challenges their world view, apparently they have a meltdown and can't handle it.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

61. Hammer, meet nail head

"Too many students seem to feel that they should be insulated from any idea, thought or concept that they may not agree with. And if they should hear something that challenges their world view, apparently they have a meltdown and can't handle it."

Well said.

[exboyfil]

67. The police are the most effective way to document

events. Given a President can lose his job because of in part an unidentified person yells a racial slur, I think it is probably reasonable to document all of these cases. What other mechanism is available to the administration? The administration, "Yes we are taking it seriously."

[philosslayer]

68. Great points

What do you expect the administration to do? A College President was just forced to resign because he didn't respond adequately to hateful speech. So how do you adequately respond to hateful speech? You begin by documenting it. That is all this is about. It is part of the process.

[Imajika]

69. Okay, so I call you a fatty...

..and it hurts your feelings, do you dial 9-11?

I mean, I don't do stuff like that, but it is typical of young people to be cruel all too often. That's life.

Good God, grow a freaking spine.

What are our universities teaching people nowadays?

Like I said, we had speech codes when I went to University and I thought it was illiberal at the time. We should speak out against hate speech, racism, etc, but speech codes always struck me as a terrible response.

I also hate to say it but this absurd, almost totalitarian, political correctness is a problem of the left. Yes, the right does it too when it suits them (I would say like trying to boycott Tarintino but unfortunately many first responder unions are involved in that) , but let's face it - much of this is percolating up from liberal college campuses.

The idea that these kids should be insulated from every thought, every idea, every point of view, that might make them uncomfortable is insane. What is liberalism coming to on these campuses?

[exboyfil]

71. I agree, that was my point

but I saw much celebrating on this board when the President resigned. The truly disgusting thing was that the resignation appears to have been triggered by the threatened boycott by the football players - that to me signals one of the biggest problems on college campuses (the status of the revenue generating sports teams).

[loyalsister]

102. It goes FAR beyond a single racial ephithet

That incident inspired the protest where Wolf sat silent. As they seized a moment to educate someone who had power about the institutional racism, a crowd of white people pushed and tried to intimidate Black protestors in order to shut them down. They cheered when Wolfe's car bumped into one of them and they cheered when the police pushed them out of the way.

Wolfe didn't say a damn thing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tim-wolfe-homecoming-parade_56402cc8e4b0307f2cadea10

[Starry Messenger]

70. Well reports on Twitter is that campus security has been beefed up in response to

the presence of large groups of white people in vehicles and on foot, terrorizing Black students and screaming racial epitaphs at them.

And then there are the violent death threats and racial slurs on social media directed at Mizzou students. So maybe some grounds for concern?

:large

[exboyfil]

72. That is a terrorist threat

and the same resources that are used to track terrorists should be brought to bare to find and prosecute this individual.

[hifiguy]

107. And it is already illegal.

"Terroristic threats" is the term used in my state's law.

[Recursion]

74. Black student protestors are receiving death threats and fleeing campus, per Shaun King

That's also why they were trying to keep their photos from being taken (though that whole bit was a fiasco, frankly).

[Nye Bevan]

77. "Death threats" are very different from "hurtful speech" (nt)

[kcr]

80. So, when was it just hurtful speech and when did it become something serious enough

for attention? I love how so many are digging in their heels on this one, insisting these students are wrong even as it is clear there was reason to be afraid.

[hifiguy]

108. Threat of physical harm

is the VERY bright dividing line.

Saying "fuck those loudmouthed assholes in the ear" is not a threat. Saying "I want to physically assault those loudmouthed assholes" is a threat.

BIG and INCREDIBLY obvious difference.

[Act_of_Reparation]

85. I am failing to detect a problem here.

A method of reporting potential conduct violations to the Office of Student Conduct doesn't exactly have me worried.

[branford]

100. Mizzou is a state school.

If they try to discipline a student for "hurtful speech," they will be sued and lose badly. Just threatening discipline or even questioning a student also form the basis for a civil rights action against the university.

The school conduct code does not trump the First Amendment at a state institution. This is a common misconception, and state schools cannot dictate civility-type conduct policies as a means of circumventing the Constitution.

[Act_of_Reparation]

101. No, the common misperception is that the First Amendment is absolute.

It isn't, and there's judicial precedent to support that. A public university by definition must be open to a wide range of ideas, but by definition must also provide an equal educational environment to students of all walks of life. By no means is it a fucking free-for-all for any jackass with an opinion and a voice with which to convey it.

Plagiarism? You're fired or expelled. Falsifying data? You're fired or expelled. Sexually harassing someone? You're fired or expelled. Any faculty or staff caught making racist remarks will likely face termination. I don't see why students should receive an exception in this case.

[branford]

105. What you see or want is immaterial to the actual law.

Students are most certainly free to express any racist or bigoted opinion they so choose at a public space at a state school without fear of disciplinary or administrative reprisal. They may not directly threaten someone, but such conduct is quite different than basic "hateful and/or hurtful" speech, no matter how offensive or upsetting.

Tenured faculty would also be protected from termination or discipline, and the news and legal cases are replete with examples of schools losing or settling in defense of the speech policies you apparently support.

You simply do not understand the First Amendment and related law, the nature and extent of its VERY limited exceptions, or truly appreciate that relevant early free speech jurisprudence was largely established by liberals to protect unpopular left-wing ideas like communism.

Ironically, if the university actually attempts to enforce the policy of police investigating hurtful speech with threats of discipline, I expect conservatives to lodge innumerable complains about how their personal, religious, and racial sensibilities are hurt and offended by any number of hateful comments and actions at the Mizzou protests. I have no doubt that the very people you would love to silence would make the university choke on their own policy.

[kcr]

87. There has been an arrest

There he is, the martyr for the cause of freedom of speech.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027334771

[SickOfTheOnePct]

99. As has been stated ad nauseum

Threats are not free speech. You may not be able to see the difference between hate speech and threats, but there is indeed a difference. One isn't protected, and one is (except at Mizzou).

He should have been arrested for making threats.