Activist Kaitlin Bennett made her name with a photograph. She was walking on a college campus with an AR-10 strapped to her back and her graduation cap in her hands. The pretty college graduate was making a point, a particularly valid one, about how just 24-hours earlier her actions would have been illegal. No law had changed, but her status did simply because she was no longer a student.
As a result, it catapulted Bennett to stardom, to some degree, a stardom that she’s made the most of.
However, it also earned her a lot of animosity. There are a lot of people who don’t like her. That’s to be expected. I mean, there are a lot of people who don’t like anyone who makes a political stand.
The difference is, most people don’t get the treatment Bennett gets. Take her recent unscheduled visit to Ohio State University.
A gun rights activist is calling for President Donald Trump to strip funding from Ohio University after she says a ‘riot’ broke out when she tried to record a video on campus.
In a Twitter post, Kaitlin Bennett said she and Dayton talk radio host Joel Patrick were faced with a riot when they showed up at Ohio University. They were there to record a video for Bennett’s website, Liberty Hangout.
In 2018, graduation photos of Bennett carrying an AR-10 rifle on Kent State’s campus went viral, resulting in her gaining a large social media following. She currently has more than 278,000 followers on Twitter.
This is what happens when a Trump supporter goes to a college campus. Leftists at @ohiou started a riot when @Joelpatrick1776 and I showed up, and the @oupolice let it happen. I think @realDonaldTrump should strip funding from universities like this that harbor terrorists. pic.twitter.com/5TMlfdto9O
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) February 17, 2020
A video posted by Bennett shows a crowd of students surrounding her vehicle as Patrick drives through campus. Several people in the crowd throw drinks at the vehicle as it slowly moves along.
Officials with the Ohio State University Police Department issued a statement following the situation. They claim there was no violence, just an allegation of someone splashing water.
Please see the attached statement regarding a protest incident today on the @ohiou Athens campus. pic.twitter.com/NigbKBf077
— OhioUniversityPolice (@oupolice) February 17, 2020
However, let’s be honest here. No one should be surprised at what transpired at OSU. No one at all. I’m not saying Bennett is somehow responsible for what happened, mind you, only that this shouldn’t be shocking.
While the OSU police argue it was just splashing some water, it’s important to remember that it still rises to the level of assault. Throwing liquids on someone isn’t protected speech. It’s an act of violence. While it’s pretty mild, all things considered, the police you can clearly see in the video watching the whole thing don’t necessarily know that it’s water. A “clear liquid” could easily have been any number of substances, many of which could be harmful.
This is what we see from universities these days. While my own son is attending one, I don’t trust any of them. No one should trust them to protect the rights of people to engage in speech that might be unpopular with certain crowds.
It’s important to remember that we’re in an era when far too many people believe violence is free speech. That apparently includes the OSU Police Department as well as any number of liberal activists. It doesn’t end with them, though. Not by any measure. We’ve seen it for three years now and there’s no reason to believe it will end anytime soon.
At least racist hate groups like The Base know their committing terrorist acts and don’t try to pretend their hateful actions are protected by free speech. The same can’t be said about these particular “activists.”
All too often, what we see is that while we disagree with them, they literally hate us.
When you hate, it’s easier to dehumanize someone else. It’s easier to other them.
What happened at OSU isn’t unexpected. In fact, expect more and worse. Prepare for it.
