Faculty and students at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, recently spoke out against the deteriorating conditions on campus as a result of the college's social justice advocates who use intimidation and violence to dominate the campus both ideologically, and administratively.
Evergreen College's troubles began when biology professor Bret Weinstein faced backlash from students when he disagreed with black and Latino students forcing white students off of campus during the “Day of Absence” in May. Weinstein was labeled a racist, and students gathered to intimidate Weinstein into leaving campus.
On May 27, the situation deteriorated further when students made a list of demands to Evergreen College President George Bridges, whom they cornered and intimidated, hardly even allowing him to speak, and only allowing him to use the restroom if he was escorted by students. Bridges gave in to almost every student demand, including relieving them of homework. He did not, however, fire Weinstein, as the students demanded.
Some of the social justice warrior students later began carrying around bats, and batons under the guise of "community policing" their campus after threats had been made to the campus. These students would go on to assault another student, simply known as "Nolan," as he was protesting social justice dominance on campus by writing things about the band Limp Bizkit in chalk on various parts of the college.
These same students would later appear in a Vice News/HBO report in June, saying "f*** free speech" in response to an alleged threat that someone was coming to "execute every single person they see on campus."
On July 12, the trustees of Evergreen State College gathered to hear students and faculty discuss the ever-worsening atmosphere at the campus.
One student, McKenzie Kyger, lamented that the school's focus on race has made the school even more racist. Kyger told the board that she has been accused of being a white supremacist simply because she disagreed with some of her fellow students about their methods. Furthermore, she said that she has been barred from speaking at meetings because of her skin color, and that the college's focus on race has only made the racism on campus more intense.
"This behavior has actually been encouraged and because of this I feel like people are becoming more violent and the campus is becoming more of an unsafe place. I have been to several meetings to speak. I’ve been told several times that I’m not allowed to speak because I’m white," Kyger said.
"This school seems to focus so much on race that it is actually becoming more racist in a different sort of way. And because I say that — because I choose not to focus on race I have actually been labeled a racist and a white supremacist. If anyone took the time to actually know me, it’s not true at all,” Kyger said.
Weinstein also spoke to the board, and highlighted the violence, intimidation, and harassment that college staff and students have endured at the hands of the social justice advocate students:
"Do you know that the college descended into literal anarchy. For days the campus was not under control of the state, it was under the control of protesters. There were assaults, there were batteries, there was pressure not to report crimes to the police. People were, by the legal definition I believe, kidnapped and imprisoned. That included faculty members and administrators. Others were hunted on the campus.Lawless bands roamed the campus unimpeded. Police were physically and intentionally blocked by protesters. Police were cruelly, systematically and personally taunted. They were humiliated and forced to stand down by the president. Students that held different opinions were, by the protesters own analysis, stalked, harassed … their names, pictures, addresses, and phone numbers were distributed online …
Do you know that although the code of conduct is supposed to protect all of us, that Dr. Bridges decided to selectively suspend it, giving some students license to threaten others."
Not everyone sided with Weinstein and Kyger, however. Professor Carolyn Prouty sided with the social justice students, asking the board to "strategically choose the narratives" about what has happened at Evergreen.
“We are now in the time of sense-making, that is what I hear that you are here to do today," said Prouty. "I want to advocate that each of us, all of us strategically and thoughtfully choose to listen, find and tell the stories of what happened, stories that understand social change to be messy and righteous, difficult and necessary.”
