USA Today Columnist Urges Motorists To ‘Run Down’ Protesters On North Carolina Highway

[kpete]

Twitter suspended the account of Glenn Reynolds after the inflammatory comment.
09/22/2016 03:36 am ET

Conservative USA Today columnist and University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds caused an uproar on Twitter when he urged motorists to drive over protesters blocking a highway in North Carolina.

“Run them down,” Reynolds, who also produces the Instapundit website, tweeted late Wednesday with an image of the protesters on I-277.

Twitter suspended the account, but The Huffington Post preserved a screenshot of the tweet





MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/glenn-reynolds-instapundit-protesters_us_57e37445e4b0e80b1ba06a85

[apcalc]

1. Protesting is the American way.

Funny that, conservatives screaming about freedom liberty and the constitution , seem to know nothing about it.

[Albertoo]

35. Blocking roads can hardly be described as constitutional

Protest, strikes, demonstrations = very OK

Riots, looting, blocking roads = not so OK

[still_one]

2. How about USA Today firing the asshole for inciting violence

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. Yep. And his law school.

[calendargirl]

4. A little ironic

-considering that there are many people here at DU cheerleading the rioting versus peaceful protest

[still_one]

7. The context of this was the peaceful protests. Rioting is self-defeating

[B2G]

10. No, it wasnt

The context was rioters were stopping and surrounding cars on 277 at midnight. This was after they tried to toss a journalist in a fire, knocked a CNN reporter on his ass on live TV and someone had been shot. After I85 had been blocked the night before, trucks stopped and the contents burned and bricks were thrown from onto cars from overpasses.

That's the context. And there is no way in hell I would stop under those circumstances. I wouldn't purposely run them down, but I'm getting the hell out of there however I need to.

[still_one]

11. I was responding based on the text of the OP, and the OP didn't indicate the

additional information you provided.

As to your second point, of course, if someone one felt threatened, they would do what they needed to do to protect themselves, and if that meant getting away from the area, they would do so, of course trying to avoid running someone down.

Obviously my comment regarding peaceful protest was wrong, but the other parts of my comments I stand by, no one should encourage someone to intentionally run down someone, and rioting is a self-defeating exercise

Thanks for correcting me on the context

[Iggo]

8. That's not ironic.

What's ironic is that he's a law professor who is professing that people break the law by murdering protesters.

That's ironic.

[Kingofalldems]

14. Name them please.

[Kingofalldems]

16. Still waiting. Supporting violence is against the rules here.

You made the accusation. Please back it up.

[calendargirl]

22. Need I count the number of posts by people who support protesters surrounding vehicles...

And intimidating and threatening their occupants? Or people posting that the white guy being attacked and kicked in a Charlotte parking structure probably made a rude comment to the protesters and deserved it?
I'm against violent protest on EVERY side. Sometimes I wonder if we are reading the same board.

[Kingofalldems]

25. Yes.

[calendargirl]

26. All you need to do is click around.

And you shall find.

[Kingofalldems]

27. You made the charge. Back it up.

I'm not clicking anywhere.

[melman]

5. Do you think it's okay to terrorize people in their cars?

[Wednesdays]

6. Now, there's someone who believes in due process

[shraby]

9. I'm sure a lot of motorists will take a chance on being charged with assault or murder or

reckless driving, losing their car insurance because of any such charges.

[lib87]

12. Advocating Murder on Social Media?

Yeah, that might get you into trouble at your job.

I swear 'run 'em over' is always a suggested solution followed by the weak 'well, they're blocking traffic' explanation when Black people take to the streets.

[branford]

32. Self-defense is not murder,

and what was happening that evening was a hell of a lot more than simply blocking traffic.

As other posters have mentioned, the rioters (not peaceful protesters) were surrounding cars and engaging in and threatening violence. Under no circumstances is directly threatening innocent motorists acceptable. If you do so, expect the motorist to attempt to flee and/or defend themselves, with the distinct possibly of the rioter being run over.

[B2G]

13. His account has been reinstated. Nt

[phallon]

15. Yep. No consequences. Even posted a link to the archived tweet

[yeoman6987]

29. They found out about the CNN reporter getting almost killed and said, "oh crap."

Not exactly peaceful. So they reenstated. Social media has caused many to react reactionary without full investigation. It's a worldwide problem.

[workinclasszero]

17. Sounds strangely familiar...hmm..oh yeah...

8 New Arrests in France Truck Attack That Killed 86 in Nice
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PARIS — Sep 20, 2016, 10:52 AM ET

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/arrests-france-truck-attack-killed-86-nice-42214709

[closeupready]

19. But WAIT! That's DIFFERENT!

[salin]

18. another deplorable spilling out of the basket. Again. eom

[11 Bravo]

20. I must be a deplorable. If I had been on that interstate ...

with my wife and kids in the car, or maybe even all alone, and a group of individuals attempted to stop my vehicle in that tumultuous situation; I believe I would have hit the accelerator.

[linuxman]

23. +1

You surround my car on the highway, I'm not sticking around to see what comes next. Over, around, or through, I'm going home to my family.

[salin]

24. I commute a couple of times a week on a stretch of interstate that has similar halts of movement.

Not a protest, but a reality of policies by the Mitch Daniels, then Mike Pence privitazation of major roads construction. For the second time in a year, work has come to a halt on a major four lane highway - down to two lanes - because not only did the work get privatized, but also 1-2 levels of oversight (management of all of the contractors hired to do the work on different parts of the project, and management of the financials) - seems that the private companies keep "managing" the project have a big habit of not paying the companies doing the work - (to the tune of several million dollars) - and the work grinds to a halt. Have been stuck for more than an hour and a half to get through a stretch of less than 12 miles. (Thanks Pence!)

(Edited) - that is two lanes each way merged on to one side of the original road, with one lane each way).

As angry and frustrated as I was, and the time stuck was as long or longer than the those caused by the protests, I don't think attempting vehicular manslaughter (had it been due to a protest) would ever enter my mind as an actual choice of action.

I get to face these conditions (Thanks Pence) a couple of times a week, and many face it 5 times a week (who commute between Bloomington, IN and Indianapolis, IN.) Most of the accidents in the two lane stretch - seem to be from road rage - which lead to hours of stuck commuters. In at least one case in the last couple of weeks - it resulted in at least one fatality. Just added that lest the comparison seemed absurd.

It is like we have a 'privatization' angled bridgegate issue in Indiana, under Trumps VP candidate (Gov Pence) - that no one knows about. And we get regular slowdowns (for my commute aone way a 80 minute commute at times becomes a 200 minute commute) - all because instead of the state managing the contracts (and paying directly) the contractors - the third parties that have been paid to pay the contractors - keep not paying. If I faced a similar slowdown (of the extra two hour drive) and it was because of a protest over an issue as serious as the real costs of excessive privatization (and I think the BLM concerns certainly reach that level) - I would be irritated/frustrated - but I would appreciate it over the stoppages we face regularly on this stretch of road.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/The-Latest-Bloomington-mayor-calls-I-69-work-9207962.php



Note the date - 2 weeks later - no change, many accidents/slow downs (almost predictable by this point).

Our frustration is increased because we have hit it having to budget an extra 2-3+ hours a day for a two way commute.

I *get* the frustration of being stuck in traffic - it has become a part of my weekly life. But to respond with an impulse of encouraging people to commit vehicular manslaughter? Yes. Deplorable.

[yeoman6987]

31. I guess we all are then

No way would I stay still while a group try to get in my car. No way.

[salin]

33. I thought he was reacting to the stopped traffic

I missed the attempted forced entry. I agree - that is a different scenario.

[rockfordfile]

21. A sleaze conservative writer of the USA TODAY

[Akamai]

28. What a fuckhead! as we used to say in Waipahu, Hawaii.

This asshat's broadcasting days should be over with forever.

[Uponthegears]

30. This domestic terrorist

(Aside: Yep, you read it right. If he had a "Muslim" name and advocated running over US citizens, his privileged posterior would be sitting in GITMO)

As I was saying, this domestic terrorist is a Law Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Take a second and let UT President Jimmy Cheeks and the Dean of the Law School know that this guy needs to be fired TODAY.

Btw, after Twitter suspended his account until he deleated his incitement to commit murder he went back on, whined about free speech, and put up a new tweet linking to his terrorist threat. HE'S STILL CALLING FOR MURDER.

[maxrandb]

34. Has anyone contact the University of TN yet?

What the "eff" does he teach? "Applied Leviticus 101".

Seriously....this is an "effing" Law Professor???

[branford]

36. Context matters.

See, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Reginald_Denny

It is generally reasonable for a motorist to fear a violent mob surrounding their vehicle. In this instance, Reynolds was not talking about peaceful protesters, he was referring to the actual violent rioters who's activities were clearly on display on television. It's the difference between clear self-defense and manslaughter or murder.

In any event, the university is indeed investigating, although I guarantee nothing will come of it as Reynolds is a tenured professor at a public university commenting on self-defense during a riot. In the unlikely event we hear about this story again, at most the university will offer another vague support of free speech and peaceful dialogue, and note that Reynold's (or any other faculty's) opinion in not necessarily representative of the university.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2016/09/22/university-tennessee-professors-twitter-account-suspended-over-charlotte-posts/90825720/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/09/22/statement-glenn-reynolds/90862300/

Lastly, professors, of law and otherwise, often make stupid, impolitic or even violent comments. In light of the brief furor over Reynolds, be certain that conservatives will be sure to highlight similar or worse comments from academics on the left. We'll see if people DU similar demand sanction.

At worst, the tweet demonstrates the folly of anyone, right or left, commenting on emotive and complicated topics on a forum like Twitter.

[CJohnson_LS]

37. That professor is a sheer fascist

The last time I checked, protesting has been a major part of American political discourse ever since our country's founding. If people like Glenn had their way, we'd still have segregation in America. Disgusting.