Melissa Click, an assistant mass media communications professor at the University of Missouri, is currently suspended for assaulting a student journalist during a protest and calling for “muscle” to push the journalist out of the way. But, this was not the first incident with free speech. Let’s take a look at what has happened the past four months regarding Professor Click:
- On November 9, 2015, Click called for “muscle” at a protest on the college campus, which was caught on video and became viral.
- She resigned from a courtesy position in the journalism department on November 10, 2015.
- On November 12, 2015, reports said Click was facing Title IX and assault charges as a result of pushing the student journalist and cameraman.
- She was charged with third-degree assault on January 25, 2016 by the state and plead not guilty.
- Three days later on January 28, Click was indefinitely suspended with pay by the university and her job is in jeopardy.
- The next day, January 29, the state announced that Click and the state agreed to defer punishment only if she avoided a second incident.
- On February 11, 2016, she told a local news affiliate that she felt that she will fight to keep her assistant professor job and claimed that the deferred punishment agreement proved the state prosecutor didn’t believe she wasn’t guilty of misdemeanor assault.
- A video from October 2015 emerged on February 15, 2016, where Click said, “Get your f***ing hands off me” to a police officer. At the time the video was shot, Click was participating in a protest with Black Lives Matter protesters during the university’s homecoming parade and blocked the then-university president Tim Wolfe’s car.
- The interim chancellor, Hank Foley, said he was “angry” and disappointed after seeing the video.
- After news of the video broke, Click issued a statement to claim that she will not have a fair hearing at the university after the interim chancellor’s remarks.
