Officials at the University of North Florida said there will be an increased presence of armed officers on campus this week in response to a student’s threatening social media post.
The post in question featured a photo of student Ken Parker brandishing a large gun while threatening a student group affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement, Action News Jax reported. Parker posted the picture Monday, Nov. 13, with a caption that read, in part, “Let those SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) and the other clowns come at me. I’ll shut them down.”
The ousted student, a self-professed neo-Nazi and former grand dragon of Jacksonville’s KKK chapter, spoke with the news station this week, saying he didn’t find anything wrong with what he posted.
“I’m exercising my First and Second Amendment rights at the same time,” he said. “Why would anyone be offended by that?” He later added that he didn’t intend for the post to be threatening.
University officials disagreed, however, and quickly sent Parker packing. In a letter, UNF informed the Nazi of his suspension and addressed the “concern and fear” his post had caused in the campus community.
“A picture of somebody with a gun is legal,” university President John Delaney said. “It is the overall context that we have to take a look at. We were disturbed by what we saw, and felt that we needed to take action today. And that’s what we’ve done.”
As of Tuesday, Parker was banished from campus and will require a police escort to a disciplinary hearing next week to determine if he’ll be allowed to return, according to Delaney. There will also be a second hearing to see whether he violated campus code.
The disturbing post sent students and staff into a frenzy, sparking rumors of an imminent threat to campus and prompting some professors to cancel class, the Florida Times-Union reported. The school was already roiled by, “It’s Okay to be White,” signs seen posted on and around the campus, so Parker’s photo only exacerbated concerns for safety. The false reports prompted Delaney to issue a statement urging calm.
“There have been a swarm of rumors surrounding this incident,” he wrote in an e-mail blast to students, faculty and staff referencing reports that someone was seen carrying a gun on campus. ” … Please know the University Police Department has officers, both in uniform and in plain clothes, throughout our campus ensuring safety. I’m completely satisfied that the campus is safe, and I urge everyone to be calm.”
Delaney also reinforced the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, writing, “we’ve have always been a caring, supportive community and our strengths outweigh this incident.”
According to Action News Jax, Parker has already appealed his suspension and said he will sue the school if he loses.
