SYRACUSE, NY – We would like to take a minute to both welcome and introduce one of the new writers here at Law Enforcement Today. If you are thinking that it isn’t everyday that we take the time to write an article for that purpose, you would be correct.
You may also be thinking that it would be odd that we make an introduction, considering that we have removed the names of our writers after the death threats we have been receiving. Again, you would be correct.
But, once in a while, something happens that you absolutely have to bring out in the light and discuss. This story is one of those times.
Her name is Adrianna.
This young woman recently finished her freshmen year at Syracuse University. She spent her first year in the political science department and writing for , the university’s newspaper.
As is the trend on most college campuses, she was one of only a few conservative voices writing for the paper. She was not afraid to share her voice and lend it to the discussions that were prevalent on campus.
She went toe-to-toe with a left-leaning writer over the university’s refusal to allow Ben Shapiro, an outspoken conservative, to speak on campus. While her counterpart wrote that:
“Shapiro does not provide any valuable perspective that aligns with SU’s vision or its mission statement…his rights to free speech has been marred by bigotry, sophistry and demagoguery, which SU should not support with a check.”
As we are not here to highlight the experiences of the writer, we will not share anymore of their stance.
Undeterred by the blatant falsehoods in the piece, Adrianna responded with an article of her own, saying in part:
“Looking toward the future, I cannot see any world in which the SU community will alter its speaker list to exclude those who are biased against conservatives. This fact disappoints me; however, I will not scream prejudice and fight to shut down these speakers.
I will not call for a halt in funding to liberal speakers. The reasoning behind this is quite simple: I believe in free speech. I will defend your right to say hateful things about my peers and me, regardless of my personal feelings.
“With that being said, I support Ben Shapiro coming to campus. In fact, I see a vital need for Shapiro to speak. Our community is starved of viewpoints that diverge from progressively liberal sentiment.
We, as a community, are so scared of dissent that the very planning of a conservative speaker is met with opposition.
“The response elicited by my peers is the proof that shows how much we need Shapiro to speak. If you detest his views, good. If you hate his rhetoric, good.
I implore you to take that as a reason to purchase a ticket. Listen to Shapiro’s views in full. If you still disagree, feel free to question him during the Q&A segment. Don’t, however, uphold a false narrative to protect your political bubble.
“The wild accusations that Shapiro is a ‘racist, homophobic, ableist and xenophobic’ are as laughable as they are terrifying.”
She can more than hold her own.
That article was written in April of this year. Now, fast forward six weeks to the beginning of June.
Writing for LifeZette, she penned an opinion piece called Why Institutional Racism is a Myth.
We need to focus on three paragraphs from this piece, it is the portion that led us to this day, where she is no longer writing for The Daily Orange (more on that shortly), and has decided to bring her talents and her love for the law enforcement community to Law Enforcement Today.
“This trend continues into 2020 where statistics show that police more commonly kill whites during confrontations. The ratio of police violence by race has not changed much over the past five years.
“A common response when presented with actual statistics is to argue that the evidence lacks context. Instead of looking at overall statistics we ought to be taking into account that black Americans represent only 13% of the population. Surely this proves that the police often target young black men, right?
“When taking population differences into account, the argument against systemic racism holds up as well. Despite representing 13% of the population, the FBI reported that in 2017 black Americans committed 53% of homicides and 54% of robberies.
Further, when looking into violence committed against police, black American men represent 33% of cop killers despite being only 6.6% of the population.
“If blacks represent such a small percentage of the population why are they responsible for a large percent of crime? In fact, the Left’s insistence on discussing race proportions is damning to their argument.”
It was that last paragraph that caught the attention of the leadership at the university’s paper.
Casey Darnell, the DO’s Editor-in-chief, sent her an email to discuss it. No phone call. No questions. No clarifications. Just the following email.
And, just like that, she was fired, for quoting facts. How dare she.
But, sticking to their spoon-fed narrative that so many college students have as part of their daily diet, Darnell defended their decision on Facebook.
Darnell obviously doesn’t worry about pesky little things like facts, or, you know, the truth.
“We aren’t afraid of controversial views, but we have a responsibility to avoid promoting harmful ones.”
Who knew that the truth was a harmful point of view.
If only Adrianna had gotten fired. Sadly, it doesn’t end there.
She has been getting threats, some being pretty vile. She has agreed to share them with our readers, not for pity or sympathy, but instead, to highlight just how unhinged progressives can be when engaging with someone from an opposing point of view.
WARNING: Strong language may be offensive to some.
See? We told you.
Adrianna, we wish we could tell you that it will get easier, but it is really just beginning.
But we, your writing brothers and sisters here at LET, will walk beside you as we seek to tell the truth with journalistic integrity. We do not back down when we know that we have spoken honestly and factually.
Clearly, you have no problem doing those things. We have your six!
Welcome to the team.
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