Wednesday was the second day the so-called “Justice Riders” brought their message to campus. This time, they brought a Jumbotron to the Plaza of the Americas, from which they broadcasted footage of abortion procedures.
The posters and signs were already overkill. Created Equal’s use of the Jumbotron was an unbelievable display of its extremist attitudes and ineffective tactics.
Traditionally, UF students had only singular responses to such inflammatory rhetoric and outrageous displays. Tell the activists to shove it where the sun don’t shine. Wear headphones and ignore it all. Kick the signs over. Stay home and miss class. Varied as they are, these responses have one core theme in common: They’re the responses of individuals reacting to this thing on their own.
But Wednesday, Created Equal and its Jumbotron weren’t alone.
A protest organized on Facebook signaled the end of the Student Body’s patience with Created Equal. By 9 a.m., dozens of protesters were already present on the plaza, holding signs, shouting slogans and sheltering students from group members.
By 2 p.m., there were enough protesters to line both sides of the sidewalk. Some engaged Created Equal activists in debate; some escorted students to and from class.
Eventually, Created Equal and the protesters stood clearly divided. The tension was electric — sensing heresy, Tom the preacher seemed to materialize out of wherever it is he comes from. At about 3:30 p.m., Created Equal packed up its propaganda pieces and left.
Today, Created Equal will perform its stunt of a demonstration at the University of South Florida. The Justice Rides, the self-proclaimed successor to the legacy of the Freedom Rides, will continue all week despite the absurdity of that comparison. Created Equal’s tiresome invocations of the Freedom Rides and Martin Luther King Jr. seem pretty presumptuous to us. As for us, the only similarity between King’s campaign and Created Equal’s is that they both involve transportation by bus.
We’re lucky to have an academic climate that values open debate and free expression — nearly to a fault. Folks like Created Equal, preacher Tom, the Turlington preacher and what-have-you take advantage of these liberal ideals, using our public forums to spew their noxious views. They use the First Amendment as an excuse to do their nasty business, and they’re totally within their rights to do so. They can’t be stopped by force or law.
But they can be challenged under the same blanket of protection that allows them to flourish. Too often, we as a Student Body allow them to impose their views on the rest of us. On Wednesday, students raised their voices in resistance to Created Equal and its tasteless shock campaign. Anti-abortion or pro-abortion rights, the Student Body overcame apathy and seized the power and privileges that are its right. It’s an encouraging sign of a more empowered future for everyone on this campus.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 3/12/2015]
