 "Photo: photo by Brandon Cloud, staff photographer")
Updated 7:46 p.m., Oct. 27
An afternoon of street preaching on the Keathley University Center Knoll led to the arrest of a student after a preacher fell off a concrete wall to the sidewalk, said Lieutenant Jim Fanguy of the MTSU Police Department.
MTSU police arrested Michaela Morales, a junior social work major, on suspicion of assault after preacher John McGlone fell Tuesday. Morales was taken to the Rutherford County Sherriff’s Office for processing.
“Based on witnesses and cell phone video of which we were made aware, we felt we had probable cause for the arrest,” Fanguy said.
Fanguy said Morales apparently pushed McGlone from the ledge where he talked to a crowd of about 200 around 2:45 p.m.
Students, including Morales, began crowding the ledge on which McGlone was standing. After Morales shouted, “Take your hands off my breasts,” McGlone fell to the ground.
Eyewitness accounts vary from Morales defending herself to McGlone being forcibly pushed by Morales from the crowded ledge, which was congested by protesters shouting at McGlone.
The official police report has yet to be released.
Bond for Morales was set at $2,500. Morales posted later that night.
At approximately 11 a.m., three men began preaching to students and passers-by, wearing shirts that read “Trust Jesus,” and “Jesus hates sin.” The men repeatedly told several members of the crowd that they were going to hell - specifically homosexuals, fornicators, God-haters, immodest women, drunks and the greedy.
Students began protesting the speakers and shouting down the men, eventually leading to the altercation at approximately 2:45 p.m. between McGlone and Morales.
McGlone fell from the cement outcropping after a brief struggle with Morales, at which point some students helped the man while others laughed. Shortly thereafter, several squad cars pulled up and officers dispersed the crowd.
McGlone lay on the sidewalk for a few moments, and soon after, medical units responded and assessed his injuries.
“I forgive her,” McGlone said as he walked away from the scene with police.
Immediately after the incident, Morales said, “Carry me,” to Officer Derrick Wharton, though she wouldn’t follow him for questioning initially. Officer Misty White led Morales to a squad car. Police spoke with Morales, frisked her and took her to the police station for further questioning.
McGlone and Kerrigan Skelly are members of PinPoint Evangelism, an organization based in central Kentucky. The third preacher present, Tracy Bays, is not a member of PinPoint Evangelism, but does accompany McGlone and Skelly to campuses.
All of the men had a permit for five hours of time at the Knoll, but students began yelling at the men soon after they began speaking to the crowds. The three men left before their time had expired.
75 comments
I have never seen a man so filled with hate and anger before in my life. My heart is absolutely broken. Christianity is supposed to be a peaceful, loving religion but extremists such as this ruin it. I don't understand why so many self-proclaimed Christians are so stuck on condemning everyone else. Why can't they worry about themselves like everyone else does? They accomplished nothing today. They brought hate onto our campus and challenged us in uncivilized ways. Screaming at a crowd accomplishes nothing. Being close-minded and refusing to listen to your audience is ridiculous. Interesting how he said, "You're not listening, typical of sinners." He wasn't listening either.
I wouldn't say I condone pushing a pastor from a ledge, but I can understand it. She was obviously very passionate about her beliefs and had a brief lapse in judgment. Honestly, I knew something like that was coming. However, to blame it on the homosexuals is an ignorant thing to do. In case you didn't notice, the homosexuals were standing peacefully next to him with their own signs. Was Morales a lesbian? I don't know. I also don't care. It's none of my business. Even if she is, she is not every homosexual on campus.
Finally, I hope nothing like this ever happens again. Yes, they do have their freedom of speech but they caused violence on campus today creating an unsafe environment, shoving or no shoving.
After much research into hate speech, especially that which is espoused on college campuses, specifically ours, I've learned that hate speech (and make no mistake, based upon what I've heard was said, that is exactly what it was) IS unfortunately protected speech. Please don't go around advertising this, but the KKK could legally march on our campus one day. The Supreme Court has held that these groups are within their constitutionally protected rights to spew hate and you are within your rights to either yell something awful back or walk away. The administration is legally prohibited from restricting their speech, even if their vitriolic hate might put them in danger, say from an angry mob. In the latter case, the campus is actually required to provide for their protection so that they might by able to spew their vile unbothered by the much deserved fear that they might soon be torn limb from limb by angry college students like yourself. Important Side Note:
Typically, groups that visit our campus have a student organizational or faculty sponsor. If this group had one, it would be nice to know who it was in order to allow the community to hold them accountable in ways that we could not hold the hateful vagrants accountable. If they did not have a sponsor, it would be nice to know why not.Preacher-Gate:
Based upon what I've heard, it does sound as though the administration and the campus police were complicit in the arrest of an MTSU student who had been sexually assaulted by a group of dangerous, nonstudents that the administration allowed on campus. The administration's fear of the litigation for which this group is known, compelled them to 1. expose the entire campus community to very real emotional distress WITHOUT ANY WARNING & 2. allow the arrest of a victim of sexual assault. If these allegations do indeed prove to be true, then the police officers and the administrators who made that judgment must be held accountable in a timely and public manner, lest the lesson that is taken from this become to avoid reporting sexual assault or rape on campus or elsewhere because one will not be believed. In a time when our own campus president has admitted to sexually harassing his employees 2x, and is moving ahead with plans to cut the June Anderson women's center where women who are the victims of abuse, rape, and assault seek support and legal advice, the arrest of a victim of sexual assault does not sit well. I hope others will join in a call for a serious, public investigation into today's events.
The girl clearly told him to take his hands off of her. I was standing RIGHT in front of him asking him a question (which was very hard to try to get answers to our questions) and the incident happened. She clearly yelled for him to take his hands off of her breasts.
The whole thing was ridiculous and should have never happened in the first place.
Arguing theology, history, philosophy, or otherwise engaging in any form of argumentation with these folks demeans every single person involved.
They seem to have succeeded in their initial aim, which is to polarize people and align them with the all too familiar battle standards that miserably clog the discourse in bookstore cafes and characterize AM radio.
As Andrew Schofield said in Sid and Nancy, "Boring... very boring."
We are all now somewhat dumber for having experienced this.