I’m a student at a large public university. One of my classmates in my degree program is very obviously a dangerous asshole. He’s a misogynistic, racist, Bible-humping, gun-toting, wealthy white boy. Wears a Hawaiian shirt to Zoom classes and calls me a “climate Nazi” in front the the professor. Spending five seconds around him is enough to see he has serious brainworms. Last year, he attempted to physically assault myself and a classmate because we’re openly atheist. I alerted the university and filled a report with campus authorities. Unsurprisingly, they did nothing.
A good friend of mine alerted me today that’s he bought a semiautomatic weapon. I’m really uncomfortable with this. He has a major problem with me (to the point of posting to his alt-right friends that he’s going to “get” me). I am the president of a small student org on campus. He knows that. I’m concerned that he may show up to one of our meetings. Obviously, I can’t get the university to do anything, and the cops would probably pin a fucking medal on him.
TL; DR- There’s a pyscho alt-righter who has threatened me in the past, and I just found out he bought a semiautomatic weapon. Is there anything I can do to keep myself and the members of my club safe?
I promote every suggestion listed here.
Genuine question: What is a ‘climate nazi’? Has he detailed it? Or is it as simple as “She hates coal and that makes me mad!”
My two cents is that, kind of along the lines of telling the police (something that, sadly, probably won’t help much but might help a little), to tell a bunch of different administrators at your university. I see that you’ve alerted some of the campus authorities, I’m not sure how many of the following you might have tried but my advice is to try each of them for help also:
your student org advisor (on the student life staff, not a professor), your academic adviser (if any), if you’re living in the dorms your resident assistant/resident director/etc, the dean of students of your division, the dean of students for the university, the dean of religious life (you’re being targeted for your religious views), the diversity and inclusion office, any sexual violence prevention staff or advisors (you are being targeted and you use she/her pronouns… possible gendered aspects to the harassment), the student or campus ombudsman, the Title IX compliance officer (again re possible gendered aspects), the campus police, the campus police community outreach officer (if any)
Every university is organized a bit differently so yours might not have those exact things, and it might have other possible resources I didn’t think of. Sadly it is often necessary to make multiple contacts because a lot of people are really mediocre at their jobs, and if it’s not something that’s specifically in their job description, they’re not going out of their way to help you, or brainstorm about the kind of help the university might be able to offer. They’ll just tell you that the help doesn’t exist because that usually shuts up the student. Yet once the shit hits the fan and somebody actually gets hurt suddenly they change their tune.
Set up meetings with them and summarize what’s been happening, and then highlight that you were targeted for your religious beliefs, you have already been physically assaulted once, if there is a gendered aspect to the harassment highlight that, that this person has been making troubling posts on social media, and finally that due to your position as the leader of a student organization your whereabouts are publicly known and your org members are also at risk. And ask them where you can find help. Hopefully one of them will say, “I’m the help you’re looking for” but sadly bureaucracy usually doesn’t make things so easy.
Oh yeah I remembered another thing… another option is any elected representative for your area. E.g. city council member, state representative, Congressional representative, etc. Sorry for the wall of text, I hope it might help a bit.
Buy ARs for you and your group. When he shows up, problem solved.
Serious advice, I’m with others that say advise the pigs. Also, write to any local reporters, so if he does something batshit crazy you’ll have known and shown you tried to go through the proper channels. Maybe you’ll find a reporter that would find it appropriate to at least run that story.
And report him to the FBI. https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices
They’re fucking psychos, but good thing about them is they get off on shitting on the cops below them. When the shit cops near me wouldn’t stop letting male cops strip search women, the FBI came in and busted their asses.
If you (or anyone else) can get a restraining order against him, that may (depending on your state) restrict his gun ownership.
I’m not necessarily recommending that without knowing a lot more, but it might be an option.
