UO instructor faces charges after confrontation with student protesters
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EUGENE, Ore. - A law school instructor caught on camera in a confrontation with student protesters has had his teaching responsibilities reassigned, the University of Oregon School of Law said in a statement.
"The University of Oregon School of Law has reassigned teaching responsibilities for adjunct instructor James Olmsted to Associated Dean for Academic Affairs Adell Amos," reads a UO press release sent to KVAL News on Friday: "This is a personnel decision and we are unable to discuss details of the situation at this time."
Campus police cited Olmsted for theft in the second degree and two counts of physical harassment at the student-led protest on campus.
“An adjunct instructor with the University of Oregon law school was arrested by University of Oregon Police and escorted off of campus," said University of Oregon Police Department public information officer Kelly McIver on Friday. "His return to campus was forbidden, and he was cited in lieu of custody.”
KVAL News reached Olmsted by phone on Friday. He was very upset and said it would be best if he did not make any public comments on Thursday's incident on campus.
Olmsted, a local attorney, is shown in YouTube videos in a confrontation with protesters from Students Against Imperialism, a group concerned about U.S./Mexico border issues and Palestinian liberation.
Diana Salazar, a senior at the UO who co-founded Students Against Imperialism with junior Jaki Salgado, said Olmsted grabbed her after a heated argument at the mock border checkpoint protest held outside the Erb Memorial Union on Thursday afternoon.
“It’s one thing to be politically mad that we’re having this action," said Salazar in front of the EMU on Friday, "but it’s a completely different thing to lay your hands on a student.”
Salgado, also standing in front of the EMU on Friday, told KVAL News she started taking video on her iPhone just seconds after the confrontation at the protest started.
"Like whoa, is this really happening? It's not … you don't expect such Blatant racist things to come out like that," said Salgado.
The video shows Olmsted shoving students and yelling explicit language while engaging in an argument with students in front of the EMU amphitheater.
“The whole purpose of a University is to allow people have an exchange of ideas," said University of Oregon spokesman Phil Weiler on campus Friday morning, "to be able to share different points of view, and we expect people to do that in a respectful manner. So, when that doesn’t happen, that’s a problem for us.”
Salgado said Olmsted grabbed her camera phone while she was taking video. She said he did not return the phone until campus police arrived.
UO Police Department public information officer Kelly McIver said in addition to the three charges Olmsted is facing, he has been banned form campus as the investigation continues. Kelly said additional charges could be added pending that investigation's findings.
“He’s definitely entitled to debate with us because this is a very controversial issue, but he should take responsibility for what he did with Jaki, myself and the other gentleman," said Salazar.
“His teaching duties have been reassigned, and we have another faculty member who will be covering his classes for the rest of the year," said Weiler.
As for any future disciplinary action against Olmsted by the University of Oregon, Weiler said he could not make any comments per university personnel policy.
Salazar said she is considering pressing charges against Olmsted.
“If he does this during a political discussion, a public space, who’s to say what he can do during office hours when he has a debate with someone when no one is around," she said.
Statement from University of Oregon
WARNING: The videos below contain language some people may find offensive
shoving happens all the time in America but because he is a teacher and it was caught on camera it news!! I call bull shat common the whole bunch should be brought up on charges for rioting that's how silly this whole thing is grow up and go to your classes...
Both sides helped fuel this occurance. All participants should be forever removed from Campus. No more aide to the students....no more salary for the attorney...  fixed.
oops
notso_old guy 3 hours ago
We have only seen the last few minutes of the event. What we saw does make it look as if the prof was in the wrong but it does not show all that had led up to those last few minutes. It is very likely he was set-up by a group advocating for illegal aliens, as well as other aliens, to be allowed to ignore US laws and have benefits that legal residents and US citizens do not have, He was surrounded, detained by a mock check point, and surrounded by a mob before he finally "flipped out'"Â
I'll be interested to see if the charges stick or if he'll weasel out of of them somehow. Â If he chooses to defend himself, he will certainly have a fool for a client. Â If that man had stolen my phone, this would have ended up with one of us in the hospital and the other in jail.Â
Does anyone know what Olmsted said that was racist?
The " Law" seems  to allow for a person or persons to mercilessly get into anothers face and push their buttons tauntingly until they explode emotionally and lash out in the only way they can, Then when that person even touches them to get them away from the verbal aggressors, the verbal aggressors claim that the person that they were bullying just brutalized them. THAT IS THE VERBAL AGGRESSOR`S OBJECTIVE! Villify the victim and absolve the real aggressors which is themselves. You don`t believe me?? Try putting a a dozen to several dozen people relentlessly screaming in your face at once. It is intimidating and threatening. Almost nobody would have reacted any differently than that man did. I think that the university needs to reass their judgement and protect that guy instead of throwing him to the wolves.
@Hunter It's nice to hear from someone else who doesn't want to see Olmsted fired over this over-reaction.
It appears things escalated when the tall guy got in Olmsted's face. And the tall guy got in Olmsted's face after one of the females declared that she felt threatened. When Olmsted realized this was all being visually recorded, he got a little too radical, apparently because he knew was not acting appropriately and didn't want sanctions based on that conduct.
Olmsted did initiate in a verbally aggressive manner, e.g., pointing his finger and talking loudly, but at least he showed enthusiasm and conviction for his beliefs. Now so many people are squawking: "he broke the rules." Yes, he did. Arguably so did the tall guy, who made the first physical contact. Should he be expelled? It was a protest, and I thought protests were supposed to convey something more than, "You can take touch the fence now. The paint's dry."
They shouldn't impede his right to navigate freely by standing in front of him with their mock border crossing. The right to navigate freely in America extends to Americans, not illegal aliens.
@Shofoeshore And you know they were doing that... how?
@PleaseBeSmart In a 'Just' world the citing officer would of watched the full video & if he was gonna cite the professor then also cite the tall guy. He could then advise both party's to hopefully come to an agreement that is in the best interest of all parties & that both sides mutually drop the charges against one another. But since only one side is charged almost always in this dog eat dog world, the one that holds advantage legally over the other party, will decide to take advantage of the one that is disadvantaged in the eyes of the law. Tyranny, colonialism, imperialism or whatever you want to call it, capitalizes & wins.
@PleaseBeSmart There's no reason to charge either side. The professor is right everyone is a bunch of pussy's these days. I can't imagine calling the police because someone pushes me. Soon we'll start seeing people call police when they go to a concert & get pushed while in a mosh pit or after getting bumped into while standing in line at the country fair.
With just the two parties as they were, they both were the authorities on the situation, I saw no reason to bring in a third party to micro manage & take over the authority role, to what would of dissolved itself after both sides calmed down. Now the students will look like the oppressor's using the 'imperial' government to harm a professor & the professor will learn to not stand up for himself out of fear of what will happen to him. A lose lose for the students & the professor. Always try to resolve a problem at the lowest level possible. That level should of remained only between the two parties in disagreement with one another.
@Shofoeshore Why are you assuming the officer didn't watch the full video? The tall guy didn't do anything you can reasonably give a citation for. Coming too close to the professor's personal bubble? Placing his hands on his shoulders with completely normal force? That's not against the law, as he stopped when told to. And he snatched the phone from the female, which had nothing to do with the tall guy.
@PleaseBeSmart In America in a open space such as this setting, you have a right to be left alone without being forced in any direction. Including not to be prevented from standing in one place that does not impede on others. Look at it this way, if you & your child were standing where they were in the video & chatting, & some strange man stood in between the two of you & then placed his hand on your childs shoulder such as the tall guy did to the professor, he would be visiting the dentist for a replacement of all his teeth in the form of dentures. If you watch the full video the professor chose to stand where he was, the tall guy walked up & stood in front of him & then placed his hand on the professors shoulder. From that point exactly there, it escalated from mere verbal discussion to physical confrontation. The professor responded accordingly.
@Shofoeshore What on Earth does that mean? That you have the "right to be left alone without being forced in any direction... prevented from standing in one place?" =/Â
I watched the full video. He stepped towards her with his arms open (which is aggressive posturing,) he dropped something which she seemed to be threatened by, then he yanked the zipper on his jacked down and took it off while telling them to "move him." The woman said she felt threatened (as was clearly his intention) and THEN the tall guy stepped between them and touched his shoulders. It's blatantly obvious he was being aggressive, and tall guy stepped in the middle when it started to escalate.Â
This guy is not a person who should be working among young people. It seems after 25 years at the UofO he may have stayed too long. Regardless of how anyone feels about the reason for the demonstration, the university is a place for all points of view to be discussed and debated in a civil manner. Apparently "Rambo" had just arrived on is his motorcycle and was feeling like a tough guy when he encountered the idealistic students. At his age he should know better. Acted like a real jerk. I almost feel sorry for him. Pathetic.
The professor was attempting to add a different perspective to the debate, but he got sucked in when the students got snotty. Granted, he wasn't actually very diplomatic to start with. He was right about one thing: having a demonstration on campus is toothless and not very courageous. It's just preaching to the choir, and at least the professor had enough guts to go against the grain. It cost him his job though, because the students didn't have enough character to resist the power they knew they had to ruin his career when he crossed the lines of political correctness.
@Gozz If political correctness were the only line he crossed, it probably would have turned out differently. He lost his temper and broke the law. He is a liability, and his career being ruined is no one's fault but his own.
I guess they pushed the right buttons to get this adjunct professor so pissed off. They got what they wanted.
@heater Wow. Way to shift blame.
Lawyer is an idiot. The students are probably anchor babies. Prove me wrong.
Wow, he went from zero to sixty FAST- perhaps he is off his normal meds? The video speaks for itself.
I just looked at the video again . . . th lawyer made a mistake - but watching those ignorant people defending illegal immigration and demanding rights they have not earned. Â I long ago quit supporting anything that the U of O wants.
@Reis Kash you sound like the ignorant one. maybe its time for you to get an education.Â
Did he really use "explicit language"?  You seem to mean he said what he actually meant, but did he use obscenities or profanities or scatological language?   Do you own a dictionary?  Can you read?  Â
@Reis Kash watch the youtube vids. yes he did.
I can understand the guy's frustration but he picked a bad way to express it. He should instead have channelled his emotions into a convincing article that could be discussed, and possibly changed public perception.Â
As it is, the only thing he has done is provide a disservice to those who might have otherwise been willing to share his viewpoint, and given ammunition to those with whom he disagrees.Â
Watch the entire video, the tall guy came over and put his hand on the Professor, No, he should not have taken the phone. Yes , I'm glad there is someone out there with some balls. Yes ,he was shouting facts about history, and the fact is you control people at the point of a gun or through guilt. They are saying he is guilty of being white. You can only swallow so much of this in a day. If the USA is truly a terrible place why do so many people want to come here? Then once people come here they try to turn it into the hellhole they just leftÂ
@John QÂ The tall guy touched him. That's not illegal. He did not assault him in any way, and he ceased as soon as he was told to. That is far more than can be said for the professor.
These are all adults arguing, but a university instructor must be held to professionalism, which this man completely lacks in these exchanges. Regardless of what he believes, or what is said to him, he is in a position of power and cannot abuse that power with intimidation. I recognize the students are adults as well, and adding fuel to a fire, but ultimately, an instructor must maintain cool, or leave the scene.
Whatever predicated the encounter is wholly immaterial. Were any student to have engaged Mr. Olmsted in such a manner (grabbing personal property, shoving, cursing, threatening, etc,) I've no doubt they would have been expelled and probably arrested. Mr. Olmsted deserves no less a sanction.
@TalkingWithYale Give me a break. It's a make believe world on campus. The protesters position themselves in the center of campus to garner attention, but the passerby is not supposed to offer any dissonance. Students are attempting to relive the passion of the 60's without any of the risks. You talk as if blood was shed. The professor was right in calling them pussies, and he lost his job for it. For what? For adding some necessary heat to the debate.
@Gozz He lost his job for breaking the law.
Just because you have a lot of education does not make you a smart person.
when opposing sides collide - aggression will lead to poor favor - always does.
I probably agree with this guy's opinions, but he hasn't done himself any favors. Fact is, you lose credibility when you lose your temper and this guy stepped way out of line. The only thing he succeeded in doing was making the other side look good. =/ He was obviously the aggressor and he had NO RIGHT to take that woman's phone. He knows that, but he let his emotion overwhelm his reason. Such a shame. The charges are appropriate.Â
Nice example for an attorney. This guy need to go, and go soon. Looks like since he's not a tenured prof. his teaching career is coming to a screeching halt.
This is an Oregon University. A really fine example for the other universities in the US. What do we teach our young people, how to swear and cuss, excessive use of the F word and P word. A total waste of tax dollars. These people who end up paying well over 100 thousand for a so called education, and all they have for a vocabulary is the F word. Definitely a society in decline, that is what they should be protesting about. As for lawyers, they have totally lost their way. They no longer possess or seek truth and honesty, it is greed and so called wealth transfer. I say socialism and communism is taking over folks and it will be bad. "This is a personnel decision and we are unable to discuss details of the situation at this time."Never mind the fact he will get PERS and gets money from Public Funds. Of course they won't discuss details, they would get sued by one of their lawyers, and besides like all Progressives they can't justify or even come up with a reasonable explanation for their irrational decisions.
@souptonuts Good for you - reading you tell the truth is refreshing.  The guy was wrong, but how long, Oh Lord, how long are we going to have to put up with these fuzzy brained big mouthed SOB (sons of Barrack, no other offense meant).
@souptonuts I respect your views.  But you use the terms socialism, communism and progressives a bit much for me to know what you mean.  And are you not a retired State Police officer that receives PERS?  What does high tuition have to do with Socialism? Â
@drinkmorewater @souptonuts I believe Progressives and Socialists are one in the same. I associate communism with atheism. No I am not a retired State Police Officer on PERS, but it would be nice, they get one heck of a chunk of money. High Tuition is part of keeping the slave ranks which socialists need to survive. Are you retired on PERS?, if so you have gotten an easy retirement off the backs of the taxpayer ever since about 1980, when contributions went away.
@souptonuts @drinkmorewater Real nuanced views. Turn off Faux and Rush and read more. You sound like a real kook.
@souptonuts Some of the best professors I've had used profanity. That doesn't mean that's all they have for a vocabulary.Â
Wow. They are all acting like a bunch of children. It appears to me that Mr. Lawyer lost his cool because he feels attacked by the students. However, that does not excuse his behavior. A lawyer/professor should be more professional instead of reacting like he did. This is a guy who should be setting an example for the kids rather than engaging in this nonsense. If he felt threatened by the group, which is how I perceive it, he should have walked away or he should have called 911. He should have never grabbed that woman's phone. It makes me wonder how he is in a court of law.Â
I will start off by pointing out, because this is the second time posting my comment, that in removing my comment is a violation of my 1st amendment and in violating my 1st amendment I could sue for damages on impeding my basic rights as defined in the bill of rights. This man made very valid points in the debating section of the video. He was calming down until the students antagonized him. In doing so, they created a situation in which the man felt threatened. I doubt given this situation, many people would have acted different.
@dino_booty Well this would be hilarious if it weren't so sad. You apparently have no clue how your rights work, so I'll fill you in... The 1st Amendment ensures that you will not be judicially punished for protected speech, or have that speech restricted by the government. It does NOT mean that you must be given a platform for speaking your mind. KVAL can selectively censor any opinion or person they just don't like and it still wouldn't be violating the 1st Amendment. They don't, and your comment was likely deleted due to an error in posting or because it violates their posting guidelines in some way. But even if they did, the notion that you could sue them for infringing on your rights and have anything happen other than being laughed out of court... Lol. No. Just no. Not even close.
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@dino_booty I'm not asking you to trust me on this... go look it up. Because that's honestly so far from being accurate that it's shocking. You don't need a J.D. to research and understand your rights.Â
@dino_booty I absolutely disagree with you. The professor was NOT calming down, which is why the young man with the backpack walked up and inserted himself between the young lady and the professor. The professor grabbed at and pushed people. The only time we saw anyone touch the professor is at the moment that the young man stepped up. Â
As a professor and a lawyer, this man should have been able to have a civilized debate without resorting to using threatening language or tone of voice in the first place. And, no, I would not have acted that way "given the situation". I doubt that most people would.
@SAB17 @dino_booty At :57 into the second video, Mr. Olmsted was calming down and one of the students began cursing and yelling.
@dino_booty @SAB17 Obviously, you have a right to your opinion. I just disagree with it. I do not see him calming down at all.Â