DAVIS, Calif. — Nick Irvin hopes you read beyond the headline, especially when it's a headline he wrote.
"A UC Davis professor thinks that cops need to be killed," Irvin said. "My argument is the university's response runs hypocritical and shortsighted."
Irvin decided to investigate and write what UC Davis English Professor Joshua Clover said about police in 2014 and 2016. Irvin's story has now been shared nationwide.
When ABC10 asked Clover for a statement, he said over email, "On the day that police have as much to fear from literature professors as Black kids do from police, I will definitely have a statement. Until then, I have nothing further to add."
Irvin said he first heard about Clover's remarks as rumors. He did some research and found old tweets belonging to Clover's account. He shared those tweets with ABC10 after Clover's account became private.
"I am thankful that every living cop will one day be dead, some by their own hand, some by others, too many of old age #letsnotmakemore" — tweeted on Nov. 27, 2014.
"I mean, it's easier to shoot cops when their backs are turned, no?" — tweeted on Dec. 27, 2014.
Irvin said felt compelled to make these tweets public, especially after Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona was shot and killed in January. Her memorial service was held on UC Davis campus.
"It clearly resonated with people and it resonated with me," Irvin said. "So I wanted to shed light on something that would be important to discuss,"
This story has a lot of people weighing in, a lot of which are emails of encouragement to Irvin's story.
Sacramento Police Officer's Association posted on Facebook: "A professor at UC Davis says cops need to be killed and the university does nothing. Outrageous!"
UC Davis condemned what Clover said about police, but they do say his words are protected under the First Amendment.
UC Davis released this statement to ABC10:
The UC Davis administration condemns the statement of Professor Clover to which you refer. It does not reflect our institutional values, and we find it unconscionable that anyone would condone much less appear to advocate murder. A young police officer has been killed serving the City of Davis. We mourn her loss and express our gratitude to all who risk their lives protecting us. We support law enforcement, and the UC Davis Police Department and Chief Joe Farrow have been and remain critical partners to our community.
Public statements like those made by Professor Clover are accorded a high level of protection under the first amendment.
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