A sociology professor has been arrested for reportedly disrupting a demonstration by the pro-life group Created Equal on April 19.
According to WNYT, University at Albany professor Renee Overdyke was charged with disrupting a lawful assembly and obstruction of governmental administration. She was also charged with resisting arrest. Created Equal’s President Mark Harrington had posted a video purportedly showing Overdyke being arrested.
“Professor arrested for shutting down pro-life event. On April 19, U. of Albany sociology professor, Renee Overdyke, was arrested for shutting down our large LED screen and then resisting arrest,” he alleged. “Her swift apprehension by police permitted Created Equal to resume the broadcast of our videos.”
In a statement to Campus Reform, a university spokesperson seemed to confirm the LED screen had been unplugged. “On April 19, an outside organization (not a student group) used the university’s designated public forum for approximately 6.5 hours,” University at Albany Director of Communications Jordan Carleo-Evangelist reportedly said.
He said that “no signs were torn down during this event, nor were there any reports of vandalism. One electronic sign was briefly unplugged.”
It’s unclear what exactly happened, but Harrington’s video appears to show the 57-year-old adjunct professor struggling with police. Bystanders can be heard shouting “F*** the police!” and “Free Renee!” She appears to refuse to walk or stand as the police try to carry her away from the scene.
Harrington reportedly added: “Interference in our outreach only emboldens us to defend the unborn. We will not abandon preborn children in abortion sanctuary states like New York. New York is but one location where we are advancing our pro-life mission.”
The incident was just the latest to take place at pro-life events on college campuses and came amid growing tension over both the abortion pill and legislation restricting abortion in various states. University at Albany students recently demanded the university provide the abortion pill, LifeNews reported.
As Live Action News previously noted, a student threw urine on pro-life demonstrators at the College of William and Mary last year. Students working with Students for Life of America were also told to kill themselves at the University of Missouri last year. And yet another group of students at the University of Iowa was attacked at a student engagement fair around the same time as the Missouri incident. Just last month, pro-abortion students attacked pro-life students with eggs at the University of Arizona, and in March, students and apparent Antifa members grew so disruptive and threatening at Virginia Commonwealth University that SFLA president Kristan Hawkins was prevented from speaking or even taking audience questions and was escorted out for her protection.
