CRIME/RACISM: “When Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Florida last month, Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency. On Monday [10-16-17], he did the same thing in Alachua County, ahead of a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer at the University of Florida in Gainesville…
‘I find that the threat of a potential emergency is imminent,’ Scott declared in his executive order, noting that Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell had requested the state’s assistance. The order will make it easier for various agencies to coordinate a security plan for Thursday’s speech at the university.
The school had denied an earlier request from Spencer to speak in September, citing imminent threats against Gainesville and the university following the violence in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12. Spencer was a headliner at the ‘Unite the Right’ rally there spurred clashes between white supremacists and protesters, leaving dozens injured. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a man drove his car into a group of protesters.
But state’s flagship university had to let Spencer speak on campus eventually. As a state entity, the administration explains in an extensive Q&A, ‘UF must allow the free expression of speech. We cannot prohibit groups or individuals from speaking in our public forums except for limited exceptions, which include safety and security.’
The university’s president, W. Kent Fuchs, urged students and staff to avoid the event.”
-Laurel Wamsley, “Florida’s Governor Declares State Of Emergency Ahead Of Richard Spencer Speech,” NPR, Oct. 17, 201 12:21pm