California college ends suspension of Trump supporting student Caleb O’Neil for recording professor
Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California has moved to lift the suspension of a student who recorded his professor’s anti-Trump rant in the fall, which included calling President Trump’s election an “act of terrorism.”
Caleb O’Neil, 19, who released the cell phone video, watch the clip below, explaining: “I pulled my phone out, because I was honestly scared that I would have repercussions with my grades because she knew I was a Trump supporter,” O’Neil said.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees explained its decision to “bring closure” and lift O’Neil’s suspension.
“It is time to move forward with increased empathy and understanding of the differences that have [existed] and will exist on a campus filled with individuals from an array of backgrounds who bring with them a wide range of political views, religious affiliations and ideals,” the statement reads. “This is part of what makes OCC great.”
In the video clip, Olga Perez Stable Cox, a professor of human sexuality, can be heard saying, “Our nation is divided, we have been assaulted, it’s an act of terrorism…One of the most frightening things for me and most people in my life is that the people creating the assault are among us.”
Cox also called Vice President Mike Pence “one of the most anti-gay humans in this country.”
“I’m just happy I can row and go to school,” O’Neil said. “It’s great news.”