A Rutgers professor who lives in Brooklyn was taken for a psychiatric evaluation by NYPD officers after he made political comments in class and on Twitter about conservatives, Trump, and gun control. Kevin Allred, an adjunct professor on the New Brunswick, NJ campus, says police came to his Greenpoint apartment on Tuesday night, and the officers told him Rutgers administrators had contacted the NYPD because of statements he made on campus and on Twitter.
NYPD just came to my house bc Rutgers Police told them i'm a threat based on political statements i've made on campus and on twitter.
— Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred) November 16, 2016
Allred says that after the election he had a discussion in class about whether conservatives be so committed to the Second Amendment if more white people were killed by gun violence. Allred also tells the Daily News that "in class, we talked about flag burning generally as a form of protest, and what does the flag mean to different people." Also after the election, Allred tweeted, "Rutgers, did you send out an email addressing the fears of MANY RU students for their safety in Trump's amerika yet? did i miss it?" which seems innocuous.
Police did not arrest or charge Allred, but officers did force him to submit to a psychiatric evaluation. "They said, ‘Yes, you can refuse, but then we’ll take you by force,’” Allred told the News. “They kept saying, ‘You’re not under arrest, but if you don’t go with us we’ll take you by force."
they've forced me to now undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the hospital. they brought me by ambulance tho i'm not under arrest technically
— Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred) November 16, 2016
and this is for exercising my fucking first amendment rights. i'm being labeled a threat and put in a psych hospital
— Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred) November 16, 2016
even the doctors thought it was ridiculous to take me to a psychiatric hospital and force me into evaluation. it was fucking intimidation.
— Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred) November 16, 2016
ok. they let me leave. this is a shitshow and is proof positive that Trump's crackdown on free speech has absolutely begun.
— Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred) November 16, 2016
After two hours of evaluation, cops let Allred go home. He says Rutgers and the NYPD overreacted.
that tweet was not a threat. it was a hyperbolic question posed to show a double standard-look at context/tone of most every tweet i make.
— Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred) November 16, 2016
In a statement, the NYPD said, "We were informed by Rutgers PD that he made threats to kill white people and he was subsequently taken to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation." Rutgers officials say a student filed a complaint against Allred, telling NJ.com in a statement, "The Rutgers University Police Department responded to a complaint from a student and took all appropriate action. We have no further comment."
Allred is back at work on campus now, but if it's not one thing it's another...
TWITTER JUST SUSPENDED MY ACCOUNT!!!! TO GET IT BACK THEY MADE ME DELETE ONE OF THE TWEETS IN QUESTION. 👀
— Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred) November 16, 2016