Mizzou Fires Professor Who Called For 'Muscle' To Remove Protest Photog

By Mae Rice in News on Feb 25, 2016 10:10PM

A University of Missouri professor, who came under scrutiny after calling for “muscle” to remove a student photographer from campus protests in November, has been fired, according to the Columbia Tribune.

Melissa Click, an assistant professor of Mass Media at the university, has been terminated by the school’s Board of Curators, who voted 4-2 to fire her. The board had already voted to suspend Click on Jan. 27, the Columbia Tribune reported.

In a statement, on the termination, board member Pam Henrickson cited two infractions from Click, according to the Columbia Tribune.

In one case, at the school’s Homecoming Parade, Click swore at a policeman who was shifting protesters out of the street. In the more famous case, on Nov. 9, Click “interfered with members of the media and students who were exercising their rights in a public space and called for intimidation against one of our students,” as Henrickson put it.

You can watch that incident here:

“The board respects Dr. Click’s right to express her views and does not base this decision on her support for students engaged in protest or their views,” Henrickson said in her statement. “However, Dr. Click was not entitled to interfere with the rights of others, to confront members of law enforcement or to encourage potential physical intimidation against a student.”

Click’s termination is based on review of videos, documents, and 20+ interviews conducted by investigators hired by the board, according to the Columbia Tribune.

Click can appeal her termination, which came about through a process U of M’s interim chancellor, Hank Foley, described as “not typical” in a statement Thursday.

However, Foley also spoke supportively of her termination in his statement, stating that “[Click’s] actions in October and November are those that directly violate the core values of our university."