UC Davis Reviewing Conduct Of Professor Who Said Cops 'Need To Be Killed'
DAVIS (CBS13) – A UC Davis professor who advocated for the killing of cops is now under review by the university's legal team.
Chancellor Gary May has asked the campus legal team to review the English professor Joshua Clover's conduct and provide advice.
The recent ambush style murder of Davis police officer Natalie Corona shined a spotlight on statements made by Clover years ago.
One of the inflammatory comments were made in a 2015 interview in SF Weekly.
"People think that cops need to be reformed. They need to be killed," Clover said in response to the question "What's wrong with society today?"
Several tweets apparently made by Clover in 2014 followed the same criticism of law enforcement.
"I am thankful that every living cop will one day be dead, some by their own hand, some by others, too many of old age #letsnotmakemore," Clover's account tweeted.
An opinion column published in February in The Aggie – UC Davis' student newspaper – dug up the comments and tweets from Clover, prompting a backlash against the professor.
Chancellor May released a statement on the situation, writing:
"The public expression of opinions, even those opinions considered controversial or abhorrent, enjoy a high level of protection under the first amendment, and tenured faculty at the University of California enjoy significant employment protections, particularly around their speech."
Clover has published several books. His works focus on critical theory, political theory, political economy, poetry, poetics, and Marxism.