A professor of feminist studies at the University of California-Santa Barbara is now facing criminal charges after she attacked a teenager who was part of a pro-life demonstration on campus.
Associate Professor Mireille Miller-Young has been charged with one misdemeanor count each of theft, battery, and vandalism after attacking the teen on March 4.
Authorities charged the professor after meeting with 16-year-old Thrin Short, the teen accosted by the liberal professor.
Mireille Miller-Young is a professor of feminist studies, specializes in “queer theory,” and also teaches courses in pornography.
Thrin and her 21-year-old sister, Joan, were distributing pamphlets for the Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, a nonprofit pro-life group, when Miller-Young began to confront them. The girls were in a designated “free speech zone.”
Miller-Young, who rates a middling 3.1 on a 5 point scale at ratemyporfessors.com, started her confrontation by loudly talking over the girls, ridiculing them, and calling them names. Her behavior escalated as she grabbed and destroyed some of the pro-life group’s signage. Ultimately, Miller-Young physically attacked the teen girl causing slight injuries.
“Before she grabbed the sign, she was mocking me and talking over me in front of the students, saying that she was twice as old as me and had three degrees, so they should listen to her and not me,” the teen girl informed FoxNews.com. “Then she started the chant with the students about ‘tear down the sign.’ When that died out, she grabbed the sign.”
After Miller-Young stole away one of the group’s signs, the Short sisters followed the professor in an attempt to get their property back. After following the professor inside a building, the elder woman physically pushed and swung her arms at the teen causing some injuries. The girls caught much of the confrontation on video and posted it to Youtube.
The Miss Short’s father said he was disappointed by a supposed professor lashing out in violence instead of engaging in rational debate.
“She was free to engage in a rational dialogue with them. Instead, she chose to bully them, steal and destroy their property, and hit and scratch my daughter. After doing so, she said she thought she was setting a good example for her students,” William Short, said.
“I think the goal of this prosecution should be to set a good example for her students, one that will not only deter her from repeating this conduct, but will also deter those who approve of her actions from imitating her appalling behavior,” he continued.
In later interviews, the professor claimed that she had a “moral right” to physically attack the pro-life demonstrators and said she was somehow “like” a “conscientious objector.”
The professor also blamed the protesters for her own criminal behavior saying that the teen girl “triggered” her.
The left-wing prof found some criticism even in the far left press. Mary Elizabeth Williams of the liberal Internet site Slate criticized the prof’s actions and advised her fans to steer clear of protesters saying, “Don’t take their stuff. It’s called stealing, and you’re going to have a hard time convincing anybody otherwise.”
By rights, professor Miller-Young should have a hard time convincing authorities that she isn’t guilty of assault.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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