In a shocking turn of events, the protesters surrounding the truck demanding Professor Rickford’s firing have coerced the truck to go to the outskirts or entirely off of campus.
The crowd of roughly 25-30 protestors, almost all wearing some sort of face covering, converged on the truck. The driver of the vehicle stated that after the protestors were following the truck around on campus, he voluntarily pulled over.
The protestors continued to speak in front of the vehicle, with chants including, “no more doxxing,” “shut it [the truck] down,” “No more trucks, we don’t give a f*ck,” and “Martha Martha, you can’t hide, why won’t you say Palestine?” Ironically, the protesters emphasized that professors and students should be free to say what they want on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and that if the doxxing of a professor could happen to a professor, it could happen to a student.
At one point, the protesters surrounded the truck entirely, intending to cover up the truck’s message. One protester was heard saying, “use your signs to block that sh*t.” They surrounded the truck for a few minutes, blocking traffic, before moving back to the sidewalk.
Speaking with the driver, he stated that he was in touch with the company who hired him about the next steps. Protesters spoke to him frequently. The driver eventually said that the two most likely outcomes from the company would be to either retreat to the outskirts of campus, or leave campus entirely. When asked if it was possible for the truck to simply stay where it was, the driver pointed to the protesters and said, “not really.”
As of 1:05 PM on Friday, the truck turned off its digital billboard, leading to celebration among the protestors.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates as they become available.
