A verbal altercation between two differing religious beliefs at LAC prompted police to be called early afternoon on Feb. 16.
According to the Long Beach Police Department, a woman was upset that two Hare Krishna monks had a booth to share their beliefs with the campus.
The woman was a local bystander walking down the street and had no affiliation with the school.
The woman called the police to have Hare Krishna monks removed. Some students also called the police to complain about the way the woman was treating the monks.
When the police came, they diffused the situation. They talked to the parties separately and helped everyone come to an understanding of rights.
Keir Reid, one of the monks that were harassed said, “It was actually the students who called the cops and were trying to defend us.”
The monks did not provoke the woman. They were spreading their beliefs, handing out free books, and asking for donations.
The policemen explained to the woman that it was the monks’ right to be on a public campus spreading whatever beliefs or speech they wanted to.
“This was a misunderstanding,” said Long Beach Police officer Tai Dinh Do. “People have the right of freedom of speech. This is allowed.”
The First Amendment protects free speech on a public campus like LBCC, no matter how offensive the content. Restricting free speech on a public campus is in violation of the United States Constitution.
The religion of the woman responsible for calling the police is unknown. The woman fled the campus soon after her conversation with the police ended.
“If you want to hold a sign that says ‘I love Jesus’ you can hold your sign over there,” said officer Do, signaling to the opposite side of where the monks had their booth set up.