Recent anonymous chalk writings near a Berry College dorm of some of Donald Trump’s most controversial comments have sparked controversy and a free speech debate on the North Georgia campus.
The chalkings include comments such as “Build The Wall,” referencing the Republican presidential candidate’s plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, and “Grab ‘em by the …,” part of vulgar comments Trump made about groping women in a leaked audio recording that roiled the campaign. Some chalkings appeared in the past few days, school officials said.
Some students have marked over the original chalked words. “Grab ‘em by the …” was covered with the word “heart.”
Berry College president Stephen Briggs said the school does not plan to remove some of the comments, despite calls on social media to do so, citing censorship concerns. Briggs, who described the chalkings as “problematic,” said he would have removed the “grab ‘em” comment. He said he would remove chalkings that are profane or threatening.
“We have to be careful about censoring things because censoring can happen on both sides,” Briggs said.
Briggs said the chalkings have generated conversation about important issues in this election.
“It forces us to talk about and think about things,” he said.
Emory University encountered a similar dust-up in March when some minority students said they felt targeted by pro-Trump chalkings on the DeKalb County campus and one student said she feared for her life.
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