A student at East Tennessee University was arrested this week after he wore a gorilla mask, carried rope and tried to pass out bananas at a Black Lives Matter protest.
Tristan Rettke, a freshman at the university, was charged with civil rights intimidation, the Johnson City Press reported.
Other students at the university were protesting the recent police shootings of black men in Tulsa and Charlotte, according to the East Tennessean, the university’s student newspaper. In the middle of their demonstration, Rettke walked through the crowd in his gorilla mask, carrying bananas and a burlap sack with a Confederate flag on it.
East Tennessee State University Public Safety officers took Rettke away from the protest on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Johnson City Press.
University President Brian Noland said he was “offended” and “saddened” at a press conference Wednesday. “We are exceptionally proud of the students who were peacefully participating in the event and the manner in which they exercised restraint, thoughtfulness and strength in the face of inappropriate and offensive behavior,” he said.
- Bad Bunny's Next Move
- 'How Is This Still Happening?' A Survivor Questions America's Gun Violence Problem
- Nicole Chung: The Person I Became After My Father's Death
- Can Birth Control Help Solve the World's Rat Problem?
- About That Devastating Tom-Shiv Scene in Succession's Premiere
- Why Humza Yousaf's Win Is 'Historic' for Scotland
- If Donald Trump Is Indicted, Here's What Would Happen Next in the Process
- It's Time to Say a Loving Goodbye to John Wick
- Who Should Be on the 2023 TIME100? Vote Now
- Column: Ozempic Exposed the Cracks in the Body Positivity Movement
