BUZZ
Conservative student organization reported numerous signs stolen, vandalized ahead of campus event
University of Oklahoma police are investigating the reported theft of signs advertising a campus Turning Point USA event Thursday with Gov. Kevin Stitt and actor Russell Brand, the institution announced Friday.
“We are aware of reports involving the removal of signs,” university President Joseph Harroz said in a statement posted on X. “OUPD is actively investigating those incidents and anyone found responsible will be held accountable as appropriate.”
Thousands of students and community members attended “The Turning Point Tour” stop Thursday on campus, according to the university.
Harroz said campus leaders and law enforcement spent weeks planning to “ensure a safe and respectful environment for everyone in attendance.”
Ahead of the event, the university’s TPUSA chapter posted several videos and photos on its Instagram page as evidence of its signs being damaged and stolen.
One video shows a TPUSA student confronting three females as they walk, asking why they ripped the group’s signs out of the ground. “I did throw one of their signs. I admit to that,” one student says.
Another video shows a different student admitting to taking down “56 signs,” claiming the goal was “keeping the campus beautiful day and night.”
In a third video, a female is shown trampling a sign to the ground.
A fourth video shows a TPUSA student confronting an individual for allegedly tearing up one of the signs. The video does not show the incident itself.
The chapter also posted a photo showing more than a dozen signs in a dumpster, with some appearing to be damaged.
One of the event speakers, Savannah Chrisley mentioned the incidents during her speech.
Chrisley, a reality TV star and a conservative, mentioned seeing “an image of a dumpster filled with OU Turning Point USA posters ahead of the event,” OU Daily reports.
“Throw my face in the trash, but you can’t throw away the truth,” Chrisley said. “You can rip up signs, but you can’t rip up conviction. You can hate my presence, but you cannot cancel purpose.”
Others who spoke at the event included Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and British actor Russell Brand, as part of the conservative organization’s fall campus tour.
TPUSA chapters have heightened security after the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed during a campus event Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University.
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