An 18-year veteran lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin has been canned following an arrest for his alleged role in a pro-Palestine protest. According to reports from KVUE, Richard Heyman was charged with interfering with public duties after he supposedly attempted to forcefully make his way past a DPS trooper’s bicycle barrier.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) claims that during the April demonstration, Heyman took aim to breach a temporary fence, going toe-to-toe with officers assigned to clear the scene. A DPS affidavit obtained by CBS Austin detailed that Heyman not only hurled expletives at the troopers but also gripped his water bottle with an intention that seemed precariously close to swinging it at an officer. The lecture ratcheted the tensions further by damaging the trooper's bike, breaking a state-issued bell valued at $62.
During the altercation, Heyman allegedly proclaimed his status at the university in defiance, shouting, "F--- you, I am a f------ professor here," as per the CBS Austin report. Despite the charges, Heyman’s attorney Gerry Morris asserts that there exists video evidence that contradicts the police's narration of the events. Morris stated they plan to present this evidence during the trial.
Since the incident, UT has severed ties with Heyman, who faces a Class B misdemeanor charge. A UT spokesperson declined to dive into particulars about the firing, telling KVUE that the university does not comment on personnel matters. The protests, pulling in support for Palestine, have spun out into multiple arrests with more than 100 individuals detained to date.
Heyman's arrest forms just one thread in the fabric of the broader unrest at UT Austin. The university has been a focal point for dueling rallies and disputes, including faculty expressing no confidence in the university president and students grappling with the implications of the protests on campus climate ahead of graduation. The latest development in Heyman's case adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing discourse at the institution.
