Orange Coast College student appeals suspension after filming professor's Trump rant

Friday, February 17, 2017
OC student appeals suspension after filming teacher's Trump rant
An Orange Coast College student appealed a school suspension for videotaping a professor's rant after President Trump's election victory.

COSTA MESA, Calif. (KABC) -- An Orange Coast College student has appealed a school suspension after videotaping a professor's rant against President Donald Trump following the election.

"Our nation is divided. We have been assaulted. It's an act of terrorism," professor Olga Perez-Stable Cox said in the footage captured by Caleb O'Neil.

After taking the video to administration, O'Neil was suspended for violating district policy.

"You cannot record audio [or] videotape anyone without their permission," said Juan Gutierrez, the college's director of marketing and public relations.

Responding with a lawyer, O'Neil demanded that the school withdraw the suspension.

"I pulled my phone out, because I was honestly scared that I would have repercussions with my grades, because she knew that I was a Trump supporter," O'Neil shared.

His attorney, William Becker, called the college's investigation biased as Cox continues to teach.

"They've completely sided with the teacher at the expense of the rights of a student," Becker said. "It should be the other way around. She's a public servant, she's employed by you."

The campus' college Republican club shared Caleb's frustrations during a news conference.

The school said the investigation of the incident is still ongoing. If the school does not lift the suspension, Becker said he will seek legal action.

"You've got video evidence of an unconstitutional or illegal act; that's better evidence," Becker said. "What he did was perfectly within his right."