A Young American’s for Liberty (YAL) chairman was detained at a private college for being on campus and attempting to recruit students to his club.
On May 5, YAL’s Pennsylvania state chairman Ben Heckman was told by campus police that he was violating York College’s coronavirus protocol by walking on campus property with a clipboard. Heckman was informed that he needed permission from the college to walk around during the pandemic.
YAL is a “pro-liberty” youth organization that aims to advance liberty on college campuses across the nation. They have hundreds of on-campus chapters.
Shortly after being approached by police, Heckman began recording his interaction. The video shows two police officers, one of whom was calm and working cooperatively with Heckman, and a second who put Heckman in handcuffs.
Watch:
A @YALiberty employee was detained by campus police for trying to recruit students to a club.
Wait for the second officer at the end…pic.twitter.com/62qGfTPNXu
— Chrissy Clark (@chrissyclark_) May 7, 2021
Heckman: What’s your badge number?
Officer 1: My badge number is 5406 and my name is Officer Gleissl.
Heckman: Awesome. And, we’re being detained for what reason today?
Officer 1: For defying trespass.
Heckman: But you did say that during non-COVID hours, you do let non-students on this campus? Right?
Officer 1: No. Right now, due to our COVID procedures, when you enter the campus we have signs that you’re not allowed to be on here without permission from the college.
Heckman: Oh, so you need permission from the college? Gotchu. Thanks for your time today guys, for real. Sorry for bringing the police over here.
**Heckman stands up from the lunch table he was sitting at.
Officer 2: Turn around for me.
Heckman: Turn around?
Officer 2: Yep. You’re being detained.
Heckman: For what?
Officer 2: Trespassing.
Heckman: What are you talking about? [Officer 1] said I wasn’t going to be arrested.
Officer 2: You’re not. You’re being detained.
Heckman told The Daily Wire that he excused himself from the lunch table where he was sitting with other students because they were “literally eating lunch and now cops were standing over them.” After he excused himself, Heckman was promptly handcuffed.
“I care about free speech deeply, especially on college campuses,” Heckman said. “This is an example of police officers using excessive force.”
Heckman said that he was cooperating with the first police officer and was taken by surprise when the second officer handcuffed him.
YAL’s chief of staff Sean Themea said that if this were “some radical leftist group,” such as Antifa or the Young Democratic Socialists of America, Heckman would have been treated differently.
“Unfortunately, fighting for liberty is not always as easy as getting sign ups and spreading the ideas with a smile on your face,” said Sean Themea, YAL’s chief of staff. “This comes just weeks after another one of our chapters was completely shut down by the woke mob at Skidmore College. Make no mistake: If YAL were some radical leftist group, we would not be facing treatment like this from busybody administrators and tyrannical campus cops.”