Turning Point USA (TPUSA) members at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) say they faced another death threat last week — just a month after TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus in Utah.
“It’s our second death threat in six months. We pray this is the last,” said Nathan McIntyre, president of UMD’s Turning Point chapter, who filed a police report regarding the incident.
According to McIntyre, the exchange happened Tuesday in Kirby hall when three students were working a Turning Point table. At one point between noon and 1 p.m., a person walked by and said he was glad Kirk was killed and that he hoped the UMD Turning Point members were next, McIntyre said.
McIntyre said he was there when it happened as well as the group’s secretary and one other member. They didn’t recognize the individual in question, but they believe he was a student, McIntyre added.
“You don’t know with anyone nowadays. That’s why we reported it,” said McIntyre.
“We were all in shock,” he continued. “I was trying to blow it off because we had a lot of stuff going on. We don’t want this to happen again.”
McIntyre said they decided to report the incident to police Wednesday morning. According to McIntyre, there were security cameras just feet away from the TPUSA table.
Although it’s been a difficult few weeks, McIntyre said his campus TPUSA chapter now has 90 members, 60 of whom joined after Kirk’s assassination.
“The University is aware of this situation and a review is underway. The safety of our campus community is a top priority. UMD Student Life staff responded promptly to offer support to affected students,” a university spokesperson told Alpha News.
“The University of Minnesota Duluth stands firmly against acts of violence, intimidation, harassment, discrimination, or other hostile actions. Individuals experiencing any of these actions are encouraged to report them. All reports are taken seriously and thoroughly reviewed,” he added.
Prior incident
Meanwhile, Clifford Thomas Nolan Julstrom is facing charges for felony threats of violence and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault. Julstrom was the president of UMD’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter when he allegedly told the former president of the TPUSA chapter, Sam Spanier, that he would “line all you mother f—ers up against a wall and shoot you.”
On a prior occasion, Julstrom told Spanier that he “knows where [Spanier] lives,” the charges state.
That incident happened on April 7 during a TPUSA tabling event, according to the charges that were filed against Julstrom in June. Spanier told Fox 21 in September that he eventually transferred schools because he no longer felt safe at UMD.
Julstrom’s next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 24.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
