Tyler, the Creator Lyrics Lead to Terroristic Threat Charge for College Student
Written by SOURCE on September 17, 2019
A Goblin era Tyler, the Creator lyric well-known among people who actively participate in pop culture is at the center of an arrest incident at the University of South Alabama.
21-year-old student Jack Aaron Christensen is said to have written the “Radicals” hook “kill people, burn shit, fuck school” on a “white flip chart” at a university library, according to Pitchfork. The student is also accused of writing “hail satan 666, praise the devil” on the same chart.
Per records cited in the report, the incident—which ultimately saw the student charged with making a terroristic threat—went down “on or around” Sept. 11. An Associated Press report on the lyrics-related situation notes that another student was arrested and hit with the same charge that same week, though that case is “unrelated” to the one involving Christensen.
In a statement, the school’s VP of student affairs—Michael Mitchell—said that Christensen and the student at the center of the other, unrelated arrest are currently “barred from university property” pending investigation.
“No matter the circumstances, our police must treat any possible threat with the utmost seriousness and act immediately to ensure the safety of our campus community,” Mitchell added.
It’s worth noting here that lyrics, of course, are art and thus shouldn’t be treated as inherently “terroristic.” That’s a slippery slope, etc.
Tyler hasn’t publicly commented on the situation, and shouldn’t be expected to. Monday, he shared a new video for “A Boy Is a Gun,” the latest from his new album Igor.
