Suspended MU professor Melissa Click speaks to ABC 17 News
ABC 17 News has gained the first public interview with MU’s controversial assistant communication professor, Melissa Click, who is breaking her silence following campus protests in November. Click talked to ABC 17 News on Wednesday to describe her own experiences after the footage surfaced showing a confrontation between her and a student journalist.
Click made it clear she regretted her actions, but emphasized context is important to understand what happened on November 9.
Click said members of Concerned Student 1950 had spoken to the media earlier Monday, but asked for a temporary break to prepare for a news conference later that same day and to talk to Jonathan Butler, who had just ended his hunger strike.
She says, “I was never calling for violence.” Click claimed the person taking the video never identified himself as a student or a journalist.
Click has not spoken publicly until now because she thought the events were historic for the University of Missouri system and the movement’s message deserved more attention, before the video became a legal matter.
Click also confirmed she is not a member of Concerned Student 1950. She said the first time she ever saw the group was during the homecoming parade in October. She went to find out why things had stopped and became disappointed with the crowd’s angry reaction, before stepping in to let the students know they were not alone.
Stay with abc17news.com and ABC 17 News throughout the day, starting at 5 p.m. for more extended coverage of the full interview.
