Speaker's Circle tiff draws MUPD

No charges have been filed against a religious speaker who allegedly pushed a student.

By Jess Camp

Published Aug. 29, 2006

MU Police came to Speaker's Circle following an altercation between a religious speaker and a student Monday afternoon.

Brother Cope, a member of Campus Ministries, a group that speaks often on campus, said junior Andy Stroup was sitting in his chair.

"I put my hand on the kid's shoulder and told him to get up," Cope said. "Then people started heckling and yelling 'assault.'"

Stroup said the situation occurred differently.

Stroup said that Cope, whom Stroup referred to as the 'Santa Claus guy,' was yelling abrasively to students sitting on the Speaker's Circle steps.

Stroup said he and a few other students began taunting Cope and "half-pretending" to steal his chair.

Stroup then sat down in the chair, making Cope angry, Stroup said.

"Apparently, unless you're a Christian, you can't sit in the chair," Stroup said.

Cope tried to push him out of the chair twice before succeeding on the third try, Stroup said.

"I acted like the guy from 'Trading Spaces,' screaming, 'That man accosted me, that man accosted me,'" Stroup said.

Stroup was referring to a scene in the movie when a passerby tripped over a homeless man played by Eddie Murphy, and the bum began screaming.

Then he called MU Police, but once the police arrived, Stroup said he "felt like a jackass. I didn't want to make it a pain in the ass for the cops."

Stroup said he does not plan to file charges against Cope; he just wanted to file a report to make sure the incident would be on file. If police have to confront Cope again about another altercation, he would be considered a habitual aggressor.

"He (Stroup) started it," Cope said. "If he hadn't usurped my chair, then nothing would have happened."

Senior Erica Christie said she saw Cope yelling in people's faces all day.

"He grabbed the kid in the chair and pushed him. It was assault," senior Erica Christie said. "He (Cope) really shouldn't have pushed him (Stroup), since he is a preacher."

The religious group Cope preaches with travels to college campuses to preach to students.

The group has given Stroup some inspiration for his future career.

"I like to think of myself as an aspiring comedian," said Stroup, who said he likes to relax by Speaker's Circle to gather new material.