Tuesday, October 6, 2020
“You’re cancelled”
Jim Gilles with a crowd of students on the OSU library lawn on Oct. 5, 2020
Kelly Kerr
Brother Jim occupies library lawn By Maddison Farris
Jim Gilles, an American Evangelist, known for his displays on college campuses visited OSU yesterday to do what he has been doing since 1980; making people talk. Roughly between 12 and five pm, Gilles, who goes by “Brother Jim” stood on the library lawn and held a sign that read “BLM ARE RACIST THUGS” on one side and “BLM RENT A RIOT” on the other. Kelly Kerr Equipped with a body cam, megaphone and “Make America Great Again” hat, Brother Jim preached as OSU students gathered around. For hours, Brother Jim could be heard saying phrases like “you’re canceled”, “I’m here to melt snowflakes” and “you all must think I am coach Gundy”. The crowd slowly grew and eventually turned into an interactive audience. Many of the gathered students were perplexed as much of what Brother Jim had to say had nothKelly Kerr
ing to do with the sign he was working so hard to hold up against the Oklahoma wind. After nearly an hour of public display, a crowd member stepped onto the lawn and said that peaceful protest is a protected right, but he understood the people’s frustration. “What we need to do is rise above what he is doing right now,” the crowd member said. “Find something better to do with your time than standing here and yelling at him.” Several times throughout the day, the crowd would begin chanting things such as “Black Lives Matter” or “Shake that ass”, to which Brother Jim would simply respond with “You’re canceled”. The entire event included constant back and forth between students and Brother Jim. Students responded to his
shoutings with equal, if not more, passion for their own beliefs. Some students produced rainbow flags and spoke about their beliefs in equality for all. Others attempted to dismember brother Jim’s arguments and push their own sets of morals. Throughout the entire afternoon, campus police were present and worked to keep everyone safe by keeping the event as civil as possible. Tyler Wedel, an OSU junior, who grew up conservative and follows a Christian lifestyle said it was hurtful to see someone try and use the Bible as a way to divide people. “He’s preaching hate and getting responded to with hate,” Wedel said. “It’s really interesting for me to see a lot of people with different views coming out and speaking about the things they are passionate about.”