FORT MYERS, Fla. -- University of Florida alumni in Fort Myers weighed in on a white nationalist speaking on the Gainesville campus on Thursday.
Chris Spiro, Gator alum and president of Spiro and Associates, a popular advertising firm in the city, has seen controversial speakers visit UF in the past, but never had concerns like he did with Richard Spencer's appearance on campus. "This one has a different air of danger associated with it," he said. "Having our governor, in my opinion, do the right thing and express a state of emergency based on history."
4 In Your Corner got to Facetime Spiro's son, CJ, who is a senior at the school. "I was a little nervous," he said.
CJ decided against going to class due to the volume of people who turned out to attend and protest the speech. His father tells 4 In Your Corner he believes the school handled the situation properly. "The University did a great service to the parents and the alumni of the association by saying we do not endorse him," said Spiro.
4 In Your Corner also spoke with attorney Sawyer Smith. He's a proud alum of the school, and does not support Spencer's message. However, he does support his first amendment right. "While we'll allow this jerk to be on our campus, we're not going to embrace his words," said Smith. "I think this is going to backfire on this guy. I think he is coming to a place that is filled with bright minds that are absolutely going to reject his message."
For people like Patrick Geraghty, who attended UF in the 60's, the event seems to be getting more attention than anything he has ever seen on campus, even during the civil rights era. "I've never seen any public reaction to a speaker or an event as I have with this particular man Mr. Spencer," he said. "I think Charlottesville is really causing the reaction we're seeing now."
Geraghty believes the best thing for students to do is rise above. "I hope there is absolutely no reaction, that his speech is not well attended, and after this afternoon at 2:30 or 3 o'clock whenever it's over, that that's the end of it."
