Local man arrested after riling Colorado class

BY Andrew Horton
Staff Writer

Published on April 20, 2007

A 22-year-old Amherst man with a controversial past was arrested Tuesday in Colorado after he made comments sympathetic to the gunman behind Monday's deadly shooting at Virginia Tech.

Max Karson, a 2003 graduate of Amherst Regional High School and a junior at the University of Colorado in Boulder, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of 'interference with staff, faculty, and students of an educational institution,' after saying during a women's studies class discussion that he could see why Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 students and faculty members at Virginia Tech.

In the discussion, according to local news radio station KOA in Boulder, Karson said that, like Cho, he could be angry enough to kill people for a multitude of reasons, including mundane ones like unpainted walls and fluorescent lights.

University of Colorado Police Commander Brad Wiesley said that shortly after the class ended at 10:45 a.m., several students and faculty members who said they felt threatened by Karson's comments filed complaints.

'In three hours time, we received enough complaints to charge Karson with a misdemeanor,' Wiesley said.

According to Wiesley, more than 20 people had filed complaints before Karson was arrested at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Karson was released on personal recognizance at a court hearing. His next court appearance is scheduled for a May 30 pretrial hearing.

Karson's attorney, Daniel D. Williams, said Karson's case is unprecedented.

'We really don't know what to expect from this case going forward,' Williams said. 'We just hope that this case doesn't have a dampening effect on a student's right to free speech.'

Karson is no stranger to controversy and the fight for protected speech. His self-published two-page newsletter, called 'The Yeti,' frequently discusses his awkward sexuality, his contempt for 'stupid rich kids,' and his discomfort around African-Americans.

The newsletter, which Karson prints and distributes to Colorado University students every month, has drawn the ire of women's right advocates and university officials for its offensive language.

The Boulder County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has repeatedly defended Karson's right to free speech since he became a student at Colorado University.

Michael Karson, Max's father, said that some of comments his son has made about the University of Colorado administration in 'The Yeti' were factors in his arrest. He said that his son's rift with Colorado University Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Ronald Stump is partially to blame for his recent legal troubles.

'In the police report, two faculty members who complained cited 'The Yeti' as part of their concerns,' Michael Karson said.

While he was at Amherst Regional High School, Max Karson's first newsletter, 'The Crux,' infuriated some students in 2002 when he wrote disparaging comments pertaining to multiculturalism. The comments condemned the high school curriculum for 'dragging everyone to Cambodian New Year celebrations, making everyone read books about slavery, and forcing everyone to listen to African music.' He also openly discussed sexism, pornography, and his own sexuality.

Karson's comments in 'The Crux' earned him two suspensions before pressure from the Western Massachusetts ACLU helped rescind both.

Michael Karson, who moved to Colorado to be with his son, defended his son's 'persona,' comparing both his newsletter and verbal remarks to satirist Stephen Colbert. In real life, he said, his son is warm and loving, but also straight-talking.

'People without a sense of humor often criticize him,' Karson said. He said both the Amherst Regional and University of Colorado administrations don't see his writing as satire, but as obscene literature.'

Four years, and 2,000 miles from his son's troubles at Amherst, Michael Karson said his support for his son's right to free speech has never wavered.

'Max stumbled onto this art form when he was 15 years old, and this curmudgeon-type personality that he has developed in his writing has struck a nerve with some groups,' Karson said. 'But his right to say these things should not be taken away.'