Shellyne Rodriguez is facing charges of harassment and menacing after she allegedly held a machete to a New York Post reporter’s neck, threatening to “chop” him up, the paper reports.
The incident happened on May 23 after the reporter knocked on the former Hunter College adjunct assistant professor’s apartment door. He wanted to speak with Rodriguez about the viral video of her cursing at some pro-life students. She opened the door with a large blade, telling the reporter to “get the f–k away from my door, or I’m gonna chop you up with this machete.” Accompanied by a photographer, the two quickly left the building, with Rodriguez following them outside.
“Get the f–k off the block! Get the f–k out of here, yo!” Rodriguez said. She kicked the reporter before returning to her building.
Rodriguez has been seen confronting anti-abortion activists from a campus group called Students for Life of America earlier this month. According to Independent, she was heard saying, “You’re not educating s***; this is f***ing propaganda.”
Hunter College spoke out against her actions. “Hunter College strongly condemns the unacceptable actions of Shellyne Rodriguez and has taken immediate action,” spokesman Vince DiMiceli said. “Rodriguez has been relieved of her duties at Hunter College effective immediately, and will not be returning to teach at the school.”
On her website, Rodriguez describes herself as a visual artist, writer, and community organizer and works on “strategies of survival against erasure and subjugation.” She has also had her hand in organizing “FTP” protests in the Bronx following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In a lawsuit against the NYPD, “FTP” is defined as many things, including “Free the People,” “Feed the People,” or “F–k the Police.”
Several tattoos, including “FTP,” were seen on Rodriquez as she was escorted out of a Bronx precinct after turning herself in.