Central Virginia Times

A 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest incident has taken a 180-degree turn to expose the protestors who lied about the words and actions of a fellow UVA student, Reason magazine reported.

"Rarely do I get legitimately angry at the news, but I did reading that story," tweeted Greg Price, communications director of the State Freedom Caucus. "This is the world the left and BLM have created, dominated by lies and fear of a mob destroying your life at any moment. Racial justice activists are truly the worst people in society."

In July of 2020, students from the University of Virginia were holding a Black Lives Matter protest in response to the George Floyd killing by police officers in Minneapolis, Reason reported. The students, including fellow student activist then 19-year-old Zyahna Bryant, ended up encountering another student, then junior Morgan Bettinger, who is white. Allegations from Bryant came out of their encounter, and she said Bettinger harassed and threatened the protestors, saying they would make “good speed bumps.” Bettinger claims she had made a comment to a truck driver who had blocked the street, saying it was good he was there otherwise the protestors would have been speed bumps, which she intended as a statement of relief that he was protecting them.

Because of Bettinger's race, social media profiles that support Blue Lives and a father who had been a police officer before he died when Bettinger was in high school, the campus was full of the rumor and allegations, Reason reported. Bettinger ended up being tried and sentenced to expulsion in abeyance (she was allowed to finish school unless she committed another violation). She maintained that she never harassed or threatened the protestors.

Additional investigations by outside sources led to the belated vindication and confirmation of Bettinger’s testimony and released that Bryant had made and continued false allegations against her. Since the incident, Bettinger's life has been in limbo – the mark on her permanent record has stopped her from going to law school as she planned, and she fears being stalked or attacked in her daily life. Bryant, however, has made headlines with the Washington Post and Ebony, being named an advocate and a thriving social media icon, Price tweeted.

With the release of the truth, UVA president James Ryan has refused to overturn their university court’s decision on Bettinger’s guilt, Reason reported. Much of Bryant’s social media has gone quiet and been private. Bettinger and her lawyer, Charles Weber, have released a draft lawsuit against Ryan and the university. It claims that the school violated her First Amendment rights and due process rights. Bettinger’s lawsuit calls for the university to expunge all marks from her record, issue an apology to her, award her compensation for harm to personal and professional reputation as well as for attorney and court fees.