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Campus police gathered in the Quad to deflate tension between students and a religious demonstrator on Wednesday.
Though Paul Mitchell, the religious demonstrator, was leaving a little after 2 p.m., he still had much to say about his experience.”I’m not discouraged at all, they fulfilled what the Bible says,” said Mitchell. “They increase my faith.”

Mitchell’s crusade began about 11:30 a.m. when he was questioning students sitting adjacent to the C Building. The students responded, telling him to “shove sticks up his ass.”

Many were upset about Mitchell’s sign containing a list of those going to hell.

The list that were going to hell included mouthy women, Hindus, Catholics, Muslims and other religions contrary to Christianity.

Students claimed Mitchell called them derogatory names related to their sexual orientation.

“Dyke and faggot are not curse words. They are just descriptive terms,” said Mitchell.

“I was angry about his sign, the things he said, but he really offended me with his ignorance,” said William Rose, a PCC student who engaged in an argument with Mitchell.

Rose said that an administrator said that Mitchell comes once a year looking to be attacked, so he can sue the college.

“This was about money not the [spreading of] religion,” said Rose.

Some of the representatives of the Associated Students also were upset about Mitchell’s words.

“He was trying to provoke students to anger. There is one way to present knowledge, but to come and preach hate is another,” said Michael Sansosti, A.S president.

During Mitchell’s “preaching,” Sansosti begin a petition that would cripple Mitchell’s return to the campus.

About 90 students signed their name along with contact information on the petition in order to present it to the board of trustees “We want positive social change. There wasn’t one person there to support him, he was just there to provoke people,” said Sansosti.

While Mitchell was preparing to leave, a fellow Christian, George Rivera, shook his hand. “Congratulations on surviving,” said Rivera, who encouraged Mitchell to continue to preach the word of God.

“I do this all over colleges in California. I usually come to PCC once a year.I will come back,” said Mitchell.

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