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In 2005, cartoonist Matt Furie published a comic on his Myspace that involved an anthropomorphic frog taking a pee with his pants around his ankles. When his friend asks why he urinates with his pants pulled all the way down, the frog answers: Feels good man. In 2017, the same frog lays dead in a casket, surrounded by his friends. Pepe the Frog is dead. Vale Pepe the Frog.

The decade between Pepes birth and death is complicated, to say the least. The panel of Pepe saying Feels good man became a reaction image on Gaia Online forums before being picked up by 4chan. From there, it evolved into various remixes of the original joke: Sad Frog, Smug Frog, Angry Pepe. It started as an in-joke, before bleeding into the mainstream, with pop-stars Nicky Minaj and Katy Perry posting Pepe memes on Instagram and Twitter.

RELATED: Pepe the Frog Is Dead: Creator Kills the White Supremacist-Hijacked Icon

At some point during Donald Trumps presidential campaign, something went very wrong. In a surreal turn of events that no one could have seen coming, Pepe was co-opted by members of the alt-right movement and white supremacists after Trump retweeted a smug Trump-Pepe. The frog that likes to pee with his pants at his ankles became a hate symbol.

So what do you do when something you made has become something that the Anti-Defamation League defines as a hate symbol? In an op-ed piece published in Time, Furie attempted to reclaim the character. I understand that its out of my control, he acknowledged, but in the end, Pepe is whatever you say he is, and I, the creator, say that Pepe is love.

Fantagraphics, the publisher that released Furies collected Boys Club comics, issued a statement regarding Pepes hate symbol status that sums it up pretty well.

Having your creation appropriated without consent is never something an artist wants to suffer, but having it done in the service of such repellent hatred and thereby dragging your name into the conversation, as well makes it considerably more troubling.

Its Furies legacy now, whether he wants it or not. Even the product page for Boys Club (the collected volume of Furies comic strips) on Fantagraphics web-store refers to the Pepe phenomenon as a selling point for the book.

RELATED: Pepe the Frog Creator Speaks Out on Character Becoming Hate Symbol

By killing Pepe, Furie has essentially washed his hands of his creation. Pepe is dead and buried, and thats that. But what could he do otherwise? Its not like Furie can sue the Internet for appropriating his character. Does he continue making comics that included Pepe, intentionally or unintentionally riding the frogs infamy? Does he craft a comic with Pepe punching neo-nazis in the face? Or does he do nothing, quietly watching as his creation continues to mutate further and further from its origin? Is killing Pepe even the right move to make? By killing the frog, is Furie admitting defeat and surrendering his creation to the alt-right hordes? What do you do when something you poured your heart into creating is hijacked to stand for something thats objectively terrible and reprehensible?

The problem with Furies gesture is that ultimately, it doesnt matter, because it wont change anything. Pepe the Frog is dead, but Pepe the Meme is not. The latter cannot be killed, because thats not how memes work. Pepe has transcended Furies authorship and belongs to the Internet, now. Its been chopped and changed and remixed to the point that it barely resembles the original. Its become a meme, and like any meme, it has been transformed through replication into something else. Its a frog named Pepe, sure but it isnt Pepe the Frog.

Before this election, Pepe the Frog spent years mutating online into the many-faced Mickey Mouse God of the Internet, Furie wrote for Time. The frog face has gone through thousands of user-made Internet incarnations, expressing rage, smugness, violence, happiness, coolness and, most notably, sadness. To zillions of people, mostly kids, teens and college-dwellers, it meant many things, but mostly it was a big joke.

Furie isnt the first artist to see their creation ripped from their hands and transformed into something out of their control (albeit in much less extreme circumstances). Youve no doubt encountered the ubiquitous Calvin of Bill Wattersons Calvin and Hobbes fame urinating on a logo of some sort, or cartoonist KC Greens Dickbutt and Question Hound (the dog that says This is fine! while everything burns around him) in some form, but youd be lucky to find a creator credit attached to any memes. Its unfortunate, but thats just how Internet memes work. Perhaps the worst part is that you dont know what will be the next thing people will latch onto and endlessly remix. Green didnt know a man with a dick growing out of his butt would be the thing people would take and run with, and no one couldve known this is where Pepe would end up.

I feel bad for Matt Furie. It sucks that a goofy joke he made in 2005 has be co-opted and transformed into a hate symbol over a decade later. It sucks that every interview ha conducts now revolves around the question, How do you feel about your cartoon being co-opted and transformed into a hate symbol? as his actual artistic output is regulated to an afterthought. It sucks that he will forever be known as The Guy Who Created Pepe, no matter how far he distances himself from the ill-fated frog.

In October 2016, Furie published a new comic strip featuring Pepe at The Nib. In it, the once happy frog is now morose, transforming into the face of Donald Trump before becoming an eldritch horror that triggers the apocalypse. Pepe awakes from this nightmare scenario in a cold sweat just before hes enveloped by his bed. Its hard not to assume this is how Furie feels about Pepe, a grotesque nightmare he just cant wake from, no matter how he tries.

Ending Pepe on his own terms is a powerful move on Furies behalf; hes finally purifying himself of the cartoon frog. Hes realized that he cant reclaim him anymore, and the best move is to move past it. At the very least, I hope he can sleep better at night knowing that his creation and his connection to it are dead and buried. But in the long run, it doesnt change anything. Pepe is synonymous with hate speech, and thats a stain that you cant easily wash out. Furie can kill Pepe the Frog a million times, but Pepe the Meme will never die.

Feels bad man.

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Pepe the Frog is Dead; Unfortunately, You Can't Kill a Meme

Youth Academy offers teens insight into criminal justice system Sacramento Bee Topics will include the anatomy of a criminal case, race as a factor in the criminal justice system, use of force, gun violence, gangs, dating violence, human trafficking, marijuana, crime scene investigation and evidence, and distracted driving ... and more »

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Youth Academy offers teens insight into criminal justice system - Sacramento Bee

She canceled her appearance after losing the support of an on-campus sponsor.Michael TranFilmMagic

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter has cancelled her plans to deliver an outdoor address at U.C. Berkeley after losing support from the campus group that had sponsored her speaking engagement.

Coulter had initially been scheduled to address the campus on Thursday on the invitation of college Republicans, but university administrators were forced to cancel her appearance due to security concerns. Administrators later offered to reschedule Coulters appearance after facing widespread criticism and a lawsuit for curtailing free speech on campus. But Coulter, undeterred, vowed to appear on the original date anyway.

On Wednesday, however, the Young Americas Foundation, the group supporting her continued fight to appear on campus, said it would no longer be involved in her case due to a lack of assurances for protections from foreseeable violence, according to The Daily Californian, the college newspaper. The group's withdrawal forced Coulter to call off her appearance.

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They want to destroy and squelch free speech, Coulter told Sean Hannity during an appearance on Fox News . All of the people who should have been standing up for the First Amendment here all ran away with their tails between their legs.

Berkeley has recently become the center of violent clashes between local groups. The university had prepared to call up hundreds of police officers to provide security for Coulters appearance, fearing it would be met by an outbreak of violence similar to the riots that occurred during former Breitbart News writer Milo Yiannopouloss campus visit in February. As the New York Times reports , Outside groups representing the far left and far right have clashed in the city several times over the past few months in a fight club atmosphere that university administrators say they have not seen in many years, if ever.

Berkeleys historic role as the center of the free speech movement has been widely remarked upon amid the controversy surrounding both Yiannopouloss and Coulters appearances. Beginning in 1964, students began engaging in peaceful sit-ins and protests to defend free expression on campus, but demonstrations turned violent in the following years as students began protesting the Vietnam War; hundreds of students were arrested during that period. Particularly in light of this history, the university has underscored its responsibility to protect the safety of campus speakers, and administrators cited very specific intelligence of threats to both the speaker and students.

The university has two non-negotiable commitments, one to Free Speech the other to the safety of our campus community, U.C. Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks wrote in a letter to the campus.

Dirks defended the universitys position in an op-ed in the New York Times today, writing, the far right accuses us of indoctrinating students into what they call a mind-set of political correctness. The far left accuses us of allowing the promotion of ideas, such as intolerance and exclusion, which are at substantive odds with the inclusive principles of the campus community...Free speech may be the new clarion call of the far right, but the real subtext of those who try to disrupt institutions built on principles of openness and inclusion with violence is only barely disguised. Berkeleys status as a symbol of free speech and protest makes it a tempting site for the staging of physical confrontations between both sides.

While Coulter will not be officially speaking at Berkeley on Thursday, she hinted that she may turn up on campus regardless. In an email to the Associated Press , she wrote , I have my flights, so I thought I might stroll around the graveyard of the First Amendment.

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Ann Coulter's - fortune.com

A leaflet is seen stapled to a message board near Sproul Hall on the University of California at Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif. The University of California, Berkeley says it's preparing for possible violence on campus whether Ann Coulter comes to speak or not. Ben Margot/AP hide caption

A leaflet is seen stapled to a message board near Sproul Hall on the University of California at Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif. The University of California, Berkeley says it's preparing for possible violence on campus whether Ann Coulter comes to speak or not.

Updated 11:00 p.m. ET

Competing demonstrations in support of and against conservative commentator Ann Coulter's controversial speech, which had been planned for Thursday at the University of California, Berkeley, were held amid a heavy police presence. Despite some shouting and harsh words, both groups were peaceful.

Coulter's planned appearance had been canceled Wednesday after school officials said they wouldn't be able to adequately secure the site and sponsors pulled out.

But even without the conservative commentator's event, the university and the city of Berkeley had braced for dueling protests that they feared could become violent.

"While we cherish our freedoms of speech and assembly, there is no freedom to silence others or to commit violence," University Chancellor Nicholas Dirks and Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said in a joint statement. "If you are at a demonstration and you see violence, separate yourself."

Helicopters circled over Berkeley and city and campus police put on a significant show of force on Thursday, according to local media reports.

Campus police had arrested two people as of 1 p.m. local time, Berkeley said on Twitter. It said "both individuals' affiliation to UC Berkeley is unknown at this time," and did not elaborate about the reasons for the arrests.

The police said they were limiting access to one of the university's main plazas and searching individuals for "restricted items" such as "weapons (real and simulated), improvised weapons, tasers, hard plastic/metal/bottles, chains, banners/signs, explosive and incendiary devices."

NPR's Richard Gonzales was at Berkeley today, and described a large demonstration near campus around noon by protesters who "say they wanted to stage this rally to underscore their objection to Ann Coulter's appearance on the campus even though she says she's not going to come."

Right-wing demonstrations in support of Coulter gathered in the afternoon and pictures posted by the news site Berkeleyside show protesters gathered at a nearby park.

Further adding to the tension earlier in the day, Coulter suggested in an email to The Associated Press that she still might appear on campus.

"I'm not speaking. But I'm going to be near there, so I might swing by to say hello to my supporters who have flown in from all around the country," Coulter said, according to the wire service. "I thought I might stroll around the graveyard of the First Amendment."

But Coulter never showed up.

This has been a lengthy saga. Before Wednesday's cancellation, the university previously canceled the speech over security concerns, then reinstated it for a different day and place.

Coulter blamed the university for the final cancellation, and said on The Sean Hannity Show Wednesday evening that there was "nothing I could do." Several sponsoring groups pulled out because of the security concerns.

Coulter added: "All of the people who should have been standing up for the First Amendment here, all ran away with their tails between their legs."

The university said it "had done everything in its power to protect Coulter's First Amendment rights while also ensuring the safety of the campus community," campus officials told reporters yesterday.

They said they were not consulted about the date of the talk, and when they explained they were unable to provide a secure venue, Coulter rejected alternative dates.

"You can't exercise your First Amendment rights if it's taking place in an event that gets shut down because the venue isn't protectable," said Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor for public affairs.

Berkeley is one of the country's most liberal universities. Coulter is opposed to immigration and was planning to speak about the issue. Her latest book is titled Adios America: The Left's Plan to Turn Our Country into a Third World Hellhole.

Berkeley has seen three major incidents of political violence recently, as The Two-Way reported:

"On March 4 and April 15, left and right wing protestors skirmished in a nearby Berkeley park. In February, masked agitators, commonly known as Black Bloc, broke windows and set fires at the campus building preventing right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking."

Wednesday's cancellation prompted criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union.

"For the future of our democracy, we must protect bigoted speech from government censorship," said David Cole, the ACLU's national legal director. "On college campuses, that means that the best way to combat hateful speech is through counter-speech, vigorous and creative protest, and debate, not threats of violence or censorship."

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After Ann Coulter Speech Cancellation, Protesters Rally At ...

Big Bens iconic chimes should bong Britain out of the European Union on the day of Brexit, Leave-backing Tory MPs have said.

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said the bongs would be symbolically uplifting for the country as a row continues to grow over plans to silence the Great Bell for four years.

Earlier this week, Parliament said it would review plans to silence Big Ben for maintenance work to be carried out, after Prime Minister Theresa May joined a backlash against the move.

But the bongs will still be halted after noon on Monday so the work on the Elizabeth Tower and the clock and bell it houses can begin.

Earlier this year, Downing Street said Britain would leave the EU "when Big Ben bongs midnight" on March 29, 2019, the deadline for the two-year Article 50 withdrawal process.

But Commons authorities could not confirm when the chimes would start up again, or whether Big Ben would bong on Brexit day.

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Daily Mail: "I think Big Ben ought to be kept striking as much as possible during the repairs as long as it doesn't deafen the work force.

It would be symbolically uplifting for it to sound out our departure from the EU as a literally ringing endorsement of democracy."

Party colleague Peter Bone said: "Big Ben should bong when we come out of the EU, absolutely.

Big Ben maintenance man slams plans to silence clock as 'nonsense'

"We are being liberated from the European Union superstate and Britain will again be a completely self-governing country. Where will the eyes of the world be? On Parliament and Big Ben. It would be very strange if at midnight on that day it does not chime out, very bizarre. It is the heart of our nation."

And fellow Tory Andrew Bridgen added: "It would be very fitting if Big Ben was to chime us out of the EU. We need to go out with a boom as we regain a sovereign parliament once again."

A Commons spokesman said: "On Monday, following the 12 noon chimes, Big Ben's bongs will temporarily cease.

"We cannot yet give a confirmed date for when chiming will resume, however the intent is to maintain striking for important events, such as Remembrance Sunday and New Year's Eve.

"The clock mechanism will continue to function for the immediate future, and we will aim to have at least one working clock face visible throughout the works.

"When Parliament returns, the House of Commons Commission will consider the length of time that the bells will fall silent.

"Of course, any discussion will focus on undertaking the work efficiently, protecting the health and safety of those involved, and seeking to ensure resumption of normal service as soon as is practicable given those requirements."

If the bell does not bong for four years, it would be the longest period Big Ben has been silenced in its 157-year history.

The 13.7-tonne Great Bell was last stopped for maintenance in 2007 and before that was halted for two years in 1983 for refurbishment, but has been stopped on a number of other occasions since it first sounded in 1859.

Parliamentary officials have insisted workers' hearing would be put at "serious risk" if the bell continued chiming. They warned that those using the 100-metre-high scaffolding around the tower could also be startled by the 118-decibel bongs.

And they have dismissed suggestions the chimes could be restored during the hours that work is not being carried out as the process takes about half a day to complete.

The 29 million renovation includes the installation of a lift and repairs to the clock's hands, mechanism and pendulum.

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Big Ben should bong Britain out of European Union, Brexit-backing MPs say - Evening Standard