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[Dreams-Visions]

ITT people hand wave the use of pepper spray as a weapon.

Devo, they're killing me today. Save me.

qq

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Given the known risk of respiratory failure pepper spray poses, the act of spraying it into a student's open mouth means the officer responsible is willfully and knowledgeably jeopardising that student's life. That's called attempted murder when not done by a police officer.

Just fired? He should be put on criminal trial.

Police are never subject to the consequences of the laws which they are sworn to enforce. When will people learn this?

 

[TheMan]

Has this been mentioned:
police forced open their mouths and pepper-​sprayed down their throats. Several of these students were hospitalized. Others are seriously injured. One of them, forty-​five minutes after being pepper-​sprayed down his throat, was still coughing up blood.

Fucking outrageous. I had my doubts about whether it was actually pepper spray being used before, but this account from the professor who helped organize the event is just sickening. This really can't be tolerated and I completely agree that the chancellor must resign. The police officer who did that is a criminal.

 

[neutralgamer02]

Yeah, because everyone loves to shit on the police. Until they need them, that is.

Look, I'll go on the record and say that I'm not 100% certain that pepper spray was the right course of action. Maybe they should have just hauled them all off to jail, but then we'd all be sitting here watching that video. Because the point of that protest was to provoke this kind of reaction.

I don't see blatant police brutality and gross abuse of power. I don't see this as a sign that we're living in a police state. I see people protesting on private property and the police responding in accordance to their jobs.

To the people defending the protesters, what do you think the cops should have done? Well, short of just leaving them alone and risking their own livelihoods...



The problem here is that a lot of people are placing too much personal emotion in the cops themselves. Those cops most likely didn't have a personal vendetta with any of those protesters. But at the same time, why do people think it would have been so easy for the cops to just leave them alone? They have a job to do. They were sent down there to remove people from protesting on private property. Why is the anger being aimed at the cops and not the university?

A PUBLIC university isn't private property to students who attend it. Also, the police were sent there to take down a tent being set up, not to remove the protesters. They just took action against the students because supposedly the police were being blockaded by them.

Look at this video. Here is the same type of protest at UC Davis against the chancellor with students sitting around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0t9ez_EGI

Nothing is done to them there. Why? Because they were in their right to protest at the university.

This is why your argument is full of shit. You don't know what you are talking about, and are just stroking the dick of police no matter what actions they take. I wish people like you could be sent to Syria so you can understand why people take police brutality so seriously and don't like it in any amount. If police can't do their job without crossing the line, then they need to find a new career. Which is what the police in the video will have to do since he and another have been placed on administrated leave. Another sign that they were wrong in their actions.

 

[FStop7]

ITT people hand wave the use of pepper spray as a weapon.

You know what's funny (sad funny) is that it's banned for use in wars by the Chemical Weapons Convention. Use it on your own citizens? FUCK YEAH, SPRAY THEM UPPITY SLAVES! Use it in war? HELL NO, THAT SHIT JUST AIN'T CIVILIZED!

 

[Suairyu]

Police are never subject to the consequences of the laws which they are sworn to enforce. When will people learn this?

With enough public outcry and attention (and usually one brave enough politician to make a public statement) they can be. Police officers are under special circumstances given license to perform acts that under normal circumstances would be consider breaking the law. There are (on paper) very strict charters detailing what is and isn't appropriate.

They are not (officially) permitted to simply break the law to enforce another.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

You know what's funny (sad funny) is that it's banned for use in wars by the Chemical Weapons Convention. Use it on your own citizens? FUCK YEAH, SPRAY THEM UPPITY SLAVES! Use it in war? HELL NO, THAT SHIT JUST AIN'T CIVILIZED!

I bet the cop that sprayed them didn't go to college, allowing him to enjoy the experience all the more.

 

[weekend_warrior]

Anybody else find it ironic that the protesters drew significantly more attention to their cause, or at least to themselves, because of the cops treatment in trying to break it up? As opposed to if the cops did nothing then the story would have just been a small blurb in the local papers.

 

[Mistake]

From my experience (US resident), the law is whatever the cops think it is. Here you can't kick people out of your residence even if they're not on the lease, your car can be taken without a warrant, and unless you're unemployed you do not have the right to a free attorney as long as payment plans exist. In short, I'm moving soon (after some lawsuits)

Also, I heard they've watered down pepper spray now. But that is still pretty messed up.

 

[royalan]

A PUBLIC university isn't private property to students who attend it. Also, the police were sent there to take down a tent being set up, not to remove the protesters. They just took action against the students because supposedly the police were being blockaded by them.

Look at this video. Here is the same type of protest at UC Davis against the chancellor with students sitting around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0t9ez_EGI

Nothing is done to them there. Why? Because they were in their right to protest at the university.

This is why your argument is full of shit. You don't know what you are talking about, and are just stroking the dick of police no matter what actions they take. I wish people like you could be sent to Syria so you can understand why people take police brutality so seriously and don't like it in any amount. If police can't do their job without crossing the line, then they need to find a new career. Which is what the police in the video will have to do since he and another have been placed on administrated leave. Another sign that they were wrong in their actions.

1) A public university is still private property. You don't have any ownership of the property just because you pay to attend.

2) That video you linked to is nothing at all the incident in the OP.

 

[neutralgamer02]

Police are never subject to the consequences of the laws which they are sworn to enforce. When will people learn this?

This is simply not true. It just depends on the department, evidence, and outcry from the public. They fired and put 6 officers on trial here in Houston last year after they were roughing up a young guy for burglary. Sure video was needed, but police are punished when they go overboard in a lot of places. Other places, not so much.

Edit: Not saying police don't get away with stuff, just saying they can be and are punished a lot more than people think.

 

[neutralgamer02]

1) A public university is still private property. You don't have any ownership of the property just because you pay to attend.

2) That video you linked to is nothing at all the incident in the OP.

1. Have you been to a college before? You can organize on campus and do things there if you are a student. They do it all the time. There is nothing illegal about protesting at a college if you are a student.

2. WTF are you talking about? The protest in that video I posted happened right AFTER the protest in the OP on UC Davis. It is in response to the actions taken in the protest the OP posted. Why are they not moving the students there if it is private property and they can't protest on it?

 

[bob page]

Just saw this on Twitter, so shameful:

 

[ProfessorLobo]

Fucking outrageous. I had my doubts about whether it was actually pepper spray being used before, but this account from the professor who helped organize the event is just sickening. This really can't be tolerated and I completely agree that the chancellor must resign. The police officer who did that is a criminal.

Why do people keep focusing on the police officer? That's exactly what they want you to do, so they can give him administrative leave or fire him for following orders, so you dust your hands together and say "Well, that's that", as it continues to happen again and again.

 

[royalan]

1. Have you been to a college before? You can organize on campus and do things there if you are a student. They do it all the time. There is nothing illegal about protesting at a college if you are a student.

You do realize that that is usually because the university doesn't care, right? In most cases universities encourage student interaction on campus, even though they will have some areas and some activities that are off limits. And they can enforce that if they choose to. The university I attended was especially strict about this. This is basic stuff, dude.

2. WTF are you talking about? The protest in that video I posted happened right AFTER the protest in the OP on UC Davis. It is in response to the actions taken in the protest the OP posted. Why are they not moving the students there if it is private property and they can't protest on it?

I can't really see in that dark video, but too me the fact that it looks like they aren't actively blocking anything might have something to do with it.

 

[Joe]

i think there is a defense force for this and other excessive use of force at all other protests recently because it goes against the protesters and people have problems with the protestors not the issues at hand.

people feel the protesters are clueless, they hate the person not the policy and anything against the kids is approved of to them.

its amazing how little is needed to justify excessive force and harm on peaceful, fellow citizens.

 

[ghst]

you should all be proud of the stoic resolve of your civil forces. anyone else would've gone white at the sight of the baying mob; but the way that cop fended off those rampaging fiends, buying himself just enough time to reach for the only thing that could save him...i mean, he didn't even look scared.

their ipads will block out the sun? then we will mace them in the shade.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

you should all be proud of the stoic resolve of your civil forces. anyone else would've gone white at the sight of the baying mob; but the way that cop fended off those rampaging fiends, buying himself just enough time to reach for the only thing that could save him...i mean, he didn't even look scared.

their ipads will block out the sun? then we will mace them in the shade.

<3

royalan agrees completely, amirite

 

[Suairyu]

I did want to see those recording the incident on tablet computers like the iPad maced, it's true. Completely impractical and rubbish looking.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

you should all be proud of the stoic resolve of your civil forces. anyone else would've gone white at the sight of the baying mob; but the way that cop fended off those rampaging fiends, buying himself just enough time to reach for the only thing that could save him...i mean, he didn't even look scared.

their ipads will block out the sun? then we will mace them in the shade.

For those saying protests don't do anything: we got this awesome post out of it.

 

[Slavik81]

Goggles (+5 defense against pepper spray)
Extra Clothing (+2 defense against rubber bullets)
Rubber Jacket (+2 defense against taser)

If I protest, I go prepared.

Who the hell goes to a march in a raincoat?
Bet you wish you had your raincoat right now!

 

[Satch]

Anybody else find it ironic that the protesters drew significantly more attention to their cause, or at least to themselves, because of the cops treatment in trying to break it up? As opposed to if the cops did nothing then the story would have just been a small blurb in the local papers.

"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored." - MLK

 

[exarkun]

Has this been mentioned:



http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.co...er-spraying-of-students/news/2011/11/19/30450



Could you elaborate please?



Honestly, they're kids chanting on the sidewalk of their college campus. When I was in college, we had a protest like that every month. There's no reason to disperse it at all, this kind of thing is part of their education.

Jesus, that is a lawsuit in a handbasket if I ever saw one. The kid coughing up blood is gonna get big bucks no matter what. That cop is done, no qualified immunity for him if they could get a witness.

That chancellor should resign, btw. No way she keeps her job if the campus wants to get rid of the bad publicity. Schools are a business, and no one wants to go to a campus where they don't feel safe.

 

[royalan]

<3

royalan agrees completely, amirite

Har har.

First off, this hurts me to my heart because I usually agree with you in these kinds of threads.

But really, it's easy to look at that video and say "why are the cops using force against those peaceful protesting students?" But in reality, how many violent riots in history have started out just as peacefully? A lot. Any cop would be a absolute fool to go into that situation thinking there would be absolutely zero risk to his well-being because the protesters were primarily college students. And really, what are the chances that that group would have allowed themselves to be arrested peacefully? You can look in those videos and see several students yank their arms away when an officer reached for them.

We can argue whether or not the use of pepper spray is excessive (and honestly, I'm not quite certain where I stand, I'll admit), but that doesn't change the current reality that in a lot of states police are authorized to use pepper spray
as a tool to gain compliance. And, apparently, police use a less potent form of it.

Were they using it here as a tool to gain compliance?

Personally, I think the focus should be taken off the police and placed on the university who called them in.

 

[ElectricThunder]

Sad, sad stuff. Pepper spray and tazers are powerful things and each a dice roll as to how the person on the other end will react. It is a shame that the likes of this, the sonic cannons, etc apparently won out the bidding/R&D wars from years on back where I can remember there was supposed to be the likes of restraining foam to JUST restrain as opposed to these sorts of 'disablers'----to say nothing of the police then having to do the bodily work proper as opposed to just "pressing a switch for extreme pain".

Especially the part about having it sprayed in the mouth and down the throat by force----if that's accurate even partway then that is VERY damaging.

 

[nib95]

America, it's time for a revolution. Overthrow your shitty government and do away with this corrupt, greedy and heinous system that is in dire need of fundamental change.

 

[FStop7]

But in reality, how many violent riots in history have started out just as peacefully? A lot. Any cop would be a absolute fool to go into that situation thinking there would be absolutely zero risk to his well-being because the protesters were primarily college students. And really, what are the chances that that group would have allowed themselves to be arrested peacefully? You can look in those videos and see several students yank their arms away when an officer reached for them.

We can argue whether or not the use of pepper spray is excessive (and honestly, I'm not quite certain where I stand, I'll admit), but that doesn't change the current reality that in a lot of states police are authorized to use pepper spray
as a tool to gain compliance. And, apparently, police use a less potent form of it.

Were they using it here as a tool to gain compliance?

Personally, I think the focus should be taken off the police and placed on the university who called them in.

Wait, so you are advocating the pre-emptive use of violence against people who are peaceful because there is a chance of violence?

What?

What?

What planet am I on?

 

[ghst]

Har har.

First off, this hurts me to my heart because I usually agree with you in these kinds of threads.

But really, it's easy to look at that video and say "why are the cops using force against those peaceful protesting students?" But in reality, how many violent riots in history have started out just as peacefully? A lot. Any cop would be a absolute fool to go into that situation thinking there would be absolutely zero risk to his well-being because the protesters were primarily college students. And really, what are the chances that that group would have allowed themselves to be arrested peacefully? You can look in those videos and see several students yank their arms away when an officer reached for them.

We can argue whether or not the use of pepper spray is excessive (and honestly, I'm not quite certain where I stand, I'll admit), but that doesn't change the current reality that in a lot of states police are authorized to use pepper spray
as a tool to gain compliance. And, apparently, police use a less potent form of it.

Were they using it here as a tool to gain compliance?

Personally, I think the focus should be taken off the police and placed on the university who called them in.

how many maniacal authoritarian dictators in history began by airing tilted diatribes in public forums of discussion?

might wanna nip this one in the bud, guys.

 

[nib95]

Has this been mentioned:



http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.co...er-spraying-of-students/news/2011/11/19/30450



Could you elaborate please?



Honestly, they're kids chanting on the sidewalk of their college campus. When I was in college, we had a protest like that every month. There's no reason to disperse it at all, this kind of thing is part of their education.

I agree. The Chancellor should resign immediately. Brilliant letter.

 

[marrec]

But really, it's easy to look at that video and say "why are the cops using force against those peaceful protesting students?" But in reality, how many violent riots in history have started out just as peacefully? A lot. Any cop would be a absolute fool to go into that situation thinking there would be absolutely zero risk to his well-being because the protesters were primarily college students. And really, what are the chances that that group would have allowed themselves to be arrested peacefully? You can look in those videos and see several students yank their arms away when an officer reached for them.

The problem is that this type of incident can cause protests to become violent. It's ridiculous to assert that spraying a bunch of kids that are sitting down on a sidewalk is in an effort to STOP violence. The actions of the protesters after the spraying is laudable.

I do agree that focus should be taken off the individual officer and turned towards the UCD authorities in general.

 

[Zoe]

1. Have you been to a college before? You can organize on campus and do things there if you are a student. They do it all the time. There is nothing illegal about protesting at a college if you are a student.

I don't know about UC Davis, but many universities have designated demonstration areas and times, and if you try to assemble outside of that, you will be told to leave.

 

[royalan]

Wait, so you are advocating the pre-emptive use of violence against people who are peaceful because there is a chance of violence?

What?

What?

What planet am I on?

I don't know what planet you're on, because that's not at all what I'm advocating.

What I'm saying is that those police weren't acting in any way that wasn't in accordance with how they've been trained to do their jobs in this and similar situations. If there's an argument to be made, make it against the university who called the police on its own students; or on the state for allowing the use of pepper spray as a compliance tool in the first place.

But to suggest that these particular cops are rabid monsters with personal vendettas and an innate desire to harm these protesters is painting a false picture. A lot of the responses to these situations end up being blind cop-hate...when it most cases the cop is just doing their job and couldn't care less about you and what you stand for. The problem is not the cops in this situation, if there's a problem at all.

 

[Cyrillus]

But really, it's easy to look at that video and say "why are the cops using force against those peaceful protesting students?"

It's easy to look at the video this way because it is the correct way to look at the video.

But in reality, how many violent riots in history have started out just as peacefully? A lot.

You're completely right, that cop was completely justified in macing those students, because they could've become violent at any moment!

Any cop would be a absolute fool to go into that situation thinking there would be absolutely zero risk to his well-being because the protesters were primarily college students. And really, what are the chances that that group would have allowed themselves to be arrested peacefully?

How about the officer goes into the situation thinking he's most likely not going to be hurt because the protestors are FUCKING SITTING DOWN.

You can look in those videos and see several students yank their arms away when an officer reached for them.

You're right, bear mace time.

We can argue whether or not the use of pepper spray is excessive (and honestly, I'm not quite certain where I stand, I'll admit)

Don't worry, everyone else in this thread is quite sure where you stand.

Personally, I think the focus should be taken off the police and placed on the university who called them in.

People have been calling for the chancellor's resignation, which is at the very least addressing your focus issue, but if people continue to claim that acts such as these are not representative of the police force, why should we not single out these individuals as unfit members of said police force?


Also, not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but apparently two officers involved in the UC Davis incident were placed on Administrative (read: paid) leave. I wish I were still able to collect paychecks while sitting in jail during an ongoing investigation into some criminal act I may have been involved in.

 

[Suairyu]

royalan's argument as read by Police Officer Joe:
That person over there might at some point do something violent; best to use weaponised noxious gas against them just in case. That'll get them doing what I want.

The point, royalan, is that historical precedent is irrelevant. You never go in assuming. Would they have let themselves be arrested peacefully? Who knows, the police didn't try that. If the students violently resisted arrest, the use of weaponised force might indeed by justified and few would have had a problem with it.

 

[itsgreen]

Well. I don't know the ins and outs of the reasons behind the protest but....

My thoughts:
When you get asked to move aside and make the path accessible by the police, you should do so. When you don't do it you know you can get in trouble.

When the policeman says he will use pepper spray and you see his can of pepper spray, you get the fuck out of the way, that stuff is nasty.

When you choose to not move and get a face of pepper spray it is your own fucking fault. You are fucking idiot.

They knew it was coming. Stupid people.

You are unbelievable stupid when you don't listen to a police officer with a pepper spray can. Even if you are in your right, you can ask yourself is me being right worth it getting a face full of pain for 45 minutes? When I can just listen and move 3 feet to the left?

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Well.

My thoughts:
When you get asked to move aside and make the path accessible by the police, you should do so. When you don't do it you know you can get in trouble.

When the policeman says he will use pepper spray and you see his can of pepper spray, you get the fuck out of the way, that stuff is nasty.

When you choose to not move and get a face of pepper spray it is your own fucking fault. You are fucking idiot.

They knew it was coming. Stupid people.

Pick up that can.

 

[marrec]

But to suggest that these particular cops are rabid monsters with personal vendettas and an innate desire to harm these protesters is painting a false picture. A lot of the responses to these situations end up being blind cop-hate...when it most cases the cop is just doing their job and couldn't care less about you and what you stand for. The problem is not the cops in this situation, if there's a problem at all.

Cop hate is bad, because most cops are great people doing a job.

The way that particular cop brandishes the spray canister to taunt the crowd is fucking shameful.

Well. I don't know the ins and outs of the reasons behind the protest but....

My thoughts:
When you get asked to move aside and make the path accessible by the police, you should do so. When you don't do it you know you can get in trouble.

When the policeman says he will use pepper spray and you see his can of pepper spray, you get the fuck out of the way, that stuff is nasty.

When you choose to not move and get a face of pepper spray it is your own fucking fault. You are fucking idiot.

They knew it was coming. Stupid people.

Of course they knew it was coming. They didn't pack up and move, even after being showered with the gas. It was a wonder to behold and will be a video remembered for a long time.

 

[Dartastic]

Wait, so you are advocating the pre-emptive use of violence against people who are peaceful because there is a chance of violence?

What?

What?

What planet am I on?

how many maniacal authoritarian dictators in history began by airing tilted diatribes in public forums of discussion?

might wanna nip this one in the bud, guys.

royalan's argument as read by Police Officer Joe:
That person over there might at some point do something violent; best to use weaponised noxious gas against them just in case. That'll get them doing what I want.

The point, royalan, is that historical precedent is irrelevant. You never go in assuming. Would they have let themselves be arrested peacefully? Who knows, the police didn't try that. If the students violently resisted arrest, the use of weaponised force might indeed by justified and few would have had a problem with it.

Pick up that can.

Multiquote is godlike.

 

[bob page]

Well. I don't know the ins and outs of the reasons behind the protest but....

My thoughts:
When you get asked to move aside and make the path accessible by the police, you should do so. When you don't do it you know you can get in trouble.

When the policeman says he will use pepper spray and you see his can of pepper spray, you get the fuck out of the way, that stuff is nasty.

When you choose to not move and get a face of pepper spray it is your own fucking fault. You are fucking idiot.

They knew it was coming. Stupid people.

The guy in Tienanmen Square knew the tank was coming so it's his fault he died!

They stayed because they believed in their cause and didn't want to run. Your post does nothing to justify the actions of the cops.

 

[nib95]

Open Letter to Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi

Linda P.B. Katehi,

I am a junior faculty member at UC Davis. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of English, and I teach in the Program in Critical Theory and in Science & Technology Studies. I have a strong record of research, teaching, and service. I am currently a Board Member of the Davis Faculty Association. I have also taken an active role in supporting the student movement to defend public education on our campus and throughout the UC system. In a word: I am the sort of young faculty member, like many of my colleagues, this campus needs. I am an asset to the University of California at Davis.

You are not.

I write to you and to my colleagues for three reasons:

1) to express my outrage at the police brutality which occurred against students engaged in peaceful protest on the UC Davis campus today

2) to hold you accountable for this police brutality

3) to demand your immediate resignation

Today you ordered police onto our campus to clear student protesters from the quad. These were protesters who participated in a rally speaking out against tuition increases and police brutality on UC campuses on Tuesday—a rally that I organized, and which was endorsed by the Davis Faculty Association. These students attended that rally in response to a call for solidarity from students and faculty who were bludgeoned with batons, hospitalized, and arrested at UC Berkeley last week. In the highest tradition of non-violent civil disobedience, those protesters had linked arms and held their ground in defense of tents they set up beside Sproul Hall. In a gesture of solidarity with those students and faculty, and in solidarity with the national Occupy movement, students at UC Davis set up tents on the main quad. When you ordered police outfitted with riot helmets, brandishing batons and teargas guns to remove their tents today, those students sat down on the ground in a circle and linked arms to protect them.

What happened next?

Without any provocation whatsoever, other than the bodies of these students sitting where they were on the ground, with their arms linked, police pepper-sprayed students. Students remained on the ground, now writhing in pain, with their arms linked.

What happened next?

Police used batons to try to push the students apart. Those they could separate, they arrested, kneeling on their bodies and pushing their heads into the ground. Those they could not separate, they pepper-sprayed directly in the face, holding these students as they did so. When students covered their eyes with their clothing, police forced open their mouths and pepper-sprayed down their throats. Several of these students were hospitalized. Others are seriously injured. One of them, forty-five minutes after being pepper-sprayed down his throat, was still coughing up blood.

This is what happened. You are responsible for it.

You are responsible for it because this is what happens when UC Chancellors order police onto our campuses to disperse peaceful protesters through the use of force: students get hurt. Faculty get hurt. One of the most inspiring things (inspiring for those of us who care about students who assert their rights to free speech and peaceful assembly) about the demonstration in Berkeley on November 9 is that UC Berkeley faculty stood together with students, their arms linked together. Associate Professor of English Celeste Langan was grabbed by her hair, thrown on the ground, and arrested. Associate Professor Geoffrey O’Brien was injured by baton blows. Professor Robert Hass, former Poet Laureate of the United States, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner, was also struck with a baton. These faculty stood together with students in solidarity, and they too were beaten and arrested by the police. In writing this letter, I stand together with those faculty and with the students they supported.

One week after this happened at UC Berkeley, you ordered police to clear tents from the quad at UC Davis. When students responded in the same way—linking arms and holding their ground—police also responded in the same way: with violent force. The fact is: the administration of UC campuses systematically uses police brutality to terrorize students and faculty, to crush political dissent on our campuses, and to suppress free speech and peaceful assembly. Many people know this. Many more people are learning it very quickly.

You are responsible for the police violence directed against students on the UC Davis quad on November 18, 2011. As I said, I am writing to hold you responsible and to demand your immediate resignation on these grounds.

On Wednesday November 16, you issued a letter by email to the campus community. In this letter, you discussed a hate crime which occurred at UC Davis on Sunday November 13. In this letter, you express concern about the safety of our students. You write, “it is particularly disturbing that such an act of intolerance should occur at a time when the campus community is working to create a safe and inviting space for all our students.” You write, “while these are turbulent economic times, as a campus community, we must all be committed to a safe, welcoming environment that advances our efforts to diversity and excellence at UC Davis.”

I will leave it to my colleagues and every reader of this letter to decide what poses a greater threat to “a safe and inviting space for all our students” or “a safe, welcoming environment” at UC Davis: 1) Setting up tents on the quad in solidarity with faculty and students brutalized by police at UC Berkeley? or 2) Sending in riot police to disperse students with batons, pepper-spray, and tear-gas guns, while those students sit peacefully on the ground with their arms linked? Is this what you have in mind when you refer to creating “a safe and inviting space?” Is this what you have in mind when you express commitment to “a safe, welcoming environment?”

I am writing to tell you in no uncertain terms that there must be space for protest on our campus. There must be space for political dissent on our campus. There must be space for civil disobedience on our campus. There must be space for students to assert their right to decide on the form of their protest, their dissent, and their civil disobedience—including the simple act of setting up tents in solidarity with other students who have done so. There must be space for protest and dissent, especially, when the object of protest and dissent is police brutality itself. You may not order police to forcefully disperse student protesters peacefully protesting police brutality. You may not do so. It is not an option available to you as the Chancellor of a UC campus. That is why I am calling for your immediate resignation.

Your words express concern for the safety of our students. Your actions express no concern whatsoever for the safety of our students. I deduce from this discrepancy that you are not, in fact, concerned about the safety of our students. Your actions directly threaten the safety of our students. And I want you to know that this is clear. It is clear to anyone who reads your campus emails concerning our “Principles of Community” and who also takes the time to inform themselves about your actions. You should bear in mind that when you send emails to the UC Davis community, you address a body of faculty and students who are well trained to see through rhetoric that evinces care for students while implicitly threatening them. I see through your rhetoric very clearly. You also write to a campus community that knows how to speak truth to power. That is what I am doing.

I call for your resignation because you are unfit to do your job. You are unfit to ensure the safety of students at UC Davis. In fact: you are the primary threat to the safety of students at UC Davis. As such, I call upon you to resign immediately.

Sincerely,

Nathan Brown
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Program in Critical Theory
University of California at Davis

Fantastic letter.

 

[itsgreen]

The guy in Tienanmen Square knew the tank was coming so it's his fault he died!

They stayed because they believed in their cause and didn't want to run. Your post does nothing to justify the actions of the cops.

Wow. Just wow. Comparing that to this. wow.

It's kind of a balance and perspective thing. You are stupid as fuck when you choose to not move 3 feet on your own accord and choose to get a face full of pepper spray and get taken to jail/moved anyway. End of the day the guy with the pepper spray wins and you are fucking stupid for believing that to remain seated matters than moving 3 feet. 'it's the principle', well yes you can fight every battle or be smart and protest right over there without a face full of pepper spray.

Also without provocation, yes. But it is not like the police officers started spraying instantly without warning. The video I watched was 3 minutes long and you can see the officers warning people. Smart people near them moved away. When they didn't move well yes they get the spray, like they have been warned...

 

[marrec]

Wow. Just wow. Comparing that to this. wow.

It's kind of a balance and perspective thing. You are stupid as fuck when you choose to not move 3 feet on your own accord and choose to get a face full of pepper spray and get taken to jail/moved anyway. End of the day the guy with the pepper spray wins and you are fucking stupid for believing that to remain seated matters than moving 3 feet. 'it's the principle', well yes you can fight every battle or be smart and protest right over there without a face full of pepper spray

No, the guy with the pepper spray lost.

 

[Alpha-Bromega]

Well. I don't know the ins and outs of the reasons behind the protest but....

My thoughts:
When you get asked to move aside and make the path accessible by the police, you should do so. When you don't do it you know you can get in trouble.

When the policeman says he will use pepper spray and you see his can of pepper spray, you get the fuck out of the way, that stuff is nasty.

When you choose to not move and get a face of pepper spray it is your own fucking fault. You are fucking idiot.

They knew it was coming. Stupid people.

You are unbelievable stupid when you don't listen to a police officer with a pepper spray can. Even if you are in your right, you can ask yourself is me being right worth it getting a face full of pain for 45 minutes? When I can just listen and move 3 feet to the left?

you have more than a right, you have a god damned OBLIGATION to not allow that to happen. the cumulative struggles of every free nation who have ever existed rely on standing up for right against oppression

you are literally saying that despite being in the moral right and having an imperative to proceed, we should buckle under the threat of the tools of any oppressors because it would be shitty? well fuck, surrendering to the god damned British seemed like a pretty smart idea to the revolutionaries; it was alot easier to simply not revolt right?

it's a lot easier to not be hosed and attack, than to endure those and win civil rights, right?

you're a joke and a shame upon ANY free nation on the earth, really.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Wow. Just wow. Comparing that to this. wow.

It's kind of a balance and perspective thing. You are stupid as fuck when you choose to not move 3 feet on your own accord and choose to get a face full of pepper spray and get taken to jail/moved anyway. End of the day the guy with the pepper spray wins and you are fucking stupid for believing that to remain seated matters than moving 3 feet. 'it's the principle', well yes you can fight every battle or be smart and protest right over there without a face full of pepper spray

Or you could just arrest them without pepper spraying them.

 

[Alebrije]

What a shame. I hope someone do something about this.

 

[royalan]

royalan's argument as read by Police Officer Joe:
That person over there might at some point do something violent; best to use weaponised noxious gas against them just in case. That'll get them doing what I want.

The point, royalan, is that historical precedent is irrelevant. You never go in assuming.Would they have let themselves be arrested peacefully? Who knows, the police didn't try that. If the students violently resisted arrest, the use of weaponised force might indeed by justified and few would have had a problem with it.

Not the case in a job where your life is always potentially on the line. I wonder how many bullet-proof vests have saved officers going into situations that didn't seem like they would turn into shoot-outs? The safety of cops is paramount, and that should always be the case no matter how harmless a situation looks initially.

All we can know is that cops are authorized and trained to use pepper spray as a compliance tool in these types of situations, and the protesters were warned that it would be used if they did not comply. They did not comply. Pepper spray was used.

You can have a problem with the use of pepper spray, but if you want to argue against that you have to go a lot higher up than the cops themselves.

 

[spermatic cord]

Well. I don't know the ins and outs of the reasons behind the protest but....

My thoughts:
When you get asked to move aside and make the path accessible by the police, you should do so. When you don't do it you know you can get in trouble.

When the policeman says he will use pepper spray and you see his can of pepper spray, you get the fuck out of the way, that stuff is nasty.

When you choose to not move and get a face of pepper spray it is your own fucking fault. You are fucking idiot.

They knew it was coming. Stupid people.

You are unbelievable stupid when you don't listen to a police officer with a pepper spray can. Even if you are in your right, you can ask yourself is me being right worth it getting a face full of pain for 45 minutes? When I can just listen and move 3 feet to the left?

Sure that's easy to say if your number one concern is the health/safety of only yourself. What these students were doing was standing up for a cause bigger than themselves. The fact that they sent in riot police with batons and military grade pepper spray to handle peaceful protesters is completely unjustified.

What's funny was that they were protesting police brutality. It's clear that whoever handled this situation (Chancellor Linda Katehi) didn't know what they were doing.

 

[Suairyu]

Not the case in a job where your life is always potentially on the line. I wonder how many bullet-proof vests have saved officers going into situations that didn't seem like they would turn into shoot-outs? The safety of cop is paramount, and that should always be the case no matter how harmless a situation looks initially.

What the hell does measures designed to protect an officer from threat like a bullet proof vest in case of firearm discharge got to do with assuming someone will turn violent so GAS THEM?

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Not the case in a job where your life is always potentially on the line. I wonder how many bullet-proof vests have saved officers going into situations that didn't seem like they would turn into shoot-outs? The safety of cops is paramount, and that should always be the case no matter how harmless a situation looks initially.

All we can know is that cops are authorized and trained to use pepper spray as a compliance tool in these types of situations, and the protesters were warned that it would be used if they did not comply. They did not comply. Pepper spray was used.

You can have a problem with the use of pepper spray, but if you want to argue against that you have to go a lot higher up than the cops themselves.

Playing videogames hasn't yet taught you the difference between weapons and armor?

 

[marrec]

All we can know is that cops are authorized and trained to use pepper spray as a compliance tool in these types of situations, and the protesters were warned that it would be used if they did not comply. They did not comply. Pepper spray was used.

You can have a problem with the use of pepper spray, but if you want to argue against that you have to go a lot higher up than the cops themselves.

So you're basically arguing that cops are mindless thugs?

I know what you're saying, that training dictates certain tools be used in certain situations. But those Students were stopping anything, it was a symbolic gesture that those cops apparently couldn't live with.

It's not like using the pepper-spray helped them disperse the crowd. They sprayed a bunch of kids, arrested some others, then left without accomplishing much of what they wanted.