Well looky here... apparently the UC Davis Campus Police felt threatened!

[demmiblue]

At a news conference Saturday, UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza said the decision to use pepper spray was made at the scene.

"The students had encircled the officers," she said. "They needed to exit. They were looking to leave but were unable to get out."

Geoffrey Wildanger, a graduate student in art history, said he was sprayed "in my ears and my nose. It hurts a lot. You feel like your whole body is on fire."

He said the police overreacted. "The cops weren't threatened in any way."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-occupy-uc-davis-20111120,0,2407596.story

Spicuzza said Friday that about 35 officers from UC Davis and other UC campuses as well as the city of Davis responded to the protest about 4 p.m., wearing protective gear.

Spicuzza said officers were forced to use pepper spray when students surrounded them. They used a sweeping motion on the group, per procedure, to avoid injury, she said.

"There was no way out of that circle," Spicuzza said Friday. "They were cutting the officers off from their support. It's a very volatile situation."

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/20/4067841/ucd-peppered-by-net-outrage.html

I mean, really?!




edit: sp

[BlueToTheBone]

1. It's so interesting that they go for the smallest and

the females. That doesn't look like a "sweeping" motion to me. Looks like a direct prolonged spray to me.

[demmiblue]

10. A little more info on this from Nathan Brown, Assisstant Professor:

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.

https://bicyclebarricade.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/open-letter-to-chancellor-linda-p-b-katehi/

[BlueToTheBone]

29. A few years ago in Humboldt County, CA there was a lawsuit

about this.
http://www.nopepperspray.org/factsheet.htm
THe activists won the suit, but were awarded only $1. each.

[TriplD]

25. I've noticed this too

The women pepper sprayed by officer Balogna in NYC, the Berkley bludgeoning stared by hitting the smallest female, the Portland teargas victim...

It seems like a pattern to me.

I wonder if this is part of that 18 city strategy Oakland's mayor eluded to? Perhaps targeting women is an attempt to elicit a violent response from protesters?

[BlueToTheBone]

28. I hadn't thought of that angle. I thought that these would be

the least likely to fight back.

[Juche]

32. There was a PBS documentary about the protests in Iran called 'a death in Tehran'

I don't remember the details of the conversation, but during the green revolution protests rioters were telling a woman not to wear anything too revealing since the police in Iran loved to target small, attractive women for abuse and bullying. Same thing, more or less as what you are describing, it is just happening on the other side of the planet.

[Atman]

2. Yeah, it would have been damned near impossible to step between those two guys in the foreground.

The cops stand there in flack jackets with clubs and shields and helmets and pepper spray, and THEY feel threatened by kids sitting on the sidewalk. Yeah, I'll buy that. Not.

[snappyturtle]

3. Threatened by unarmed peaceful protestors! I guess possession of

pepper spray, tasers, baatons, revolvers isn't enough to make the police safe. I know I'm talking to the choir but really? What a disconnect.

[aquamarina]

4. Wow, if kids sitting in a circle on the ground makes them

feel threatened then perhaps they need to be in a different line of work.

[notadmblnd]

5. they can't even lie well any more.

[piratefish08]

6. pigs

thugs

criminals

"So I want to be very clear in calling upon the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protestors. The people of Egypt have rights that are universal. That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech, and the ability to determine their own destiny. These are human rights. And the United States will stand up for them everywhere."

President Barack Obama - Jan 28, 2011

[Fumesucker]

7. A view from a different angle..

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Since when is a circle a straight line?

Did these cops flunk kindergarten geometry?

[a_post_8]

9. Someone call Theta Chi fraternity - Sprayer is a brother

The person spraying the students is a brother of the Theta Chi fraternity. Notice the lines below in their constitution:

"the extending of true charity
to those who need such assistance; the promoting of good citizenship; the training and the developing of civic
leaders; and, by all means within its power, the inculcation and the extension throughout the land of the highest
ideals of honor, charity, tolerance, and true patriotism."

Does this fraternity really endorse this person?


Preamble
Inasmuch as it is the highest duty of man to so order his life that his Creator may call it good and
humanity may be the better for his having lived, and since in union there is strength so that a body of men
working together for a common cause can accomplish more and greater things than any individual member of
that body, making the mutual assistance of brothers thus held together by the everlasting bonds of fellowship of
the greatest importance to themselves, their alma mater, their country, and their God - - Hence the following:
Constitution and Bylaws
Of
Theta Chi Fraternity, Inc.
Article I
Purpose, Scope and Governing Law
Section 1. Purpose
The purpose of Theta Chi Fraternity, Inc., a New York Corporation (the “Corporation”), shall be to
establish, maintain, govern, improve and promote the welfare of a fraternal order to be known as “Theta Chi
Fraternity” (the “Fraternity”), which shall have for its objects: the mutual benefit and assistance of its members;
the binding by closer bonds of its members one to another; the rendition of mutual assistance to its members
during life and after their death to their dependents; the assisting of needy but deserving young men to obtain a
higher education; the fostering of high scholastic achievement among its members; the extending of true charity
to those who need such assistance; the promoting of good citizenship; the training and the developing of civic
leaders; and, by all means within its power, the inculcation and the extension throughout the land of the highest
ideals of honor, charity, tolerance, and true patriotism.

[onethatcares]

11. this is why we had to destroy the village in order to save it.

apparently the police aren't trained to fight their way out of a wet paper bag. We better see if Xe is available at an inflated price to help them out.:puke:

as stated previously, they don't even lie well.

[nc4bo]

12. 3 sides to every story.

Their side. Our side. And one thing they forgot, the videos/photos.

[Angry Dragon]

13. Those students at UC Davis must have some very good drugs

and enough to share with the police chief
the police chief should be ashamed and resign for her actions and lies

[shraby]

14. They are saying this because the law states that they can

use pepper spray only in self defense.

[spanone]

15. campus police dream of being cops

[alcibiades_mystery]

17. This isn't really accurate...and it's come up a lot lately

On some campuses, the "campus police" are simply security guards privately contracted by the University or College. That's true.

On other campuses (PSU, UC?), the campus police are actually empaneled law enforcement officers under the state code, no different in status or function than police in any municipality. This is the case at Penn State, and I'd suspect at the UC's. It's usually a matter of campus size and the relation ship of the university to the state.

[TNLib]

16. Yes because a bunch of kids sitting down on a side walk is sooo Threatening!

nt

[xchrom]

18. Recommend

[beac]

19. This is the kind of thing the phrase "bullshit" was invented for.

Does anyone REALLY believe that if the cops said "We'd like to leave, please move aside." that the protesters wouldn't have allowed them to go? The kids didn't want the cops there and, no doubt, would have been THRILLED to see them exit the scene.

[Lyric]

20. Look at that relaxed stroll. He doesn't look "threatened" to me.

He looks like he's having a great time being a sadistic piece of human garbage.

[mythology]

21. I know I always find such a situation

bowel liquifyingly terrifying. I do wonder how people don't realize that they are being recorded and how bad they look. It's not as though they don't have a lot of evidence that police brutality caught on tape has a cost.

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. the National Lawyer's Guild page has OWS support contacts in LOTS of cities..lookey here.

http://www.nlg.org/occupy/

I sent them a donation on the 1st.
Looks like they are going to be busy with the Oakland and now the UC Davis violations.

[vanlassie]

23. That's interesting because when I watched the video, I saw an officer STEP THROUGH from one side to

the other shortly before they were sprayed.

[demmiblue]

31. I will have to watch the whole video.

Thanks! :hi:

[flamingdem]

24. A student on Don Lemon's show on CNN said they were in a circle and the cops

broke into their circle

[hootinholler]

26. Um, the one with the canister

Stepped through the line sitting on the ground to spray them.

Let me say that again, He was leading the group of cops behind the protestors, stepped through them so he could spray their faces. Go watch the long videos.

[SomethingFishy]

27. Yeah he looks "surrounded" and in fear of injury

How ever will he "escape" those deadly students and get to the safety of the 30 other cops standing 5 feet away from him.

[rucky]

30. When I want to look threatening, cris-cross applesauce usually does the trick.

[TygrBright]

33. OMG!!! Those poor officers!! How SKEEEEERY! They's only PROTECTING theyselfs...

...from the skeery, violent, unarmed kids sitting quietly at their feet.

I mean, wouldn't YOU feel threatened?

It's only self defense!

amazedly,
Bright