What happened at University California-Davis

 According to the Sacramento Bee:

An Occupy Davis encampment has been in place in downtown Davis for more than a month, but students increased their involvement following an afternoon rally Tuesday. A couple of dozen students were allowed to sleep overnight in the university administration building. They were evicted from the building Wednesday afternoon and began camping in the quad Thursday.

The Sacramento Bee questioned the police about the use of pepper spray. Here’s the answer

Annette Spicuzza, the U.C. Davis police chief, told The Sacramento Bee that the officers used pepper spray on Friday because the police were surrounded by students. “There was no way out of that circle,” she told the newspaper. “They were cutting the officers off from their support. It’s a very volatile situation.”

She 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.

Spicuzza has comments that the decision to use pepper spray was made at the scene.

A day earlier, November 18……

Pepper Spraying peaceful students like fumigating rose bushes for insects.

Two officers who actively sprayed  the sitting students have been placed on leave. Linda Katehi, Chancellor UCD, said that  the acts of the officers were ‘ abhorrent.’

Campus Report

Campus reporters did an admirable job of reporting the  brutality.

The Blue Devil HUB reports….

Approximately 500 UC Davis students demonstrated their dissatisfaction with university leadership the afternoon of Nov. 19 outside the Surge II building on campus. Their protest truncated a press conference addressing the Nov. 18 police response to the Occupy UC Davis encampment.

Full article link above

Narrated video of Chancellor being escorted from Surge II Building.

Here is the most haunting video available.  I cannot think of one movie producer or director who could have crafted this scene any more eerily.

After an hours-long impasse, UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi leaves the Surge II building on the UC Davis campus, accompanied by her husband Spyros Tseregounis and campus minister Kristin Stoneking. Video by Anna Sturla, HUB reporter.

As I watched the video for the first time, I wondered about the escort and why the Chancellor felt it necessary. The escort was a campus minister, Kristin Stoneking

CA House Director and Campus Minister Weblog

Why I walked Chancellor Katehi out of Surge II

 (Full article: Weblog link)

Why did I walk the Chancellor to her car?  Because I believe in the humanity of all persons.  Because I believe that people should be assisted when they are afraid.  Because I believe that in showing compassion we embrace a nonviolent way of life that emanates to those whom we refuse to see as enemies and in turn leads to the change that we all seek.  I am well aware that my actions were looked on with suspicion by some tonight, but I trust that those seeking a nonviolent solution will know that “just means lead to just ends” and my actions offered dignity not harm.

COMMENT:  The University of California Pepper-Spraying incident could be a modern day eye-opener comparable to the Kent State killings in the late 1960s. Well, frankly it does not compare to the killing of innocents by the Ohio National Guard due to the four (4) student deaths.  It does compare in its depiction of how authorities continue to attempt to squash and prevent us from excercising our  Constitutional Rights to gather and express free speech.

Regardless of one’s social or political views, any relishing of the acts of the authorities at UCD should lead to questioning their own sanity.  But, of course, if the nation has people who booed an active duty gay soldier, or applauded at the thought of death due to lack of health insurance, it will not surprise to know that some relished the spraying.

The people who feel the protesters ‘got what they deserve,’ are people who also have not felt the brutality  against Occupy Wall Street across the nation. Brutality against peaceful protesters has proven effective in advancing protester  concerns throughout history.  Did the authorities forget about Gandhi, MLK, anti-war protesters, Civil rights protesters  and the  Arab Spring?

It was nothing short of stunning to watch the video of the escorted UCD Chancellor.  It is a shame that she did not seek the opinion of that minister before allowing her campus police to spray those young people.

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