Who do you serve? Who do you protect?

November 19, 2011 10:53 AM

Yesterday afternoon at UC Davis, a police officer was filmed using pepper spray on obviously peaceful protesters.
posted by edguardo (21 comments total)

Thanks for posting this up here. This video is sickening --- pepper spray is clearly meant to subdue violent people who pose an immanent threat to the public or to an officer. But clearly this is a case where some undergraduates were completely docile.

There's a call from one professor for the chancellor's resignation. This is a good read.

This sort of reaction from law enforcement is completely unacceptable.
posted by phenylphenol at 10:59 AM on November 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

I imagine this will be deleted, but I'd just like to chime in and say that the fucking police are completely out of control in this country.
posted by nevercalm at 11:00 AM on November 19, 2011 [5 favorites]

Well, Mark Krikorian will be pleased.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:00 AM on November 19, 2011

My sister goes to UC Davis. Seeing this is making her think about going to these protests in solidarity.
posted by leviathan3k at 11:00 AM on November 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Shouldn't this be in the open Occupy thread rather than sitting here as an outrage filter dogwhistle?
posted by hippybear at 11:00 AM on November 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Nope. He was concerned for his safety as he was surrounded. Perfectly valid use of force to protect officers. All very by the book. Nothing to see here, move along, citizen.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:01 AM on November 19, 2011

Shouldn't this be in the open Occupy thread rather than sitting here as an outrage filter dogwhistle?

Didn't know that existed. Is MeFi really funneling everything on Occupy into a single thread?
posted by edguardo at 11:02 AM on November 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

The police officer shown in the video calmly walking up to the seated protesters and spraying them in the face made $110,243.12 last year for the privilege. The assistant professor calling for the chancellor's resignation made a little more than half of that.
posted by Blasdelb at 11:03 AM on November 19, 2011 [8 favorites]

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P. B. Katehi probably ordered the action and has vigorously defended it as justified while also saying (I paraphrase) "gosh I hope those kids are ok!"
http://chancellor.ucdavis.edu/contact.php
or directly by email to:
[e-mail]

Annette Spicuzza, Chief of the Davis campus PD, has vociferously defended her force's actions as justified by physical threat, which is absurd if you've seen the numerous videos of this episode.
Annette M. Spicuzza, Chief of UC Davis Police:
[e-mail]

The Chancellor of the entire UC System is Mark Yudof
[e-mail]

Just sayin', moving along now.
posted by spitbull at 11:04 AM on November 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

The police officer shown in the video calmly walking up to the seated protesters and spraying them in the face made $110,243.12 last year for the privilege. The assistant professor calling for the chancellor's resignation made a little more than half of that.

Well, the assistant professor never gas to deal with groups of students sitting silently.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:05 AM on November 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

has, not gas.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:05 AM on November 19, 2011

If you make more than $100,000 in a year, you're in the top 6% of all US incomes.
posted by hippybear at 11:07 AM on November 19, 2011

Shouldn't this be in the open Occupy thread

It already is.
posted by arm's-length at 11:07 AM on November 19, 2011

I've heard people dismiss OWS and related protests as kids having the time of their lives, but just like last summer's G20 fiasco in Toronto, it's a field day for cops who just want to beat up on some hippies.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:08 AM on November 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

It may be a little trite, but I think The Clash nailed this one:

Number 3
You have the right to free
Speech as long as you're not
Dumb enough to actually try it.
posted by benito.strauss at 11:11 AM on November 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Metafilter: has, not gas.
posted by mannequito at 11:11 AM on November 19, 2011

New rule: university police officers should at least have the requisite iq to get waitlisted at the school they are "policing" (i.e. breaking up frat parties for 100k/yr).
posted by norabarnacl3 at 11:12 AM on November 19, 2011

That thread is 4x too large for my puny computer, I'm glad this is here.
posted by The Whelk at 11:12 AM on November 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

Related:

PDF from lobbying group Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford on how to undermine OWS

Laurie Penny and a GS banker on BBC Newsnight about OWS
posted by The Whelk at 11:15 AM on November 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

UCPD have been surrounded before without having to resort to pepper spray.
posted by Edward L at 11:15 AM on November 19, 2011

New rule: university police officers should at least have the requisite iq to get waitlisted at the school they are "policing" (i.e. breaking up frat parties for 100k/yr).

Smart people can be sociopaths too. The issue isn't that Pike is dumb, it's that he's a bully who inappropriately used force on non-violent protesters.
posted by KathrynT at 11:15 AM on November 19, 2011 [4 favorites]