Police assaulted peaceful protestors at at UC Davis last friday. The video clearly shows the protestors sitting down and offering no resistance to the police assault.
From The Washington Post:
The University of California, Davis said Monday that it had placed its police chief on administrative leave amid outrage over widely circulated videos of officers dousing student protesters with pepper spray.
In a news release, campus officials said it was necessary to place Chief Annette Spicuzza on leave to restore trust and calm tensions after Friday’s crackdown on the “Occupy UC-Davis” encampment, which resulted in 10 arrests.
The school has also placed two officers on administrative leave.
Videos posted online show one riot-gear-clad officer spraying a line of protesters as they sit passively with their arms intertwined. Spicuzza told the AP that the second officer was identified in videos.
On Sunday, UC President Mark Yudof said he was “appalled” by images of protesters being pepper-sprayed and planned an assessment of law enforcement procedures on all campuses.
“Free speech is part of the DNA of this university, and nonviolent protest has long been central to our history,” said Yudof, who heads the 10-campus UC system. “It is a value we must protect with vigilance.”
UC-Davis officials refused to identify the two officers who were placed on leave. Spicuzza had earlier told the AP that one had served on the force for many years and that the other was “fairly new.” Both officers were trained in the use of pepper spray under department policy.
UC-Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi said she had asked the Yolo County district attorney’s office to investigate the department’s use of force. She said she had been inundated with reaction from alumni, students and faculty.
The protest Friday was held in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement and in solidarity with demonstrators at the University of California, Berkeley who were jabbed by police with batons Nov. 9.
Nine students hit by pepper spray were treated at the scene, and two were taken to hospitals and released, officials said.
UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi has rejected calls to resign over the incident Friday, in which an officer walked along a line of seated protestors, spraying them in the head with the chemical usually used for dispersing crowds.
“As I have gathered more information about the events that took place on our Quad on Friday, it has become clear to me that this is a necessary step toward restoring trust on our campus,” said Katehi in a statement.
“I take full responsibility for the events… and am extremely saddened by what occurred,” she added.
…
Katehi said Saturday she was forming a task force to investigate the matter but dismissed calls for her to step down.
“The use of the pepper spray as shown on the video is chilling to us all and raises many questions about how best to handle situations like this,” she wrote in a letter to students.
The Chancellor and the Chief of Police should be fired. This is just the latest incident of police violence against peaceful protestors. As for the officers who committed assault, they should be prosecuted.
