Thats alot of pepper spray.

[ballen0351]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45368260/

A UC-Davis professor called for the chancellor to step down, saying she was to blame for police pepper-spraying students during an Occupy protest on campus.
"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," Nathan Brown, an assistant professor in the Department of English, wrote in an open letter to Katehi.
He said she was accountable for "the police brutality which occurred against students engaged in peaceful protest."
Brown was referring to an incident Friday in which UC Davis police arrested 10 protesters and pepper-sprayed about a dozen more while trying to clear an Occupy encampment on campus, according to the Davis Enterprise.
The students who were pepper-sprayed were sitting on the ground, arms linked in solidarity. Brown said several of them had to be treated at the hospital.

Me I would have ran away like a little girl when I saw that big can come out. I HATE OC spray.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

its orange.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

California Penal Code Section 12403.7 (a) (8)
(g) Any person who uses tear gas or tear gas weapons except in self-defense is guilty of a public offense and is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months, or two or three years or in a county jail not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, except that, if the use is against a peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, engaged in the performance of his or her official duties and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, the offense is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months or two or three years or by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.

 

[Sukerkin]

All that photo above needs is to have "... and the Land of the Free" emblazoned across it.

But it's okay, the police are only oppressing people you don't like ... I'm sure it's not a sign of anything ominous.

 

[seasoned]

It needs to be orange so you can be sure your hitting the target. It cuts down on over spray.

Also, considering to physical shape the LEO are in, hands on would be out of the question, ergo the "orange" spray...........

Not taking sides, merely an observation on my part..................

 

[MJS]

Give them multiple warnings. If they fail to listen to the warnings, and are resisting efforts from the PD to physically remove them, then pull out the spray. Yeah, of course this looks bad, but if you're causing a public disturbance........

Imagine if they pulled out a baton and started beating people.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I don't have a problem with it.

The police were in an untenable position. They were ordered to clear the square; they were enforcing the law. The students had linked arms and refused to move. That left police officers with the unenviable task of using some form of persuasion to separate the students and move them or arrest them. For the police officers, "leaving them alone" was not an option; that's a political or policy discussion, it has nothing to do with the officers.

When making arrests of this nature, injury to officers is almost a given. In the 1970's, hippies used to link arms like this and 'go limp' when arrested. Officers would get injured trying to pry them apart from one another, and they'd suffer injuries including hernias trying to carry the protesters away.

Police officers do not have to expose themselves to voluntary injury when there are other non-lethal options available to them. It is not their job to sacrifice their health and well-being to avoid injuring law-breakers (even peaceful civil-disobedience style law-breakers).

The police chose the least-lethal way to get the protesters to give up and surrender. They protesters won as well; they avoided potentially more serious injury AND they got a public relations coup from a media and a public that do not understand why the evil bad police officers didn't just 'leave those kids alone'. If leaving the kids alone had been an option for the police officers, they would have gladly done so.

Bottom line; the police used the least-lethal means of force they had available to perform their jobs. Sorry it makes people feel bad for the poor kids; they broke the law, they choose to resist (passively), they got what they got. That's the nature of civil disobedience, by the way. It actually worked they way it's supposed to work; the protesters had to know that. It's a political win for them; the police were pawns in their scheme.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

At least 10 demonstrators were arrested Friday at an Occupy demonstration at UC Davis.

A total of 11 people were treated medically on the campus and two were taken to the hospital.

...

Police say the students were given until 3 p.m. Friday to remove their 28 tents from the campus. When students refused, police arrived at the given time. Students sat down cross-legged and locked arms when cops showed up.

Police say the demonstrators surrounded them, prompting them to use pepper spray.

Police pepper sprayed the demonstrators and dragged some away.

Students chanted at the officers, "Shame on you, shame on you!"

Demonstrators were protesting a recently approved tuition increase at the University of California system.

http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines...s-at-occupy-uc-davis-20111118,0,1876312.story

Watch the video.
The officers attempt to peacefully arrest them.
The protesters lock arms and resist.
They are ordered to comply.
They refuse by continuing to lock arms and pull tight.
The officers made several attempts to separate them for arrest.
The protesters were resisting arrest. It was passive, however it was still resistance.
Police options were: Back down or Escalate.

The protesters passive resistance made a more aggressive stance by the officers necessary.

This was the course of action least likely to result in permanent injury to both sides. The only other option would have been to allow them to continue to defy lawful orders.

Having reviewed the entire clip, I see no -excessive-. I see a proper LEO response to non-compliant arrestees.

The take downs, and arrests are fine.

The spray was used to get them to release their locks on one another to allow the cops to arrest them. Other options that could have been used include the use of batons (injury), boots (injury), bean bag rounds (injury), fire hose (injury), dogs (injury), tasers (injury) see the problem?

Cops here know I hold you guys accountable and have no problem pointing at issues.
I see no issue here with the actions of the officers.

 

[jks9199]

The technical term is "Passive Resistance". Non-compliance with an order to disperse is still resistance. Pepper spray is generally accepted as a reasonable use of force against passive resistance.

Don't want to get sprayed -- leave when the cops tell you it's time to go. You stop being a peaceful, civil protest when you begin to break the law.

 

[Brian King]

Arms linked? Hook one prong on the left end and one prong on the right end and taze, current goes thru from lead to lead. Green use of force, efficient and good for group dance and bonding. In reality, pepper spray is easier on all parties involved as physical force often leads to escalation and injuries.

Regards
Brian King

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Problem with using the taser is patchuli can be flammable, and smells horrible when burned.

 

[billc]

Bob, in your list of alternatives to making them move I would like to point out you forgot "Bulldozer," the most efficient alternative when you need to move a lot of people quickly.

 

[Josh Oakley]

Bob, in your list of alternatives to making them move I would like to point out you forgot "Bulldozer," the most efficient alternative when you need to move a lot of people quickly.

Not very good for group dance or bonding though.

 

[Josh Oakley]

I just don't have any sympathy for these kids. First off, they're complaining about the tuition in CALIFORNIA (my wife went to school in cali... They don't have it hard.) Second, they were trespassingng, and resisting arrest. The cops in this situation handled themselves responsibly and professionally.

 

[WC_lun]

Just something to keep in mind, the students had permission to protest there. What the chancellor had issue with was the tents. She said protest were fine as long as there were no tents. So some of those students were not breaking the rules as they were laid down.

I think the pepper spray might have been a little much, but at least it wasn't something that would be injurious or even fatal. Also, if you don't want to be pepper sprayed, then you might be in the wrong place. It is kind of sad given that we are supposed to have the right to peacably assemble and protest here. From all indications, while perhaps a pain in the butt to the police ordered to clear them out, the protestors offered no violence. As long as this tactic is continued to be used to clear out protestors, sympathies will continue to build for them. Seems to be the opposite of what the goal apears to be.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Just something to keep in mind, the students had permission to protest there. What the chancellor had issue with was the tents. She said protest were fine as long as there were no tents. So some of those students were not breaking the rules as they were laid down.

I think the pepper spray might have been a little much, but at least it wasn't something that would be injurious or even fatal. Also, if you don't want to be pepper sprayed, then you might be in the wrong place. It is kind of sad given that we are supposed to have the right to peaceably assemble and protest here. From all indications, while perhaps a pain in the butt to the police ordered to clear them out, the protesters offered no violence. As long as this tactic is continued to be used to clear out protesters, sympathies will continue to build for them. Seems to be the opposite of what the goal appears to be.

Well, I think you have just outlined the protester's tactics. Such protests work by garnering public sympathy. Please note that they were blocking a public sidewalk. No right to public protest supercedes the right of others to peaceably assemble, or to walk down a public sidewalk or street or through a park. Had they been off to the side...but they were not. Why? Because they wished to be arrested. Fair enough, that's what civil disobedience is all about. And they had the option to get up and leave when ordered to do so by lawful authority. They chose not to do so.

But this was all intentional. Every spray in the face they take garners sympathy for them, AS THEY INTEND.

EDIT: My spell-checker fixed your spelling errors. My bad, I wasn't paying attention and thought they were mine. I am too lazy to back and put them back in again; I'm not doing it to give you a hard time.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

If you look, many of them had already pulled hoods tight. They were prepared for the spray. To put it bluntly, they wanted to be sprayed.
Why? So that people would look at them sitting there 'peaceful', and the 'evil cop' viciously spraying them and do exactly what people are doing.
Going off on msg boards crying out 'see the evil cop spraying the peaceful protesters, how wrong!'.

The facts that they were resisting arrest, had refused -lawful- orders to move, and so forth, are ignored by otherwise logical minds, who are making emotional conclusions based on incomplete data.

 

[Buka]

That was a cool photo. The orange spray is pretty.

I was always taught to move when the policeman said move. I'm glad I was taught that way. As for the protesters, I understand their point, I protested when I was a youngster, too, until the policeman said "move", that is.
But like Mark Twain said, "When you pick up a cat by the tail, you learn a lesson you can learn in no other way."

 

[elder999]

Of course, our nation was founded on dissent as a base principle.

And I can recall a time-well, I can't quite recall it, though I was apparently there for some of it-a time when nonviolent protesters were sprayed with firehoses, attacked with dogs, beaten and jailed.

I'm sure many watching at the time were just as certain that they deserved it as the rest of you.

I'm a little ashamed to know some of you right now, frankly-just really, really disappointed.

You're proving to me that we deserve everything that's coming.

 

[billc]

Get real. These people were protesting for months, unmolested and making a mess of almost everywhere they went. They have been allowed to have their say, even as they hurt other people, local small businesses for example, and went unmolested for the whole time. They blocked a public sidewalk, they have blocked streets, and have been politely asked to leave, several times, with warning after warning that they were breaking the law. their refusal to comply with the law results in their arrest. If they want the law changed they need to address that issue with their representatives in congress at the state and local level. Because they are lazy, and don't want to actually work to change the situation through the appropriate channels, they have decided to act like spoiled children.


The past tactics of Democrats preventing American citizens their rights by using fire hoses, police batons and police dogs as well as more lethal methods are in no way comparable to what has been going on with the occupy wall street movement.