UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Two weeks ago Claire Berlinski wrote a post titled UC Davis Cops: That's Illegal in which she said
I watched this video with incredulity. ... No one of common sense can watch that video and say, "That's just how the cops should have handled that."
The video showed an officer the police department at the University of California, Davis liberally applying orange pepper spray onto the faces and hands of a line of seated protesters. Admittedly, without any context that kind of police action is always jarring, and some members agreed with Claire in that they had trouble imagining the context would exonerate the police.
(Warning: profanity)
Well, here's a video that shows the interaction between the Occupy protesters and the campus police in the minutes leading up to the pepper spraying. It has some profanity sprinkled in toward the middle, so watch at your own discretion.
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Comments:
Dec '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Thanks for posting this, Mark. It puts it in a whole new light, doesn't it? Who do you think was more afraid for their safety in this situation, the police or the "students," aka mob?
Do you know if the police made it out of there with those they arrested? It appears not. I remember my parents telling me never to even question a policeman in the process of an arrest, as it might lead to charges of interfering and my own arrest. Obviously these students have no such concern. The mob was clearly in charge. Terrifying.
edits: challenged by pronouns and usage. Yikes!
Edited on December 5, 2011 at 5:37amNov '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Thanks for posting this. I was withholding judgment until seeing a more complete picture of what happened. Looks like the police made the best of a tough (and incredibly stupid) situation. Seriously, why would you surround a group of police officers like that?
Dec '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
California academics and politicians are howling for cop blood. Utterly predictable.
Oct '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Ms. Berlinski completely overreacted to this incident. It seemed to me she was treating it as if it had happened in Turkey. I notice that over on the main feed she wrote earlier this evening:
Yes, Ms. Berlinski, it often is.
May '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
I'm late to this general discussion. I remember listening to the story on the radio last Saturday on my way to tap dance class. My first impulse was to side with the coppers. But at the same time, I thought about the fact that it was campus coppers who, unfortunately, don't have as stellar of a reputation as city employed coppers. In the copper biz, the campus police usually get the rejects who couldn't make it into city or sheriff departments. So then my bias kicked in, and I thought the campus coppers were a little off.
However, now that I've watched the video, I'm firmly with the campus coppers. They did precisely what they were supposed.to do. The California Penal Code (CPC) states that an order to disburse a crowd must be issued. Over time, California coppers have codified an announcement of 3 times with gaps in between over a loudspeaker to make sure every one had heard the order. Further, the campus coppers were attempting to remove the arrestees when the OWS nutters got up, surrounded them and then blocked their exit. That's a threat, actually.
Mar '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Thanks for posting this, Mark. Main Feed, perhaps?
Nov '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Yes, I think Main Feed would be appropriate, also.
Jun '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
This is such an old and oft-repeated story. Why do people still fall for it?
This is a very easy situation to understand and to get on the right side of. The MSM and other propagandists have entirely too much power in this country. They are the enemy within.
Aug '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Instructive, but I would have tased 'em bro.
Aug '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
I agree.
Very instructive video. What the cops did seemed reasonable to me, and they bent over backwards to avoid it. I was amazed at the stupidity of the students' Borg-like chant at the end that "this is how they respond to our peaceful protest". There is nothing peaceful about surrounding police officers and demanding they surrender the students they have arrested as a condition to let the police leave.
May '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
My favorite part was when they started chanting "Don't shoot the children!"
They actually remind of children--the type of children who believe they are in charge, who try to boss around their parents, and when their parents do something they don't approve of, they pretend they are graciously "letting" their parents do it.
Much like the way the protesters claim they were "giving" the police a "moment of peace" which would "allow" them to leave.
Nov '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Mothership_Greg
Yes, I think Main Feed would be appropriate, also. · Dec 3 at 6:21am
Indeed, if this is not promoted to the Main Feed, I will make a videotape of me spraying myself in the face with pepper spray and send it to Jon Stewart, so he can have something new to pretend to be outraged about.
May '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Mothership_Greg
Mothership_Greg
Yes, I think Main Feed would be appropriate, also. · Dec 3 at 6:21am
Indeed, if this is not promoted to the Main Feed, I will make a videotape of me spraying myself in the face with pepper spray and send it to Jon Stewart, so he can have something new to pretend to be outraged about. · Dec 3 at 1:47pm
Careful, depending how the Ricochet editors feel about you, you might be guaranteeing this post won't get promoted.
Apr '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
I am not disputing you, and I don't know the legal status of campus police vs. "real" police (my quotes) in your jurisdiction. I only wish to point out that in Az. all police are created equal, by statute, and campus police are not generally rejects (although it is common for the to be held in lower esteem than "real" police (my quotes again)).
Nov '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Mark Wilson
Mothership_Greg
Mothership_Greg
Yes, I think Main Feed would be appropriate, also. · Dec 3 at 6:21am
Indeed, if this is not promoted to the Main Feed, I will make a videotape of me spraying myself in the face with pepper spray and send it to Jon Stewart, so he can have something new to pretend to be outraged about. · Dec 3 at 1:47pm
Careful, depending how the Ricochet editors feel about you, you might be guaranteeing this post won't get promoted. · Dec 3 at 8:51pm
I would humbly submit that my scorn here is directed at Jon Stewart, who makes millions of dollars off of his shtick, and not Claire, who is one of my favorite writers. I have a special aversion to Stewart because so many people in my generation think that he's so "cool", and they trust his "reporting", and he gets away with all sorts of malicious garbage because he's "just a comedian".
May '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Mothership_Greg
I would humbly submit that my scorn here is directed at Jon Stewart, who makes millions of dollars off of his shtick, and not Claire, who is one of my favorite writers. I have a special aversion to Stewart because so many people in my generation think that he's so "cool", and they trust his "reporting", and he gets away with all sorts of malicious garbage because he's "just a comedian". · Dec 4 at 6:13am
You're right on all counts. I just figured some editor might love the idea of you pepper spraying yourself. =D
May '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Glenn the Iconoclast
I am not disputing you, and I don't know the legal status of campus police vs. "real" police (my quotes) in your jurisdiction. I only wish to point out that in Az. all police are created equal, by statute, and campus police are not generally rejects (although it is common for the to be held in lower esteem than "real" police (my quotes again)). · Dec 4 at 1:38am
In CA campus police are just as real as city police or deputy sheriffs. They all have to be POST certified. I was simply explaining an insider's perspective and, yes, bias about campus police vs city or deputy sheriffs. There is a reason campus coppers don't draw the cream of the crop in the law enforcement biz, the pay isn't as good. Sad but true reality.
Oct '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Steven Potter
What the cops did seemed reasonable to me, and they bent over backwards to avoid it...There is nothing peaceful about surrounding police officers and demanding they surrender the students they have arrested as a condition to let the police leave.
Still not seeing how the actions of some students justify pepper spraying others, especially since it happened after-the-fact.
"The protesters do not seem to realize the serious situation they have created by blocking the police."
Give me a break. When I used to lifeguard back in high school we would tell whining parents "Ma'am, please stop distracting me from saving lives, you are creating a dangerous situation for the children!" This seems about as phony. I can understand if the officer (singular; the others did a nice job) was more concerned because of the Oakland stuff, and that should definitely be taken into account, but this still seems too far.
Admittedly, this situation looks worse than before. But you can think this was an overreaction without calling for the head of the officer; I would have probably done worse in their situation. But this is a least cautionary.
Edited on December 6, 2011 at 12:25amJul '11
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
I would still pay good money to mace their pathetic, misguided, self-entitled, abusive visages.
Basically if it were up to them they would legalize more theft from me in the form of taxes so call this preemptive retribution.
Why is it illegal for me to forcefully remove money from their pockets yet them voting in a socialist who would remove my money at gunpoint any different. The answer is not complicated as they are both theft.
Oct '10
Re: UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: What Really Happened
Felicia, you and Peter Robinson are in a class unto yourselves. Only you two (as far as I know) are classy enough to include such references that make your posts that much more interesting without being pretentious. It reminds me of Peter's references to his lunches/dinners with VIPs. I'm impressed.