Cops arrest dozens of "Occupy Cal" protesters

Student activists lock arms in front of Sproul Hall on the University of California at Berkeley campus on Nov. 9, 2011, in Berkeley, Calif. Student activists attempted to set up an "Occupy Cal" camp on campus despite official warnings that such encampments are not allowed. These activists joined students across California in calling to make banks pay to end cuts to higher education. / AP Photo/Ben Margot

BERKELEY, Calif. - Dozens of people were arrested during Occupy demonstrations at the University of California, Berkeley campus, as authorities twice clashed with protesters trying to set up encampments.

The bulk of the arrests came Wednesday night, as authorities in riot gear confronted demonstrators.

Television news footage from outside the university's main administration building showed officers pulling people from the steps and nudging others with batons as the crowd chanted, "We are the 99 percent!" and "Stop Beating Students!"

Thirty-two people were arrested on suspicion of resisting and delaying police officers and failing to disperse, UC Berkeley police Lt. Alex Yao told the Daily Californian, which live blogged the events. They were sent to Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility in Oakland for processing. Just before midnight Thursday, Yao said 39 protesters had been arrested so far.

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University police didn't immediately return calls from The Associated Press.

The officers eventually formed a perimeter around the steps of the building.

As the evening wore on, the crowd swelled as protesters debated whether to stay overnight.

The university reported earlier that an administrator had told the protesters they could stay around the clock for a week, but only if they didn't pitch tents or use stoves or other items that would suggest people were sleeping there.

The protesters voted not to comply with the demand and to go ahead with setting up a tent site they dubbed "Occupy Cal" to protest financial policies they blame for causing deep cuts in higher education spending.

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Earlier in the day, campus police assisted by Alameda County deputies dismantled a small encampment students had set up near Sproul Hall despite official warnings that such encampments would not be allowed.

University officials said seven people -- six students and one faculty member -- were arrested during that clash on charges of resisting and delaying peace officers in the performance of their duties and/or failure to disperse.

One of the seven was also charged with striking an officer.

The move to create a campus off-shoot of the Occupy Wall Street camps around the country came after hundreds of students, teachers and Berkeley residents rallied on campus before marching peacefully to a Bank of America branch.

At one point, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Harry Le Grande came out to negotiate, telling camp participants they could stay but only with certain conditions, such as not sleeping at the site, using sound amplifiers or fires. According to the Daily Californian, Le Grande said if any rules were broken, a 10-minute warning would be given before police arrived.

"The university supports the efforts of any group to speak out freely, but everyone is expected to follow campus policies, the law, and respect the rights of others to go to class, to teach, to do their work," campus spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said.

Shadrick Small, 25, a UC Berkeley graduate student in sociology, was among the protesters trying to block police from dismantling the camp.

"It just seems unnecessary. We weren't doing anything. We were just standing there with a bunch of tents," Small said. "And their first response is just to come in and start hitting people. The reaction is just over the top."

[Averagejoe68]

Nudging? They broke the ribs of these kids and started with a 100lb girl, that's nudging? This was instigated by one cop who checked for cameras right before beating on the girl. Badge number 14.

[Justinkase82]

My thoughts exactly! A large, fit, well-trained police officer in full protective gear striking a nonaggressive person as hard and fast as they can with a weapon designed to do damage is not "nudging!" ***? I hate these web articles that cannot be attributed to any specific author! So out of touch/full of crap!

[CordeliaDS]

Broken ribs for sure? Do you have a name of the girl or any published info? Has anyone ID'ed badge 14? This is extremely disgusting to watch. 4 of those cops should be fired, as should UC police Captain Margo Bennett who said, 'Those who linked arms and actively resisted, that in itself is an act of violence. I understand that many students may not think that, but linking arms in a human chain when ordered to step aside is not a nonviolent protest." You can reach Capt. Margo Bennett 510-642-1296 or [e-mail]

[kansas1946]

What amuses me is the outrage our government shows over similar things going on in other countries that they view as oppresive. A bunch of protesters are told not to be somewhere, not to do something, the protesters do it anyway, and they are beaten, dragged, arrested, and sometimes shot. That is why the constituion allows public assembly. But of course, it is kind of like the old saying, "If you want to eliminate crime, make everything legal." Just this is the opposite, make everything illegal so you can harrass everyone. They can keep making all of these "rules", you can't sleep, you can't have a tent, you can't eat, you can't go to the bathroom, you can't breath...
and then excuse excessive behavior by saying these folks are just law breakers and deserver what they get.

[sjj1222]

America used to work The people had work. The system worked. Hey, EVEN the Congress used to work...(sometimes). God knows, it was far, far, far from perfect - but at least we all had some share in the struggles AND the rewards. But somewhere along the way, we lost our way. And now we seem to have an economy and a political system that works only for the rich. What they call "trickle down economics"... just leaves most of us out in the cold cold rain. We need to get back to what America was, and what it should be, and what it can be. Occupy Wall Street is no longer just a place called Zuccotti Park - Zuccotti Park is everywhere. You can try to pen us in, you can beat us and arrest us, you can mace and tear-gas us , and you can try to "permit" us to death....but you can't kill an idea. You can't keep down a people's hopes and dreams for a better life.....a life with dignity and freedom....for us... for our kids. More power to Occupy Wall Street, as it spreads to every town and city - because OWS is us, and for us, and by us. It comes up from the grassroots, and it lifts us up in turn. With OWS America has found it's voice, and that voice demands fairness and justice. This land IS our land! AND WE WANT IT BACK! ...We want our lives back!... We want our future back! ....So why not take some time, find a quiet place somewhere, and consider this: Each of us has only one brief life...one chance...and many choices. It's time to choose...and to act. If not now...then when? If not you....then who? You DO have the power my friend....and the choice is yours.

[JohnHenry3]

Who wrote this piece of trash article? No wonder, CBS lies just like CNN and Fox News. It's funny because Rupert Murdoch owns major shares in most if not all of mainstream media and we barely hear his corrupt phone hacking scandal. Any media outlet that the Murdochs own shares of cannot be trusted as a reliable news source, plain and simple.

[OldManAnderson]

"Nudging others with batons"? Nudging? Those students - our youth - our future - are being beaten. Plain and simple. This is sickening.