Outrage over police pepper-spraying students

In this image taken from video, a police officer uses pepper spray as he walks down a line of Occupy demonstrators sitting on the ground at the University of California, Davis on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. / AP Photo/Thomas K. Fowler

SAN FRANCISCO - As video spread of an officer in riot gear blasting pepper spray into the faces of seated protesters at a northern California university, outrage came quickly — followed almost as quickly by defense from police and calls for the chancellor's resignation.

University of California Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi said in a statement Saturday she was forming a task force to investigate the police action and the video images she said were "chilling."

However, a law enforcement official who watched the clip called the use of force "fairly standard police procedure."

In the video, an officer dispassionately pepper-sprays a line of several sitting protesters who flinch and cover their faces but remain passive with their arms interlocked as onlookers shriek and scream out for the officer to stop.

As the images were circulated widely on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter on Saturday, the university's faculty association called on Katehi to resign, saying in a letter there had been a "gross failure of leadership."

At a news conference, Katehi said what the video shows is, "sad and really very inappropriate" but defended her leadership and said she had no plans to resign.

"I do not think that I have violated the policies of the institution," she said. "I have worked personally very hard to make this campus a safe campus for all."

Katehi remained in a media room for more than two hours after the news conference, eventually walking to an SUV past a group of students nearly three blocks long who, in a coordinated effort, remained completely silent. The Sacramento Bee said.

The protest was held in support of the overall Occupy Wall Street movement and in solidarity with protesters at the University of California, Berkeley who were jabbed by police with batons on Nov. 9.

Charles J. Kelly, a former Baltimore Police Department lieutenant who wrote the department's use of force guidelines, said pepper spray is a "compliance tool" that can be used on subjects who do not resist, and is preferable to simply lifting protesters.

"When you start picking up human bodies, you risk hurting them," Kelly said. "Bodies don't have handles on them."

After reviewing the video, Kelly said he observed at least two cases of "active resistance" from protesters. In one instance, a woman pulls her arm back from an officer. In the second instance, a protester curls into a ball. Each of those actions could have warranted more force, including baton strikes and pressure-point techniques.

"What I'm looking at is fairly standard police procedure," Kelly said.

Images of police actions have served to galvanize support during the Occupy Wall Street movement, from the clash between protesters and police in Oakland last month that left an Iraq War veteran with serious injuries to more recent skirmishes in New York City, San Diego, Denver and Portland, Ore.

Some of the most notorious instances went viral online, including the use of pepper spray on an 84-year-old activist in Seattle and a group of women in New York. Seattle's mayor apologized to the activist, and the New York Police Department official shown using pepper spray on the group of women lost 10 vacation days after an internal review.

In the video of the UC Davis protest, the officer, a member of the university police force, displays a bottle before spraying its contents on the seated protesters in a sweeping motion while walking back and forth. Most of the protesters have their heads down, but several were hit directly in the face.

Some members of a crowd gathered at the scene scream and cry out. The crowd then chants, "Shame on You," as the protesters on the ground are led away. The officers retreat minutes later with helmets on and batons drawn.

Ten people were arrested.

Nine students hit by pepper spray were treated at the scene, two were taken to hospitals and later released, university officials said.

They declined to release the officer's name.

UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza said the decision to use pepper spray was made at the scene.

"The students had encircled the officers," she said Saturday. "They needed to exit. They were looking to leave but were unable to get out."

Many Twitter and Facebook comments supported the students and criticized the response.

"Stomach churning video of police using pepper spray on seated anti-Wall Street protesters in Davis, Calif.," actress Mia Farrow wrote in a retweet of the video.

Elsewhere in California, police arrested six Occupy San Francisco protesters early Sunday and dismantled a tent encampment in front of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Officer Albie Esparza says police and city crews took down about 12 tents. The six were arrested on charges of interfering with officers.

The raid came several hours after police and public works crews removed dozens of tents from the nearby Occupy camp at Justin Herman Plaza.

Earlier, several hundred protesters in Oakland tore down a chain-link fence surrounding a city-owned vacant lot and set up a new encampment five days after their main camp near City Hall was torn down.

"They obviously don't want us at the plaza downtown. We might as well make this space useful," Chris Skantz, 23, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Occupy Oakland protesters breached the fence and poured into the lot next to the Fox Theater on Telegraph Avenue, police said in a statement.

The protesters passed a line of police surrounding the lot without a struggle, used wire cutters to take down the fence and pulled down "no trespassing" signs the Chronicle reported.

Police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said surrounding streets had been closed and officers were protecting surrounding buildings

Watson said there had been no arrests or citations, but the city's position remains that no camping will be allowed and protesters can't stay overnight.

[dajson2]

I'm sick and tired of all this bashing of pepper spray. It's actually very good for the eyes.

[TheTroubledPAtriot]

I'm totally opposed to the OWS movement - horrified by it, actually. However, that being said, what the police did was a shameful act of cowardice backed up by the yellow bullies pulling out riot gear and wielding batons. I can understand if it was the normal riotous acts perpetrated by the OWS (violence, rapes, theft, destruction of property, etc.); but to use pepper spray against people sitting peacefully, well that's just over the top.

To any cop reading this and who supports this, tell you what... why don't YOU sit your yellow rear end down and let me pepper spray you! THEN we can talk!

[noloyalisti]

The two cops and their supervisor should be fired. The chancellor of UC Davis should resign. This is over the top, this police violence against non violent protestors that have been wronged by the Top 1%.

Don't forget the reason that these students are out there, because the Top 1% and the leaders of this country have failed and no longer care about the needs of the people.

[noloyalisti]

Got Police State? Thanks Republicon wackos.

[dnha14]

Geez back in 1970 on a march on Washington against the Vietnam War hundreds, if not thousands of us were sitting peacefully and got tear gassed. We wore it as a badge of honor and no police or National Guard were arrested, suspended, or fired. The tear gassing was intentionally done to peaceful protesters. You know, you take your chances and you get whatever comes to you. These "occupiers" need to take some lessons from their elders. We knew how to protest and we knew how to take the repercussions. These new guys are a bunch of wimps. Wah Wah! They got pepper sprayed. At least we had a much better reason to be protesting.

[sandiegopete]

It is a new day gramps. Pepper spray is quite different from tear gas. Have some hot milk and take a nap. You will feel better. Let the younger people have their time.

[dnha14]

Hey sandigopete,
Tell the youngins while they are having their time to grow a pair.

[wode007]

Why doesn't the occupy movement protest over paid pro athletes?

[credibility2]

...because they're too stupid to believe that anyone but a CEO on Wall St. is in the 1%...these are the same stupid numbskulls who refused to obey a police order to disperse after being warned if they didn't they'd be sprayed and then when they refuse to disperse and get sprayed, they stay for more spraying...stupid and dumb...they should also be protesting against entertainers, news anchors, politicians and anyone else that's a millionaire and in the 1%...again, the protesters are too stupid...

[tocono68]

Why can't these Occupy Wall Streeters take a cue from the tea party rallies? (Notice that I don't put tea party in caps because they aren't actually a classified group in anyone's minds but the progressives who want to demonize them.) Those rallies are always peaceful, organized, have coherent proposals for change that they can articulate without defecating and fornicating in public or breaking the law to draw attention to themselves. The police were doiing their jobs: protecting the public welfare by attempting to disband an unlawful assembly. They gave the people fair warning about the pepper spray. And don't give me that ridiculous argument that the first ammendment protects this kind of garbage! It protects the right of people to "peaceably assemble". There is nothing peaceful about these assemblies. They are full of yellers and screamers. It seems the progressive lot is full of them. Al Gore: "HE PLAYED ON OUR FEARS"; Shrill Hillary Clinton: "WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DISAGREE, WITH ANY ADMINISTRATION" ; Howard Dean: Oh hell, who knows what he was yelling about? There was another progressive in the 1930s who used to yell a lot to get his point across. Who was that?

[tocono68]

Uh, sorry, but those people you saw w/ assult weapons had a second-amendment-guaranteed right to bear those arms openly, and they were defending that right. And point me to the vids of chaotic happenings at tes party rallies, where people are fornicating, defecating,and masturbating in public. I will point you to the utube vids of these occupiers doing just that!!!

[SidTeaParty]

I am so scaired that radicals have taken over our country with mob rule, as long as we have a negro president pandering to the parasiste class, we risk a real chance of civil war. These protesters need to be surpressed with the strongest possible show of power.

[alanrobisch]

Oh how my heart is pained by this awful incident. did someone die no oh someone is terminally ill and will die or has this person been permanently handicapped sucha s my wife . Oh she's not she must going to serious pain and suffering no wow.

Lets see some people who intentionally violate police orders get injured and now its the end of the workld for the people who post here. for me it would have been the loss of my wife who nearly died or that my son born with a serious birth defect.

Whoops the perspective shown by posters herer is ridiculous. typical of left wing whiners. they intentionally come into conflict with the police and then complain about how the police treaqt them. I try to obey the law. so have the teaparty. Liberals think violation of the law in their causes is wonderful.

Paeans are written about it but the facts that rapes occurred at the site of the occupy wall street in NY and that drug use was common. No problem . Not a big deal the people are having their say but one mistake by a police officer and boom wow how awful the police are.

when you play with fire you get burnt Maybe peaceful and legal demonstartions would be a start but no the sole idea is to create chaos to bring attention to themselves

[dzaffina]

by corpsgonewild November 20, 2011 4:10 PM EST
The Republican Agenda:

Exempt $690 billion Bush tax cuts - Chop $650 billion special education aid
Exempt $312 billion Itemized deducts - Chop $ $310 billion national Inst. of health
Exempt $129 billion subsidies for foreign profits - Chop $100 billion Centers for Disease Control and FDA
Exempt $97.5 billion subsidies for business inventories - Chop $98 billion Head Start and child care
Exempt $44 billion subsidies for oil and gas companies - Chop $47 billion Energy grants heat for poor people
Exempt $$21.4 billion Carried interest loophole for hedge funds - Chop $20 billion for job training
Exempt $10 billion Tax break on vacation homes and yachts - Chop $11 billion for after school tutoring

Anyone else see a pattern here?
this is why they are protesting.

[justme128]

You left out the i after you numbers indicating they are imaginary. Here are some facts:
Annual U.S. Department of Education spending on elementary and secondary education increased from $27.3 billion in 2001 to $38 billion in 2006, up by nearly 40 percent. According to the department, annual spending on the Title I program to assist disadvantaged children grew by 45 percent between 2001 and 2006. In 2007, the department will spend 59 percent more on special education programs than it did in 2001.

[take_a_number]

Are these real cops or rent- a- cop ?