Unedited version of the UC Davis Pepper Spraying
Watch the full video. Tell me the police acted inappropriately.
You are asked to leave a private property, and you refuse after numerous warnings. You gonna get what you get. I look at it this way. If you are on public streets you become a public nuisance, you need to be arrested. If you are on a private property, you should be forcibly removed.
Freedom of speech and assembly is one thing. Willful disobedience is another matter.
I say those idiots deserved what they got.
I love the treatment occupy Chicago got. When the CME dumped McDonalds application on their heads from their building. Bravo, CME!!!
They were excessive. That’s not even the full video it’s even clearly stated that it was edited. Show me a video where the police are in any kind of danger and that will justify the use such force.
thank you!!
I guess it’s a question of what kind of country you want to live in. If you like the militarization of our police forces and cheer on what resembles a facist police state from a futuristic sci-fi movie then that’s your right I suppose. If you think shooting tear gas and rubber bullets into an unarmed crowd of American citizens almost killing an Iraq war veteran in Oakland is hilarious then that’s your right also. I think pepper spraying unarmed, passive middle class college kids is a pussy move when they could have easily just picked them up and hauled them off for tresspassing. It’s a shitty world you guys want to live in, it just sucks that I have to live here to. Assholes.
[quote=“DJ ATX, post:2, topic:33833, username:DJ_ATX”]
I say those idiots deserved what they got.
[/quote]So exercising your constitutional first amendment rights is justification for using deadly chemical weapons on peaceful non-violent, non-threating congregations?
[quote]The Los Angeles Times reported in 1995 at least 61 deaths associated with police use of pepper spray since 1990 in the USA.[/quote][quote]Pepper spray is banned for use in war by Article I.5 of the Chemical Weapons Convention which bans the use of all riot control agents in warfare whether lethal or less-than-lethal.[/quote][quote]The US Army concluded in a 1993 Aberdeen Proving Ground study that pepper spray could cause “mutagenic effects, carcinogenic effects, sensitization, cardiovascular and pulmonary toxicity, neurotoxicity, as well as possible human fatalities. There is a risk in using this product on a large and varied population”. However, the pepper spray was widely approved in the US despite the reservations of the US military scientists after it passed FBI tests in 1991. As of 1999, it was in use by more than 2000 public safety agencies.
The head of the FBI’s Less-Than-Lethal Weapons Program at the time of the 1991 study, Special Agent Thomas W. W. Ward, was fired by the FBI and was sentenced to two months in prison for receiving payments from a peppergas manufacturer while conducting and authoring the FBI study that eventually approved pepper spray for FBI use. Prosecutors said that from December 1989 through 1990, Ward received about $5,000 a month for a total of $57,500, from Luckey Police Products, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company that was a major producer and supplier of pepper spray. The payments were paid through a Florida company owned by Ward’s wife.[/quote]
For the record, I live in Canada, not the states.
From the video, this protest went from a peaceful protest about the university “we are doing this for your kids” to a full out attack on the security/police. Not physical mind you, but verbal “release them and we will let you go, and continue protesting” the line was crossed when the protesters stopped protesting about the school, and turned on the police. Ample warning was given that they were all breaking the law, and needed to leave, and this was disregarded. Then the students sat behind the security/cops and built a wall, that when others joined, the crowd went nuts, cheering and yelling.
My take: a bunch of students that thought that defying the police would get their message across were assaulted. BUT, they were breaking the law, and were becoming unruly. Mobs are dangerous things, individuals stop thinking for themselves, and start acting as a unit. All it would have taken was one stone being thrown, and the police may have had a bigger problem on their hands. You have the right to free speech, and protest, but when things start getting out of hand, and people begin defying the authority figures, steps need to be taken to put the protest to rest. This was NOT a peaceful protest, as the protesters were verbally attacking the police. Both sides were in the wrong, but warning was given that the pepper spray was coming out.
A few years ago you would have gotten a VERY different answer out of me, I would have sided with the protesters, but the world looks different to me now, and I can see that a mob that big could have gotten far out of control. Both sides were wrong, and neither are innocent.
the kids were doing nothing positive by being in that park.
then instead of listening and coming back once the police leave they taunt and belittle the police by saying “f*ck the police” which is way past the line.
each personally got a warning saying you know you will be sprayed if you stay and the each nodded okay. right before they announced they will get sprayed. PLENTY of time to leave. they sprayed the kids and each of them had their eyes closed and covered.
I’m their peers to, i’m 20 years old. They got what they deserved. we all have rights but we also have laws.
these kids were immature and should be in school rather than being “hippies” and think they are doing good.
Hippies got pepper sprayed. They deserved it. The hillarious part is that the entitlement of this generation caused this. (and no, im not refering to freedom of speech as to what they are entitled to)
These idiots threatened the police by demanding the release of the arrested students. They threatened to discontinue their peaceful protest, chanted fuck the police and laughed at them during the police’s attempt to let them know their fate if they continue to disobey.
campus police pepper sprayed students that were peacefully protesting.
not ok at all.
I guess I missed the boat. I’m pretty sure peaceful protests were classified under sit ins, marches, and other “non-violent” movements. Many of the occupys have swung from peaceful to “angry mob.” Nothing about that looks non-violent. Basically trying to take the police hostage. Fuck them.
I served as a volunteer firefighter and medic for many years. I was good friends with many of the local law enforcement. Do you know how hard it is to be a cop? I had a few heart to hearts with a couple officers once, as I was thinking about going down that road and joining up. They told me, and I’ll always remember this:
“The hardest part about being a police officer is that everyone already has an opinion about you just because you’re wearing blue. You’re judged before you open you mouth. People will hate you, people always lie to you, etc”
And this was just walking down the street. Can you imagine being in a group of 40-50 officers up against that?
Honestly if it was me making the decisions, I wouldn’t have even interfered. They don’t have the manpower.
If they were breaking the law and failed to comply when asked, as it seems they were numerous times, they are in the wrong.
If the video portrays that incorrectly, then obviously I am wrong. But if the former, my original comment stands. Damn hippies!
im a cop and i can agree with this 100%
I won’t go on about politics on this board. I’m an extreme liberal and support the 99% every way I can.
That said…
I’m an Obama supporter, but he really needs to start standing up for Human Rights.
I also realize it’s difficult to be a cop, but sometimes you have to stand for what is right, no matter your orders. We wouldn’t treat dogs this badly, why are we doing it to kids?
I can’t imagine how anyone can defend the pepper spraying here. Everything else aside, even if we agree that the protesters were in the wrong, that they were told to leave and that should have been evicted, why didn’t the officers just pick them up and drag them away?
no matter “rights” if law enforcement says move. you move. they don’t answer to us.
not are position to resist authority or question their reasons behind it. that wasn’t campus police.
If you think that was “protesting” or peaceful then you deserve to be one of them.
I grew up in a family of police officers and friends that served or serve now.
I’d be damned if i let some “protestors” insult the police or disrespect them in anyway.
Also i find it hilarious when they want “rights” and respect because they are adults then when the police are going to remove them they shout " don’t shoot the kids."
you can’t have your cake and eat it too. grow the F up and if you wanna be an adult and treated like one, act like it. Go to school go to work pay your bills and respect the country you live in or get out.
No one has freedom of speech once they insult authority or this country.
If you think you are still right you need to realize what the real world is and how reality will hit you with a big slap to the face.
I suppose your right, the officers should have just shot them. that would teach them not to protest anything. everyone should just do whatever the police say, no matter what. even if it is just campus security.
When it comes to crowd control vs the amount of students and officers you have to use pepper spray or tear gas to disuse a situation that could turn into a riot.
they did the right thing/protocol. they warned more than three times and gave individual warnings to each. thats what your taught in the academy about crowd control or riots.
they would have dragged them away if they were less students and more police. they pepper spray was also used because the students failed to listen and retaliated instead of cooperating.
They pepper sprayed the ones who refused to cooperate after multiple personal warnings and to show an example to the students that what they are trying to accomplish doesn’t follow suit when authority politely asks to vacate and clear the “occupy”
as an outsider it may look unfair but its the law and those are the consequences.
the ratio of cops to people in this country is way off so when situations like this that can get ugly and potentially harm police they don’t take it lightly. in all honesty if it wasn’t for it being college kids, things wouldn’t have been so pretty.
they took there time to give the students chances even after all the threats and disrespect.
seriously? what did they accomplish? they don’t have rights to gather and assemble in a public place like that. if you resist authority you will be subject to them. simple.
your hippie ass should move to middle eastern countries. you steal, your hand is cut off.
but I’m sure your the type that believes everyone should just do what they want mentality and rules are for lames and uptight people.