The understandable outrage: UC Davis pepper spray accident

The Occupy UC Davis movement was in an uproar when a police officer pepper-sprayed a line of students sitting in a peaceful protest on the ground on Nov. 18. The event, news of which spread via a disturbing video, sparked outrage across the country.

Although it is somewhat understandable that the police might have felt threatened by the presence of so many students, the police are ultimately at fault for instigating violence. The evidence in the video is clear; the students were peacefully sitting on the ground in protest when a policeman ruthlessly and indifferently sprayed them. He even continued to spray them when they shouted in pain.

The police officer’s move was not defensive. There were no students attacking him or even touching him at all. As someone who is supposed to maintain peace, he was clearly mistaken about his job description.

According to an interview with KQED, the UC Davis chancellor said that the police were supposed to peacefully disassemble the encampment. Peacefully.

It appears that a trend is building throughout the nation. As seen in previous BART shootings and the police’s reactions to multiple Occupy protests, authorities are now more inclined use violence to solve conflicts. Police should practice calm and orderly enforcement of the law instead of being quick to harm the people they vowed to protect.

Perhaps public outrage has been magnified by the hyper-speed at which information spreads these days via Internet, but that is no excuse for the unnecessary violence. The police had no good reason to harm the protesters. The students were not posing an immediate threat, and it would not have been devastating to the police or campus activities to allow them continue their protest.
Protesters are sacrificing their own time and well-being to promote a cause they believe in. Their actions are not, and were not, harming anyone else. During the incident, police always held the upper hand since they carried weapons.

Some argue that the police were justified in their actions because the students surrounded them. However, the students who were attacked were sitting down, rather than standing up. The police could have stepped over them if they wanted to leave.

Many are taking this event lightheartedly; there is an entire Tumblr page dedicated to the “pepper spray cop,” whose Photoshopped figure is shown spraying unlikely victims such as a group of frolicking Care Bears and an anguished Spongebob Squarepants. But despite some playful parodies, the Occupy movement is not slowing down.

The students possess all the rights under the Constitution to protest and assemble nonviolently, and they should utilize the attention of the media that they have gained to speak their mind. Even the humanities teachers at Davis had given a day off for the students to take part in the momentous protests.

As of Dec. 5, protesters have decided to take down some tents and other structures. However, a few committed protesters are planning to continue occupying the campus through the holidays. Students insist that although the camp will become smaller, the protest is long from over.

Some police supporters have asserted that the student encampments should be dismantled completely because of sanitation and health reasons. Currently, there is not adequate evidence of these problems to warrant police violence. Should these problems arise, those affected can be treated in local hospitals, and preventative action can be taken. Students have the right to continue their protest unless they harm themselves or others.

This “Occupy” protest, like many of the others across the nation, has also caused police to lose some of their trustworthiness. Accounts of the police’s usage of ruthless beatings, tear gas and pepper spray have resulted in the loss of respect. The police’s harsh treatment to the protesters has created a poor image of law enforcement that it needs to recover from.

This non-violent Occupy Davis protest has gained some momentum through the callous use of pepper spray to the students, and now it is time for the students to use this leverage to speak their mind and give a purpose to the protest that has caused so much chaos.

In the end, the overpowering chant that rose up from the crowd when the police attacked the students sends a clear message to authorities who use violence without clear provocation: “Shame on you.”