OPINION: Did UC Davis officers make the wrong call to mace the peaceful occupy protestors?
On Nov. 18, UC Davis Police Lt. John Pike used pepper spray to move Occupy UC Davis protesters while blocking an exit from the school’s quad Davis, Calif.
by Israel J. Wilder
Staff Writer
Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, UC Davis Police Lt. John Pike uses pepper spray to move Occupy UC Davis protesters while blocking an exit from the school's quad Davis, Calif. (Louise Macabitas/Courtesy Photo)
By now most of you have seen, or heard, about the UC Davis pepper spray incident.
UC Davis campus police officer John Pike is the one in the video with his finger pulling the trigger. With all the media attention that this has gained, it was hard to really know what happened. I was appalled the first time I saw the video footage. However, I did find myself wondering what might have lead to this. Although, I guess the real question is, did Officer Pike use excessive force in dealing with what looked like a peaceful protest? It could be argued that he was doing his job. However, I don’t think that’s going to cut it in this discussion.
When I was watching the video, I wanted to know why only the students on the sidewalk were being pepper-sprayed. Furthermore, it looked like the police officers warned them a few times and told them that they were going to be pepper-sprayed. I guess that’s when I would have moved to the grass, and then moved back to the sidewalk after they left. Either way, I think that the officer could have done without the pepper spray. It looked like he was trying to use the whole can on them.
Through discussion I have heard many opinions. Most people that I have spoken with around campus agree that this incident was uncalled for. In my research I found one article, on the Higher Ed Live website, that pointed out how observers may think it was a non-violent protest but it may have been perceived differently by the police . They quoted a UCLA Police report that stated this from a similar protest in 2008:
“It appears from interviews and correspondence that many students and faculty members were under the impression that…locking arms with others to block a pathway would be regarded by police as passive and peaceful resistance not justifying the use of force. In fact, demonstrators who stand, sit, or lie down with arms locked to one another are engaged in ‘active resistance’ as UCLA and other police departments understand that phrase…”
What if they just said that they were playing “Red Rover” or “Duck, Duck, Goose”? Would the cops still use tear gas and pepper spray? I hate to sound silly but when I read the quote for the first time I chuckled a little. I would have settled for “the cops were outnumbered and felt threatened by the large number of peaceful protestors.” You have to come up with something a little better than that if you want your actions to be justified.
Then again, we don’t really know what happened leading up to the incident. Were protestors being violent like UCLA students in 2008? The video leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions. But no matter how many times you play the video, it looks bad for Officer Pike and the UC Davis Police Department.
Short URL: http://thechaparral.com/?p=4168
Posted by Opinion
on Dec 5 2011. Filed under Advisor Approved, Opinion, TOP STORIES, Vol. 57, Issue 6.
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