Peaceful UC Davis Protesters Pepper Sprayed by Police

After nearly 100 students and activists gathered at a quad at UC(University of California)-Davis, police armed in riot gear arrived to disrupt the peaceful protest. The event was a part of Occupy UC-Davis — a response of solidarity with the  Occupy Wall Street movement. At the behest of the Chancellor of the university, campus police, armed with pepper spray and weapons that resembled paintball guns, began forcibly removing students from the quad.

Police brutality and violence ensued as the campus PD approached a group of protesters simply sitting on a pathway. Lt. John Pike of the UC Davis police, standing feet away from the protesters, sprayed a cannister of pepper spray directly into their eyes and mouth. Even after the barrage of pepper spray, the protesters refused to move at which point officers arrested them with plastic zip-ties.

Outbreaks of violence by the state against protesters have become commonplace at demonstrations around the country. The video below is telling of how little police value the rights of peaceful protesters.

Near the 4 minute mark, defiant protesters begin to surround the police with chants of, “Shame on you!” and, “You can go!” The police huddle in a cowardice fashion and eventually make their way out of the quad after having violently attacked innocent people.

Source: Unelected