Video: Police pepper-spray passive Occupy demonstrators at the University of California

Published by newsfreak

November 19, 2011 at 14:13

A video has surfaced online showing a "tense" standoff between police and Occupy demonstrators at the University of California, Davis. The video shows an officer pepper spraying group of protesters who appear to be sitting passively on the ground with the arms interlocked. Moments after another officer is seen pepper spraying on the students. Check the chilling video -

It's not clear from the video what agency the officer who used the pepper spray represents. Officers from UC Davis and other UC campuses as well as the city of Davis responded to the protest, according to Annette Spicuzza, UC Davis police chief. Davis is about 80 miles north of San Francisco.

Spicuzza told the Sacramento Bee that police used the pepper spray after they were surrounded. Protesters were warned repeatedly beforehand that force would be used if they didn't move, she said.

"There was no way out of that circle," Spicuzza said. "They were cutting the officers off from their support. It's a very volatile situation."

The tents went up on Thursday, and protesters were warned on Friday morning that they had until 3 p.m. to take them down or they would be removed.
Source: www.cbsnews.com

So, I guess the video clearly shows that the protesters were a "big" threat to the officers. Just ridiculous!

Another video of the incident -

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Comment by

Lisa G

December 16, 2011 at 12:56

"There was no way out of that circle," Spicuzza said. "They were cutting the officers off from their support. It's a very volatile situation."

...Uh, they were SITTING on the ground and were UNARMED. That is the most pathetic excuse I've heard for this yet. If they needed to get "out of the circle" all they had to do was step over the protesters. What a lack of common sense.