Open Mic on UC Davis Events

First, who said the revolution won't be televised?

Second, I'm wondering if colleges think they can stay in business without students who believe they can find jobs.

Not sure.  Have watched this video link from Kevin Drum twice now.  

I am still not sure which frightened me more, the pepper spraying by the cops or watching them back away in fear from the crowd.  

Here are a couple of links I picked up from interfluidity on twitter.

Why I Feel Bad for the Pepper-Spraying Policeman, Lt. John Pike - Alexis Madrigal - National - The Atlantic: "If we vilify Pike, we let the institutions off way too easy."

Securitizing America: Strategic Incapacitation and the Policing of Protest Since the 11 September 2001 Terrorist Attacks - Gillham - 2011 - Sociology Compass - Wiley Online Library -- Have only scanned the abstract on this one but know it should be read more conscientiously than I can manage today.  

This is new territory, in my estimation. I'm not sure when I've ever seen this degree of discipline in a non-violent demonstration. The incident at the time of the pepper-spraying by Pike and the follow-through from the protesters is remarkable. The police were inviting a riot, and the students refused to engage on those terms. And in the end, they won! The police ultimately surrendered the quad and - MOST CRITICALLY - also surrendered whatever moral authority they might have claimed upon entering the scene. They end up looking truly pathetic.

I cannot refrain from taking frequent views of the Chancellor's inglorious exit from campus. This is one of the most moving pieces of video I've seen, remarkable for the way in which it makes shame palpable. Every one of those students will remember forever that they were involved in this community action, and you can bet that the Chancellor will not readily blow it off either. It's a long walk to the car. This is powerful stuff! And I applaud the students and the organizers who maintain the required discipline to make the effective point using non-violence as their "weapon" of choice. Absolutely wonderful!

From NYT:

According to California Penal Code Section 12403.7 (a) (8), use of tear gas or a tear gas weapon, EXCEPT in self-defense, can be a felony, the following being possible sanctions for misuse:

Up to three years in state prison; or
Up to one year in county jail; or
Fine up to $1, 000; or
Both fine and imprisonment."

There was no threat to the cop as he calmly walked down the line of students and soaked them with the stuff. He was a UC campus cop.

If you have ever been around pepper spray up close, you can hardly breathe even if it is used in the other direction from you, the strong stuff is used to repel grizzly bear attacks. The cop should be fired and go to jail, and soon, if he isn't UC Davis admin should be fired, who the hell cares if students sit or put up tents on the f--ing campus?

SAN FRANCISCO -- A California university placed two of its police officers on administrative leave Sunday because of their involvement in the pepper spraying of passively sitting protesters, while the school's chancellor accelerated a task force's investigation into the incident amid calls for her resignation.

The president of the 10-campus University of California system also weighed in on the growing fallout from Friday's incident at UC Davis, saying that he is "appalled" at images of students being doused with pepper spray and plans a far-reaching, urgent assessment of law enforcement procedures on all campuses.

"I implore students who wish to demonstrate to do so in a peaceful and lawful fashion. I expect campus authorities to honor that right," UC President Mark G. Yudof said. All 10 chancellors would convene soon for a discussion "about how to ensure proportional law enforcement response to non-violent protest," he said.

These videos recorded two extraordinary moments in the history of protest. The shaming of campus police resulting in their retreat from the quad, and the shaming of Chancellor Katehi.

Some of the bloggers here hold the opinion that OWS is weak, ineffective and misdirected.

Videos like this demonstrate precisely why that is not the case.

Elite ownership of our institutions and our government is not affected by elections that replace corporate Repbulicans with corporate Democrats, or vice versa. Change takes place on the ground.

These UC Davis students show remarkable intelligence and discipline. My heart is with them.

Further evidence of the changing conversation.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/66102f44-11db-11e1-a114-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1eIU7tWqa

There isn't any question that Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi should resign or be removed. She should have recognized the chance for trouble and herself gone out to meet the students, or sent a representative of high rank in the administration, both to control the campus cops, and to recognize the students protest.

On most university campuses, the cops are kept under tight control when dealing with young students who are protesting. The UC administration failed badly and the responsibility goes to the top.

Nathan Brown, a faculty member, UK Daily Mail:

'The Chancellor’s role is to enable open and free inquiry, not to suppress it.'

Nathan Brown, an assistant professor in the Department of English, also called for Ms Katehi to step down. He wrote in an open letter to Katehi. 'You are responsible for it because this is what happens when UC Chancellors order police onto our campuses to disperse peaceful protesters through the use of force: students get hurt. Faculty get hurt.'

From Prof. Brown's letter:

....Police used batons to try to push the students apart. Those they could separate, they arrested, kneeling on their bodies and pushing their heads into the ground. Those they could not separate, they pepper-sprayed directly in the face, holding these students as they did so. When students covered their eyes with their clothing, police forced open their mouths and pepper-sprayed down their throats. Several of these students were hospitalized. Others are seriously injured. One of them, forty-five minutes after being pepper-sprayed down his throat, was still coughing up blood........in Berkeley on November 9 is that UC Berkeley faculty stood together with students, their arms linked together. Associate Professor of English Celeste Langan was grabbed by her hair, thrown on the ground, and arrested. Associate Professor Geoffrey O’Brien was injured by baton blows. Professor Robert Hass, former Poet Laureate of the United States, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner, was also struck with a baton......

Here's what I posted at TPM:

Thus far, Katehi's various responses have been universally unimpressive. The bottom line is that she ordered dozens of cops with pepper spray and pepper ball guns to disperse students from the quad, where they have every right to be at 3PM on a Friday and where she had permitted them to spend the prior night in the quad.

This response, ordered by Katehi, represents an escalation of force on her part against students. 52 were arrested at Mrak last year. None were treated like this. Many more were arrested when students attempted to block I-80 and the rail line. Still, nothing like this was necessary.

As an Aggie alum, I feel proud, angry and ashamed right now. I'm incredibly proud of the current students and faculty at UCD. Their commitment to social justice and non-violent action has been exemplary throughout these events. I am incredibly angry at the cops on the scene, but also at the leadership that allowed this action even to be considered in the face of what was actually occurring - namely, a few dozen students peacefully camped out in the quad FOR ONE NIGHT.

Keep that in mind as you hear more about this story. The students had camped out for one night, for which they had permission. This was the response the following day.

And that brings me to shame, which is what I will feel as long as I know that there is so much craven cowardice among UC "leaders" like Katehi and Birgenau. Her most important responsibility is keeping the campus safe. Ordering thugs with chemical weapons upon a peaceful protest is one of the highest violations of that I can conceive of. Nothing about her response thus far engenders confidence in her continued service.

Fiat Lux

I plan on writing more later, but I'm still learning about the events, trying to collect my thoughts and figuring out how I can best support efforts on campus right now.