UC Davis Students Protest Pepper Spray

by Ben Steinmeier | November 21, 2011 at 01:26 pm

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The students at UC Davis have begun a protest against the use of pepper spray against Occupiers this morning. The students are calling for the resignation of the chancellor and the UC Davis police chief with support from some of the staff as well.

Pepper Spray Used Against Students

The protest came from the use of pepper spray on students on November 18. Video shows the officers using pepper spray against students peacefully protesting with their arms crossed, not even able to try and block it. This was one of many cases during the crackdown which resulted in 10 arrests.

How Has The Situation Been Handled?

Two police officers as well as the police chief have already been put on leave following the incident, but the rally is calling for the resignation of the police chief as well as Chancellor Linda Katehi. Katehi faced silent students who waited outside a press conference on Sunday as she explained the situation. She has no plans on resigning, to which the students will bring it up with a meeting of the UC regents.

It is not just students, however. Other members of the faculty are also with the rally, and the sense of university is different than before.

"You are unfit to ensure the safety of students at UC Davis," Nathan Brown, an assistant professor of English, said in an open letter — a scathing rebuke that was circulated widely on the Internet Saturday. "In fact: you are the primary threat to the safety of students at UC Davis. As such, I call upon you to resign immediately."

Whether the rally's demands will be met or not is still to be seen, but what is certain is how it has become a rally point for protesters across the country as well as for students at UC Davis.