Remember those students sitting in a row across a bike path? You know, the ones who were pepper sprayed in the face with some noxious substance?
Observing the video, it seemed to be clear police over-reach. There was no reason to spray the students, especially with such gusto.
It appears that the courts also agree. According to the Washington Post:
SAN FRANCISCO — The University of California has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by demonstrators who were pepper-sprayed during an Occupy protest at UC Davis last fall, according to a preliminary settlement filed Wednesday.
The Nov. 18, 2011, incident prompted national outrage, angry campus protests and calls for the resignation of Chancellor Linda Katehi after online videos shot by witnesses went viral.
Images of a police officer casually spraying orange pepper-spray in the faces of nonviolent protesters became a rallying symbol for the Occupy Wall Street movement. The demonstrators had been protesting steep tuition hikes and police brutality.
Under the proposed settlement, UC would pay $30,000 to each of 21 plaintiffs named in the complaint and an additional $250,000 for their attorneys to split.
Katehi, who has publicly apologized for the incident, would be required to issue a formal written apology to each of the plaintiffs, who are current students or recent alumni.
If the $1 million settlement is approved, total costs associated with the incident could exceed $2 million, according to the Sacramento Bee newspaper. Those expenses come as UC faces the prospect of deep budget cuts if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative fails in November.
Hopefully those campus cops were replaced with more responsible law enforcement. Those dudes were enjoying that abuse far too much and they cost their employer a bundle. No wonder college costs are up so much, which is what the students were protesting to start with .
It was amazing to watch this scene play out. The cops seemed to enjoy spraying the students in the face with this substance and the students didn’t get up and run. UFB.
I guess the most amazing part of it is the cops didn’t flinch. They just stood up and did it like pepper spraying someone in the face was an everyday occurrence.
I agree, it was VERY disturbing to watch the police over react. I was very proud of those students, very proud. The only violence came from the police officers by pepper spraying.
@Elena
I wasn’t proud of them at all. I thought they were idiots for sitting there. Now if they had gotten up and punched the spray dude in the face, I might have cheered them on. Of course, 60’s kids think like that, even if they don’t participate.
There is video of the students AGREEING to getting pepper sprayed. I’ve seen it but I can’t find it right now.
Someone dropped the ball on this lawsuit. I wonder how much the protestors get after the lawyer fees?
Pepper spray is painful, but it was not harmful. There is other video showing smiling protestors minutes after they got up.
Did the cops over react? I don’t know. They complied with school orders. Did the SCHOOL overreact? Yes. Should have ignored them.
And so…they lose in court. Oh well…California tax dollars at work.
NO one agrees to get pepper sprayed. Cargo, surely you aren’t that gullible.
The lawyer are paid separately. Pepper spray isn’t harmful? That’s like saying bee stings and mosquito bites aren’t harmful. It depends on the person.
They shouldn’t have been sprayed. Their amendment rights were violated and they were abused. They broke no laws.
You apparently want to give more power to law enforcement that I do. God help me, I am turning in to Marin.
WHAT? Hey Cargo, I would LOVE to see you create a video of you getting pepper sprayed and tell us how wonderful it feels. Geez, is this what you will teach your child, expect to get pepper sprayed if you peacefully assemble? If this had been a group of tea partiers, peacefully assembled, you would be yelling from the roof tops.
@Moon-howler
I didn’t say that.
How do you get “You apparently want to give more power to law enforcement that I do”
from
“Did the cops over react? I don’t know. They complied with school orders. Did the SCHOOL overreact? Yes. Should have ignored them.”
Listen to the first 10 seconds. The protestors say, “That’s fine.”
The school should have ignored them. Pointing and laughing works too.
But, lets consider this from another point of view: the school. The protestors were blocking the right of way. The school wanted them moved. How to do so with the least amount of injury?
Civil disobedience has consequences. The protestors refused to move. How do you make them comply with the least amount of danger to them or the cop and without turning the rest of the crowd surrounding the cops violent?
You dindt have to say it, Cargo, you are demonstrating it. Anyone could have gone around them. No big deal. Listen to the first 10 seconds of what?
No, that;s fine is not permission to pepper spray.
Why should they be pointed at and mocked? Have you not read anything about mounting student debt? Is it funny because you get government help with your college costs? Most of those students don’t, I am willing to bet. The students have every right to protest rising college costs. Clearly their 1A rights were violated.
Define civil disobedience. What laws were they breaking? They didn’t obey some campus cop. BFD. Those students were about as peaceful as it gets.
Why should they comply? How easy would it have been to go around them?
Forgot the link…D’OH!
http://youtu.be/WO4406KJQMc
they are called plastic handcuffs Cargo, done all the time! If these were men sitting in suits, they would NOT have been pepper sprayed.
That was well worth 2 million of somebody else’s money! You can now put a price tag on the incident, but watching those hippies writhe in pain….priceless!
Since when is wanting to keep your college costs affordable a “hippie” thing to do? God, are you in a time warp? You want to know hippies, ask me. I can tell you all about them. These students weren’t hippies. Is there no end to stupidity and ignorance today?
Just call them Nazis. You know about as much about them as you do Hippies. That contribution from Mr. Howler.
So the students were protesting the rising cost of college, and it leads to college costs rising. Now those students can ponder that riddle wrapped up in a mystery inside an enigma. That’s funny stuff, right there!
The authorities must learn to respect the constitutional rights of our citizens. Fascist creeps.
Since never, I was referring to the “sitting on their butts” part.
I leave the “Nazi” flinging to the left….they’re good at it!
@Moon-howler
They were blocking the right of way. They were disobeying police orders to disperse. They were on College property, breaking college rules.
Again, just because YOU think that I said that, since you think that you can read my mind, does not make it so. I stated that the college overreacted. Pointing and laughing are perfectly acceptable responses to Occupy. Ignoring them completely would have been best.
In the video…the cop says that they are going to get sprayed. The protesters say, “that’s fine, and smile, and get prepared.
What right of way? What rules were they breaking? Show me the rule they were breaking in print.
I would not attempt to read your mind.
They were students. The cops had no right to use spray on peaceful protest. It was a very stupid thing to do and a very dangerous thing to do.
You seem to want to give unrestricted 1A rights to thugs and beat up college students. I find that difficult to understand.
I guess 1A rights have to be people you approve of.
That video was poor quality and mostly bunches of color. I reject it as any argument. The picture that tells the story has been posted.
why are you all arguing, the university has to pony up a bunch of money for the over zealous behavior of the cops. What the heck is wrong with you guys. I just don’t get it.
@Elena
I don’t know.
All I was stating was that the College was stupid and had bad lawyers. I don’t care if the college OR the protestors win or lose.
The police were stupid because they used excessive force. I don’t think bad lawyers had a thing to do with it. I don’t see how UC Davis was “stupid” either. The provosts office didn’t order them pepper sprayed.