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Online Furor After Police Pepper-Spray Demonstrators at UC Davis
TIME Magazine ^ | 11/19/2011 | Nick Carbone

Posted on 11/19/2011 2:52:50 PM PST by NetLiberty

A non-violent protest at UC Davis turned chaotic Friday afternoon as police pepper-sprayed a group of students sitting on the ground. Videos shot at the scene show a policeman walking up to the protesters, pulling out his can of pepper spray to display to the crowd, and liberally sweeping the protesters with the stinging substance. Many students had their heads down, but at least one demonstrator was hit in the face. Other officers then followed suit, spraying many of the Occupiers who appeared to be sitting in a circle with their arms linked. By midday Saturday, videos of the showdown were circulating the Internet.

SOURCE VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmJmmnMkuEM&feature=player_embedded

(Excerpt) Read more at newsfeed.time.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: occupywallstreet; ows
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To: SaraJohnson

In the old days, they used to just hit you with a baton or use it to pry your arms until you lost your grip on the next protester so they could haul you off. Pepper spray, or the threat of using it, has proven to be more effective.


181 posted on 11/19/2011 9:13:52 PM PST by magritte
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To: goat granny
People have been hurt worse falling off a ladder...

I can testify to that. I didn't even bleed, but I had to have surgery, albeit just day surgery, to fix/clean up the injury.

182 posted on 11/19/2011 9:21:10 PM PST by El Gato ("The second amendment is the reset button of the US constitution"-Doug McKay)
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To: GeronL
They were resisting by being there when told to vacate.

I wasn't talking about the legal definition of resistance I was talking about the tactical realities.

183 posted on 11/19/2011 9:26:57 PM PST by TigersEye (Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
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To: GeronL
It wasn’t even pepper spray, it was a very diluted concoction apparently.

Where have I heard that before?

184 posted on 11/19/2011 9:28:59 PM PST by TigersEye (Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
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To: TheOldLady; GeronL

"His posts are gone, so the only ways to tell are to look for the answers to the missing posts or to interview the other posters who may be amenable to enlightening us."

He was an ultra-moron. Claimed that he was essentially allowed to say whatever he wanted because he had been lurking "for years" (...but he just signed up last week); bashed a bunch of Conservative freepers on other threads; implied that the Tea Party was just like OWS, and that "we didn't get it"- the cops were now going to start pepper-spraying Tea Party supporters for simply holding signs...

185 posted on 11/19/2011 9:32:29 PM PST by Qbert ("The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry" - William F. Buckley, Jr.)
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To: Qbert

lol. he was a real troll.


186 posted on 11/19/2011 9:35:04 PM PST by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Pursue Happiness)
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To: Qbert; GeronL; South40

Thank you, Qbert. Much appreciated.


187 posted on 11/19/2011 9:42:58 PM PST by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list)
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To: lastchance
It is simply too dangerous with a very high likelyhood of escalation for the police to try and physically remove the demonstrators

Be that as it may, they did try to do that, but the squatters were too tightly linked together for that to be an easy or safe thing to do, for either side.

This went down just as the "community organizers" wanted it to. Oh, maybe fire hoses would have served them better from a propaganda standpoint, but they might actually get hurt if those were used.

188 posted on 11/19/2011 9:46:23 PM PST by El Gato ("The second amendment is the reset button of the US constitution"-Doug McKay)
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To: 21twelve

"Good catch - and right before that a guy in black (with a white mask on maybe - that Guy Fookes thing or whatever it is called) also hands a black back to the seated folks in that same section before the red bag is opened."

- Good catch, as well- I hadn't noticed that. In fact, the guy that he hands it to- the one with the white hoody- is the one that the first cop went up to originally, to possibly take the object away.

"Those few guys is also where the pepper spray started. You may be correct - the cops saw what they perceived as an escalation and countered it with what they determined to be reasonable force. The sad part is, very few people will see that (I didn’t) and the news will be that “cops spray peaceful protestors”. That plays right into the protestor’s hands - and the media eats it up."

- I think if the cops can articulate that a perceived escalation was the real concern here (after yesterday's violent attacks on cops in NYC, especially), they can counter a fair amount of the negative media. (Some people are hopeless and will believe whatever they choose to believe, of course.)

"I was hoping that these things would die down, but I think they are too organized for that to happen, and they know the tactics to increase the confrontations."

- Yep- that's what makes it a challenge for them.

189 posted on 11/19/2011 9:51:18 PM PST by Qbert ("The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry" - William F. Buckley, Jr.)
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To: El Gato

:O) sorry about your fall, ladders can be dangerous, when I am up high (3 steps) I am terrified. If I fell I would be yelling....Help I have fallen and can’t get up...even my dog wouldn’t know, she’s deaf...poor girl..:O) GG


190 posted on 11/19/2011 9:54:21 PM PST by goat granny
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To: snowstorm12
This proves that pepper spay is totally worthless and gives people false sense of security. Imagine if you were being attacked by a criminal

Well your average rapist or home invader isn't trained in how to avoid getting sprayed in the face. These folks just got the fumes, and so did the police. The tops of their heads might have stung a little.

That said, I'd rather have a gun.. matter of fact, I do. Several.

191 posted on 11/19/2011 9:55:04 PM PST by El Gato ("The second amendment is the reset button of the US constitution"-Doug McKay)
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To: TigersEye
before they even resisted

take a look at the video again. The police were ready with the pepper spray before attempting to physically move the "protesters". But by the way they had their arms locked, they were resisting being arrested.

That crowd always yells, "He didn't do anything". Well sitting there, arms locked together, after being told to move, WAS "doing something".

192 posted on 11/19/2011 10:13:17 PM PST by El Gato ("The second amendment is the reset button of the US constitution"-Doug McKay)
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To: TigersEye
before they even resisted

take a look at the video again. The police were ready with the pepper spray before attempting to physically move the "protesters". But by the way they had their arms locked, they were resisting being arrested.

That crowd always yells, "He didn't do anything". Well sitting there, arms locked together, after being told to move, WAS "doing something".

193 posted on 11/19/2011 10:14:02 PM PST by El Gato ("The second amendment is the reset button of the US constitution"-Doug McKay)
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To: El Gato

You completely missed my point. In fact it sounds like you didn’t understand a thing I said.


194 posted on 11/19/2011 10:18:54 PM PST by TigersEye (Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
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To: goat granny
:O) sorry about your fall, ladders can be dangerous,

As is often the case, it was a self inflicted injury. I'd gone up one extra step to reach some higher branches. (Did I mention I had a chain saw in my hand when I fell? :) ). But then promptly forgot I'd taken that extra step. So I went down to what I thought was the the bottom rung, turned and stepped off. Realized my error too late to stop my forward momentum, but I did manage to toss the chain saw aside so I wouldn't land on it, or have it land on me. Nasty crunch followed. I had to scoot into the house on my backside.. but only my younger daughter was home. I was trying to get to the phone to call an ambulance, when my wife returned, she helped me get up, and hop to her car. Only regret is that it made me miss my grandfather's funeral. OTOH, it meant my brother served as pall bearer in my stead, which I thought he should have anyway, since I'd done that for Grandma. (The funeral was over 600 miles from our house, only about 30 from his.)

That was better than when I broke my wrist after tripping on a shoe string. I had drive myself, in a manual transmission car, to the emergency room. :) Fortunately it was my left wrist, but I still had to release the wheel to shift. :)

195 posted on 11/19/2011 10:25:08 PM PST by El Gato ("The second amendment is the reset button of the US constitution"-Doug McKay)
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To: NetLiberty

Brutality ? They are lucky to be doing their little stunts in California USA . Try to pull that nonsense in Damascus Syria or Riyadh Saudi Arabia or Tehran Iran. Also pepper spray while unpleasant is not nearly as painful or permanent as a bullet in the back of the head .

The are also lucky that the advent of less lethal weapons ,late 19th century till the 1920’s what was the standard riot control tactic ? Small arms fire & for effect ie shoot the mob to break up the mob.

The college kids are playing stupid games & they win stupid prizes.


196 posted on 11/19/2011 10:37:55 PM PST by Nebr FAL owner (.308 reach out & thump someone .50 cal.Browning Machine gun reach out & crush someone)
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To: El Gato
With a chain saw in your hand, we should call you lucky. Thank God you could have died. I agree with you, it was your brothers turn, but that was a bad way to get him to do it...:O)

I have fallen over my black lab, but never a shoe lace, your one in a million... Glad your all right please don't break anything else, I'd miss your posts..Being an old lady, I buy Dr. Scholls shoes, they have velcro. So granny will give you some rules: #1 stay off ladders

#2 Buy shoes with velcro

#3 No more chain saws for you

#4 Thank God for your wife, she must be terrified when your working around the house...:O)

GG

197 posted on 11/19/2011 11:05:59 PM PST by goat granny
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To: TheOldLady; StrongHand
This was an Ultra ZOT.

Must have been a nasty troll.


198 posted on 11/20/2011 5:25:49 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (Dear God, thanks for the rain, but please let it rain more in Texas. Amen.)
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To: Arrowhead1952
Ping to Post 185.

Thanks again, Qbert.
199 posted on 11/20/2011 6:36:25 AM PST by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list)
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To: muawiyah

I disagree about the tracked vehicle. If an accident happens, and someone gets squashed, it’s the police’s fault. If the protestors stand in the way and the police back down, the protestors win.

In my mind, never threaten an action you are unwilling to take. Doubly so when the consequences can hurt or kill.


200 posted on 11/20/2011 8:35:27 AM PST by MortMan (Americans are a people increasingly separated by our connectivity.)
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