“UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza said officers used force out of concern for their own safety after they were surrounded by students...”
I understand how a circle works. But I don’t considered it “surround” and a “safety” issue when one can step over some folks sitting on the ground like the cop with the pepper spray did.
And again - it looked to me like the active protestors that needed (and should be) arrested were those seated in a LINE blocking the path. The crowd gathered around were watchers, and only became a mob after the pepper spray and arrests. Of course they may have become a mob just based on the arrests as well.
It seemed to me that the cops were in MORE danger later on in the video as the mob pushed them back. And of course a moral victory for the mob. “Yeah - we pushed the cops back!”
"I understand how a circle works. But I don’t considered it “surround” and a “safety” issue when one can step over some folks sitting on the ground like the cop with the pepper spray did."
How do you know for a fact that they could simply "step over some folks" without one of the protestors doing something (grabbing a leg, attacking, etc.)? There was a cop who was slashed at yesterday, and another one whose eye was "flushed out" at a supposedly "peaceful" protest.