I'd bring in one of those tracked vehicles ~ they are quite impressive up close and you don't need to go all the way into squarshing someone to convince the others they should move.
I'd still like to know the whole sequence of events. It's actually very unusual for the cops to just come up out of the blue and spray pepper spray on you. Frankly, in most of your more totalitarian societies they NEVER do that ~ they just beat you to death, or maybe shoot you. In Syria they'd all been dead Fur Shur.
So, we are talking about U.C. Davis ~ I'd think the cops would have started by firing potatoes at them from a Spud Gun.
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.