The Twilight Zone-like video above, shot and posted by Lee Fang, was taped this evening as UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi walked to her car while students lined the sidewalk and roadway, sitting and locking arms in complete silence. Their demonstration came on the heels of Katehi’s support of the hyper-militarized UC Davis Police Department’s outrageous and brutal use of pepper spray on dozens of compliant, peaceful Occupy demonstrators who were sitting in a circle, locking arms, on the campus quad yesterday.
We covered the shocking pepper spray incident, including the remarkable photographs and videos of the event, along with the calls for Katehi’s resignation, earlier today here.
Fang’s describes what happened leading to the haunting moment seen in the video above this way:
A group of highly organized students formed large gap for the chancellor to leave. They chanted “we are peaceful†and “just walk home,†but nothing changed for several hours. Eventually student representatives convinced the chancellor to leave after telling their fellow students to sit down and lock arms.
The blatant torture of peaceful demonstrators on the UC Davis campus yesterday was just the latest in a string of similarly appalling incidents of violence orchestrated by highly militarized “law enforcement” officials over the last several weeks across the nation in response to the growing Occupy Wall Street movement. We detailed a number of the most disturbing recent incidents, many of them caught on video tape and photographs, in this report yesterday.
UPDATE 11/20/11: Several quick updates following the events of last night depicted above, including explanations of how it came about (one of the pepper sprayed students organized it), interviews with some of the pepper sprayed students, an interview with a Baltimore cop who supports the use of force at UC Davis, and news that two of the UC Davis cops have now been placed on “Administrative Leave”. Details follow below…
• Some more Fang video prior to Katehi’s Walk of Shame, showing one of the pepper sprayed students himself calling for the silent shaming.
• An email from one of the students at the silent protest, explaining how Katehi had brought it upon herself by creating a ” fake hostage situation depicting the students as hostile, violent, & unreasonable,” as they protested outside her press conference (which she did not inform students about in advance.)
• Fang’s interview with one of the pepper sprayed students who says nobody from the UC Davis administration has reached out to apologize to her for what happened. She now wishes Katehi “would resign.”
• BoingBoing interview by Xeni Jardin with another pepper sprayed student (and more photos of the incident), explaining what led up to it and alleging “he sprayed us at point blank range.”
• John Aravosis at AmericaBlog reports on a Baltimore cop interviewed by AP who “says it’s standard procedure what the UC Davis cops did to the passive protesters there, pepper spraying them in the face, instead of just arresting them, for simply sitting peacefully on a sidewalk. In fact, he says they could have beaten the protesters with batons too, for simply moving an arm or crawling up in a ball.”
• And finally, for now, two of the UC Davis cops have been placed on “administrative leave” for now, though the University’s announcement did not name them. While Lt. John Pike, the one seen most prominently pepper spraying students in the videos of the incident is likely one of them, it’s unknown whether UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza is the other.
Spicuzza lied to the public after the incident (just as Oakland PD Interim Chief Howard Jordan did following the police-instigated violence there on October 25th, as The BRAD BLOG has reported exclusively) when she told media that “The students had encircled the officers…They needed to exit. They were looking to leave but were unable to get out.”
The many video tapes of the incident appear to contradict Chief Spicuzza’s account.
UPDATE 11/20/11 3:30pm PT: UC President Mark G. Yudof offers the type of response that Katehi should have, but has yet to give, despite, so far, three attempts (in order, here, here and here) at issuing statements. She has so far failed to condemn the behavior of the UC Police force, to date, using on the word “saddened” described her feelings on the matter.
Contrast that to Yudoff who says his statement today:
I intend to do everything in my power as president of this university to protect the rights of our students, faculty and staff to engage in non-violent protest.
Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi must resign, but she won’t because the administration and Board are corporate in nature. The university is a community of students and community of scholars who should occupy their university and should demand that these corporate administrative sociopaths leave. This violent action was approved in advance by the corporate BOG and the chancellor. -Faculty and students around the world are in shock at the level of violence used against these students. This administration and it governance will never regain the trust of the community. THEY MUST RESIGN!
Dear UC Davis:
I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH THE POLICY OF ARRESTING AND/OR PEPPER SPRAYING OF STUDENTS.
What a terrible mistake you have made as an institution of higher education. These students were not camping or partying. They were organizing themselves in order to address issues “the adults” have been too lazy, corrupt, or cowardly to deal with. The students hardly had time to create any “serious safety or public health problem.” You have behaved like a third world dictatorship. Stifling democratic dissent is not what the UC System wants to be known for.
By your willful ignorance of their rights both as citizens and as paying customers of your college you have shown a lack of allegiance to the United States & the constitution, to historical and legal scholarship, and to justice. The students are our future, and you have betrayed them with wasting “resources” used as just another lame excuse.
These students, mortgaging their futures with debt, came to learn, not to become wage slaves for an international elite that has left the 99% behind. The movement for economic justice these students represent is part of their patriotic duty to protect the values of the United States of America as citizens. I applaud their efforts and you should too. The students have learned how you “educate” dissenters with violence.
The UC System in California was designed to be FREE -not another arm of institutionalized injustice. Tuition increases on students, instead of millionaires and billionaires paying more tax, is just another instance of the class war on the “broad base” of those who study and work hard so that the 1% can collect their trust fund checks.
SHAME ON YOU. USE YOUR INTELLIGENCE INSTEAD OF VIOLENT FORCE AND BRUTALITY. NO MORE PEPPER SPRAYING OF STUDENTS. DO NOT OPPRESS THEM, YOU ARE THERE TO LIFT THEM UP.
UC DAVIS has now with ill considered violent behavior simply worsened the situation the university pretended to be addressing. Time to decide which side you are on.
Tell the Chancellor what you think: http://chancellor.ucdavis.edu/contact.php
[Ed Note: Nazi propaganda, in blatant violation of our rules against the posting of knowing disinformation, deleted. Get lost, Donald. -BF]
@Donald M. Bradford – go stuff your racist theory. Katehi isn’t even Jewish.
This shouldn’t need to be said, but, as there are individuals and companies who dig for the rare examples of tasteless/abhorrent behavior within the Occupy movement and hold them up as indicative of the entire movement, I feel it must be said.
The anti-semitic, neo-Nazi sentiments of Donald M. Bradford are in no way indicative of the attitudes of the Occupy activists. While many – though not all – individuals in the movement may find fault with the actions of the government of the state of Israel, that disapproval does not extend to individuals of Jewish heritage, nor do they subscribe to Nazi conspiracy theories.
To put it more plainly, Mr. Bradford is clearly a Nazi supporter or is trying very hard to make it appear so, perhaps hired by the PR firm(s) which have been contracted to try to discredit the Occupy movement. Nazi ideology is entirely contrary to the goals and the methods of the Occupy movement.
I encourage anyone reading this to watch for similar comments here and elsewhere over the coming days (these right-wing memes spread quickly) and be ready to immediately call them out when you see them.
Sandra – I was busy deleting that idiot’s comments as you were leaving yours. FWIW, I saw no evidence in his pathetic comments that he had anything to do with the Occupy movement in any way. He’s a Nazi. Not an Occupier. And he’s also now been banned.
She claims she will be addressing the student body on Monday, at the General Assembly. Here’s the question: do the students plan on using the old Amish technique of shunning (turning everyone’s back to the shunned person) for her? Sorta like what was in this video, but with no one facing her. She might actually get the hint at that point.
This video brings back memory of a chilling sci-fi short story by Steve Allen, the comedian, musician, actor and author (and I probably left out some props) that I read in the early 1960’s, titled “The Public Hating” A heart-felt well done to UC Davis students.
One gets a real chilling affect if you turn off the audio.
Amy, living near the heart of Amish country Lancaster County PA, shunning the the Amish involves much more than a symbolic turning of one’s back. A recent example of the symbolic act was conducted by Ray McGovern.
Katy @ #2 – that is an amazing letter. Thank you so much for writing it / posting it. Outstanding job.
And the video, Brad, is chilling and gorgeous; I hadn’t seen it yet. Thank you so much for this important report.
My impression of the UC Davis police was not so much of one done up in militarized riot gear. No, I saw what appears to be a bunch of weekender type slobs dressed up in paintball gear.
They didn’t look professional at all to me.
There are 100 million Occupy members watching who may begin to participate if the fascist violence against peaceful Americans continues.
Chilling. And extremely powerful.
BTW, the driver of the vehicle failed to use his seatbelt. That’s a state law in Ohio. Just sayin’
I support the students, faculty & community of scholars at UC Davis. After being exposed to all the facts surrounding this event, I am truly appalled & disgusted that no one seems interested or even mildly concerned with policing the police. In recent years these thugs with badges have openly beaten, abused & tortured the citizens of this country, sometimes attacking mentally impaired citizens not capable of following their commands. When will this stop? As a parent of 4 Daughters, I am very worried that we will soon see the National Guard on campuses shooting people. If this Chancellor of UC Davis does not resign voluntarily, just wait 2-4 years for the number of students to drop, then the corporate corrupt will demand her resignation. The video was one of the most amazing displays of solidarity & power I have ever witnessed and I could only wish to be there in support.
Los Angeles Times coverage of the event, noting that Chancellor Katehi’s willingness to now investigate the incident comes on the heels of calls by some of the faculty for her to resign, by itself, is unremarkable.
What is remarkable, however, is that they embedded a Fox 40 (Sacramento) video which reveals an exercise in what Bill Moyers refers to as the “charade of ‘fair and balanced’ — by which two opposing people offer competing opinions with a host who assumes the viewer will arrive at the truth by splitting the difference — to substitute for independent analysis…”
Eric Harryman: From the student’s perspective this was a brutal attack on a non-violent protest.
Stephanie Cruz: But what about police now. They gave these students plenty of warning. You can’t allow students to break the law.
“Objective journalism,” Moyers points out, “means describing the object being reported on, including the malfeasance, deceits, hypocrisy and lies of powerful people.”
So, Stephanie Cruz, the students did not leave when told to do so. And you think that justifies they’re being tortured with pepper spray? What if the Lt. had gunned them down with real bullets? Would that be okay? After all, “you can’t allow students to break the law!”
Hooray for the students silently rebuking the
chancellor! I recommend they do the same thing
when she speaks to the campus! Turn your back
on this corporate tool! Very effective!
Please do not even look at her!
Where are the parents? Why isn’t every student flanked by a mom and a dad? I don’t think these parents pay premium tuition rates to see their kids pepper sprayed. Also, sitting down was brilliant. I’ve often thought that if protesters all sat down when the riot police swarm, it would be a powerful juxtaposition.
This protest was a Wobbly tactic, first used by the Industrial Workers of the World to shame President Wilson.
In 1919, hundreds of leaders of the Industrial Workers of the World languished in jails. After the Seattle general strike, President Wilson visited Seattle, where supporters cheered for blocks. Then there was “a block where everything was quiet. Hundreds of grimy working men and women from the IWW stood still and silent on both sides of the street. Not a cheer, not a sound, not a move. Most didn’t even look at Wilson. The smile left Wilson’s face… he looked flabbergasted…”
Louis Adamic wrote about it in his book, “Laughing in the Jungle: The Autobiography of an Immigrant in America”.
How about drug testing (special attention to steroids) for all “law enforcement officers”? Not to mention university chancellors. (Someone should check for the presence of a heart in this case.) God bless these beautiful students!
Brad, why do you post links like THIS
It just seems to take away from what should be a first-class blog.
You might want to know that the link on Facebook gets the following truncated headline:
“The BRAD BLOG : VIDEO: UC Davis Chancellor’s Chilling Walk of Shame Through a Line of Silent Demons”
I suspect FB truncates at a character count, so you might want to shorten to something like this:
The BRAD BLOG : VIDEO: UC Davis Chancellor’s Chilling Walk of Shame Through Silent Demonstrators
or something that won’t get truncated so interestingly!
after watching the cop pepper spray the non violent students the other day,i keep wondering,
#1.is this the new reality the 1 % expect us to accept?
#2.i am worried for the safety of any children that might be in this officers home,he is obviously desensitized and enjoys metting out cruel and unusual punishment
She was a Bush appointee and in 2009 received a salary of $400,000+ — she’s most definitely a one percenter… any questions?
http://chancellorsearch.ucdavis.edu/archive/new_chancellor.html
Oh my god…the woman is indeed a Bush appointee and a 1-percenter who has the most extensive and costly set of benefits and perks I could dream of.
We knew our government and media had been infiltrated and taken over by these human cancers; now we know that our schools and colleges are in their hands, too.
This is beyond sickening. In all honesty, I don’t understand how peaceful protest is going to give us the change we need and deserve. These elitists have taken so much…they will not stop until they’ve got everything.
She says she will address her university on Monday. If she doesn’t resign it’s just another example of the powerful keeping power over the wishes of the people.
Rarely in history does it work out that the people in the towers are the last ones laughing at the people below. In fact, quite the opposite has been proven true over and over again. I’m not saying she should face the same penalty as Marie Antoinette, but this is definitely an example of you can’t have your pepper and force feed it, too.
Yellow journalism lives!
RE: Occupy Strategy
“Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer;
hyraxes are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags;
locusts have no king,
yet they advance together in ranks;
a lizard can be caught with the hand,
yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
(Proverbs 30:24-28)
Someone authorized the use of cops on the people.
That person is responsible. Accountability is too slow.
Blaming the cops is a bad idea at this stage, they are only following orders, perhaps if government wasn’t so secret it would disclose the orders the cops are under to the public so there wouldn’t be any confusion or conflict.
So what were we supposed to do here, use email to vent words at the one responsible? Email? Words? I’d rather spray them in the face with the same stuff they used.
This needs lawsuits, and indictments against officials and stripping them of power, before it turns into assignations, arson, and anarchy.
As long as the DHS plays this game with the US Constitution there is no rule of law
Mike Rogers @25 wrote:
Actually, George W. Bush appointed Linda Katehi to chair the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science.
U.S. Presidents do not “appoint” U.C. Chancellors.
Her $400,000/year salary is provided in relation to her 2009 appointment as the Chancellor of U.C. Davis. That appointment would have occurred during the tenure of Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of CA.
It is troubling that UC Chancellors receive such high salaries at a time when the cost of tuition leaves students drowning in debt by the time they graduate, often with no immediate prospect of employment.
It is also troubling considering that staffers at UCs have been working 4-5 years without raises and this poster in particular is still stuck at $49K/year with mandatory office parking rates and medical benefits going up during that same period of time, and also helping taking the slack from 8 co-workers who were laid off last year.
This video reminds me of the closing scene from Alfred Hitchcocks, “The Birds” where the cast is trying to get an injured Tippi Hedren to a car outside the house with thousands of birds just standing on the ground all around them. Real creepy scene.