November 19th, 2011
06:58 PM ET

California university to investigate police use of pepper spray

University of California Davis' chancellor Saturday called police use of pepper spray on Occupy protesters "chilling" and established a task force to look into the incident.

The startling video broadcast by CNN Sacramento affiliate KOVR showed an officer, in a sweeping motion, spraying seated protesters point blank Friday before other officers moved in. Eleven people were treated on site for effects of the spray. Two of them were sent to the hospital, university officials said.

"Yesterday was not a day that would make anyone on our campus proud; indeed the events of the day need to guide us forward as we try to make our campus a better place of inquiry, debate, and even dissent," Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said in a statement.

UC Davis spokeswoman Claudia Morain told CNN that 25 tents were in place Friday afternoon - despite fliers explaining the campus prohibits overnight camping.

After written and verbal warnings, officers reminded the protesters they would be subject to arrest if they did not move their tents, Morain said.

A group of protesters sat on a path with their arms interlocked as police moved in to remove the tents.

At one point, protesters encircled the officers and blocked them from leaving, the spokeswoman said. Cut off from backup, the officers determined the situation was not safe and asked people several times to make room, Morain said. One officer used pepper spray when a couple of protesters and some of the 200 bystanders moved in, she added.

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Filed under: California • Crime • Occupy Wall Street
soundoff (211 Responses)
  1. RUFFNUTT (HARD DRIVE)

    I NOTICED PHILIP IS BACK TO HIS OLD TRICKS. YOU MUST BE BALD BY NOW FROM PULLING IT OUT IN SHEAR MADNESS OVER HIS ANTICS?

    November 20, 2011 at 3:26 pm | Report abuse |
  2. saywhat

    So what's next? Let's roll with the ' brutality' aspect.
    Rubber bullets & then?
    Surely it wouldn't happen here. But then, the times are a changing here too.

    November 20, 2011 at 3:27 pm | Report abuse |
    • RUFFNUTT

      Today with all this right-wing lynch-mob mentality abound, saywhat, I wouldn't be at all surprised in the near future that these thugs started to use real bullits legally. It seems to me that people are becoming more and more bloodthirsty all the time with all their hate as evidenced as they vote more right-wing fanatics into office. Besides, just look at all these hateful posts here condemning the OWS Movement!

      November 20, 2011 at 3:39 pm | Report abuse |
  3. banasy©

    No, Ruffie, she's a little young for buying out toys r us; that's *next* year.
    And no, Philip doesn't bother me with his posts; I've seen them before.
    As long as he leaves me alone, we'll have no problems.
    He promised! I hope he is a man of his word. He's broken those promises more than once; maybe third times the charm...

    November 20, 2011 at 3:37 pm | Report abuse |
  4. saywhat

    @ bigwilliestyles
    What you say does make sense. We are stuck in a holding pattern , consequence of our own follies and malafide intent not by choice. The two wars have brought us to the brink.
    Unfortunately for this nation those incharge of our destiny up on the Hill are not driven by wisdom, foresight, sense of history and ground reality ( being incapable of) but by twisted ideology, deep ingrained distorted view of the world beyond our borders, greed & Lobbies.
    So we may well face another disaster of unknown proportions. A third war.

    November 20, 2011 at 3:38 pm | Report abuse |
    • George Patton

      Quite true saywhat, quite true!

      November 20, 2011 at 3:41 pm | Report abuse |
  5. banasy©

    @saywhat:
    There are those who compare OWS to Arab spring.
    I don't in particularly agree; but you are right in one aspect: the times, they are a changing.
    My hope is that they're changing for the better.

    November 20, 2011 at 3:40 pm | Report abuse |
    • RUFFNUTT

      As much as I hate to say it, banasy, I believe things will get a lot worse before they get any better!!! First, we need to rid this country of this right-wing lynch-mob mentality which is quite unlikely in the near future!

      November 20, 2011 at 3:46 pm | Report abuse |
  6. RUFFNUTT (HARD DRIVE)

    @ FAKE RUFFNUTT, YOU BETTER BE GONE BY THE TIME I WAKE UP, GET LOST!
    @ BANASY, YOUR NEVER TOO YOUNG TO ENJOY TOYS, OR OLD FOR THAT MATTER. 🙂 AND GOOD TO HEAR THAT STORM HAS PASSED. SEE YA ALLIGATOR. 🙂

    November 20, 2011 at 3:45 pm | Report abuse |
  7. saywhat

    Which one is the real Ruffnut @ Ruffnut (Hard Drive) ?
    I tend to agree with what Ruffnut has tosay in his 3:39 PM & 3:46

    @ banasy
    you are right on the Arab spring comparison in specifics. But the discontent element is surely common.

    November 20, 2011 at 5:00 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Jerry

    The element of discontent with Government has been the theme running thru the middle-east uprising.

    November 20, 2011 at 5:07 pm | Report abuse |
  9. banasyc

    @saywhat:
    Oh, yes, discontent is extremely high, although we haven't had to submit to the physical tyranny that the ME has had to; I sincerely hope that kind of bloodshed never happens on our soil.

    As for who is the real RUFFNUTT: hard drive is.
    The fake one goes by many names, george patton being one of them; all of them stolen from someone else.
    Hope this helps.

    November 20, 2011 at 5:10 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jerry

      I think that you're the Tea Partying troll here. Now I expect that you'll be stealing my name next to post your stupid right-wing bla-bla-bla under it!!!

      November 20, 2011 at 7:37 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Jerry

    I see that the trolls have picked me tonight! Have fun. Nighty nite.

    November 20, 2011 at 8:26 pm | Report abuse |
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