So, let’s discuss the Occupy UC Davis thing in a relatively objective matter, shall we?
- There was an Occupy UC Davis presence on… the UC-Davis campus.
- It included tents and overnight encampments.
- The cops were sent in to break up the tents.
- Then this happened:
(Essentially, there were a bunch of protesters who had linked arms and refused to move; the cops hosed them down with pepper spray – in a fashion reminiscent of a housewife using a insecticide spray can – and then arrested them.)
Now, the question becomes this: What will the takeaway from this incident be? Will it be the first paragraph of this article, which goes:
Law enforcement officials defended the tactics used Friday to dismantle an encampment set up by “Occupy Wall Street” sympathizers on the UC Davis quad, a raid that drew accusations of excessive force from students after sitting protesters were subjected to pepper spray at point-blank range.
…or will it be the last paragraph?
Protesters vowed to remain in the quad and reestablish their camp Friday evening, but as of 10:00 p.m. Friday, no demonstrators or tents were visible in the area.
There’s no sign that Occupy UC-Davis has since tried to set up overnight tents on school property since then, either.
Now, let me conceal nothing from you: this is a Blue-on-Blue fight* between two factions of the American Left, and as such my personal opinions on the merits of this kind of response to that kind of provocation are going to be, well, irrelevant. But on a practical level… well, right now it looks like the Occupiers are just going to sit there and accept being pepper sprayed, with no response except to complain and yell at the campus for doing the spraying. Which means that more Occupiers are going to be industrially-sprayed down in the very near future.
This is, by the way, one reason why I am insistent that people cannot expect me to show any respect to a person or group that refuses to demonstrate any self-respect. It’s frankly a waste of my time.
Moe Lane
PS: Yes, I suppose that I am being cold-blooded about this.
*California, remember? Republicans are perilously close to being considered an officially endangered species there.
At least the police were nice about it, I would have used a fire hose. But then I have a mean streak.
“…a raid that drew accusations of excessive force from students after sitting protesters were subjected to pepper spray at point-blank range.”
THAT is a First World Problem.
UC Davis has a good agricultural program. Just get a crop duster, load it with pepper spray and watch the problems resolve themselves.
When I go, I want to die a la Soylent Green. Except I want Death Metal playing (remember kids, Hippies hate Death Metal) and the image of cops beating the hell out of hippies.
Oh, I’m sorry OWS protesters, but if you want to know what “excessive force” is, perhaps you should check out Poznan, 1956. You might also note what type of government was in charge….. but I guess asking that level of thought from you is unreasonable.
I believe Reagan did it best. With fire hoses.
Gator: May I recommend this as an addition?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw-m4jEY-Ns
These people are idiots. Pepper Spray is not in any way excessive. Do these people know that in order to be certified to carry pepper spray, all officers who carry are sprayed with it first as part of their training?
I worked security when I was in college years back and we carried and had to get sprayed so we would know what the effects were after using. I have friends who are willing to pay to see the videos. In fact, we got it each year we carried, so one time per year, we had fun to look forward to. Note: Use plenty of hose water to get as much of it off as you can before you shower. Don’t worry about your clothes.
And since the protestors are looking for a spectacle, wouldn’t you rather see them being uncomfortable instead of the police maybe taking a hit and being blamed for it later?