Sending a Message

There is a message in every action. Most of you have probably seen or heard about the video above. On November 18th (my birthday), University of California, Davis Police used pepper spray to move occupy protesters blocking exits from the school's quad in Davis, California. Lt. John Pike sprayed a row of peaceful  Occupy Wall Street protestors. This video has gone viral and several political pundits have reacted.


One of the questions being asked is what should have the police done in this situation? UC Davis students participating in the occupy protests were peaceful and not threatening, harming intimating anyone. Some more conservative pundits have argued that the students "were only pepper sprayed" Pepper spray is a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and even temporary blindness. Pepper spray is normally used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears. Which of these uses apply in this situation? These students were not rioting out of control like animals, but yet that is how they were treated.


Because of the abrasive reaction of Lt. Pike and the officers many are equating this incident with those of Bull Connor during The Civil Rights Movement. Below is a clip of the infamous Bull Connor and his reaction to protests. Though I don't feel this act was as egregious as those of Connor it seems clear that the aggressiveness was unnecessary and unwarranted. As Americans we have the right to assemble peacefully and the right to freedom of speech and this act of protest falls within those categories. In situations such as these it seems people identify with one side or the other and their feelings align with that group. 


There is a message in every action. The UC Davis protestors were sending their message of solidarity with the occupy wall street movement of fighting back against big business. But the real question is what message was Lt. Pike and UC Davis Police sending to students, Occupy Wall Street, and the rest of the world? 


--Krystal