Every time the police act in this manner a million new outlaws are born. When the agents of the law are contemptible, contempt for the law is sure to follow.
Remember that pepper spray doesn't actually 'burn' or destroy tissue in any way. It simply activates receptors that are normally activated when tissue is actually burnt. Basically, it fools your nervous system. As noted in this post, it's far safer than other 'nicer' methods that might actually cause damage -- such as lifting or pushing.
So, yea... it looks brutal, but how else should the cop have encouraged those people to move who otherwise are refusing to move?
I am sure there will be chloroform soon. Why not? When someone breaks their face from collapsing we can then say, "well, he/she should have left when asked" and as an added bonus, every camera not on a tripod will fall to its doom and can easily be retreaved by the mask wearing protectors of our faithful gov't who will 'take care' of the footage for us - saving the hard working taxpayers millions in lawsuits... Everyone should just relax and this will all pass. Jusssst sleeeeep and we'll take care of the country for you. Ok, tired of my own sarcasm...
From various sources: "Police said officers were trying to get out of the protest area when they used the pepper spray. UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza told reporters Saturday that the decision to use the pepper spray was made at the scene. “The students had encircled the officers,” she said. The officers "needed to exit. They were looking to leave but were unable to get out.”
If you look carefully at the photos and video, you'll note that the officer spraying is not surrounded, but indeed there appears to be a circle of arm-linked sitting students enclosing another group of officers.
Could they have simply tried to step over the protesters? Maybe. Did they try? I don't know.
But let's remember that the whole object of a protest is to disrupt stuff, hopefully get mistreated by authorities, and therefore somehow have your point of view bolstered. Smart protesters WANT to get mistreated. The mistreatment then serves as justification for opposing 'The Man'. It's political/social propaganda.
So, I give the protesters credit, but I'm not going to run around all crazy with my head cut off imagining an authoritarian catastrophe, like some people seem to be doing.
In fact, I agree with many of the complaints the protesters have, but protests are the societal equivalent of a two year old temper tantrum. Can we as a country not discuss things like adults? Sitting and refusing to move is NOT a reasoned argument.
Discussing things like adults hasn't been working.
Here's a link to Pike pepper spraying students at UC Davis. He steps over the students to get a better vantage point from which to spray their faces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuWEx6Cfn-I
California Penal Code Section 12403.7 (a) (8) (g) Any person who uses tear gas or tear gas weapons except in self-defense is guilty of a public offense and is punishable byimprisonment in a state prison for 16 months, or two or three years or in a county jail not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, except that, if the use is against a peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, engaged in the performance of his or her official duties and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, the offense is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months or two or three years or by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.
Couple things: 1- the cops WERE surrounded. I haven't seen the footage of what led everything to that point, but when it starts, the police are penned in by sitting protesters. 2- The police had many options for exiting the circle. Pike, as seen on the video, stepped between them. The rest could have done the same in an orderly manner. Or two could have moved one protester to make a protester door. 3- Spraying the students in the face at point-blank range is not in any way a valid use of pepper-spray; it is simply extra-judicial punishment. The cops were in no danger. The force used was not at all in proportion to the crime. 4- I agree with the fact that protesters and cops are playing a little game, where the protesters provoke, and use police over-reaction to draw sympathy and attention. A peaceful protest where nothing actually happens isn't newsworthy. I honestly don't know why police are playing into the game.
"Hey, I know, let's start arresting journalists left and right! That will TOTALLY make the protesters look like the bad guys!"
5- Really have a hard time understanding how people can flatly dismiss protesting after we went through the 60's and 70's. Were the civil rights, women's right, and Vietnam war protests mere temper tantrums?
Sometimes you need a temper tantrum to wake people up.
Voting isn't really working right now, and with Citizen's united and the GOP's new poll taxes, it's going to be pretty much useless. It's not one person one vote anymore, it's the dude with the most money wins. That's something to rip shit up about.
Yes, this made me sick to my stomach.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for sharing!
Do you know where exactly this image has come from?
ReplyDeleteEvery time the police act in this manner a million new outlaws are born. When the agents of the law are contemptible, contempt for the law is sure to follow.
ReplyDeleteTess, I put a note under the image to say I don't know where it originated, and I've lost the Reddit link.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested in tracking it down, try typing several words from the text into Google and enclose them in quotes and see what gets retrieved.
Remember that pepper spray doesn't actually 'burn' or destroy tissue in any way. It simply activates receptors that are normally activated when tissue is actually burnt. Basically, it fools your nervous system. As noted in this post, it's far safer than other 'nicer' methods that might actually cause damage -- such as lifting or pushing.
ReplyDeleteSo, yea... it looks brutal, but how else should the cop have encouraged those people to move who otherwise are refusing to move?
{shakes head}
ReplyDeleteUm... ANONYMOUS...how about NOT moving them?
UNfriginbelievable.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-11-19-uc-davis-pepper-spray-occupy-protests.htm
ReplyDeleteTess, Scott Jones found the original source for you -
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-11-19-uc-davis-pepper-spray-occupy-protests.htm
All it needs now is for someone to attempt to suppress similar images for it all to get out of hand.
ReplyDeleteI am sure there will be chloroform soon. Why not? When someone breaks their face from collapsing we can then say, "well, he/she should have left when asked" and as an added bonus, every camera not on a tripod will fall to its doom and can easily be retreaved by the mask wearing protectors of our faithful gov't who will 'take care' of the footage for us - saving the hard working taxpayers millions in lawsuits...
ReplyDeleteEveryone should just relax and this will all pass. Jusssst sleeeeep and we'll take care of the country for you.
Ok, tired of my own sarcasm...
Holly --
ReplyDeleteFrom various sources: "Police said officers were trying to get out of the protest area when they used the pepper spray. UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza told reporters Saturday that the decision to use the pepper spray was made at the scene. “The students had encircled the officers,” she said. The officers "needed to exit. They were looking to leave but were unable to get out.”
If you look carefully at the photos and video, you'll note that the officer spraying is not surrounded, but indeed there appears to be a circle of arm-linked sitting students enclosing another group of officers.
Could they have simply tried to step over the protesters? Maybe. Did they try? I don't know.
But let's remember that the whole object of a protest is to disrupt stuff, hopefully get mistreated by authorities, and therefore somehow have your point of view bolstered. Smart protesters WANT to get mistreated. The mistreatment then serves as justification for opposing 'The Man'. It's political/social propaganda.
So, I give the protesters credit, but I'm not going to run around all crazy with my head cut off imagining an authoritarian catastrophe, like some people seem to be doing.
In fact, I agree with many of the complaints the protesters have, but protests are the societal equivalent of a two year old temper tantrum. Can we as a country not discuss things like adults? Sitting and refusing to move is NOT a reasoned argument.
Anon-
ReplyDeleteDiscussing things like adults hasn't been working.
Here's a link to Pike pepper spraying students at UC Davis. He steps over the students to get a better vantage point from which to spray their faces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuWEx6Cfn-I
California Penal Code Section 12403.7 (a) (8)
(g) Any person who uses tear gas or tear gas weapons except in self-defense is guilty of a public offense and is punishable byimprisonment in a state prison for 16 months, or two or three years or in a county jail not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, except that, if the use is against a peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, engaged in the performance of his or her official duties and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, the offense is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months or two or three years or by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.
Couple things:
ReplyDelete1- the cops WERE surrounded. I haven't seen the footage of what led everything to that point, but when it starts, the police are penned in by sitting protesters.
2- The police had many options for exiting the circle. Pike, as seen on the video, stepped between them. The rest could have done the same in an orderly manner. Or two could have moved one protester to make a protester door.
3- Spraying the students in the face at point-blank range is not in any way a valid use of pepper-spray; it is simply extra-judicial punishment. The cops were in no danger. The force used was not at all in proportion to the crime.
4- I agree with the fact that protesters and cops are playing a little game, where the protesters provoke, and use police over-reaction to draw sympathy and attention. A peaceful protest where nothing actually happens isn't newsworthy. I honestly don't know why police are playing into the game.
"Hey, I know, let's start arresting journalists left and right! That will TOTALLY make the protesters look like the bad guys!"
5- Really have a hard time understanding how people can flatly dismiss protesting after we went through the 60's and 70's. Were the civil rights, women's right, and Vietnam war protests mere temper tantrums?
Sometimes you need a temper tantrum to wake people up.
Voting isn't really working right now, and with Citizen's united and the GOP's new poll taxes, it's going to be pretty much useless. It's not one person one vote anymore, it's the dude with the most money wins. That's something to rip shit up about.
Abbie, thank you for being smart, level-headed, articulate, & funny. Made my evening :-)
ReplyDeleteYea, OK, those were good points. Thanks.
ReplyDelete-Anon
Thank you Stan and Scott.
ReplyDelete