Chancellor Katehi Issues Another Message on Pepper-Spraying Incident
A group of students from UC Riverside attempted to storm the UC Regents meeting on Thursday, and were confronted by riot police. Numerous YouTube videos showed that they were fired upon with paint-filled bullets and other projectiles that injured several at the scene.
According to a news report from the local ABC affiliate, the protests were more peaceful than most, with people peacefully protesting inside. However, things started to go downhill after students refused to stay within the time allotted to speak at public comment to the Board of Regents.
At that point, students staged a sit-in and refused to leave. The Board of Regents cleared the room as UC Police tried to restore order.
According to ABC 7 news from Los Angeles, “The regents walked out of the room, while the students continued to list off alternatives to fee hikes, including the reform of Proposition 13 to help fund public education, taxing millionaires and oil companies and to freeze or cut administrative positions that pay more than $125,000 a year.”
Board chair Sherry Lansing told the students she was frustrated by their actions.
“If your sole intention is to disrupt the meeting, you have succeeded,” she told the students. “If your intention, which I hope, is to have constructive dialogue … you are welcome, and we wanted you to stay, but if you continue to chant, we can’t do the business. We can’t explore any of the options that you’re talking about.”
After forty-five minutes, the meeting resumed, this time closed to the public.
According to ABC 7 News, “A spokesman for the UC system said they do share students’ concerns, and they do recognize that tuition costs have gone up dramatically in the last decade, which they attribute to state budget cuts.”
The additional problems began, according to other reports, after the board members were escorted off campus by police. Students who had already gathered to continue their protest were then confronted by a mix of campus police and municipal police in riot gear.
According to several videos, these police forced the protesters to disperse, using rubber bullets and paint gun pellets. Several injuries were reported.
This video captures some of this, with attendance claimed to be about 400 students and workers.
Katehi’s New Message
In a message in the UC Davis Magazine (you can read the full message here), Chancellor Katehi writes, “Readers of this magazine are devoted Aggies accustomed to leafing through its colorful pages and learning more about our accomplished students, groundbreaking researchers and brilliant faculty who have helped establish UC Davis as one of the top public research universities in the nation.”
“This edition is no exception, with features that include our historic grand opening of UC Davis West Village, the largest planned zero net energy community in the nation,” she continued. “Unfortunately, we had an incident on campus this fall that did not serve us well or reflect positively on our university. I am referring to the highly regrettable use of pepper spray on Nov. 18 by UC Davis police attempting to remove an encampment on the Quad.”
She then writes, “No one wanted arrests or force used against peacefully demonstrating students.”
The first message that she had sent out suggested that the arrests were necessary, and they were in fact ordered by her if the students failed to disperse, but that the use of force was regrettable. The second message indicated that she was shocked by the incident. The third message indicated that she had not ordered the use of force. Now she is suggesting that no one wanted arrests or force used. The story keeps changing.
She continues, “As the chancellor I take full responsibility for what happened. I asked that charges against the arrested students be dropped and said we will pay medical expenses for those injured by the pepper spray. I placed the chief of police and two officers involved in the incident on administrative leave and we initiated a number of investigations that will tell us exactly what happened and why.”
Later she attempts her damage control, writing, “As we learn the results and findings of the various investigations, I believe we will emerge as a stronger and more empathetic university. This will not happen quickly or easily. But that process is already underway and I believe UC Davis can become a national model on how to protect free speech and keep a bustling university campus safe, especially in turbulent times.”
She adds, “In the meantime, we cannot let this incident define us when we are defined by so many other achievements occurring throughout the year. I am reminded daily of the extraordinary breadth and depth of everything UC Davis contributes to the world around us.”
Finally she offers, “Nov. 18 was an aberration. You know this is still the outstanding university it was before that unfortunate day.”
—David M. Greenwald reporting
In regard to the students at the UC Regents meeting: so much for “CIVIL disobedience”. The students did about the worst thing they possibly could to guarantee their concerns would NOT be addressed. As for the “rubber bullets”, as I watched the footage, I considered the use of force justified once the students decided to use a bicycle rack as a battering ram against police.
In regard to the UCD incident of pepper spraying and Katehi’s comments, let’s wait and see what the investigation shows…
ERM, David always seems to leave out the little details that don’t help substantiate his story.
“In regard to the UCD incident of pepper spraying and Katehi’s comments, let’s wait and see what the investigation shows”
Why? Maybe to determine the culpability of others like John Meyer, who walks around town without any sense of guilt. As for Katehi she has consistently accepted responsibility. In the court of public opinion that is equivalent to a plea of No Contest. So what is the penalty she accepts with her admission of responsibility? I won’t hold my breath waiting.
Amen rusty! it shows that when you continually offer excuses for protestors bad behavior they sense victory and their behavior worsens.
[quote]Amen rusty! it shows that when you continually offer excuses for protestors bad behavior they sense victory and their behavior worsens.[/quote]
Excellent point. I got the distinct impression from watching the footage that the students felt empowered by the pepper spray incident, e.g. yelling the same phrases just as in the pepper spraying incident.
[quote]ERM: “In regard to the UCD incident of pepper spraying and Katehi’s comments, let’s wait and see what the investigation shows”
Mr. Toad: Why? Maybe to determine the culpability of others like John Meyer, who walks around town without any sense of guilt. As for Katehi she has consistently accepted responsibility. In the court of public opinion that is equivalent to a plea of No Contest. So what is the penalty she accepts with her admission of responsibility? I won’t hold my breath waiting.[/quote]
How about innocent until proven guilty?
I am not convinced, from the footage, that the students were planning to use the bike rack as a battering ram…
Certainly her admission of responsibility indicates that some penalty is warranted. Aren’t such claims an admission of guilt.
“I am not convinced, from the footage, that the students were planning to use the bike rack as a battering ram…”
So were the police to just stand their and wait to see what the students intentions were with the bike rack while they’re carrying it in a threatening manner towards them? Get real, the students escalated the incident with the provocation of using the bike rack in a threatening manner. They asked for for it.
“Excellent point. I got the distinct impression from watching the footage that the students felt empowered by the pepper spray incident, e.g. yelling the same phrases just as in the pepper spraying incident.”
ERM, it makes you wonder if many of the same students and outside agitators were present there as were here in Davis.
Elaine: I think Mt. Toad’s point is that she already admitted guilt multiple times. The question is now what the consequence will be for admitting that guilt.
Rusty: I posted videos and links, and get accused of hiding things. I cringe to think of what you would consider an unjustified use of force.
Elaine: When the regents had their “meeting” at UC Davis, there were no disruptions and nothing happened either. I know you hate disobedience, but it does serve the purpose of forcing those in power to deal with things they don’t particularly want to deal with. If there is no pressure, the status quo is to hope things go away. It’s only when those in power realize that this will not go away are they forced to deal with it.
Minor point: that’s not a “bike rack” shown in the video. It’s a metal barricade of a type commonly used for crowd control, establishing queues at events, etc. The UC Davis police have a bunch of them, most of which are stored at Freeborn Hall for concerts and other special events.
A bunch of them can be seen early in the video in the background, which is what you’d expect at an event of this nature.
“The additional problems began, according to other reports, after the board members were escorted off campus by police. Students who had already gathered to continue their protest were then confronted by a mix of campus police and municipal police in riot gear.
According to several videos, these police forced the protesters to disperse, using rubber bullets and paint gun pellets. Several injuries were reported.”
David, where’s your report of the students picking up a bike rack (or barricade, does it really matter) which escalated the incident resulting in rubber bullets being fired? Like I stated, you chose to keep that detail out because in my opinion you like to make the protesters seem peaceful and the police look as bad as possible.
[quote]Elaine: I think Mt. Toad’s point is that she already admitted guilt multiple times. The question is now what the consequence will be for admitting that guilt. [/quote]
We still do not know to what extent Katehi ordered the pepper spraying. Was it a direct order from her? If not, what did she tell to the police, etc.? All of this may/may not come out in the investigation. The only thing Katehi has admitted to and is regretful of from what I can tell is that the students were pepper sprayed. She does not admit who gave the order or if it was done on the spur of the moment…
[quote]Elaine: When the regents had their “meeting” at UC Davis, there were no disruptions and nothing happened either. I know you hate disobedience, but it does serve the purpose of forcing those in power to deal with things they don’t particularly want to deal with. If there is no pressure, the status quo is to hope things go away. It’s only when those in power realize that this will not go away are they forced to deal with it.[/quote]
The students had the opportunity to speak at public comment/voice their concerns during the UC Regents meeting, no? What good TO STUDENTS came from the students shutting the UC Regents meeting down? Being shot with rubber bullets bc the students picked up a barricade and looked like they were ready to use it as a battering ram?
[quote]Minor point: that’s not a “bike rack” shown in the video. It’s a metal barricade of a type commonly used for crowd control, establishing queues at events, etc. The UC Davis police have a bunch of them, most of which are stored at Freeborn Hall for concerts and other special events. [/quote]
Thanks for the clarification. Nevertheless, the barricade is big, heavy metal, and very threatening in the way the students picked it up and moved directly towards the police, using it as if it were a battering ram. Somehow, and it is not clear to me how, the police managed to get the barricade away from the students. It almost looked as if the students got advice from someone in the crowd to put the barricade down…
“The students had the opportunity to speak at public comment/voice their concerns during the UC Regents meeting, no? What good TO STUDENTS came from the students shutting the UC Regents meeting down?”
As they have spoken before dozens of times to no apparent avail. At some point, the students need to start forcing the regents to make changes. I suspect this will have much greater impact than previous endless litany of student complaints met by business as usual.
The police will lose the PR battle every single time they use force. Someday they may actually learn that.
Protesting students to police:
“Spray Me. Shoot Me. Kick Me! & Hit Me!… I want to be on TV!”
At this point the protesters have won enough of the PR game to be giving a voice and audience with UC brass. However, they keep playing their silly protest game. This makes me question their true motivation. Are they really interested in working with decision makers to get to a solution or compromise, or are they just protesting for protesting sake? If just protesting for the sake of protesting, then I say bring on the pepper spray, rubber bullets and paintballs to clear out the area so those that are working toward finding solutions can go to work.
Breaking news: no charges against UCD Protesters – link ([url]https://davisvanguard.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5018:breaking-news-no-charges-filed-against-pepper-sprayed-protesters-by-da&catid=74:judicial-watch&Itemid=100[/url])
“Are they really interested in working with decision makers to get to a solution or compromise, or are they just protesting for protesting sake?”
What compromise have the UC Regents offered the students?
“At this point the protesters have won enough of the PR game to be giving a voice and audience with UC brass. “
Seems to me like it was back to business as usual, with everything that happened last year long since forgotten.
I think it is really reaching and shows a lack of respect for the students to say they were going to use the barricade as a battering ram. It is much more plausible that the students, who have a right to protest on their campus, were trying to keep the police, who were following the orders of their Captain Pike clone, from advancing on the students as they were trying to sit and hold their ground. That is how I saw it anyway. The students were just trying to keep the Regents Army from silencing their right to free speech and lawful assembly.
I don’t understand how people can be surprised that things escalate when the police bring weapons to a peaceful protest. If they would just adopt Whole Earth Festival Karma Patrol uniforms and mingle with the kids, they could keep the peace along with their dignity and have the respect of both sides of the debate.
[quote]As they have spoken before dozens of times to no apparent avail. At some point, the students need to start forcing the regents to make changes. I suspect this will have much greater impact than previous endless litany of student complaints met by business as usual. [/quote]
Have the students made any headway in making changes? The UC Regents just ended up holding its meeting behind closed doors. How in heaven’s name did that help THE STUDENTS?
[quote]I think it is really reaching and shows a lack of respect for the students to say they were going to use the barricade as a battering ram. It is much more plausible that the students, who have a right to protest on their campus, were trying to keep the police, who were following the orders of their Captain Pike clone, from advancing on the students as they were trying to sit and hold their ground. That is how I saw it anyway. The students were just trying to keep the Regents Army from silencing their right to free speech and lawful assembly. [/quote]
First of all, how do the police know what is on the student’s minds when the students advanced towards them carrying a heavy metal barricade? How does law enforcement know what the students plan to do with the barricade. If it looked to me as if the students were going to use it as a battering ram, I’m sure it is reasonable to think the police saw it that way. Secondly the “Regents Army” was not advancing on the students, but merely holding their ground. It was the students who were doing the advancing in a threatening manner. I suspect others thought so too bc it appeared as if the students were told by someone in the crowd to put the metal barricade down, which was then passed to the police and put out of harm’s way…
Elaine: To answer that, go back to the meeting at the Capital when Katehi had to appear and the legislators and Katehi were having a discussion about funding for higher education. That doesn’t happen without the student pressure. Will something tangible come from this? Too soon to tell. But one thing I know is that without the public pressure from the students, their comments would be about as well received as public comment on the Saylor council. And probably a good deal less so, because regents don’t face election and certainly not from the students.
okay, so i LEE ROGERS OF UCLA (PHD STUDENT IN POLITICAL SCIENCE) was one of the people carrying the partition (that police and protesters had been using all day to separate each other and keep things from escalating) to protect peaceful protesters, once again, from being pulled out of the line by police officers instigating violence and making false arrests. i saw multiple officers attempt to pull multiple people out; i saw multiple officers hit students with batons from the back. i was not being violent. i was trying to create a barrier between SEATED protesters and police officers that were feeling ‘riled’ up after the recent entrance of the state troopers. if you watch the video, you hear us chanting ‘we are peaceful’ and ‘we are sitting.’
I AM A FULLY FUNDED PHD STUDENT AT UCLA. WHY WOULD I TRY TO ASSAULT A POLICE OFFICER? WHY WOULD I WANT TO LOSE ALL THE FUNDING THAT I HAVE MANAGED TO GET?
I AM ANOTHER PEACEFUL PROTESTER THAT HAS BEEN SCREWED OVER BY THE POLICE AND THE MEDIA.
WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT MY LEG?
STOP TRUSTING MAINSTREAM MEDIA, and realize THE POLICE USE BRUTAL FORCE ALL THE TIME. People only are paying attention now because its a bunch of white college students.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS: leerogersucla@gmail.com
also, i’m not an idiot. i’m not going to charge a line of police men with batons out…guns strapped on…and a few with tazers and guns like the one that shot me
have you ever been close to a police line, all you haters? one would have to be out of his or her mind to think they could do anything….like what the hell did we think we were going to do? rambo down the police line?
COME ON!
also, i’m not an idiot. i’m not going to charge a line of police men with batons out…guns strapped on…and a few with tazers and guns like the one that shot me
have you ever been close to a police line, all you haters? one would have to be out of his or her mind to think they could do anything….like what the hell did we think we were going to do? rambo down the police line?
COME ON!
Thanks, Lee . I have now watched 30 different videos of the protest, and in none do I see any indication of the barricade being used offensively, although the well padded cops who took it were pretty careless in their handling considering the proximity of protesters .
To answer that, go back to the meeting at the Capital when Katehi had to appear and the legislators and Katehi were having a discussion about funding for higher education. That doesn’t happen without the student pressure. Will something tangible come from this? Too soon to tell. But one thing I know is that without the public pressure from the students, their comments would be about as well received as public comment on the Saylor council. And probably a good deal less so, because regents don’t face election and certainly not from the students.
you don’t get it one bit, do you? When the students pull stunts like this, the issue gets sidestepped, and the issue changes to civil disobedience vs police brutality. When the pepper spray incident blew up, the issue was tent cities, Lt Pike, police force being excessive i.e. everything except the issue they are bitching about, student tuition. I have as yet to see one coherent argument in their collective brains challenging Katehi’s claims about why student tuition needs to go up. And I take issue with the vanguards assertion that the police look bad everytime they use force. in fact, I’m not seeing the outcry of sympathy from this incident we saw from the pepper spray, far from it.
I’m also suprised the vanguard is showing this particular photo, because it makes the students look like the spoiled little brats they are.
“When the students pull stunts like this, the issue gets sidestepped, and the issue changes to civil disobedience vs police brutality”
I disagree, student concerns tend to be ignored unless those in power are forced to deal with them. The higher education committee had a whole discussion on this because of the pepper spraying.
“I’m also suprised the vanguard is showing this particular photo, because it makes the students look like the spoiled little brats they are. “
I think you are just biased against direct action and civil disobedience.
I think you are just biased against direct action and civil disobedience.
no more than you are biased in favor of it
ERM
“yelling the same phrases just as in the pepper spraying incident.
What phrases were you referencing that you felt were so similar that they represented “copying ” or collusion as suggested by another poster?
” Peaceful protest” ? ” Shame on you”? Are these the phrases you found so unique and unusual that there must have been collaboration between organized protesters ? It seems to me that these could as easily have been heard in the ’60’s during the Vietnam Nam war protests.
I really don’t think one has to come up with a conspiracy theory based on common protest chants.
On the separate issue of the use of the barricade, I think it is very relevant that it was a barricade and not a bike rack.
If the police had doubts about the protesters intent in moving the barricade, as was stated, they had an option other that firing paint pellets.
Could they simply not have asked ? Even Sgt Pike made time to talk with the protesters and gave warning before pepper spraying. I am sure that strategy could have been followed here as well, and as the tapes clearly show, was not.
If the issue here is safety, it is clear that the only violent acts that actually occurred were the actions of the police. I fail to see how firing without crowd notification thus setting off a stampede as one of the videos clearly documents,promotes student or police safety.
“no more than you are biased in favor of it”
That’s fine, but you made a comment about the photo, I don’t see anything negative about the photo.
Good point Medwoman – it becomes very clear that the police simply do not or at least did not know how to handle situations like these without escalating them. Here is a case in point – why police at all there? There were 5000 people in the quad following the pepper spray incident, no police, no problems.
ERM
I do agree strongly with one of your points. These protests that drive what should be public hearings behind closed doors do not serve a constructive purpose for the students. However, I suspect that I interpret the student actions differently that you do.
I feel that they are the outcome of inexperience and frustration more than organization and desire to protest for the sake of protest as suggested by Jeff. My evidence for inexperience: 1) Any experienced protester knows that the response to facing a barricade is to sit down. These kids obviously were clueless. 2) An experienced protester would never consider moving a police barricade for any reason. 3) An experienced protestor will tend to remain silent or perhaps sing rather than chant which apparently can seem intimidating to a riot geared police officer even if the words are “peaceful protest”.
As for the frustration, students have tried multiple venues including student forums, student representatives to university committees on many levels, ” teach ins”, letters to editors protesting cuts to public education, letters to legislators only to see their fees increase and increase while their class sizes, instructional availability and course offerings have been steadily cut while administrative salaries soar. I am sure the students and their parents who are usually paying their fees feel completely disempowered. I know that along with my recent grad from Cal and my second soon to start, I know I do.
As a state, we had made a promise to our students and their families that we would fund a world class public education system.
We are now reneging on that promise. Do we really anticipate that those who feel that a system that they have dutifully paid into for years is now betraying them should not protest ? I believe that is their right as Americans. How can we applauded the actions of disruptive protesters in countries whose governments we happen not to like, but vilify our own protesters who see their government as betraying their promised opportunities ?
[quote]I feel that they are the outcome of inexperience and frustration more than organization and desire to protest for the sake of protest as suggested by Jeff. My evidence for inexperience: 1) Any experienced protester knows that the response to facing a barricade is to sit down. These kids obviously were clueless. 2) An experienced protester would never consider moving a police barricade for any reason. 3) An experienced protestor will tend to remain silent or perhaps sing rather than chant which apparently can seem intimidating to a riot geared police officer even if the words are “peaceful protest”.[/quote]
I completely agree w you here…
[quote]As for the frustration, students have tried multiple venues including student forums, student representatives to university committees on many levels, ” teach ins”, letters to editors protesting cuts to public education, letters to legislators only to see their fees increase and increase while their class sizes, instructional availability and course offerings have been steadily cut while administrative salaries soar. I am sure the students and their parents who are usually paying their fees feel completely disempowered. I know that along with my recent grad from Cal and my second soon to start, I know I do. [/quote]
There is more than one way to “skin a cat”; and as far as I can tell these student protests have not stopped the rising tuition one iota. Students might try something different. Look at the latest gambit that worked – the Wikipedia blackouts, to defeat anti-piracy over the internet legislation. The students have to start getting a little more creative…
“as far as I can tell these student protests have not stopped the rising tuition one iota.”
Not yet, but change tends to be incremental. Civil rights did not change overnight in response to civil disobedience and public protest. The first step in achieving change when your group is neither wealthy, powerful, or well connected is changing the conversation. I feel that the protesters are achieving a change in the conversation.
And I think this is also pertinent to your second point about the effectiveness of the Wikipedia shut down. What resource that the students have access to would you see as equivalent to shutting down Wikipedia. Individuals and groups use the tools they have available. I would suggest that the students have relatively few resources other than their numbers and voices to change a system over which they have no effective leverage despite the fact that they and their parents are paying an increasingly large share of the bill.
I have asked you before, but will again, what strategy to “skin this cat” would you suggest that has not already been tried ?
TimR:
…
[quote]I think it is really reaching and shows a lack of respect for the students to say they were going to use the barricade as a battering ram. It is much more plausible that the students, who have a right to protest on their campus, were trying to keep the police, who were following the orders of their Captain Pike clone, from advancing on the students as they were trying to sit and hold their ground. That is how I saw it anyway. [/quote]
Hate to break it to you, but the SCOTUS has already determined that the best people to determine what level of force to use, under the circumstances, are the on-scene officers, thereby excluding certain bloggers.
AdRemmer
Unless of course, their judgement leads them to break the law. It outcome in the UCD case remains to be seen.
[quote]I have asked you before, but will again, what strategy to “skin this cat” would you suggest that has not already been tried ?[/quote]
I started to list ideas, but after about 5 I decided I better not list them, because they were too devilishly clever, and may have repercussions that I had not thought of. I don’t want to put ideas in the heads of students, only to find that my ideas would somehow backfire on them. So you will just have to trust me that if the students have fertile/clever minds, which they do, there are much better and less destructive ways to get their points across…
EMR
Well, I am sure that there are many options, however, if the ones that you have thought of would have the possibility for adverse consequences, perhaps they have thought of them also have rejected them as having the possibility of them backfiring. If there were easy answers, I think their fees would not have been increasing by leaps and bounds. I simply do not see the better ways that you seem to. And you don’t seem to have thought of any risk free strategies either unless I am misreading you. With all due respect, and I truly do respect many of your opinions and perspectives although they are frequently different from my own, this sounds a little like “unnamed sources”.
That’s fine, but you made a comment about the photo, I don’t see anything negative about the photo.
lol, the photo makes the students look like total brats.
I simply do not see the better ways that you seem to. And you don’t seem to have thought of any risk free strategies either unless I am misreading you.
so what you are saying is the students should have lower tuition because they demand it? sorry, but that is not what democracy is about at all.
[quote]And you don’t seem to have thought of any risk free strategies either unless I am misreading you. With all due respect, and I truly do respect many of your opinions and perspectives although they are frequently different from my own, this sounds a little like “unnamed sources”.[/quote]
First of all, students resorting to civil disobedience has risks of its own, as we saw in the pepper spraying incident. So no strategy is risk free. As I said, I thought of about 5 possibilities of alternate strategies, but bc I have not thoroughly vetted these ideas, I don’t want to put notions in the heads of students that would come back to bite them. I think that is the responsible thing to do. Thus unfortunately you will just have to trust that there are some interesting nonviolent/legal tactics that could be quite a bit more efficacious than civil disobedience has been…