On Friday, a group of peaceful protesters at UC Davis became the latest victims of the Occupy movement to suffer extreme, unprovoked police brutality--
this time on the orders of UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi.Videos of the incident show a group of young student protesters, arms linked, seated peacefully on the ground.
Without provocation, riot police charged the group.In his open letter to Linda P.B. Katehi, Associate Professor Nathan Brown describes the assault as such: "When students covered their eyes with their clothing, police forced open their mouths and pepper-sprayed down their throats. Several of these students were hospitalized...One of them, forty-five minutes after being pepper-sprayed down his throat, was still coughing up blood."
This horrific misuse of power was an absolutely unacceptable betrayal of students' and faculty's trust.
Demand that Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, who ordered the cops to confront the students, resign today!Your decision to order riot police to attack peaceful Occupy UC Davis protesters was both irresponsible and immoral. Using pepper spray directly on protesters is a form of chemical warfare, only to be deployed in situations of extreme violence. It is very evident that the protesters at UC Davis were not violent in the slightest, and yet your police forces chose to deploy extreme force against them anyway.
Your actions were a betrayal of the students and faculty who turn to you to represent their agency at UC Davis. Based on this hypocrisy, I demand your resignation today.
