[Vision2020] UC Davis Pepper Spray - What really happened

[Donovan Arnold]

I know when I see a girl half my size with a book pack sitting on a campus sidewalk I keep my pepper spray in hand. Clearly the officer felt threatened as anyone rightfully would. 
 
I guess if people can image the Blacks in the marches of Selma to Montgomery as the instigators of the police, I guess people can image a few hundred unarmed students sitting in protest on their campus as the instigators of this incident as well. 
 
The problem of not allowing peaceful protests to be effective is that it only gives people legitimate reason to be not so peaceful the next time. 
 
Donovan Arnold
 

________________________________
 From: Jay Borden <jborden at datawedge.com>
To: Bill London <london at moscow.com> 
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com 
Sent: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 3:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] UC Davis Pepper Spray - What really happened
 
The only thing I am suggesting is that there is more to the story than that 30-second viral video of the incident.

From the initial 30-second video, the world inferred the police were pepper spraying protestors because they had nothing better to do and that the protestors were 100% the victims of police brutality.  It's easy to assume from the original camera angle that the police walked over to the line of protestors and simply started spraying them.

When I look at the full video, I see a different picture.  Not necessarily of the wisest decision making by the officer in charge... but certainly a very bad "worst case" potential forming as a shouting mob encircles the police and starts shouting ultimatums.  I don't see policeman walking over to a random group of protestors and peppering them for no reason, I see protestors that had actually blocked the police... and instigated the end result (right or wrong).

At every point along the way the protestors could have chosen a different route.  They choose to follow and surround the police.  That very critical part was not part of the initial viral video, nor was it alluded to anywhere else (from what I read or saw).  The police issued multiple warnings to the protestors, and individually told each protestor along the way that FORCE would be used if they did not clear the path.  


This, to me, paints a different picture originally painted of the "hapless protestor caught unaware".



Jay


-----Original Message-----
From: Bill London [mailto:london at moscow.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 2:00 PM
To: Jay Borden
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] UC Davis Pepper Spray - What really happened

Are you seriously saying the cops were at risk from a bunch of skinny 
sophomores with backpacks full of books?
why didn't the cops just start hauling the students away?
sorry, but there just is no justification for the pepper spray to a passive 
non-violent group of people sitting on the ground
BL

-----Original Message----- 
From: Jay Borden
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 1:40 PM
To: london at moscow.com
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] UC Davis Pepper Spray - What really happened

I see it much differently.

At every step of the way, the protesters had control.

When the protesters follow and SURROUND the police officers, and begin 
chanting 'if you let them go we'll let you leave' it paints a much different 
picture.

Jay


-----Original Message-----
From: Bill London [london at moscow.com]
Received: Wednesday, 07 Dec 2011, 1:27pm
To: Jay Borden [jborden at datawedge.com]
CC: vision2020 [vision2020 at moscow.com]
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] UC Davis Pepper Spray - What really happened


The Davis police lost the PR battle for a good reason.
As this video makes clear, the protestors did not ONCE respond with violence 
(no rocks thrown, etc).
The cops had a force large enough to clear those 20 students away—and the 
cops were obviously in no real danger.
The pepper spray was a vicious and unnecessary attack, reminding me of the 
firehoses and attack dogs used in the South against the civil rights 
marchers
BL

From: Jay Borden <mailto:jborden at datawedge.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 12:55 PM
To: Moscow Vision 2020 <mailto:vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] UC Davis Pepper Spray - What really happened


The original video has long since gone viral… and thus the police and the 
Chancellor have already lost the PR battle.



But here is a YouTube video showing the precursor for the UC Davis “occupy” 
debacle.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhPdH3wE0_Y&feature=share





Jay



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