11/20/2011: People have been sending me a lot of pictures and videos of the UC-Davis Campus Police assaulting the “Occupy” students with pepper spray. I don’t know the details so I’m not going to comment on what happened or whether or not Chancellor Katehi should go, though obviously the cop with the mace is a pig:
Apparently the UC-Davis campus police are now claiming they were surrounded and threatened. By 110 pound kids wearing hoodies, with iPhones. I know the feeling, that’s why I never lecture in Columbia 150 without a Tazer on my belt: (Photo borrowed without permission from Michael Ciaglo)
I will say that the fact UO and Eugene managed to avoid an ugly incident of this sort with the Occupy Eugene movement and their brief stay on campus is a credit to all the people involved: the city, the protestors, the people in Public Safety, and some nameless and effective university administrators.
I’m sure there’s some lesson in here about the wisdom or folly of having sworn police like UC-Davis rather than public safety officers, but I’m not sure what it is. If you think you do, or want to find out, get involved in the UO Police Oversight process. Their out of date website is here. The faculty and students they list as members have quit out of frustration or graduated. We are going to have a lot of sworn police on campus very soon, with riot gear and the same sort of training the UC-Davis police had. Regardless of how you feel about Prozanski and Dyke’s legislation, it’s now the law, and OUS is going to let Lariviere carry it through. What happens next time – and all the consequences – will be our problem.
I wasn’t crazy about having them camped out at the Millrace, but it was handled pretty well all in all, especially considering the competition.
Nameless administrators who get the credit? For starters, how about Lorraine Davis and, presumably, Richard Lariv?
I wonder how many cases of pepper spray Doug Tripp has ordered up since seeing the above picture? UOM should file a public records request on this.
Public Safety already has pepper spray, and we have never seen any behavior like this from that group. A more interesting public request would be how many times they use their pepper spray.
It just goes to show you, if police ask you to move or they will pepper spray you. They will pepper spray you. If your shocked or inspired by these protest, go look at whats happening in Egypt.
“I’m sure there’s some lesson in here about the wisdom or folly of having sworn police like UC-Davis rather than public safety officers, but I’m not sure what it is.”
I think the lesson is, regardless of security, public safety, or police… train them well, keep the pay high enough to draw in qualified candidates (not backwash from other agencies), and take a moment to be objective.
The UC Davis thing is ugly…. but is it better or worse than physical joint manipulation or baton control holds? I don’t know… but, caselaw is currently leaning towards the right to protest, but not occupy…. so, when the police inform you that you need to disperse… disperse. Whatever the situation and law surrounding it, you need well-trained and intelligent officers to successfully analyze the situation and determine the best response. If you employ under-paid and under-trained officers, you’ll be at risk of getting a much worse situation than UC Davis. If you employ well-trained officers, you might get end up with a more agreeable solution.