How To Turn A Slow News Day Into Momentum…
Pike Attends Constitutional Convention To Vote Down On First Amendment
Sadly it will go down as an image out of step with reality.
UC Davis Police Office John Pike, drenched passive demonstrators with pepper spray after waving the can to the crowd. In a few sweeps of his giant can of pepper spray, usually reserved to subdue unruly, rowdy or violent resistors, John Pike instead deepened the pool of the 99% who are awake.
UC Davis is one of the gentler places within the University of California system. The town is known for its quirky approach to being green. At least that is the way it started, but that soon became a focus of respect in Northern California. Davis pursued a green philosophy that included aggressive recycling and community planning, long before it was considered cool or thought to be relevant.
It would appear that the pendulum swings fast. As this assault was perpetrated by the UC Davis Campus police and NOT the Davis City Police Department, this incident would seem out of touch with the spirit of education and tolerance in the University of California system. Then again, take a look at the incident at UC Berkeley, a week earlier where the Campus police were put on demonstrators that were apparently behaving within the student’s constitution.
Love or hate #OWS, you have to think about what is a reasonable expression of free speech and a reasonable use of police power.
Wud
I admit to taking liberty with art in the pursuit of free speech
For More Pepper Spraying Cop ArtÂ
