The task force was investigating details of the last fall student’s public protest on the campus ofUniversity of California, Davis came to conclusion that police should not have forced nonaggressive students with pepper spray. The report states that the situation did not demand the actions taken. Radical actions of campus police cannot be justified, and university administration is to blame.
It is no surprise that this incident has attracted attention of the world mass media. The case was brought before the court, and it suspended the release of task force report by more than a month. Most officers’ names were unspoken, but the name of Lt. John Pike was made public and brought him ill fame. He will be recalled as the one who sprayed the peaceful students, moreover, he was taken picture of while spraying.
The administration of the university claims that the campus police was ordered to dismantle the camp because there were concerns about student’s security. The chief of campus police, Anette Spicuzza, states that 80% of protestors were not their students. Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi is convinced that what was done was, without doubt, required. She says there were a lot of strangers, particularly older people, who were unaware of the university record and could do harm to young girls and the rest of students. Later on, student affair administrators found out by means of interviewing the participants of the camp that the vast majority of protestors were local students. That is why the task force declared the claimed necessity of camp dismantling evidence-lacking, and even if there was a reason for such measures, they would have to be applied in a more careful fashion.
The underlying cause for excessive measures is miscommunication between the police and universityadministration. The latter did not simply see that the order is executed rightly. The officers disregarded the order not to wear the riot gear, though the past experience prompted them to do so. They had also confused the time when operation should start, and carried the attempts to dismantle the camp at the daytime for no obvious reason.
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