In case you missed it, here’s what’s going on at my alma mater this week:
. . .and here’s a screenshot of the campus’s home page:
Dissonance!
As you can see from the video, many students recorded these events, so if you’re interested in raising your blood pressure and righteous indignation, you can watch several of them on YouTube. Here are a few:
And some international coverage:
Media sources are reporting that the officer who sprayed the students is Lt. John Pike. (His LinkedIn page says he’s open to “job inquiries” and “expertise requests.” I’m sure law enforcement departments across the U.S. will be knocking on his door, eh?)
Nathan Brown, an assistant professor of English at UC Davis, has asked for the chancellor’s resignation. Here’s an excerpt from his open letter:
Police used batons to try to push the students apart. Those they could separate, they arrested, kneeling on their bodies and pushing their heads into the ground. Those they could not separate, they pepper-sprayed directly in the face, holding these students as they did so. 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. Others are seriously injured. One of them, forty-five minutes after being pepper-sprayed down his throat, was still coughing up blood.
Hey, look–you can leave a note for UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi. You can bet I did. I believe I used the words “Clark Kerr must be spinning in his grave.”
Update: The UC Davis administration has representatives infiltrate protests.
How are things in your corner of academe?
What a sad change. When I was a student there, some students held a protest at the chancellor’s office. He had coffee brought in for all and sat down with them to hear them out. Then they talked.
I wish the new chancellor had been out talking to the students when the police came.
Those hurt to watch.
Bardiac, the rumor when I was at UC Davis was that the new chancellor hired body guards to accompany her to some functions. A far cry from the previous chancellor. . .
It’s all so horrific.
(Bardiac’s comment is such a good example of how things could have been handled.)
Indeed, things are ugly here at UCD. I went to the rally today and was amazed by the variety of people including city residents, children, staff, students, and faculty. Amazing sense of community and solidarity and general disdain for leadership. We were told we could leave today at 4:30PM because of a rumored press conference in the next building. Great op-ed in the Huff. Post by Bob Ostertag if you wish additional reading.