Resignations are necessary

We are former chairs of the city of Davis Human Relations Commission and civil rights activists in Davis. We are outraged with the violent reaction that the UC Davis police used by pepper-spraying students in the face who were peacefully protesting.

According to Nathan Brown, assistant professor of English and board member of the Davis Faculty Association, ”These students attended that rally in response to a call for solidarity from students and faculty who were bludgeoned with batons, hospitalized and arrested at UC Berkeley last week. In the highest tradition of non-violent civil disobedience, those protesters had linked arms and held their ground in defense of tents they set up beside Sproul Hall. In a gesture of solidarity with those students and faculty, and in solidarity with the national Occupy movement, students at UC Davis set up tents on the main Quad.”

In the likeness of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and César Chávez, the students exercised their First Amendment rights and protested nonviolently, but were met by police who were in full riot gear at the direction of Chancellor Katehi and UCD Police Chief Annette Spicuzza.

In a letter addressed to the Cal Aggie Alumni Association, Katehi states: ”Our campus is committed to providing a safe environment for all to learn freely and practice their civil rights of freedom of speech and expression.”

Contrary to the chancellor’s words, the peaceful, nonviolent actions of the student protesters were met with a violent response from university police, ordered by the administration. These actions were needless, unnecessary and appalling. The university’s response was an unlawful assault on the student protesters and violated their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and assembly. Katehi, Spicuzza and the officers who deployed the pepper spray should all be held accountable for this atrocious act.

The only way to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff and future alumni is to have them resign immediately.

Gay Powers, Tansey Thomas, Carlos Matos, Bill Ritter, Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald, Rick Gonzales and Carolyn Cliver

Davis

Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=108093

Posted by Letters to the Editor on Nov 25 2011.
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