Vanguard at UC Davis

From the beginning, we were concerned about the ability of the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department to do a fair investigation into the pepper spraying incident at UC Davis.

The appointment of former Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso was a good move for UC President Mark Yudof.  He is an individual who is well respected by many in this community and, in particular, among the group most likely to be skeptical of the idea of a task force.

A group of about 50 students met yesterday evening and voted unanimously, after some vigorous debate, to occupy, hold and blockade Dutton Hall, which houses the campus’ financial aid services and the university cashier, and is thus the intake point of student fees.

In a strong signal that this incident will not simply be swept under the rug, UC President Mark Yudof announced today that former California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso will chair the task force formed to address the pepper spraying of UC Davis students.

A new defense has emerged of Lt. John Pike, an amateur video which shows the embattled lieutenant warning the protesters that if they do not move, they will be subject to the use of force.

The Investigation: Former LA Chief Bratton Heads Up Investigation

On Tuesday UC President Mark Yudof announced that former Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton will undertake an independent fact-finding of the pepper spray incident and report back the results to him within 30 days.

It was not a friendly crowd that faced Chancellor Linda Katehi on Monday afternoon, but they clearly wanted to hear what the chancellor had to say, even as many chanted for her to resign.  The crowd listened politely, quickly shouting down those who wished to catcall or heckle the chancellor.

One of the points that defenders of the police here have failed to address is whether or not the actions of the police here are legal, or if they have clearly violated community standards.  In so doing, regardless of legality, it means that the community is not willing to accept this type of response from their police and therefore political pressure will force the agency to have to change policies and even dismiss officials.

Students Who Were Pepper Sprayed Tell Their Stories

UC officials, who hoped the matter of pepper spraying students on the Quad of the MU last Friday would simply go away, were treated to a rude awakening as more than 5,000 people – students, staff, faculty and members of the community alike – jammed into the UCD Quad Monday afternoon.

UC Davis has just announced that Police Chief Annette Spicuzza has been placed on administrative leave, pending a review of officers’ use of pepper spray against protesters. UC Davis Lt. Matt Carmichael will serve as interim police chief.

Chancellor’s Hasty Retreat Covers Up Major Errors and Oversights That Directly Caused Fiasco

In the immediate wake of the pepper spraying, the initial response from the leadership at UC Davis was actually to defend the actions of the police.

Saturday featured a flurry of activity as UC Davis had to rapidly backtrack in the wake of national and worldwide coverage, from CNN to the New York Times to the Huffington Post to the BBC.

Just when it seemed that the Occupy movement was about to die out, a confrontation that was brewing all week exploded as police officers used pepper spray and other non-lethal means to expel protesters from an encampment on the campus Quad.

Officials report at least ten protesters arrested.