One officer methodically doused a group of sitting protesters with pepper spray,

From an open letter calling for the resignation of the chancellor (who decided to use police force to remove the protesters and defended their actions saying it wasn't non-violent to be sitting):

"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."

Job well done.

If I was braver, I'd go to one of these protests wearing body armor under my clothes, and a gas mask. Then just sit and see how long it took to get videos of police ripping off the gas mask of an unresisting, peaceful person, in order to pepper spray them.

Not necessarily the "down the throat" but the photos of what we see (police blasting pepper spray at sitting protestors) is actually the safest thing to do once the order to disperse has gone out. The only other option is to attempt to physically manhandle the protestors, and attempt to carry a struggling person. The possibility for permanent injury or disability is MUCH higher in that situation.

Drekkan85 said:

Not necessarily the "down the throat" but the photos of what we see (police blasting pepper spray at sitting protestors) is actually the safest thing to do once the order to disperse has gone out. The only other option is to attempt to physically manhandle the protestors, and attempt to carry a struggling person. The possibility for permanent injury or disability is MUCH higher in that situation.

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Another option is to respect the rights of citizens to peacefully assemble.

Drekkan85 said:

Not necessarily the "down the throat" but the photos of what we see (police blasting pepper spray at sitting protestors) is actually the safest thing to do once the order to disperse has gone out. The only other option is to attempt to physically manhandle the protestors, and attempt to carry a struggling person. The possibility for permanent injury or disability is MUCH higher in that situation.

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Moving an alert peaceful protestor:
broken bones, cuts, scrapes,

Using and moving a peaceful protestor sprayed with Pepper spray:
Same as above except protestor can't see approaching dangers to avoid a curb, tree branch, etc.
asthma, resp distress, choking on nasal discharge, vomitting,
resp arrest(severe reaction)

Lets see worst case
1st example; broken hip or smaller bones
2nd example: death, brain damage, prolonged hospital stay.

Health Hazards of Pepper Spray

just to note:
It is physically impossible for a street cop to force open the teeth without a special tool. Thus forcing someones mouth open and spraying it down their throat is an exageration. Possibly as a protestor gasps for breath they spray it, but not forcing open their mouth. Much worse then "forcing open", because they suck in air as the spray is used.
Proof: the fingers cannot force open a jaw(as the comercial says, 200lbs of preasure on teeth.)

Pepper spray will not move protestors, being blinded and having trouble breathing will not make it any easier to move a protestor.

If they fight off police trying to move them, then it will help.

It abuse of force to pepper spray peaceful protestors.
I do not support thier cause, but these incidents actually make me consider going to a protest.

Goverments need to stop martyring the protestors. Use the least amount of force to get the job done. Most "peaceful" protestors will listen to reason, if they are told to move because of the nasty conditions, they will probably move. Tell them to go home and not protest, they will lock down and refuse to move.

If needed, taser the people that refuse to unlock arms, after informing them they are being arrested. Because at that point they are resisting arrest by not complying.

Drekkan85 said:

Not necessarily the "down the throat" but the photos of what we see (police blasting pepper spray at sitting protestors) is actually the safest thing to do once the order to disperse has gone out. The only other option is to attempt to physically manhandle the protestors, and attempt to carry a struggling person. The possibility for permanent injury or disability is MUCH higher in that situation.

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I thought the preferred civil disobedient method was to go as limp as possible so as to become a deadweight.

Mling said:

Another option is to respect the rights of citizens to peacefully assemble.

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While you do have the right to peacefully assemble, there are certain limits and rules you have to abide by. For example, you might not be allowed to block roads or walkways. In the video I saw, the protestors were lined up and blocking a walkway. So that may have been the impetus to get them to disperse.

Don't worry this was already explained by a right winger. The cops were unlawfully imprisoned by the group of hostile protestors surrounding them. The only way they could escape was by pepper spraying some people sitting on the ground who were not blocking their way. This was really just a frantic escape attempt. The police are lucky to still be alive. That's why you see the pepper spraying cop walking around so slow and nonchalantly before he sprays them.

Drekkan85 said:

Not necessarily the "down the throat" but the photos of what we see (police blasting pepper spray at sitting protestors) is actually the safest thing to do once the order to disperse has gone out. The only other option is to attempt to physically manhandle the protestors, and attempt to carry a struggling person. The possibility for permanent injury or disability is MUCH higher in that situation.

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why even give the order to disperse? Not a single person called in or filed a complaint about the protest, or the protesters. No one felt their space was violated by the assembly. The truth is, they're kids who are simply demonstrating; give it a few hours. They'll have to break the chain, go to the bathroom, eat, sleep, go party, study, go to class, whatever. It just takes some time. You don't have to injure people to get them to disperse; they'll do it on their own. Violent force simply aggravates people further.

The police should have been adult about it, but instead, chose to exercise excessive and brutal force against kids who literaly are doing nothing to anyone.

Also, if a human chain of thirty people is in your way. Walk around. Be the better person. Don't be a jerk and get upset just because you have to walk around them.

trunks2k said:

While you do have the right to peacefully assemble, there are certain limits and rules you have to abide by. For example, you might not be allowed to block roads or walkways. In the video I saw, the protestors were lined up and blocking a walkway. So that may have been the impetus to get them to disperse.

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yeah but....

As if the walkway is the only way one can walk.

If someone is standing on a walkway, omigoodness, you can't get to where you want to go unless you walk around it! no!!!!!

mpok1519 said:

yeah but....

As if the walkway is the only way one can walk.

If someone is standing on a walkway, omigoodness, you can't get to where you want to go unless you walk around it! no!!!!!

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Clearly this calls for chemical warfare!!

mpok1519 said:

yeah but....

As if the walkway is the only way one can walk.

If someone is standing on a walkway, omigoodness, you can't get to where you want to go unless you walk around it! no!!!!!

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That's not the point. I don't know the particular situation surrounding this particular event. The point is that while you certainly have a right to peacefully protest, you don't necessarily have any such right to block a road or walkway. Whether it's a smart decision to break up such a group, or whether or not it is done in an acceptable manner is an entirely different issue.

Someone is going to be killed shortly, there's 100 people in the video with cameras there to see exactly that, and when it happens -no matter who who is killed or how- everyone will be convinced that this vindicates their position and more laws will be passed to restrict the right to protest.

trunks2k said:

That's not the point. I don't know the particular situation surrounding this particular event. The point is that while you certainly have a right to peacefully protest, you don't necessarily have any such right to block a road or walkway. Whether it's a smart decision to break up such a group, or whether or not it is done in an acceptable manner is an entirely different issue.

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I think the best way to break up a group is to let them break their selfs up. When they have to eat, go to the bathroom, study, etc. I think that is the most adult and grown up thing to do, rather than resorting to chemical warfare and injuring people.

In the eyes of people who can see what they are looking at the police were there to stop the protest, not enforce the specifics of the loitering laws.

They did so with excessive force to prove that they could, and that they were willing, as a warning to people who wished to protest likewise, an example if you will.

This kind of behavior is unacceptable by the police and if it is tolerated it is one more step on the road to a police state.

I think we're already there.

Stay at home people. Watch TV and play Modern Warfare.

Its much safer than standing up for any cause.

Its much safer than standing up for any cause.

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I say this as someone who is sympathetic to the aims of Occupy, having these kinds of incidents attached to your movement does you no good.
It confuses the message and polarizes the population, this was never supposed to be students versus cops.

Tenka said:

I say this as someone who is sympathetic to the aims of Occupy, having these kinds of incidents attached to your movement does you no good.
It confuses the message and polarizes the population, this was never supposed to be students versus cops.

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And guess who initiated the conflict?

The cops. Not the students. If anything, the authorities are polarizing the people into two camps.

Those who stand up for freedom, and those who support thugs with badges bc they are good statist bootlickers begging for a food pebble from their reptilian master overlords.