The 4th Reich, Part IV: Left Coast Edition

What the hell is happening in this country? The video below (via The Brad Blog) makes me want to puke. The cops that did this, Lt. John Pike of the UC-Davis police, among others, are sick sons of bitches, to put it kindly. Footage of this atrocity was on my local ABC affiliate's news cast last night, which surprised me, given their usual lame-ass, right-bent approach to things. I guess they were nauseous right along with me.

From a statement by Davis Chancellor Linda P. B. Katehi:

"We deeply regret that many of the protesters today chose not to work with our campus staff and police to remove the encampment as requested," she wrote. "We are even more saddened by the events that subsequently transpired to facilitate their removal."

"Saddened," not outraged.

More bullshit (New York Times, 11/19):

Annette Spicuzza, the U.C. Davis police chief, told The Sacramento Bee that the officer used pepper spray on Friday because the police were surrounded by students. “There was no way out of that circle,” she told the newspaper. “They were cutting the officers off from their support. It’s a very volatile situation.”

The videos, however, show officers freely moving about and show students behaving peacefully. The university reported no instances of violence by any protesters.

Got that? No instances of violence by any protesters. No excuse. And this is a university police force, people who should know better. They probably couldn't get a job with a "real" police force and they're pissed. Thuggery like this should disqualify them from carrying weapons of any kind, lethal or non-lethal. These kids were not on the attack, obviously. But what do I know? I'm just a union thug from Wisconsin.

UPDATE: More from Anonymous.




Thanx to Brad Friedman.