As an alum, I’ve been keeping up on the incident that occurred at UC Davis this past week. I see both sides, but feel the ending actions of the Campus PD were over-dramatic and not needed. This event brings to mind concerns of how the UC Davis administration will handle future protests and other happenings of the same caliber.
The UC Davis Chancellor, Linda P.B. Katehi, sent out a statement condemning the Campus PD officers’ actions, even informing everyone that the 2 officers that issued the pepper spray have been put on administrative leave. She has promised to begin a thorough investigation. But, once again, this remains an incident that could have been avoided.
Hmmm….what do you think? Were the students/protesters in the wrong for staying when told to leave? Or was the UC Davis Campus PD over-ambitious with their power, displaying reckless actions and an absolute recognition that they are not properly prepared/trained for incidents such at this?
We have to have reasonable cause for protesting. Although it is personal opinion to consider any cause worth protesting for, one must truly think about his/her actions before, while and after they demonstrate. Perhaps, the smarter action here would have been to listen to the UC Davis administration and then return after the weekend, then carrying on the protest in a the peaceful manner which was intended.
This isn’t to say the protesters were not peaceful. But they most definitely provoked the harm that came to them. Was the harm valid? Most definitely not. Again, the cops over-reacted. Period.
We have to be smart in our decisions as people. I’m all for giving everything to a cause worth giving everything to. But the question here is was this cause worth the outcome, right or not? This is the debate that I’m throwing back and forth in my mind. Was this cause of these protesters really worth putting themselves in the way of the harm that came to them? The cops were wrong. But were the protesters wrong for provoking the cops to begin with when they could have went about things differently, possibly even solidifying a more successful outcome?
Now it just seems like another unacceptable occurrence of abuse of power with the true intent of the protest being washed away amid the media’s pouncing and meticulously chosen pin-pointing. The reasons of the protesters really won’t even be validated. All that will likely be remembered here is the violence. Is that what was wanted?
I could think about it for days. Let’s just hope everyone learns from their mistakes.
With fight comes change. But that change isn’t always what was desired….or even good for that matter.
Go Campus PD….NOT!
– B
