Intro: "The University of California will pay damages of $30,000 to each of the 21 UC Davis students and alumni who were pepper-sprayed by campus police during an otherwise peaceful protest 10 months ago, the university system announced Wednesday."

University of California, Davis, Police Lt. John Pike uses pepper spray on students in peaceful protest. (photo: Louise Macabitas)

UC to Pay Nearly $1 Million in UC Davis Pepper-Spray Settlement

By Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times

27 September 12

he University of California will pay damages of $30,000 to each of the 21 UC Davis students and alumni who were pepper-sprayed by campus police during an otherwise peaceful protest 10 months ago, the university system announced Wednesday.

The agreement, which must still be approved in federal court, also calls for UC to pay a total of $250,000 to the plaintiffs' attorneys and set aside a maximum of $100,000 to pay up to $20,000 to any other individuals who join the class-action lawsuit by proving they were either arrested or directly pepper-sprayed, a university statement said.

A video released online, showing an officer spraying seated students directly in their faces at close range during an Occupy rally, had triggered outrage.

PHOTOS: UC Davis pepper spray incident

And UC's own investigations and a shake-up at the UC Davis police force put the university in a weak position to argue against the students' lawsuit.

The preliminary settlement, which was approved by the UC regents in a closed-door meeting earlier this month, will be paid through the UC's self-insurance program, which officials said has about $600 million in reserves.

Updated 11:30 a.m. Sept. 26: The settlement also calls for UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi to write a formal apology to each of the students and alumni who were pepper-sprayed or arrested.

Fatima Sbeih, a plaintiff in the lawsuit who was pepper-sprayed, said in a statement the incident created a divide between students and campus police.

"Since Nov. 18, students have been afraid of the police. The university still needs to work to rebuild students' trust and this settlement is a step in the right direction," said Sbeih, who recently graduated with a degree in international studies.

Another protester, Ian Lee, who is entering his sophomore year at the school, said in a statement that he participated in the demonstrations because of the "privatization of the university" and rising tuition costs.

"I felt like the university silenced me," he said in the statement.]

In April, a UC task force headed by former state Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso found that UC Davis police had violated policy and that campus administrators mishandled the November 2011 campus protest.

In May, a separate draft report about campus responses to civil disobedience across UC urged administrators to use mediation instead of confrontation in most cases, although it said pepper spray might remain a necessary tool of last resort. A final version was released this month with no major policy changes.

Comments

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+14 # Corvette-Bob 2012-09-27 08:08

Every time I saw that video of the cop spraying the kids, I became sick to my stomack and felt like crying. The cold hearted action of the cop showed me he would have killed innocent people if he was in warfare. The cop was totally heartless with no feelings for his fellow human beings. How would you have felt if it was your son or daughter at college and the police treated them like that ?

+14 # Robert B 2012-09-27 08:16

I'd like to know what happened to Lt. John Pike, pictured above, nonchalantly spraying all those students. The UC-David Chancellor has to write apologies. Okay swell, but where is that cop in all of this? Was he charged? Did he get fired? Did any of that $1 million come out of his pocket?

+8 # HowardMH 2012-09-27 08:42

This is Awesome. GO 99's GO!!!
You are about the only hope this country has left.
With the millions and millions of really Stupid People in the US just doing what the richest 50 people in the US tell them to do there isn't a lot of hope for the idiots.

Until there are two hundred thousand really, really pissed off people on Capital Hill (all at the same time) raising some serious hell against the Lunatics, absolutely nothing is ever, ever going to happen to these totally bought and paid for by the richest 50 people in the world that are becoming more and more powerful with each passing rigged election thanks to the stupid people.

-3 # lisamoskow 2012-09-27 08:55

This is great news! Better than punishment of the police officers.

MONEY TALKS.

+8 # CAMUS1111 2012-09-27 11:08

Are you willing to be sprayed
in the face for $30,000? Perhaps that's a good deal. But one thing is clear: the twisted, sadistic SOB cop pictured above (and perhaps some others) should be prosecuted to the fullest extent and never be allowed to be a cop again. Period.

+5 # popeye47 2012-09-27 12:17

Every time I see that video,I become incensed. That poor excuse for a human being going very close to each person sitting on the ground, and spray that pepper spray right into their face. They weren't any danger to anyone and were peaceful. That guy should be hung by his......
Well anyway he reminds me of Romney. Prancing around and being arrogant. Believing he was the super stud and owned the place.
In addition to the $30,000 each one of those spray, should be able to spray his eyes.

+1 # jetli 2012-09-27 18:33

The real threat to rights will be with the privatization of educational institutions. When private, the rules of the controlling board of investors will govern to mandate acceptable behavior. Bet your last dollar free speech and peaceful assembly to voice protests of any kind will be denied. Creating a stepford student of every graduate seeking a degree from a credible college. Some private colleges like that already exist and the results can be seen already. The intimidation of individual thought is the first step in totalitarianism ... When everyone thinks the same the world will no longer exist...kinda like a gradual, global lobotamy. Never surrender the mind. Never lose your soul.

+2 # rockieball 2012-09-28 05:38

Fascinating the police are dressed like they are on a military mission in Afghanistan instead of attacking unarmed students sitting down on the ground. What are they (the police) afraid the students would do. Lift their heads and say "Peace Brother."

0 # indian weaver 2012-09-29 06:53

Thank goodness our judicial system is not as corrupt as the legislative and executive departments of our national, state and local governments. More and more, the judicial system is our only recourse to sanity and rule of law. Obama / dubya obviously have no respect for either domestic or international rule of law, or for the Geneva Conventions and Rules of War (not exactly war - what I mean are the invasions of Muslim countries for personal wealth via the MIC. If the judiciary goes corrupt, then it's anchors aweigh into the maelstrom of U.S. government fascism, police state and terrorism.

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