Rocketboom

UC Davis swears their protests aren’t part of the broader Occupy Wall Street movement (choosing the narrower issue of tuition hikes instead), but that didn’t stop the University Police from brutalizing them just the same.

The Blowback: After Friday’s incident, two campus police officers have been placed on administrative leave, including the Chief of Campus Police, Annette Spicuzza. UC Davis faculty joined the fray, voicing their outrage at the treatment of their students in op-ed’s and open letters published over the weekend. There’s even a reddit thread praising one of the profs for speaking out. Parents, alumni, students, and faculty alike are now clamoring like hell for Chancellor Linda Katehi’s immediate resignation - she says no way, she loves her job. They’re basically saying “you’re a danger to our kids.”

The Aftershock: If you think getting faced point blank by a pepper-spray touting cop looks painful, just watch the excruciating video (below) of Chancellor Katehi leaving a Friday night press conference. In a startlingly powerful show of solidarity, mature reserve, and unity of hatred toward Katehi (the one who loosed the dogs of war), the waiting crowd remains completely still and and utters not a word. The silence is deafening. You can hear the proverbial pins dropping everywhere. It’s not what you’d expect from a campus protest, especially given the nature of the events earlier that day. Katehi has lost the University. Her job is next. Change will come. Behold the power of silence. 

Your parents used this shaming tactic on you rather often during your teens… It still works.