On Friday, a campus police officer at UC Davis decided that the only rational way to respond to a group of students sitting in silence on the sidewalk with arms linked was to pepper-spray them directly in their faces. You can find updates on the story here.
It’s fucking horrible to watch. But please do. Because after the officer dehumanizes himself by inflicting unnecessary pain, and by appearing to enjoy it just a leetle too much, the protesters rehumanize the event by ultimately forcing the police to leave.
The beginning of this video terrified me. The ending astonished me: the protesters giving the police permission to go. Watch it happen. Watch the consequences, and the power, of speaking your mind.
May no one harm you today, and may you do no harm.
I am horrified that elected officials are responding to peaceful protest with contingents of police in riot grar and heavily armed. What would Thomas Jefferson do?
Talk about three of the most powerful words in any language. That was amazing – deeply, deeply disturbing, but still amazing.
New rallying cry to the police (and any other applicable objecters): “We’re trying to save your jobs! We’re trying to save your jobs!”, ’cause it’s true.