I live in the small (65,000, give or take a few) university town of Davis, CA. You might have seen us in the news this weekend. UCD students (typically, a kind of nerdy bunch) were protesting the new UC rate hikes, and had created an Occupy UC Davis encampment. For one day. They were asked to take down their tents, and instead, they formed a circle, and sat down in front of their tents. There were 50 students, 250 onlookers, and 35 campus police. They were pepper sprayed. Sitting down. Appalling. Disturbing. Assault, if you ask me.
I’ve not been paying so much attention to the Occupy movement. I was a little fearful they might even take away my good liberal card. But honestly, I was too busy working for the money I am no longer making.
I am paying attention now. The pepper spray incident was shocking and it’s been all I can think about. But the event that still has me reeling is the student response to the Chancellor. When she left her building, they formed a line, and sat in silence as she walked to her car. Stone, cold, silence. Deafening silence.
Amazing. Inspiring. Peaceful protest, if you ask me.
Video of the original pepper spray incident here. Video of Chancellor Katehi’s walk of shame, here.
