In the strangest of places

Watching the video of the cop pepper-spraying the UCD protestors reminds me of the kids who got handcuffed, lined up in the cop shop and pepper sprayed for protesting the felling of old-growth redwoods in the early 90s. I'll never forget the image of a cop bending over a young hippie girl, pulling her head back by her braid, pulling her eyelids open and wiping pepper spray in her eyes. I was outraged and sickened then, and I feel the same way about the video I just saw. In case you haven't watched it, the video shows a bunch of kids sitting on the ground with their arms linked; maybe their hands are plastic-cuffed behind them. Anyway, they are just sitting there in a line. Then a cop walks up with a pepper spray canister and just casually sprays them multiple times, walking back and forth, spraying as he goes, shaking the can to get more out. It's DISGUSTING.

Do we really need to be reminded why our right to peaceful assembly and peaceful protest is so important? Does anybody really believe that it's OK for the police to use weapons like pepper spray on people who are sitting calmly on the ground?

I hope that policeman goes to jail.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Hi peeps, I have not been on LJ in DAYS!! Sad!! Posting from phone, will read and belatedly comment as soon as possible.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.