UC Davis 'pepper-spray cop' to go on trial

RT
Feb. 24, 2012

Nearly two-dozen students that were doused with military-grade pepper-spray while protesting at a California college last year are now taking their assailant to court.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North California is aiding in a just-filed lawsuit against employees of the University of California, Davis, where 19 students and alumni were sprayed by a campus cop during a protest last November.

Lieutenant John Pike achieved Internet infamy after he was photographed and videotaped delivering a heavy dose of pepper-spray to more than a dozen seated demonstrators outside a UC Davis building last year. Protesters had gathered at the school to demonstrate against rising tuition hikes and campaigned under the umbrella of the then-infant Occupy movement. As protesters sat peacefully, Pike attempted to disrupt their demonstration by debilitating participants with bursts of pepper-spray to the face. Unfortunately for Pike, the incident went viral online which, in turn, only strengthened the Occupy movement as more Americans became outraged by the establishment's not-so-nice interpretation of the First Amendment.

Pike is now named in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, which is also aimed at the school's chancellor, provost and other administration officials and campus police. The ACLU, representing the victims, charge the defendants with failing to properly train and supervise officers, which they say resulted in a "series of constitutional violations against the demonstrators. "

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