Willee Roberts Recounts Important Details of UC Davis Excessive Force/Pepper Spray Incident from N A on Vimeo.

[NOTE: Sorry, the source for this video has made viewing private, so unfortunately we no longer have access.]

Via:

"Credit goes to "brwnjeanette" at Ustream and the Occupy UC Davis channel she broadcasted during the moving silent walk of shame/protest of Chancellor Katehi on Saturday, November 19, 2011. Had to cut this portion out from the full recording of the live-stream."

"She obtained this interview with one of the protesters, who deserves even more credit for taking a nonviolent, powerful stance against the police overreaction."

"The revealing first-hand account tells important details regarding the malicious, unnecessary order to use pepper spray by Lt. John Pike. This was a decision to use force by Pike himself, pre-authed by UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza and UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi as indicated by the chief herself during the press conference they held today."

[Via: Xeni Jardin]

Xeni Jardin also has her own exclusive interview today with a UC Davis student who also was pepper sprayed by Lt. Pike:

"22-year-old UC Davis student W. (name withheld by request) was one of the students pepper-sprayed at point-blank range Friday by Lt. John Pike while seated on the ground, arms linked and silent."

"W. tells Boing Boing that Pike sprayed them at close range with military-grade pepper spray, in a punitive manner. Pike knew the students by name from Thursday night when they "occupied" a campus plaza. The students offered Pike food and coffee and chatted with him and other officers while setting up tents. On Friday, UC Davis chancellor Linda Katehi told students they had to remove their #OWS tents for unspecified "health and safety" reasons."

"Move or we're going to shoot you," Pike is reported to have yelled at one student right before delivering pepper spray. Then, turning to his fellow officers and brandishing the can in the air, "Don't worry, I'm going to spray these kids down."

More disturbing details of the incident at the link here.

Also, another "must read" at Huffington Post from a teacher at UC Davis, who among other items of interest notes that in prison, pepper spray cannot be used on inmates. Yet it's "okay" to spray students?