#occupyucdavis

[socialmediaaroundtheworld20-blog]

Occupy UC Davis

Occupy UC Davis is part of the occupy movements that have been held all over America. The UC Davis movement started on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 with only 50 students in attendants.  This movement was started by students who were against the price of tuition being increased because of budget cuts the state was making in California. These students were just doing a peaceful protest and not making any violent remarks to anyone. Although they protested in peace one police officer whose name is  Lt. John Pike pepper sprayed a group of students. This incident led to a big issue to the people on the UC Davis Campus because of how violent the officer was to a group of peaceful students that did not do anything to harm anyone in any way. The university avoided a federal lawsuit with the students involved in the incident by giving each student $30,000.                                              

- J.G.

[occupycali]

Photo Credit: Brian Nguyen "An update on Joshua Clover and the Davis/Banker’s Dozen: Rejecting a plea deal for 80 hours of community service, calling the charges against them “a sham,” the group entered their not-guilty pleas (May 10th) in Yolo County Superior Court and now have a new court date set for June 1 at 8:30 a.m., with the legal assistance of San Francisco lawyer J. Tony Serra, who has defended both the Black Panthers and Hells Angels in the past, according to The New York Daily News."~Harriet Staff/poetryfoundation.org How to Help:

"We appreciate any and all support from our extended community. Help us to end the repression of political dissidence.

Donate to our legal fund.

Sign our petition.

Call, fax, or write the Yolo County D.A. and ask him to drop all charges.

Call or write Chancellor Katehi, demanding that she immediately cease the criminalization of protest on the Davis Campus.

Come support us at our arraignment on June 1st, 2012 (conflicting reports of 8:30am/1:30pm check with Yolo County Superior Court or watch for updates closer to the date of arraignment) Yolo County Superior Court, Dept. 9 213 Third Street Woodland, CA  95695 

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Like Davis Antirepression Crew on facebook to stay up to date."~DavisDozen.org

Photo Courtesy of: @DavisARcrew/Davis Antirepression Crew(facebook)

[occupycali]

On #M12 93,000 Californians lost extended unemployment benefits. #Occupy

One of the reasons Californians should still be Occupying, as if school tuition increases, locking up students and professors for protesting on campus, and police brutality weren't enough on May 12th 93,000 (according to CBS News) lost extended unemployment benefits. According to the US Bureau of labor (Feb 2012) almost 11% (That's about 4,147,000 people) of the entire state of California is unemployed. This number 11% is calculated by taking a sample of unemployed families every month across the nation and measuring the amount of change over time. To read more on how the US Gov. calculates unemployment and to try to make an educated decision on whether or not you think 11% is the actual number go here: Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Here is the article from CBS:  (CBS News) MERCED, Calif. - "A lot of Americans are still suffering from the investment disasters of 2008. Back then, Congress extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks in many states -- but tomorrow, that extension ends and 236,000 Americans are about to get notices that the checks are over, as CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports.

At the Community Action Agency in Merced, Brenda Callahan-Johnson is bracing for a flood of long-term unemployed seeking emergency food, housing and financial aid.

"A lot of these people are not going to know that they are not getting unemployment until they get the letter in the mail, and they're going to be scared," Callahan-Johnson told CBS News.

Tomorrow 93,000 Californians are losing extended unemployment benefits.

Callahan-Johnson told CBS News correspondent John Blackstone that she had never seen anything like this.

"In 19 years, I have never had this many cuts in unemployment at the same time," she explained.

In California's agricultural heartland, Merced is being hit hard by federal law that cuts extended benefits in states where unemployment has fallen. In the last year, California's rate has dropped from 11.9 percent to 11 percent. But, in Merced, it's 20 percent.

"Merced County is experiencing dire unemployment," Callahan-Johnson said.

While finding work in Merced is difficult, finding places where people used to work is easy. One plant, which made ladders, closed in October -- taking with it 140 jobs.

The closed Pepsi bottling factory once employed 40. Sixty people used to make parts for Toyota at another closed location." Continue reading: Thousands to lose long-term unemployment benefits, even where it remains sky-high

[occupycali]

"If you haven’t heard: The administration of UC Davis is holding poet and professor Joshua Clover and 11 students accountable for their alleged role in protests that led to the shutdown of a campus US Bank. “District Attorney Jeff Reisig is charging campus protesters with 20 counts each of obstructing movement in a public place, and one count of conspiracy. If convicted, the protesters could face up to 11 years each in prison, and $1 million in damages.” According to the Davis Dozen press release:

The charges were brought at the request of the UC Davis administration, which had recently received a termination letter from US Bank holding the university responsible for all costs, claiming they were “constructively evicted” because the university had not responded by arresting the “illegal gathering.” Protesters point out that the charges against them serve to position the university favorably in a potential litigation with US Bank... Their arraignment originally set for April 27th has been postponed until May 10th, according to the California Aggie. You can also find out more on the Davis Dozen website. A petition is circulating that demands UC Davis drop all charges." Read More: poetryfoundation.org davisdozen.org OccupyUCDavis (Facebook) @OccupyUCDavis (Twitter) Petition for the Davis Dozen

[isthiswhatdemocracylookslik-blog]

4 different perspectives all equally horrifying.

[isthiswhatdemocracylookslik-blog]

[theamericanbear]

According to [Kamran] Loghman, what he saw with the UC Davis police was a “complete improper and inappropriate use” of pepper spray. It is to be used when there is threat to officers or the possibility of property damage. And, what transpired was “not in accordance with any training or any policy of any department” that he knows of, which is why he feels it is his ”civic duty” to speak up and “explain to the public that this is not what pepper spray was developed for.”

Loghman addressed the use of tear gas in Egypt on peaceful protesters—tear gas that has been made in the United States. He talked about the difference between weapons-grade pepper spray and tear gas and commented on the use of the tear gas on Egyptians:

It is becoming more and more fashionable right now, this day and age, to use chemical on people who have an opinion. And that to me is a complete lack of leadership both in the police department and other people who cannot really deal with the root of the problem and they want to spray people to quiet them down. And it’s really not supposed to be that. It’s not a thing that solves any problem nor is it something that quiets people down.”

Pepper spray was never meant to be used on a mass of people, like Egyptians, to force them to go home.

[...]

It was used on Occupy Seattle protesters, including an 84-year-old woman, who required the help of an Iraq war veteran so she would not be trampled, and a pregnant 19-year-old, who miscarried. And on Occupy Portland protesters, including a 20-year-old woman who vomited after being hit and was then arrested for trespassing. And on antiwar demonstrators trying to protest drones at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. And, in addition to rubber bullets, on Occupy Denver protesters by Denver police who violently cracked down on the camp late in October. And by police on Occupy San Diego to break up a human chain that was not dissimilar from the one UC Davis students formed. And, at the end of the first week of Occupy Wall Street, Officer Anthony Bologna touched off a media storm after video captured him pepper spraying female protesters penned in behind orange netting, who let out blood-curdling screams as they began to feel the effects of the spray.

As Jon Stewart said on The Daily Show last night, “Pepper spray has become America’s car horn.” Or a prime example of how militarized police forces in America have become and how police will be used to intimidate and suppress people who engage in peaceful protesting.

[cynicalidealism]