I posted this in the Occupy Oakland thread (somewht off topic) but this story now deserves it's own thread. University of California Davis students were protesting tuition hikes and supporting the occupy movement in a completely peaceful protest. They had set up tents, which they were soon ordered to remove. Most of them did so, and the rest were taken down by police without incident. The protest was emphatic peaceful: when cops in riot gear showed up, some students started to shout "Fuck the police!"; but were scolded by their classmates and these shouts turned to "You use weapons! We use our voice!"
Sadly, the chant would turn prophetic. Shortly thereafter, in all its ghastliness, this happened:
The response was forceful and united, with almost unanimous calls for Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi to resign, including this passionate letter from an assistant professor of English:
[quote]Your wordsexpress concern for the safety of our students. Your actionsexpress no concern whatsoever for the safety of our students. I deduce from this discrepancy that you are not, in fact, concerned about the safety of our students. Your actions directly threaten the safety of our students. And I want you to know that this is clear. It is clear to anyone who reads your campus emails concerning our “Principles of Community” and who also takes the time to inform themselves about your actions. You should bear in mind that when you send emails to the UC Davis community, you address a body of faculty and students who are well trained to see through rhetoric that evinces care for students while implicitly threatening them. I see through your rhetoric very clearly. You also write to a campus community that knows how to speak truth to power. That is what I am doing.
I call for your resignation because you are unfit to do your job. You are unfit to ensure the safety of students at UC Davis. In fact: you are the primary threat to the safety of students at UC Davis. As such, I call upon you to resign immediately.[/quote]
Then, the students organized this protest--the likes of which, the stunning, awesome power of which I've never seen--knocked me flat. Watch: