Crime & Safety

Occupy UC Davis: How We Got Here & What Happens Next (VIDEO)

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi called for a formal review, but how will she respond to a reoccupation on Monday?

The pepper spray videos from Friday’s arrests have turned UC Davis's Occupy movement into a national story. Although the quad is empty this weekend, there are plans to reoccupy at noon on Monday, as you can see in the video to the right. 

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi called for a formal review, saying that a task force made of faculty, students and staff will provide a report within 90 days. What we still don't know is, how will she respond on Monday? 

How We Got Here

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The was held on Oct. 7. Soon after, a camp sprang up in . That camp is still there, but police have issued a list of concerns and a city councilmember has suggested they .”

The movement on the UC Davis campus came together more recently. It started, in some senses, with a Day of Action and a in late October, with much of the focus on student loans and the UC system. Another Day of Action was held Nov. 15, which led to an . Many left to protest the UC Regents meeting in San Francisco the following day, at which point the building was shut down and cleared out. The focal point of the occupation then moved to the quad. 

Find out what's happening in Daviswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

That brings us to Friday. With tents scattered across the grass, Chancellor Katehi notified protestors that if they did not leave the quad by 3 pm, police would remove the Occupy site. They did not leave, and what followed was the controversial arrest of 10 people and the pepper spraying of several more.

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What’s Next?

The protestors plan to reoccupy the quad at noon on Monday. They said so in a General Assembly that followed the arrests, as you can see in the video above.

Several sources told me that Monday’s occupation would be even bigger than the one on Friday, with people coming in from outside Davis to participate. Tents and supplies have been donated from alumni and other supporters in hopes of bolstering the movement, one source said.

The big question now is: How will the UC Davis police react this time? 

Most of the fallout in the wake of this event has been negative, both locally and nationally. Police Chief Annette Spicuzza defended the use of pepper spray by saying that police were surrounded. That appears to be true in . Still, the point-blank spray deployed on students who were seated has riled up many.

So, will the police take the same approach on Monday, or will they employ a new strategy. 

One thing is for certain: They will be on camera. 

Like Davis Patch on Facebook to follow this story. If you have additional information about how we got here or where things are headed, email me at justin.cox@patch.com, or please add it below. 


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