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Puzzlingly still-employed UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, of last fall’s infamous “silent treatment” walk of shame (and worst Buick Enclave commercial ever), has been sued for infringing on the free speech rights of students pepper-sprayed during campus #Occupy protests by campus police.
The suit names UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi as a defendant, along with several other campus administrators and campus police officers. It details allegations against campus Police Lt. John Pike, who the suit says sprayed the seated or crouching protesters at a distance of one to two feet, causing burning pain to their eyes and faces.
The federal lawsuit, filed by 19 students and alumni with the help of the ACLU of Northern California, seeks both financial damages and changes to policy and procedures at UC Davis:
“Our goal in this lawsuit is to ensure the university makes a clear commitment to protect free speech on campus and prevent this from ever happening again,” said Michael Risher, a staff attorney with American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California, which is helping to represent the students.
A University spokesman couldn’t comment on the case as he had not seen it yet.
15 Comments
Thanks for the update, Teddy. I’m not surprised by this.
Sadly there were letters to the editor of the Sacramento Bee (at the time of the pepper spraying) that pretty much brayed out the rightwing line that the students “got what they deserved” and/or the students should STFU and be “grateful” that they don’t live somewhere more repressive.
No doubt I’ll now get to read more letters to the editor soon decrying this court case for being so “unfair” to Katehi bc, after all, she was just “doing her job.”
NIce when the day ends on a “high” note.
Still pissed off about the 28% Corporate Tax. Like THAT’s gonna help anybody but the 1%.
Happy to hear there’s a lawsuit. It’s about time that authority figures were put on notice that people have rights. I so want this woman to be fired along with Pike. Good for the students and the ACLU.
Those letters need a counterpoint, and the letters editor might be happy to have one to publish (hint, hint).
It’s great to think there are negotiations between the University and the students and their representatives, although if Katehi is leading them for the Establishment, it’s unlikely her forced resignation will be on the table.
But it should. She was a shameful leader in a dark time, and she knows better.
Yes! It does take time to prepare a good lawsuit, and I am glad to see that this one has been filed.
This ought to be a really good case for the plaintiffs; the whole world has already seen, and the jury will have the chance to see that the demonstrators were neither causing disruption nor attacking the police – or anyone else – and certainly not placing police in fear of their lives.
I hope it goes to trial rather than settling. That offers the best chance for testimony and press coverage.
As if the university spokesman will ever look at the lawsuit so that he will be able to speak about it. He will simply parrot the words he is given about being unable to speak to an ongoing lawsuit. Do you think that the court will take this case? I predict that there will be some excuse about katehi being correct in her direction to the police and the police just doing their job.
Puzzlingly still-employed UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi,…
After the brief initial outburst, I have heard little to suggest that there was any sustained pressure to remove her.
If we could eliminate all the loopholes; maybe, just maybe, corp US would finally pay taxes.
More needs to brought out about her days in Greece. Why she still has a job because she serives the 1% in the fact Dick Blum controls the uc system that use to be one the Greatest in the world and now it’s a free fall to the dumbing down of Amerika.
how come that woman is still in office???
To have been around during the Kent State shooting, I am appalled that any college administrator is holding office without being fully informed of his/her responsibilities in such situations. For Katehi to have sat safely at a distance and simply observed the abuse the students were subjected to, demonstrates exactly the amount of work parents and school boards have in front of them. Of course no action will be taken until parents rise up and insist that something be done.
The fact that there are probably any number of parents muttering, as “Onitgoes” pointed out, that these students got what they deserved, makes the job for the rest of us all the harder. Many of us, “of a certain age” were those students back in the day. We have a responsibility to those children, and young adults to stand with them, and stand up for them. Their voices will be discounted, just as ours were, but are just as valid, and deserve to be heard. Because we are older, and greyer, we have experience and knowledge on our side. We need to use it. Our country needs us as much now as it did during Vietnam.
It is exactly what happened at Penn State. Unfortunately every University and College in the country attempts to cover up the amount of crime that occurs on their campuses. Remember University of Colorado, Boulder in 2002, when their football team was finally accused and convicted of raping high school seniors who were making campus tours? It had gone on for a couple of years before one girl’s parents took the case to the police, instead of just to campus officials.
The schools are all about covering up their behavior, to keep the numbers of enrolling students up. Problems on campus’ are not dealt with, they are swept under the carpet. I’m sure Chancellor Katehi, and the Board have been hoping this would all just fade away.
As an aside, just to confirm that I am not just blowing smoke, 6 years ago I took my eldest daughter to a university for enrollment. During a portion of the program, students and parents were told about all the safety features on this particular campus. Students were encouraged to take advantage of the call phones at the exit of each building. When walking back to a dorm alone at night, they could call for police escort. There were also evergency alarm buttons every hundred feet or so throughout the campus. When asked, the campus representatives assured the by then very nervous parents, there was nothing to worry about, “there had never been any serious problems on their campus, these things had just been put in place as a precaution.”
Being the eternal sceptic, as I drove off the campus that day, I stopped at the nearest police station, and spoke with the Chief, who happened to be there. He kindly explained that despite what the college told the parents, there had been several rapes, attacks, beatings and fights on campus each year, and that the campus officials attempted to keep as many of them as they could away from the police, by telling parents it would benefit their child by preventing the offender from having a record. Of course if also prevented the victim from getting justice. Especially if the rapists or attackers were not expelled.
arrogant in the extreme… the nose, the way she moves, Who are we … Americans being put under these bastards… under the thumb of these bastards?
Who pulled the pin that put us Americans under the thing, that these mutherfuckers from the old world of bastards/dictators should they think they can tell us what to do?… no we will not take that lying down bitch… we will fight!!
Once the spox looks at it, of course, his reply morphs into “Unable to comment on ongoing litigation.” Scottie’s favorite from the Bush treason years.
Hrrumph. Civil lawsuit when there should be criminal charges for felonious assualt. At least.
I predict a confidential settlement with no admission of wrongdoing, possibly accompanied by by vague promises of policy changes.
Boxturtle (I see a lot of civil lawsuits because prosecutors won’t file criminal charges)