UC System Pays Dearly for Pepper-Spraying Student Protesters
The University of California on Wednesday reached an expensive settlement with the 21 UC Davis students and alumni who were pepper-sprayed by campus police during what was otherwise a peaceful demonstration last year in support of the Occupy movement.
The University of California on Wednesday reached a settlement with the 21 UC Davis students and alumni who were pepper-sprayed by campus police during what was otherwise a peaceful demonstration last year in support of the Occupy movement.
Each of the protesters who were sprayed will receive $30,000 from the UC system. But wait, that’s not all.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
The agreement, which must still be approved in federal court, also calls for UC to pay a total of $250,000 to the plaintiffs’ attorneys and set aside a maximum of $100,000 to pay up to $20,000 to any other individuals who join the class-action lawsuit by proving they were either arrested or directly pepper-sprayed, a university statement said.
…The settlement also calls for UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi to write a formal apology to each of the students and alumni who were pepper-sprayed or arrested
In total, the UC system will pay out nearly $1 million in the settlement.
The campus police officer who unleashed a torrent of pepper spray on the protesters at close range was not charged after the incident, but he was eventually dismissed by the university.
— Posted by Tracy Bloom.
Your support is crucial...As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.
Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality beneath the headlines — without compromise.
Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.