Watch: Student Interviews UC Davis Chancellor After Pepper Spray Attack

University of California, Davis, Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi was interviewed Sunday by  graduate student Ani Ucar. Watch this 17-minute interview in which the Chancellor, who is fighting calls to resign, gives her interpretation of what happened when, and what led up to the police pepper spraying UC Davis students who were seated, unarmed, on the ground.

Watch: Shocking Video Of Police Pepper Spraying UC Davis Students

Chancellor Katehi says worldwide economic conditions were the catalyst for the students’ upset. While the students were protesting a 300% tuition hike, the Chancellor hardly gets the cause of the student unrest right.

Chancellor Katehi says she was worried that the students had created “an encampment,” and further, she was worried that external forces, namely, people who were not students, were, essentially, influencing these students. it should be noted that many of these students are grad students, so, they are not minors, and in the 21st century especially, grad students are far more mature and well-informed about world events than ever before. Also, of the 11 students arrested by police, only one was not a UC Davis student.

The Chancellor in this video says she has absolutely no idea why the police decided to pepper spray the students.

But in an email sent to students and faculty immediately after the attack, the Chancellor stated,

“Following our requests, several of the group chose to dismantle their
tents this afternoon and we are grateful for their actions.  However a
number of protestors refused our warning, offering us no option but to
ask the police to assist in their removal.  We are saddened to report
that during this activity, 10 protestors were arrested and pepper
spray was used.  We will be reviewing the details of the incident.”

But here the interview gets very interesting. The Chancellor claims that, “technically, speaking, the police followed protocol.” So, the Chancellor had to have known that what happened was well within the realm of possibility — and yet claimed her top priority is the health and safety of the students. So, pepper spraying a dozen students furthers their health and safety?

For more on the UC Davis pepper spraying attack, see all our UC Davis stories here, including:

Watch: Shocking Video Of Police Pepper Spraying UC Davis Students

UC Davis Professor Demands Chancellor Resign Over Pepper Spraying Of Students

UC Davis: New Video Surfaces Of Police Pepper Spraying Passive Students

UC Davis Pepper Spray Attack Of Students By Police: What Questions Do We Need Answered?

 

Exclusive Interview: UC Davis Protestor Eyewitness Account Of Police Pepper Spraying