Last July, I attended two days of parent orientation prior to sending my daughter, my only child, off to UC Davis for her freshman year. Officer Spicuzza, who has been the chief of the UC Davis campus police, presented one of the sessions. She emphasized how safe the Davis campus is, and told us all about the campus police and their role in safeguarding students.
Like all parents, I have worried about many things in regard to sending my daughter to college. But never in my worst nightmares did I ever think that I would have to be remembering the horrors of Kent State and worrying that my daughter will at some point have the misfortune of coming into contact with the likes of Lt. John Pike. I will never get the image of Officer Pike sadistically brandishing pepper spray, and then aiming it at a line of peaceful students seated on the ground, as though he were fumigating pests.
These are our children. They are at UC Davis after many years of hard work and outstanding achievements. They are pursuing the world-class education that UC Davis provides. What did Lt. Pike see as he aimed the pepper spray gun at our children? Every one of these kids was in the campus quad in order to exercise their First Amendment rights. UC Davis is their campus. The students are not there to provide jobs to police. The police are there for one reason only: to protect the students.
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How sad it is that a campus that has always been known for academic excellence and a peaceful, easygoing environment is now on every news channel around the world for one of the worst cases of police brutality against students in a generation. I trust that appropriate action will be taken against Lt. Pike and anyone else in a position of responsibility for the events of last Friday. I hope that this will be an opportunity to make the needed changes to ensure that something like this can never happen again.
The whole world is watching what happens at UC Davis.
Kit Lucas / Napa
