A highly anticipated report on the infamous pepper spraying of student demonstrators by UC Davis police last fall has found that the incident "should and could have been prevented."
The 200-page report also found that the use of the pepper spray "does not appear to have been an objectively reasonable use of force."
Read report here (pdf).
UC President Mark Yudof said the report made clear that Nov. 18 was a bad day for the entire UC system.
"I want to reiterate what I stated at the outset of this arduous but necessary process: Free speech, including nonviolent protest, is part of the DNA of this university, and it must be protected with vigilance," Yoduf said in a statement. "I implore students who wish to demonstrate to do so in a peaceful fashion, and I expect campus authorities to honor that right."
The report was posted a day after an Alameda County judge approved its release -- minus the names of most officers involved in the Nov. 18 clash.
The task force that wrote the report originally planned to release it on March 6. But the UC Davis police officers' union sued to keep the document under wraps, saying that naming officers would violate their privacy and subject them to harassment.
The report sheds some light on the events that led campus police officers to coat protesters with pepper spray as the group of about 20 sat huddled in a line.
Scathing Report Calls UC Davis Police Department "Dysfunctional"
Two protesters were taken to the hospital. They were among 11 protesters treated for the effects of pepper spray.
The task force was created to investigate the incident, which made national headlines after online videos of the confrontation went viral.
Politics
Local, state and national politics
In addition to the noon release of the report at www.ucdavis.edu, the task force will host a public meeting on the UC Davis campus at 3:30 this afternoon to describe their findings and recommendations.
ollow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: iPhone/iPad App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts
