Terry Datiger's footage of a police officer calmly pepper spraying students during a peaceful protest on November 18 at UC Davis went viral over the weekend, and now has over a million views on YouTube. Ironically, the protest was held in solidarity with students and faculty who experienced a violent confrontation with police during an Occupy protest at UC Berkeley the previous week. For responses from James Fallows, Alexis Madrigal, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Garance Franke-Ruta, see the links below.
- James Fallows: "Pepper-Spray Brutality at UC Davis."
- Alexis Madrigal: "Why I Feel Bad for the Pepper-Spraying Policeman, Lt. John Pike."
- James Fallows: "The Moral Power of an Image: UC Davis Reactions."
- Ta-Nehisi Coates: "The Cops We Deserve."
- Ta-Nehisi Coates: "'Standard Police Procedure'."
- Grance Franke-Ruta: "Too Much Violence and Pepper Spray at the OWS Protests: The Videos and Pictures."
- James Fallows: "UC Davis Update, Featuring 'Catopticon' and Tanks in Small Towns."
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Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg is the executive producer for video at The Atlantic.