Occupy lawyer asks Brown to arrest police for pepper spray incident

Occupy lawyer asks Brown to arrest police for pepper spray incident

by Dan Bacher

The officers involved in the shocking pepper-spray attacks on UC Davis students Friday should be immediately arrested because they've violated federal and state laws, said one of the lawyers from Occupy Sacramento in a letter to Governor Jerry Brown, Attorney General Kamala Harris and other law enforcement officials.

"Physical attacks on persons violate California Penal Code 242 (Battery) and such violence perpetrated by those in uniform is a criminal violation of Federal civil rights law 18 USC 242," said Jeff Kravitz, a constitutional rights attorney.

Kravitz suggested the state, through AG Harris, as well as Yolo District Attorney Jeff Reisig and US Attorney Benjamin Wagner should make the arrests of the UC Davis officers immediately.

"It is imperative that proper action be taken by County, State and Federal authorities... initiating criminal proceedings including the arrest of those who committed the acts of violence or bringing the issues before a grand jury. Leaving he matter solely in the hands of the University is not a reasonable option," said Kravitz.

He added that the University of California's promised investigation is "clearly self-serving and bears resemblance to the investigation conducted by Penn State into the allegations of sex crimes by Jerry Sandusky...an investigation used to protect the university and not the victims."

For a copy of the letter contact Jeff Kravitz, 916-553-4072 or 916-996-9170

Occupy Sacramento said it will sends its occupiers to UC Davis today, November 21, to support the Occupy UC Davis students brutally pepper-sprayed and violently assaulted Friday by UC police.

A caravan will leave from Cesar Chavez Park shortly after 11 a.m. for a NOON rally at UC Davis.

"We feel it is a necessity to support and assist our friends at UC Davis in their time of need," said Cres Vellucci, an ACLU board member in Sacramento, and Legal Team coordinator for Occupy Sacramento. "This kind of brutality as seen by the citizen videos circulating the world needs to stop. When someone next asks 'why' is there an Occupy, we only need to point to this example of the 1 percent ordering their public servants to punish – without trial – peaceful, non-violent demonstrators."

"The Occupy movement will not stand for it," said Vellucci.

There have been 84 arrests at Occupy Sacramento since Oct. 6; Last week, 31 cases were dismissed "in the interest of justice" by the City of Sacramento, which is pursuing charges against 25 others. The District Attorney refused to prosecute the nonviolent occupiers, forcing the City to proceed.

Occupy Sacramento and members of SEIU and other unions marched on Governor Jerry Brown's loft home Saturday to call for an end to the epidemic of violence by law enforcement agencies against the Occupy movement, as exemplified in the shocking video of police brutally pepper spraying peaceful UC Davis students at a protest. (http://blogs.alternet.org/danbacher/2011/11/20/occupy-sacramento-marches-on-jerry-browns-home/)

The video of the November 18 protest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdDLhPwpp4&utm_source=General&utm_campaign=f6cc05a348-Daily_Update_11_20_2011&utm_medium=email) has gone viral throughout the world, highlighting the routine violence that has been used by police agencies in California to suppress any dissent to rule by Wall Street and the 1 percent.

For more information, contact: Cres Vellucci, 916-996-9170, civillib [at] comcast.net, http://www.occupysac.org