Oakland, Ca - Bill Shiebler, President of the University of California Student Association (UCSA), released the following statement in response to the recent police brutality against students at the UC and the Police Brutality Resolution passed at the UCSA Board on November 18th, 2006:

"The University of California Student Association is concerned about recent events involving police brutality against UC Students. On November 14th, 2006 UCLA Campus Police officers used their tasers several times against UCLA student Mostafa Tabatabainejad at Powell Library. Tabatabinejad's repeated cries for mercy were ignored by the police officers who continued tasering him even after he was handcuffed and displayed no acts of aggression. Other concerned UCLA students who were present at the scene and seeking public information from the officers were also threatened with violence.

"On October 18th, 2006 during a demonstration at UC Santa Cruz the police used batons and pepper sprays indiscriminately and without warning against students. Multiple students sustained injuries and had to be treated on the spot for eye irritation due to pepper spray use, and at least one student's head was bloodied from baton injuries. In addition, another student was dragged on the ground, sustaining cement burns and three individuals were grabbed and detained by the police for hours inside a school building. Two students and an alumnus were charged with 'resisting arrest,' and multiple felony assault charges were brought against a single African-American Santa Cruz student named Alette Kendrick. Mostafa Tabatabainejad is of Iranian ethnicity and Alette Kendrick is an African American female and circumstances in both incidents suggest racial targeting on the part of the police..." Read the full statement

Flyers: Drop the Charges! Stop Police Brutality!

previous coverage: UCSC Community Confronts Regents, Cops Respond with Violence, Pepper-Spray || Police Repeatedly Taser UCLA student