UC Davis Cop Who Soaked Protesters in Pepper Spray Seeks Workers Comp

Okay, there is nerve with a small n. Then there is Nerve with a big N. This is definitely the big N variety because it takes N E R V E to pull a stupid stunt like this. It's even more amazing that he may really get away with it.

First, lets remind ourselves just what this "Law Officer" DID to a line of student/Occupy protesters.



Real brave guy, eh? I heard friends in Occupy at the time calling this the use of a Chemical Weapon. I'm not sure I entirely disagree. It's not to the level of a lethal or battlefield agent, of course...but the use of chemical agents to force compliance from non-violent/non-aggressive protest is flat wrong and there simply is no excuse for it. Ever. UC Davis agreed because they canned his brutal butt like Tuna, several months later and FOR his actions on this day.

Now? Oh.... This is good.

DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — The former police officer who pepper-sprayed students during an Occupy protest at the University of California, Davis is appealing for worker's compensation, claiming he suffered psychiatric injury from the 2011 confrontation.

John Pike has a settlement conference set for Aug. 13 in Sacramento, according to the state Department of Industrial Relations' website.

Settlement... yeah.. That tells me they are giving him what he wants. It's just a question of dollar amount. He can douse a line of innocent people like he's painting a damn fence and HE gets comp'ed out of it? A Psych claim no less.. So what does this mean? It's open ended? Oh... it's too much. Especially with the last part here.

In the aftermath, the University of California agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by demonstrators and the chief of the UC Davis police department resigned.

Source

*HE* caused all this....and now HE is basically getting a light retirement out of it. I'm just beside myself. It's not just that I was an active member of the Occupy movement and very sympathetic to the people he did this to (it could have been ME if I'd been in a different city than I had been) but I'd be pissed over this even if I'd never heard of Occupy.

Since when can you do so much you get fired, force the head of your department to resign by your negligent actions, cost your state 1 million in wrongful action type lawsuit payout and then CASH OUT from the experience???? This man should have gone to jail for what he did. Not be playing the putz for a Comp claim.

What does ATS think? Reward the Ex-Cop for being a perfect piece of garbage? ...or should he just go flip burgers and make do like everyone else?

Hope hes one day on the receiving end of another petty little mans abuse of power, you know just like him.

Eta: I also just witnessed my own fathers struggle with getting workmans comp, his company used a ton of chemicals that contributed to his failing health. Including stroke, asthma, and cancer from exposure to it, it was hell for him to eventually get it.

Took years and he lost his house in the process, if this douche is already getting his hearing from this event is bs.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
In the aftermath, the University of California agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by demonstrators ...

A million dollar settlement?
At a rough count, there are about 16 people in that group which got sprayed.

Quite frankly, I'd let him spray me for $62500 as well.
Lucky bastards.

reply to post by alfa1

Unfortunately for them, it didn't quite work out that way. They didn't come out too bad for being soaked in that garbage for however long they endured it before getting some help to rinse it off, bit it was split a but more as it turns out. It's interesting to see, actually. I'd gone and looked this up after your post.

Some 21 protesters will receive $30,000 each. Most were students demonstrating against tuition hikes on Nov. 18, 2011. Another 38 people later came forward to make claims, 15 of which were approved to receive $6,666 a piece, the Davis enterprise reports.

UC will pay an additional $250,000 to cover the plaintiffs' attorneys' fees and costs and $20,000 to cover the American Civil Liberties Union’s work as part of its effort to improve policies and procedures for handling protests.

Source

In another bit to add to the thread here, the official report of the incident. Pike, the cop who soaked them, was pretty well singled out as being the worst of the bunch that day.

The task force report on the controversial pepper-spraying of student protesters at the University of California, Davis concluded the campus police and administration made "critically flawed" decisions.

The report, released Wednesday, said Lt. John Pike's decision to use pepper spray on seated protesters was "not authorized by policy." They also said there were multiple instances of other campus police officers, who were unnamed in the report, that were able to calmly walk arrestees through the crowd to a patrol car without the use of force.

There was also this...

The task force also revealed that the type of pepper spray used was not an "authorized weapon of use" by UCPD.

Source

Quite a situation all around. I recall seeing this when it happened and just being in a rage. The fact he had the whole department there with him and a virtual match 1:1 for protesters is probably why he got away with that. He just wanted to be sadistic and did quite a good job on that score, I'd say.

i would move to get the money from the cop himself, not the "city" (read: taxpayers).

a simple argument like "were you acting as a police officer when you sprayed those kids?" the answer might be long, and involve some back and forth, but he would have to admit "no".

at that point it could become a civil suit against him as a person, NOT an officer.

Originally posted by Bob Sholtz
i would move to get the money from the cop himself, not the "city" (read: taxpayers).

a simple argument like "were you acting as a police officer when you sprayed those kids?" the answer might be long, and involve some back and forth, but he would have to admit "no".

at that point it could become a civil suit against him as a person, NOT an officer.

Yeah, this thug deserves to be personally liable.

He also "deserves" any "psychiatric distress" he may experience. If you can call feeling sad that he's been turned into a meme illustrating the callous disregard and brutality of the system. Aw, poor widdle officer have a sad cause people aren't jumping with joy to thank you for your brutality against your fellow man?

Too damn bad.

Deal with it.


This man committed a crime not only against the protesters he assaulted, but against the constitution-- and he deserves nothing better than to suffer for it-- not get a reward.

Typical of the brown-shirted, jack-booted thugs that represent the police forces today.reply to post by Wrabbit2000

If he is being chased by hackers and people seeking revenge constantly it could be impossible for him to flip burgers or rebuild and sembelance of life regardless of how guilty he feels or doesn't feel.

This might sound horrible, but it could have been a spur of the moment decision or something similar. We'll never really know I guess. I've seen videos of people with their hands up getting tazered and all kinds of things and they didn't get the hatred that this man is getting. Have also seen cops accidently kill people. What makes this one so special? I'm not sure really.

At a certain point though, he needs to be able to do something to repair some of his life ... maybe this law suit is to feed his children, we just don't know.

Workman's comp?

He's lucky that no one has walked up to his front door and put a bullet into his head.

Sorry for necroing an old thread but i can't create a new one and didn't see if anyone else made one with an update.

Univer sity of California cop who pepper-sprayed student protesters awarded $38,000

Really sad. He claimed psychiatric damage for this. At least he didn't get the million he wanted.