Police officials – and these days, campus security guards have gained the power of full-fledged police officers, complete with those massive pensions and all the usual protections from accountability – claimed that the officer felt that his life was in danger when they he methodically walked down the line of protesters and assaulted them with the spray. "If you look at the video you are going to see that there were 200 people in that quad," said Chief Annette Spicuzza, who was placed on leave (i.e., additional paid vacation) Monday after a backlash against the brutality. "Hindsight is 20-20 and based on the situation we were sitting in, ultimately that was the decision that was made."
That's what police always say no matter the situation. But in this age of video, we can see for ourselves that the officers were in no danger. Multiple officers effortlessly moved in and around the protesters. The burly officer who sprayed the kids strutted slowly in front of them in a way that belies any sort of danger, real or perceived. He, too, was put on administrative leave after the video went viral, along with another officer. Without the video, you know what would have happened – nothing. The lies would have become the official record. This is why police officers have become zealous in their confiscation of video cameras and arrest of people who record them doing their jobs.
Such brutality is par for the course for today's militarized police and campus security departments. What's really disgusting is the natural instinct of so many conservatives to stick up for the police. They don't like the Occupy protesters, so they willingly back brutality against them, without considering the possibility that conservatives at some point might be on the receiving end of this aggression. Then again, this common, vulgar form of modern conservatism almost always sides with the state, even as it champions the empty words of limited government.
For insight into the modern conservative rabble, one ought to read FreeRepublic. It's beyond irony. One commenter expressed disbelief at the sight of police backing away rather than engaging the protesters: "Do you get a chill up your spine like I do when you see the police slowly back away as if they are backing down from an impending violent standoff?" Others seemed eager to see violence: "A Billy-club to the ribs would have been just as effective at removing the bums and we would be hearing all this crying about pepper-spray!" Granted, these are anonymous commenters, but they reflect widespread sentiment.
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