Student protesters angry over a feared tuition and fees hike disrupted a University of California (UC) Board of Regents meeting in Riverside on Thursday. Although a raise in tuition was not on the agenda, 18 students caused the meeting to stop for nearly an hour by linking arms and staging a peaceful sit in demonstration. Once the meeting resumed, public access was limited while protesters gathered outside the building.
Outside, police purportedly ordered a crowd of demonstrators to disperse multiple times after several entrances to the UC Regents meeting were blocked. More than 300 student protesters used metal barricades and their own bodies to block a campus roadway. Some demonstrators are alleged to have climbed on top of vehicles to prevent them from moving. After nearly an hour, University officials were eventually escorted off of campus by police.
105 University of California police officers were on campus when the two-day Regents meeting began. By the second day, campus police requested additional assistance from local law enforcement. A total of 90 supplemental police officers from both the Riverside County Sheriff's Office and the Riverside Police Department were deployed in response to demonstrations.
University police dressed in riot gear reportedly used batons on multiple demonstrators throughout the protest in response to supposed violent action. Campus police also fired hard plastic pellets similar to those used in a paintball gun at demonstrators who allegedly attempted to break through police lines. According to the Riverside campus Chief of Police, Mike Lane, officers fired on protesters out of fear a metal barricade moving through the crowd would be used as a weapon. He also claims that was the only instance in which the pellets were used. Lane later issued a public statement proclaiming he was proud of how law enforcement officers conducted themselves as they protected both students and UC Regents.
Remarkably, UC Riverside Chancellor Timothy White stated in a letter to the campus he is thankful for the restraint shown by police as well as students. His letter was delivered with such a message despite that the University of California Police Department is currently attempting to identify anyone injured by police violence.
If you believe you were the victim of police excessive force, it is important to contact an experienced police brutality lawyer as soon as possible after the incident. Okorie Okorocha, a Pasadena police brutality attorney, is available to answer your questions and assist you in filing your complaint. You are strongly urged to report all instances of police violence or misconduct. If you or a loved one was injured at the hands of an officer of the law, call Okorie Okorocha today at (310) 871-3217. You may also contact Mr. Okorocha through his website.
More Blog Posts:
L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies Investigated for Allegedly Beating a Jail Visitor, Los Angeles Police Brutality Lawyer Blog, January 12, 2012
Six Occupy Oakland Protesters Arrested During March to Highlight Police Abuse, Los Angeles Police Brutality Lawyer Blog, January 6, 2012
Additional Resources:
UC Regents Able to Meet at UC Riverside Despite Protests, by Kris Lovekin, University of California, Riverside Newsroom
Two arrested in protest outside UC regents meeting, by Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times
