******************************************************************************************************************************************************
******************************************************************************************************************************************************
The following statement from the Department of French & Italian was sent to Chancellor Katehi,
President Yudof, and the UC Regents on 11/21/11.
The faculty of the Department of French and Italian is appalled at the unjustified --- and, in our view, unjustifiable --- use of pepper spray against nonviolent demonstrators on the UCD quad on the afternoon of November 18th. As members of the faculty and persons of conscience, we demand from the Chancellor, her administration, and the campus police a full and unequivocal repudiation of the use of force against individuals who pose no threat of imminent harm to themselves or others. We consider this to be a minimal level of civil protection that should be afforded to all members of our community and to campus visitors as well. We note that this kind of protection, which we uphold and defend through the teaching of our curricula, is a legacy of the European Enlightenment and a cornerstone of American democracy.To quote the Nobel Prize-winning French author Albert Camus, who is known for his vehement opposition to Nazism and the Soviet police state, "Democracy is not the law of the majority but the protection of the minority."
In the wake of these events and, especially, the abrogation of the students' right to peaceably assemble and voice their opinions, we join the Davis Faculty Association in calling for your resignation along with the resignation of Police Chief Spicuzza.
The Faculty of the Department of French and Italian
UC Davis
Copyright © 2012 The Regents of the University of California
