Occupy UC Davis: How We Got Here & What Happens Next (VIDEO)

The pepper spray videos from Friday’s arrests have turned UC Davis's Occupy movement into a national story. In response, UC Davis Chancellor P.B. Katehi called a press conference on campus Saturday, but the conference was cancelled when hundreds of protesters flooded the building.

Chants grew louder from outside the media room and the meeting ended after a brief statement and a few questions. Protestors and the media were escorted out, while Chancellor Linda Katehi and Chief Annette Spicuzza remained inside with staff. 

That was around 4:15 pm. After that, students gathered outside, chanting and discussing issues related to these events. They later formed two long lines to serve as a pathway for the chancellor and chief to walk through upon exit. 

At one point, Katehi says she would speak to students at the General Assembly that is . Plans to reoccupy are also scheduled today.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi called for a formal review, saying that a task force made of faculty, students and staff will provide a report within 90 days. What we still don't know is, how will she respond on Monday? 

How We Got Here

The was held on Oct. 7. Soon after, a camp sprang up in . That camp is still there, but police have issued a list of concerns and a city councilmember has suggested they .”

The movement on the UC Davis campus came together more recently. It started, in some senses, with a Day of Action and a in late October, with much of the focus on student loans and the UC system. Another Day of Action was held Nov. 15, which led to an . Many left to protest the UC Regents meeting in San Francisco the following day, at which point the building was shut down and cleared out. The focal point of the occupation then moved to the quad. 

That brings us to Friday. With tents scattered across the grass, Chancellor Katehi notified protestors that if they did not leave the quad by 3 pm, police would remove the Occupy site. They did not leave, and what followed was the controversial arrest of 10 people and the pepper spraying of several more.

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What’s Next?

The protestors plan to reoccupy the quad at noon on Monday. They said so in a General Assembly that followed the arrests, as you can see in the video attached to this story.

Several sources told me that Monday’s occupation would be even bigger than the one on Friday, with people coming in from outside Davis to participate. Tents and supplies have been donated from alumni and other supporters in hopes of bolstering the movement, one source said.

The big question now is: How will the UC Davis police react this time? 

Most of the fallout in the wake of this event has been negative, both locally and nationally. Police Chief Annette Spicuzza defended the use of pepper spray by saying that police were surrounded. That appears to be true in . Still, the point-blank spray deployed on students who were seated has riled up many.

So, will the police take the same approach on Monday, or will they employ a new strategy. 

One thing is for certain: They will be on camera.

<<Check out Davis Patch's coverage of Occupy Davis by clicking here>>