Nineteen protesters whose demonstration last year was subdued by campus police with pepper spray at the University of California, Davis, contend in a federal lawsuit that the police response violated the protesters' rights.
In November, UC Davis students pitched tents on campus and began an "occupy the quad" protest, a parallel to the "Occupy Wall Street" protest in New York City. The university subsequently ordered the protest to end, and campus police were called in.
The lawsuit provides a blow-by-blow account of the events that led up to the pepper spraying, which drew condemnation nationwide after video of the incident went viral on the Internet.
UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, named as the lead defendant in the suit, apologized for the incident a few days after it occurred.
The suit seeks to have a judge declare that the university's action violated the protesters' rights. The protesters, who are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, also want the court to issue an injunction to prevent UC Davis from carrying out a similar response to campus protest.
