Eureka California cops place pepper spray directly on eyes of peaceful protestors

One day a week should be designated as "The day that cops realize where the authority lies". And on this day, normally nonviolent and passive people should take it upon themselves to grip a lead pipe, and let loose on their local "peace" officers. I've had enough. dEREK

I would like to get a copy of the video. How canI obtain it? Darren K. Stocker

If you watch the entire video, you will note that the protesters were asked politely, several times to leave the building. When they first came into the building, several male protesters spread sawdust everywhere, so that using blowtorches to undo the sleeves would have been dangerous. If Earthfirst wants to do protests, how about doing them in a more ethical manner... do a picket line.

There are two sides to every story...the constitution allows for the people to assemble in acts of free speech, however the supreme court has cited that this freedom is not a cover all that allows for all forms of speech or action. The phrase "lawful" assembly may ring a bell. It is the peaceful assembly of those who wish to make there point. The word unlawful assembly refers to those who infringe upon the rights of others while they are expressing them selves in protest. Extreme activism when deemed illegal must be counter-acted against. Civility is everyones responsibility. I cringe at the thought of my tax dollars being spent on waiting passive aggressive protesters out...there is a difference between passive and passive aggressive. These protesters were passive aggressive, and were delt with accordingly. It would be interesting for one of you who think this was such an unbelieveable event to come up with 5 or even 3 alternatives to using a non-leathal chemical agent who's effects wear off in less than an hour, to remove the protesters...

Peaceful? Non-threatening? Come on Deborah. What can you be thinking? I wonder if these people were CRIMINALLY TRESSPASSING on your property or in your home if you would have gotten "ILL" by what these officers did to enforce the laws of the State of California? Why dont you invite 100 people you do not know, have them sit in your living room for hours disrupting your life, then ask them to leave and they refuse. I wonder what you will do then, how will you get them to leave? I would really love to know, I doubt you would tell us here. The point is these people broke the law, the officers used the correct procedures in applying the force option. When all other alternatives failed the used Oleoresin Capsicum. Personally I think they should have been sprayed and not swabed. But I was not there so i will not second guess the officers. I will though take my hat off to them and say that I am sorry that a bunch of "CRIMINALS" are crying because they were treated like criminals!

I have no idea what this department's use of force policy is, but all officers involved would be fired in my department. There is no justification for the use of pepper spray in this manner, especially on non-violent protesters. Actions like this give police a bad name. It is up to all law enforcement officers to behave in a responsible manner or face the consequences.

I have also been haunted by that image. I can't believe that we (the public) never heard another word of any consequences to the officers.

I have also been haunted by that image. I can't believe that we (the public) never heard another word of any consequences to the officers. Bonnie Arnold (760) 727-0964 bjarnold@cts.com

Hello, It sounds like these cops are just the same as the Viet Cong were. Aren't there any Vietnam combat veterans in the Eureka area?

Yes, I suppose they were criminally trespassing. I agree that they used extreme and unorthodox means, such as spreading sawdust to prevent the use of blowtorches. Of course they caused a disruption; what good is protesting something if no one notices? I think what some folks are overlooking here is the fact that the protesters did NOTHING to hurt anyone. Physically, anyway. The police did. Our national government tries (sometimes) to end conflicts around the world before they become violent. Yet a small-town police force decides might equals right. This could have ended differently. Give the people a voice, show you're willing to listen, and maybe they'll move on and trust you to at least consider what they've had to say. Or, just hold them down and pepper 'em, and pretend that will scare them into shutting up.

Nice page. Check out the www.peppersprayvictims.org site. ED

Give me a break! They sealed themselves inside locked steel arm covers and spread sawdust, so cutting/torching was not feasible. Then, they were given the order to disperse, several times, and they DECIDED not to, despite being warned that pepper spray would be used. These ADULTS decided to continue their CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, the officers did what they said they would do, and now the criminals are crying about it! Give me a break!!! What else would you have the officers do? NO ONE has been able to answer that question, as far as I've seen. And for the idiot who compared the deputies to the VietCong, your credibility is destroyed when you post silly statements like that. Walk a mile in the officers' shoes, as the old saying goes.

This was an act of "sadistic" officers who wished to inflict pain on peaceful, nonviolent protesters. It is true that they were violating the law in certain respects but that does not justify what was a clear human rights violation. Such a violation of the law is basic civil disobedience in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Any minor violation of the law is not a warrant to torture and simply giving a warning before such techniques are employed is not justification. There is no justification.

There lucky thats all they got Me personally I HATE treehuggers what purpose do they serve Jason

I'm sorry deborah, but these protesters were anything but peaceful.First of all they came in to the office with ski masks over their faces,dropped a four hundred pound stump on the office building,poured fine sawdust all over the office and the computers inside,urinated in the office and threatened the women working there.I don't know about you deborah,but that sounds like terrorism to me.

One more thing I almost foegot.One of the protesters was only sixteen years old.Sounds like contributing to the dilinquence of a minor and also child abuse to me.Earthfirst is not an enviromental group,they are a terrorist group.

Your announcement was noted, and will be presented to my current research class, to which the general topic of the semester is: Issue/s that affect your/our life/lives.

Police [brutality] must be stopped! One of the anti-police organizations out there is http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/antinewjerseystatepolice check there Police have too much power. These people are not breaking the law, the pigs are!

I can not belive how many people think that such action is justified. It makes me sick.More people need to get actively involved and let the world know we won't stand for this shit. How can anyone suggest that it is justified to harm people with the balls to make their voices heard-I don't care if they weren't peacefull when they are fighthing dickheads like Millsap who help big buisiness control our lives. Say no. say it loud.

Absolutly insane, we as a nation need to resist this unnecessary use of force

eureka police are known to violate numerous civil rights laws & nothing has been done about it. even a film of THIS magnitude means nothing to politicians or the ACLU.

I was scanning the Internet looking for a nice place to live when I retire. Well, now that I have seen this IT WILL NOT be Eureka!!!

I was scanning the Internet looking for a nice place to live when I retire. Well, now that I have seen this IT WILL NOT be Eureka!!!

WHY DID THE POLICE PEPPER SPRAYED THE PROTESTERS EYES FOR FUN, THEY WERE MAD OR WHAT.

thats cruel. people just cant get along these days.

thats cruel. people just cant get along these days.

I just saw this video for the first time today.I cannot believe it happened in 97. As I watched I thought to myself "There is gonna be some serious backlash about this". Now come to find out it is a past event that was even shown on Dan Rather and there was nothing done to these officers or the city. I think what was shown in this video is digusting I'm no tree hugger but I am a United States citizen and what is shown on that video is an example of people's rights being violated.If we do not stand up to this kind of behavior we are letting our freedom slip away. Even if you don't believe in the cause these women were representing there must be something you believe in strongly enough to do the same thing they did and if it is allowed to happen to them what's to stop the same thing from being done to you? Our rights are not going to be taken away all at once it will happen little by little.I think too few people realize that fact.

I, too, saw this footage recently and was astonished and disgusted. I then went online and looked up news stories on the event...they do not convey just how passive and non-threatening the protesters were--you just have to see this tape to really appreciate the situation. I was most disgusted, I think, when, after having applied pepper spray directly to one girls eyes, they later held her head and sprayed more directly into her eyes from a distance of maybe 3 inches. Another protester, off camera, was begging "please stop hurting her!" and the officer replied in a strange voice, "I'm not. I'm trying to help her" as he continued to spray the crying girl. Help her to what? Learn that in California a teenage girl practicing Civil Disobedience for something she believes is right can be treated exactly like an armed burglar resisting arrest?