{"id":12979,"date":"2012-10-07T23:23:42","date_gmt":"2012-10-08T03:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nearbycafe.com\/artandphoto\/photocritic\/?p=12979"},"modified":"2012-10-09T09:34:55","modified_gmt":"2012-10-09T13:34:55","slug":"lt-john-pike-goes-viral-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nearbycafe.com\/artandphoto\/photocritic\/2012\/10\/07\/lt-john-pike-goes-viral-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Lt. John Pike Goes Viral (8)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A.<\/a>Smackdown as Meltdown<\/strong><\/p>\n

When former UC Davis Police Force Lt. John A. Pike III stood before a hundred cameras waving\u00a0a canister of MK-9 pepper spray<\/a> that he was carrying in violation of university regulations, then illegally directed its military-grade stream into the faces of seated nonviolent protestors legally present on the UC Davis campus last November 21, thus disregarding the orders of his commanding officer and the university chancellor, he opened a king-sized can of whoop-ass on himself.<\/p>\n

\"California<\/a>This extremely public smackdown-as-meltdown does not constitute the behavior of a rational man. I don’t engage in amateur psychoanalysis, but the perpetrator’s 2010 bankruptcy offers one possible explanation.<\/p>\n

Apparently Pike and his wife injudiciously borrowed heavily on their home in 2006, before the housing crisis, subsequently losing not just their\u00a0residence but their furniture, their\u00a0pickup truck, their\u00a0wine refrigerator, their\u00a0camping equipment, the wife’s $3,000 wedding ring, three handguns valued at $490, their barbecue grill, “and even $265 worth of clothing,” according to\u00a0a\u00a0November 23, 2011 story in\u00a0The Bay Citizen<\/em><\/a>. Ouch. Swapping the pistols, the pickup, the grill,\u00a0and<\/em> the wine refrigerator for seven years of bad credit ratings? For a guy formerly living high off the hog on a $127K annual salary with perks and bennies, that has to hurt. (Click here for a Bay Citizen<\/em> editor’s rationale<\/a> for publishing that information about Pike.)<\/p>\n

\"Lt.<\/a>

Lt. John Pike waves pepper-spray can, 11-18_11<\/p><\/div>\n

Whatever his actual motives, Pike effectively voided his chance to plead temporary insanity by insisting to the internal investigating committee that he decided his course of action that afternoon with calm deliberation and full professionalism, and would do it all again the same way<\/a>. (I expect Anonymous to post that still-secret report sometime soon.) In effect, Pike’s announced on the record that he makes no apology for ignoring his superior’s orders and deploying an unauthorized weapon in violation of the manufacturer’s instructions for its use, in collusion with his fellow officers. That constitutes premeditated conspiratorial intent to inflict bodily harm, with reckless disregard for the safety of citizens legally assembled and exercising their First Amendment rights.<\/p>\n

\"Yolo<\/a>If Pike plans to file a wrongful-termination suit in response to his firing this past July<\/a>, he has a tough row to hoe proving himself innocent. Nonetheless, he can breathe a bit easier. The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office<\/a> has determined that, despite the extensive still and video documentation of the event, and the unequivocal condemnation of Pike’s actions in the independent Reynoso and Kroll reports<\/a>, “No criminal charges will be filed against University of California, Davis officers involved in the November 18, 2011, pepper spraying of students on the University Quad.”<\/p>\n

\"Still<\/a>

Still from video of Lt. John Pike pepper-spraying peaceful protesters at UC Davis, 11\/18\/11<\/p><\/div>\n

The DA’s 13-page report<\/a> concludes that “viewing the incident through the totality of the circumstances, there is insufficient evidence to establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the use of force involved in the November 18, 2011, pepper spraying was unlawful and therefore warrants the filing of criminal charges.” Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General of California, has signed off on this determination. (Click here for a PDF file of that report, “The Application of Pepper Spray.”<\/a>) The Sacramento Bee<\/em> has quoted Pike as saying that he’s “extremely relieved” that “they are not going to be bringing any charges.”<\/p>\n

Pike still faces civil suits, however, filed by a number of those he assaulted. So he’s not yet out of danger, legally speaking. Still, he’s dodged one blast of pepper spray here, and may dodge more.<\/p>\n

Paying the Cost to be Pike’s Boss<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

That can of whoop-ass came as part of a six-pack, most of which his employers will have to chug down.<\/p>\n

\"Linda<\/a>

Linda Katehi, UC Davis Chancellor, still from “Walk of Shame” video, 11-20-11.<\/p><\/div>\n

Along with that news that Pike won’t get indicted comes the announcement that UC Davis has negotiated a $1 million settlement with Pike’s victims. Each of the 21 UC Davis students and alumni who were pepper-sprayed by Pike and Alexander Lee, another campus police officer, during their otherwise peaceful protest last year will receive $30,000. Their attorneys will receive $250K. And another $100K has been set aside for other students who can still join the class-action lawsuit by proving they were either arrested or directly pepper-sprayed. This payment of damages will come from approcimately $600 million in reserve funds set aside in the university\u2019s self-insurance program.<\/p>\n

“The settlement also calls for UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi to write a formal apology to each of the students and alumni who were pepper-sprayed or arrested,” according to Stephen Ceasar’s\u00a0September 27, 2012 report<\/a> in the Los Angeles Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Stein, the UC student regent, told the Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a> that a settlement of some sort was unquestionably in order. “We did an injustice to our students that day at Davis, and some amount of recompense is appropriate. More importantly, it’s time for us as an institution to publicly acknowledge that’s not the way we should treat our students; we were wrong, and we are moving forward,\u201d Stein said.<\/p>\n

However, in the stipulation for settlement, \u201cUC denies the plaintiffs\u2019 allegations. This is a mediated settlement that was approved by the Board of Regents. We believe the proposed settlement is in the best interests of the University of California,\u201d said UC spokesman Steve Montiel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The settlement remains subject to approval by a federal court judge, but the principals expect that to happen shortly.<\/p>\n

John Pike: $4 Million Man
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Lt.<\/a>

Lt. John Pike with pepper spray and Lolspeak caption.<\/p><\/div>\n

We can now start to do the math on what UC Davis has spent to dig itself out of the hole that John Pike dug that institution into.<\/p>\n