UC Davis Chancellor Says She Won't Resign After Horrific Pepper-Spraying Of Students

After police brutally pepper-sprayed peaceful protesters at UC Davis on Saturday, almost 50,000 people signed a petition asking university chancellor Linda Katehi to resign. And students held a silent vigil to protest her press conference yesterday. Nonetheless, Katehi told George Stephanopoulos today that she wouldn’t resign, saying, “I really feel confident that at this point the university needs me.” To his credit, Stephanopoulos pushes back hard on Katehi’s assertion that the university called in the police to protect students’ safety. It’s hard to see how protesters peacefully sitting on the ground were threatening anyone, and pepper-spraying a student in the face is hardly a way of protecting them. Katehi appears to make a distinction between protesting students and those “who really want to learn” — but it looks like all UC Davis students have learned that even if they choose to express their views peacefully, they may be met with violence.