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Pepper Spray Cop gets $38G worker’s compensation settlement

Updated

2 years ago

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John Pike was suspended from his job at UC Davis and ultimately left the force in July 2012 (Dave Jones/UC Davis Dateline/Associated Press)

John Pike was suspended from his job at UC Davis and ultimately left the force in July 2012 (Dave Jones/UC Davis Dateline/Associated Press)

Cop Who Pepper Sprayed Students Gets Workers’ Comp

 

The infamous UC Davis campus police officer who pepper sprayed a group of peaceful protesters in 2011 received a larger payout than the students who were pepper sprayed. John Pike was filmed heavily spraying the arm-locked and sitting Occupy Wallstreet protesters. The video was posted online where it quickly went viral and became an iconic representation of the protest.

Pike was awarded $38,000 in workers’ compensation for the “distress” caused by the outrage at his actions. He was subsequently fired from his position after also being given eight months of paid leave. His compensation was literally thousands of dollars more than the compensation that the students received.

California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso found Pike at fault, saying there was no reason to use pepper spray during the incident and that he was also standing too close to use it safely. The twenty-one protesters that were pepper sprayed were compensated $30,000 each.

This news is raising some questions about labor laws and whether or not they should be accommodating to employees who behaved questionably. It is also resulting in another wave of backlash. Many believe it sends a very incorrect message in which it appears to be alright to assault peaceful protesters.

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