Joy Behar On UC Davis Pepper Spray: 'What Are We In, A Fascist State?' (VIDEO)

Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg strongly criticized the police who pepper-sprayed protesting students at UC Davis on "The View" Monday.

Video of campus police repeatedly spraying a line of students sitting peacefully on the ground during an Occupy movement demonstration rocketed around the Web over the weekend. Goldberg, and especially Behar, did not mince words in discussing the incident.

Barbara Walters wondered whether Linda Katehi, the school's chancellor, would resign. (Katehi has thus far refused.) "The buck stops, it would seem to me, with her," Walters said.

"What about the police captain who allowed this to happen?" Behar said. "He should resign. What are we in, a fascist state now? A police state in this country?" The audience applauded this last comment. Later, Behar repeated her criticisms. "A lot of people watching are too young to remember Kent State ... it's outrageous, this type of behavior!" she said. "It cannot be tolerated."

Goldberg agreed. At one point, she got out of her chair and mimicked the actions of the police. She said there was "no excuse" for the pepper-spraying.

The police chief at UC Davis has since been placed on administrative leave.

 

 

Comments

[Sock De Jour]

03:01 PM on 11/24/2011

What do you call a country that can legally assassinate it's own citizens, suspended habeas corpus and therefore The Constitution, eavesdrops and spies on its own citizens without probable cause, tortures with impunity, imprisons more of its own citizens than any other country in the world, forces its citizens to fund undeclared illegal wars, and forces voters to choose between two corporate owned parties and corporate appointed candidates?

That's not free, and that's not a democracy.

[keedyk87]

03:51 PM on 11/28/2011

Well you call the Political system an economic Oligarcy. There are probably only a few, very few who are honest people representing all of the American people. As the majority in both parties fill their pockets with corporate money.

[Dale Birmingham]

11:53 AM on 11/24/2011

I dont know Joy are we? I know you know best so why dont you go over the UC Davis and take over the police dept, the chancelor's job. You're good at giving advice....

[American Boer]

12:33 AM on 11/24/2011

Wow, she did not mention Glenn Beck!

[BarryWolk]

01:23 PM on 11/23/2011

"I have met the enemy... and he is US!"
(Pogo)

[Nancy Parris]

12:17 PM on 11/23/2011

Bravo to courage!

[80ProofPudding]

12:14 PM on 11/23/2011

Joy said it sarcastically to open our eyes to the absurdity of spraying peaceful demonstrators. Why are police even there? Since when does exercising the first amendment garner more police attention than criminals?

[citizensrus]

03:34 PM on 11/23/2011

She may have said it sarcastically, but it is the truth.

[Blue Pup in PHX]

12:07 PM on 11/23/2011

I've got to say thank you to the ladies of The View and Joy for keeping the attention on this heinous incident. Eventually these occurrences will resonate with "normal" midstream, silent majority Americans... until then, there's work to be done!

[minty68]

11:43 AM on 11/23/2011

And what words of wisdom did Elisabeth offer?

[JulieMarisa]

11:13 AM on 11/23/2011

Thank God for the voices that will stand up against the injustices in this country. Thank God for the media that will fact check politicians that lie and use the system to fill their own pockets. Thank God for the few leaders left that will lead with integrity. But, those few people need all of us to stand behind them and say, Integrity, honesty, and freedom for all is what we stand for.

[Phillip Hyper]

10:26 AM on 11/23/2011

She's right about one thing: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" . . . "four dead in O-HI-O" . . .

[Blue Pup in PHX]

12:04 PM on 11/23/2011

As an Ohioan born and raised, boy do those words have an ominous ring to them. Yikes. The Kent State shooting were way before my time but there wasn't a kid in Ohio that didn't know about them, wasn't told about them in school, from those who were there and who knew the stories.

Every year in Ohio on May 4th, (I went to Case Western) there is a contingent of students from campuses all over the state that would converge on Kent State and remember. Today my children are college students and that the specter of this type of action would raise it's ugly head now is just bone chilling.

For those who are too young to know what the heck we're talking about, or for those who simply forgot:

http://youtu.be/GI7-m919ynU

[DesertRatzoRizzo]

09:42 AM on 11/23/2011

The answer, dear Joy, is "Yes, we are indeed living in a fascist state."

[bea400xp]

11:50 AM on 11/23/2011

You could always move to Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Syria if you really feel that way. I recall some really smart people felt the same way as you do they decided to pick up and leave and created Jonestown...

[BarryWolk]

01:25 PM on 11/23/2011

Your response is completely illogical, bea!

And, BTW: The Jonestown folks were not exactly known for being 'really amart'.

FAIL!

[citizensrus]

03:35 PM on 11/23/2011

North Korea is communist. It is not fascist. What corporations are in North Korea?

[TheScarletPimpernel]

09:33 AM on 11/23/2011

We are definately living in a police state. Watch what happens if you are a male and ever questioned by police. They will arrest you by force if you ask this simple question to their interrorgation or questioning of you ? " Why are you asking me these questions? Am I suspected of a crime ? " the bracelets will come out you will be thrown on the ground and roughed up.
The militarized police forces of the US no longer follow any..any rule of citizens rights.

[Mack777]

12:05 PM on 11/23/2011

Thank you ScarlettPimpernel for reminding me of this. It is so true about many police in this country- that they become upset and/or abusive with your questioning for your rights. Do they see us having rights?
We have so many institutions that have free reign over our daily lives.
With OWS we can address all these many grievances that we can't thru a bureacracy that can be manipulated so easily.
This Thanksgiving, I am so grateful for OWS.
Their huge hearts and efforts show us that we have to take action and take back our
country.
I did withdraw from the bank that had my money and it's in a credit union. I do support my local OWS.

[citizensrus]

03:37 PM on 11/23/2011

Absolutely! Bravo! Many have been charged with resisting arrest when they did nothing to be arrested for other than simply exist.

[maintroll]

06:16 AM on 11/23/2011

Bad ratings take down another bad show!!!

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

05:40 AM on 11/23/2011

I was really taken aback by Sherri's response and it made a good segue for EH, who seemed to be searching for a way to to justify and endorse the spraying.Is Sherri really that vapid.

[georgecarlin76]

04:41 AM on 11/23/2011

Yes we are in a fascist, Nazi country now and you can thank all the republican lemmings that ran like scared cowards after the 911 fairy tale and gave up all our rights. They ruined this country, let war profiteers loot the treasury and turned us into a nation of spies cannibalizing on itself in the name of stopping terror when really it was about rebranding the drug war so the police state would have more jobs that turn ordinary people into criminals in their eyes. And yes, Obama is bad but because he is EXACTLY like Bush minus the cosmetic differences. He is, in fact, the republican's poodle so they look absurd whining about him to get elected.

[bea400xp]

02:09 PM on 11/23/2011

It was a about time a highly educated liberal made such a stupid statement as yours. Time to go back to your parents basements to watch more porn and play Dungeons & Dragons. Power to the people yeah....

[georgecarlin76]

08:17 PM on 11/23/2011

The truth hurts I know...especially to those whose brains stopped working long ago. It's hilarious that it is probably you who lives in your mom's basement and plays video games. Good luck with your porn...it's probably all you have.