On March 27 anti-war protesters were pepper-sprayed at University Square. UW-Madison students and community members have disputed the reasoning behind the use of the pepper spray. The dispute led the Police-Community Liaison Committee to hold a discussion with the participants of the protest in Helen C. White Hall Thursday night.
According to police reports, on March 27 Madison police officers were attempting to escort an arrested protester to a secure location when the crowd began pulling at the officers and lying on the stairwell to block their. In order to disperse the crowd and at the sight of a perceived threat, one officer used the pepper spray.
Many of the protesters who were at the forum said the officer acted irrationally because they had not seen anyone blocking or grabbing the officers. One of the students who had helped organize the protest asked why the police had been cordial up until the incident at University Square, while others questioned the methods they had used, asking why the officer gave no verbal warning.
\[The police officers] are there to facilitate your first amendment rights and we will do everything to uphold that,"" Davenport said, adding that the officers' attitude changed when there was a threat to the crowd's safety.
Yet Timothy Hansel, a UW-Madison graduate student, said the pepper spraying compromised the crowd's safety. He said he felt ""attacked.""
""Many of us feel the police department is a threat to us now,"" he said.
The discussion had become quite heated as protesters recounted their experience at the protest. Paul O'Leary said he was standing 50 feet away and was still affected by the pepper spray.
Another community member fought back tears as she told how she was blinded for 20 minutes and the crowd almost trampled her in the narrow stairwell.
One student got upset when Davenport, who was trying to explain what the police report said, interrupted him.
""I would appreciate it if you would just let me finish before you come in with what the police report said because it sounds like you are totally on their side,"" the student said.
Davenport and Lt. Mary Schauf were asked if the police would issue an apology to the bystanders who were affected by the spray, such as passersby who were going to businesses in University Square. Both said the police department felt the officers acted in an appropriate way.
""The stakes were way up because the officer could not make that lawful arrest and we don't know the intent of the crowd,"" Schauf said.
