The Real Blind Side

photo by The Guardian

There were many incidents of police brutality during last fall's Occupy movement. But this one where this "campus police officer", willfully pepper sprayed these peacefully protesting students made me sick. Finally after close to 10 months, he was terminated. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/lt-john-pike-uc-davis-pepper-spray-campus-police_n_1727933.htm 
 After collecting his 6 figure salary and all kinds of compensation. What I'd really like to know, is who covered the medical bills for the students he tried to blind? That pepper spray was a military grade canister, meant to be used at a distance of at least 6 feet away. Why are these "officers" being armed with those kinds of weapons at a college campus? Considering the sky high tuition students are paying, security must be included in the Universities budget, which of course now "campus police officers" are armed as if they are going to war, with college kids. I want to know how that happened? Back in the 90's when I went to college, security officers were armed with a flash light.
Then I start researching. University Of California, Berkeley Campus Police Will Not Be Allowed To Buy Armored Truck
Really? Why would a college need a G.D. armored truck? Here's the kicker. They were going to buy one with a $169,000 grant from the DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY! Our tax dollars almost bought a damn tank for Berkeley.
So I am now questioning did U.C. Davis get their military grade weaponry from a Homeland Security grant?  http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/growing-militarisation-police-0021931
In this article $34 billion has been granted from Homeland Security over the last ten years, "to combat terrorist threats and drug trafficking". $34 billion for that, but not for healthcare, not for putting people back to work, not for poverty, not for a free college education for anyone who wanted one. That is a staggering amount of money in the name of "terrorist threats", then they use it on protesting college kids. Too bad they couldn't pepper spray Jerry Sandusky or Joe Paterno. It's a shame that Homeland Security couldn't make things more secure for the students that were assaulted at Penn State. The point is that our kids aren't safe, and if you really want to think about it, it's the administrators of our Universities that are dangerous. Looking the other way when sexual violence occurs, arming  "campus officers" with military equipment to use against their own students. That's quite an education.