DAVIS, Calif. (KCRA) -- By Monday night, student protesters had set up more than 60 tents on the same campus quad where students were told last week they could not set up tents during a protest Friday.
During that protest, officers pepper sprayed about a dozen students who refused to leave the quad. In response, two officers and the chief of police have been placed on leave and more than one investigation is underway into what happened.
Monday no officers appeared to be at the occupation and students were being allowed to stay and camp.
Many students said they planned to stay indefinitely.
Speaker of the Assembly John Perez came and spoke personally with the students. Perez called the officers' actions Friday "appalling" and said he would work to make sure a similar incident did not happen again.
"Both houses of the legislature are going to be holding hearings. There have been debate as to whether police exceeded their authority. If they did, there needs to be a reaction based on that. If they didn't, then we have to reevaluate what their authority is because I don't think any reasonable person would see pepper spraying a group of passive protestors as the right approach in that moment," Perez said.
Students were pepper sprayed after ignoring orders to disperse. KCRA asked one of the students who was pepper sprayed he would have preferred police do.
"I expected to be arrested and not assaulted," freshman student Ian Lee said. Lee said he would have preferred to be physically removed from the quad.
KCRA also asked Lee if he didn't want to be pepper sprayed why he didn't leave when he saw the officer pull out the pepper spray.
Lee said he stayed because, "I believe the freedom of speech and assembly are important and I wanted to demonstrate that."
KCRA also asked other students and professors protesting the actions of the police what they think would have been an appropriate response after students ignored police orders.
"They don't have the right to break up peaceful assembly," said graduate student Brook Barman. "There is no answer to that question."
Referencing the use of pepper spray Barman later said, "I suppose it's secondary to them having shot someone but that is an insane conversation to be having."
Genetics Professor Ken Burtis said the officers should have kept requesting the students leave but not use force.
"I think if there is truly a safety issue something should be done," Burtis said. He added that he didn't believe that was the case during Friday's protest.
While the occupation of the quad grew Monday night, members of the UC student government held an emergency meeting to vote on several resolutions. Those resolutions call on changes in policies, additional training of officers, and the resignation of the chancellor if she does not comply with their demands.
