Bandaids on Bullet Wounds: new UC Weaponry
Our First amendment is at risk as weaponry has been let into UC campuses, in the face of protesting about the Israel-Hamas war. Non-lethal weapons such as pepper balls and sponge rounds, projectile launchers and new drones have been admitted for usage. Such an interesting way to remove our rights.
As United States citizens, we reserve our constitutional right to free speech. The first amendment states that Congress cannot abridge the freedom of speech, press, the right to peacefully assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances. Therefore all protests for this current war and all wars for that matter, are protected underneath our government.
Yet, the law enforcement on UC campuses has blown peaceful protests out of proportion. In fact, weaponry has already been used to inflict pain. CalMatter states that on May 2, police officers in UCLA, the first school to request these new weaponry, fired these weapons at the protesters- which directly goes against their training guidelines and state law. They appeared to do this 25 separate times, all the while there has been no assault or battery charges announced against protesters. Annabel Thorpe (’26) shares her thoughts on the matter.
“These students are paying for their education and deserve to be protected by their own campus security. The fact that the people who are supposed to keep students safe are the ones harming them says a lot,” Thorpe said.
This equipment is known to cause immense harm to those on the receiving end. For example, the pepper balls operate like pepper spray- which causes immediate eye closure, acute eye pain and temporary blindness. Sponge rounds- also known as sponge grenades- can cause heavy injury or even potentially death if shot at the incorrect distance. The rounds can hit a person where it shouldn’t, causing broken bones, head wounds, permanent damage to the eyes and even death can occur.
This is not the first time they’ve requested for weaponry. This is routine- they ask for new weapons each year, unrelated to protests. However, this year they’ve upped their requests to almost double. Teresa Watanabe, a reporter for LA times, states that UC’s are asking for 3000 pepper balls- in comparison to their previous 1600. They’re also doubling the amount of sponge rounds.
“It’s really upsetting they’re spending more money for these weapons. There are many more productive ways they could use their money that would actually benefit students and their education who worked hard to earn a spot at their university,” Thorpe said. “In other schools, some students are even getting their diplomas taken away too... Universities owe it to the students to support them better.”
People can’t advocate for their beliefs if they’re facing the risk of death. It’s fundamentally unconstitutional to lose your life for standing up for a cause. Is the first amendment suddenly null and void because campuses don’t agree with the views of their students? Education in itself is built upon free expression and open conversations, we must ensure all voices can be heard without the threat of violence.