The reports and images were shocking enough. As soon as eye-witness footage was uploaded onto YouTube, the link went viral. Within hours, over 157,000 people around the world had watched it; and their outrage was palpable in comments. They were reacting to an incident that took place, during an Occupy Wall Street march through the streets of New York City, on September 24th 2011.
(NB This article has been edited with further information, as a second video showed events from another angle.)
Pepper Spray Used on Peaceful Protesters in NYC
A group of American women had already been peacefully contained within an orange mesh pen, behind the distinctive blue uniforms of New York's finest, the NYPD. Before they finish closing the net, a grey-haired lady slips through the cordon. Head bowed, she continues along the sidewalk, before realising that she is trapped too. Beside her, a huddle of people, mostly women with one man, open a door into the building behind.
Further up the street, a police lieutenant lunges over the mesh to stop a woman filming. As she shields her camera, crouching to the ground, he grabs a fistful of her hair. The resulting outcry captures the attention of most of the protesters and police officers alike. Chants of 'Shame! Shame!' went up. Heads were turned in that direction and several people within the pen were clutching cameras, attempting to film it. This included the person whose footage caused such waves, thus the initial seconds of the gassing take place on the periphery of the screen.
Two young women anxiously cry out in unison, "Why are you doing this to us?" Shoulders forward, necks straining and one palm open with pleading. In the other hand, they are grasping papers, pamphlets or flyers, which will shortly spill out onto the pavement as they're dropped. One starts to turn away, her hand over her mouth and the tears starting. The crowd starts chanting, "Who are you protecting? We are the people!" The same lieutenant strides across the road, his arm already up. He says, "You guys are the people." Then he sprays the women in the face.
Kettling in Chaos After New York Women Gassed
Agonised screams fill the air. The picture jerks as the person filming jolts away. A second later it is steady again, showing three women on their knees in the centre of the pen. One shrieks hysterically, while the other two sob in shock. People have scattered, coughing and covering their eyes, bent double against the wall at the back. Some are still in the open doorway of the business exposed to the pen.
The mesh fence is in disarray. Police officers stare stunned after their superior, then incredulously at each other. One snaps, "He just f**king Maced her!" At least two NYPD officers were also hit by the pepper spray. One is shown desperately trying to hold up his section of the mesh, while his face creases with pain. Another, close to the cameraman, wipes at his eyes. The grey-haired lady steps through the opened pen and makes her escape.
In the background, the white-shirted police lieutenant strolls away along the street, leaving his colleagues at the scene.
What is Pepper Spray?
Pepper spray is a common term for a chemical agent based around Oleoresin Capsicum. The components explain its other names of OC gas or OC spray. Others know it as Mace, by the trademark of its main manufacturer, Mace Security International. Some versions may also contain tear gas.
As a lachrymatory agent, pepper spray attacks the corneal nerves in the victim's eyes. This causes pain and temporary blindness, lasting up to thirty minutes. Where it touches the skin, a burning sensation can be felt for up to an hour. It is impossible not to inhale it, which results in upper body spasms and coughing. In a healthy person, there can be difficulty breathing for around a quarter of an hour.
Pepper Spray Can Kill in Certain Situations
Pepper spray can prove fatal for those with any respiratory condition, like asthma, or who have taken certain medications. On March 8th 2011, an asthmatic Bronx man, Kemp Yarborough, died in NYPD custody after being sprayed with OC gas. He had been reaching for his inhaler at the time, which led officers to believe he had a concealed weapon. It took just ten minutes for Mr Yarborough to die. Four months later, an inquest ruled that his death had been homicide. His cause of death was stated as being 'acute bronchial asthma during a physical altercation including pepper spray'.
In Britain, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) are investigating the death of Jake Michael. He died after police officers used pepper spray on him, in Liverpool, in August 2011.
Human Rights Advocates Condemn the Use of Pepper Spray
The use of pepper spray by police officers is currently under fire in Australia. In September 2011, the Human Rights Law Centre called for stricter controls over the gas to be enshrined in Victoria's Charter of Human Rights. This follows a damning report showing that Victoria police were deploying pepper spray, on average, every two and a half hours. In neighbouring New Zealand, the Human Rights Foundation are also campaigning against the use of pepper spray.
A report from the American Civil Liberties Union estimated that every one in 600 people sprayed with OC gas die as a result. The group have been advocating restrictions on its use since the mid-90s.
Ironically, despite the domestic use of pepper spray across the world, it is prohibited for use in international war. In August 2010, the United Nations banned it under Article 1.5 of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Sources:
- ACLU, Pepper Spray Update. (PDF) (June 1995.)
- Chemical Weapons Convention.
- Human Rights Foundation.
- Liverpool Echo, Jake Michael family still fighting for answers over his death, hours after being pepper-sprayed by police in Widnes. (September 12th 2011.)
- NBC, Pepper-Spray Death of Suspect Ruled Homicide. (July 29th 2011.)
- Sydney Morning Herald, Advocacy group wants stricter rules for use of pepper spray. (September 12th 2011.)
- YouTube: NYPD pepper sprays peaceful protesters. (uploaded by AndroidArm, September 24th 2011.)
- YouTube: Peaceful Female Protesters Penned in the Street and Maced!- #OccupyWallStreet. (Uploaded by TheOther99Percent, September 23rd 2011.)
Updated Sources: (These became available after this article was written. They add to the angles, but not to the story fundamentally enough to warrant a new article.)
- YouTube: Occupy Wall Street - Police Aggression . (Uploaded by kfalke, September 25th 2011.)
- YouTube: Occupy Wall Street September 24. This is apparently the view from the camcorder of the 'grey-haired lady' mentioned in the article. (Uploaded by Witsendnj, September 25th 2011.)
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
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