When I first saw the video of Lt. John Pike spraying UC Davis students with what seems to be an orange mist, I was incredulous, “Did he just used OC spray on these sitting kids?” Turns out, he did. What the hell.

Back in 2007, I underwent non-lethal training. As part of the course, we were sprayed with military-grade “oleoresin capsicum.” I described my experience:

It feels like someone stabbed a searing hot and rusty knife into my eyes then scrubbed it with a sandpaper soaked in hot sauce.

I was not exaggerating either.