RE: [Paddlewise] Guns and Polar Bears/ pepper spray and shotguns

From: Bob Denton <bdenton_at_soytek.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 14:41:15 -0500
>>> Maybe someone else has had pepper spray experience to share???

I was a photography professor at the Michaelis School of Fine Arts,
University of Cape Town in the mid-late 70s. I was involved in a riot of 13
year old school kids who had been chased onto our campus (down town) by riot
police with pepper grenades. The kids ran into my building and I got then up
the stairs and into the silk screen rooms and dark rooms with running water.
It was a mess, and I had 3 flights of stairs in a stair well to negotiate to
get the kids out and to safety. The stair well was full of gas and there was
a small window on the landing. I had to get that window open in order to
clear the stairwell. I thought I was going to die! The window hadn't been
opened for years (the building was typical colonial academic architecture)
and even though I was prepared and had a wet cloth on my face, I collapsed.
I eventually broke open the window and made it out, but I was useless for
the next 1/2 hour or so.

BTW, I have been working with some of the concentrate from India which has a
rating of over 2M Scoville Units. Small mistake translate into big problems!
Like going to the bathroom after handling the concentrate.....

cu
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Received on Wed Nov 05 2003 - 11:41:34 PST

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