Pepper spraying cop meme: Internet pokes fun at Lt. Pike

Published time: November 21, 2011 19:25
Edited time: November 21, 2011 23:45
Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com

Having started by pepper-spraying Occupy UC Davis protesters, Lt. John Pike, the campus cop, is now taking aim at famous works of art, with a little help from photoshop and an internet meme sending-up the notorious officer.

­On November 18, Pike used pepper spray against students who were taking part in a peaceful “Occupy” campaign in front of the University of California, Davis. The incident was filmed, and in no time the video went viral. An enraged public decided to take revenge on the cop for his unwarranted use of forceful policing tactics. They created a special meme on the internet where Pike was pictured pepper-spraying characters on well-known works of art.

Over the following weekend Pike’s corpulent form found itself on numerous works like Edouard Manet’s “Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe” (The Luncheon on the Grass) and Picasso's “Guernica”.

Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com
Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com

The meme became extremely popular – only 12 hours after it was created, there were thousands of hits with people sending their own photoshopped pictures featuring Pike as well.

Pike is now on indefinite leave from the police force, and until he is back in the ranks, he will have the opportunity, it seems, to sharpen his aim while pepper-spraying the silent characters of Manet, Seurat and other famous artists.

Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com
Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com
Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com
Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com
Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com
Image from peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com

Comments (6)

SHELLEY24Schultz (unregistered) 26.12.2012 19:19

All people deserve very good life and loans or sba loan can make it better. Because freedom is based on money.

0

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Armando Martinez 29.11.2011 04:26

Here in Latin America most of the army and police forces (with the exception of perhaps Chile) come from the poorest sectors of the society (the country or belts of poverty around the cities), most of them running away from misery, this people were excluded  intentionally and prepared(endoctrinat ed) in such a way to become the never ending spiral of resentful individuals who paradoxically end up in our streets either 'fighting the crime or being part of them'(or both). Of course the scarcity and poverty (all artificial) is created so the individuals can be controlled and loot by national and foreign interests. The official media has done a surgical job by dumbing people out, but we cannot afford to blame it all on them, we are responsible for our present situation and our decisions for near future, this nasty SWINE shall pay and serve as a lesson. 

+1

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BeSpoken 24.11.2011 16:30

I think these are great! In fairness it's what the internet was made for! Highlighting injustice and creating a new comedic sensati on out of such a serious issue. I want them all as tshirts!   To be fair police brutality has been going on unchecked accross the world to this and a lot worse degrees since the police were invented! More like tis is needed outing an obviously sadistic officer who has probably done a lot worse and got away with it will hopefully serve as a deterrent to other would be abusers and misusers of the law. Throw the book at him!

+3

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