The following UC Davis experts are available to comment on historical and legal aspects of the Occupy movement.

Civil rights

Kevin R. Johnson, dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies, UC Davis School of Law, is an expert in civil rights and civil rights movements in the United States. His experience extends to political protests, as well as legal analysis of law enforcement practices. Johnson can comment on the human rights and social justice aspects of the Occupy movement. Contact: Kevin Johnson, School of Law, (530) 752-0243, krjohnson@ucdavis.edu.

Excessive force

Gabriel “Jack” Chin, criminal law professor at the UC Davis School of Law, is a former prosecutor and defense attorney with experience in legal issues surrounding the use of force by police. He is an expert in criminal liability for excessive force and can talk about when the use of force is permitted under criminal law. Contact: Gabriel “Jack” Chin, School of Law, (520) 401-6586 (cell), gjchin@ucdavis.edu.

First Amendment, free speech

Vikram Amar, constitutional law professor and associate dean of the UC Davis School of Law, is an expert on the First Amendment, U.S. Constitution, and freedom of speech and assembly. Contact: Vikram Amar, School of Law, (530) 752-8808, (925) 858-8855 (cell), vdamar@ucdavis.edu.

Alan Brownstein, constitutional law professor at the UC Davis School of Law, has expertise in issues of free speech and the First Amendment. Contact: Alan Brownstein, School of Law, (530) 752-2586, aebrownstein@ucdavis.edu.

Ashutosh Bhagwat, constitutional professor at the UC Davis School of Law, is an expert in free speech law and the purposes and limits of constitutional rights. (530) 752-8687, (510) 387-6769 (cell), aabhagwat@ucdavis.edu.

Social movements

Bob Ostertag, professor of technocultural studies, can talk about the history of various American social movements and their similarities with the Occupy movement. A journalist who covered the civil wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador in the 1980s, Ostertag has been published on every continent and in many languages. He is the author of "People's Movements, People's Press: The Journalism of Social Justice Movements" (2005). Contact: Bob Ostertag, Technocultural Studies, (415) 609 9619, bob.ostertag@mac.com.