tto Pippenger is taking legal action against the San Francisco Community College District and the City of San Francisco for use of excessive force during a protest on March 13, 2014. Photo Bridgid Skiba

The two City College of San Francisco students injured and arrested at a March 13 protest at the Ocean campus are taking legal action against the City and County of San Francisco and the San Francisco Community College District.

Their claim was announced May 27 during a press conference held by the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and the Save CCSF Coalition.

“The Save CCSF Coalition contacted the NLG for legal support and Otto [Pippenger] and Dimitrios [Philliou] contacted me individually about their situations,” said Rachel Lederman of the NLG. “We are planning to file a lawsuit after the city and county and the Community College District have time to act on the government tort claims we submitted to each of them, which are an initial step we had to go through prior to filing a lawsuit in court.”

Pippenger, 20, and Philliou, 21, were taking part in a protest to demand the resignation of CCSF’s state-approved special trustee Robert Agrella, and for the reversal of a new school policy that would make it mandatory that students pay tuition fees by the first day of class.

This stemmed from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior College (ACCJC)’s proposed decision to terminate CCSF’s accreditation by July 31 this year.

Pippenger, a labor studies major, attended the protest for extra credit points in one of his classes.

The protest gathered about 150 students, faculty and staff members, ending in front of Conlan Hall, the administration building to which protesters were denied entry by the San Francisco Community College District Police Department (SFCCDPD).

About 15 students, including Pippenger and Philliou, forced entry into the building, which is usually open to the public.

The San Francisco Police Department was then called to assist the SFCCDPD.

City College student-activist Dimitrios Philliou, 21, is taken by ambulance, after police pepper sprayed him for trespassing during the protest on March 13, 2014. Photo Santiago Mejia

A melee broke out, in which officers allegedly broke both of Pippenger’s wrists and punched him in the back of his head as he lay on the floor, his face smashed into the ground.

Pippenger was taken into Vice Chancellor of Student Development Fabienne McPhail Naples’ office, where he asked for Naples to call his mother, but his request was refused. Karen Saginor, an ex-Academic Senate President and current City College librarian, called Pippenger’s mother on her personal cell phone.

Philliou was thrown to the ground by two SFCCDPD officers, who according to a press release were, “choking him, kneeling on his leg, which was healing from knee surgery, twisting his arm, and using other excessive force on him.” He was also pepper sprayed at close range “all over his body including his genital area, causing further pain.”

Both students were charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest according to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, and incarcerated in San Francisco County Jail. Philliou was released around 1:30 a.m., while Pippenger was kept until almost 6 a.m. because a background check didn’t clear.

The claim alleges that both students’ constitutional rights to be “free from use of excessive and/or arbitrary force,” from “arrests without probable cause” and “freedom of speech, assembly and association” were violated.