Peaceful UC Berkeley protests raising awareness for the #IAmColeAndWalker movement took a violent turn Thursday as several police appear to body-slam a man during the protest near the school's campus.

Fifty years ago, Memphis sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed to death in garbage compactors due to defective machinery. The protest raises awareness of 150 U.S. workers dying from preventable work-related illnesses or issues each day across the country.

"I just saw an AFSCME Local 3299 worker peacefully protesting for a labor contract slammed by police at Cal Berkeley campus. What a sick feeling. #IAMCOLEANDWALKER #IAM2018," wrote Paul Darwin Picklesimer on his Facebook page.

Picklesimer, who lists himself as an organizer at Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), first posted the video to Facebook Thursday showing the University of California, Berkeley protester being slammed on the ground.

The unidentified man seen protesting in the video is a member of AFSCME 3299, the largest union for University of California workers throughout the statewide education system. The union represents more than 24,000 employees across the UC system's 10 California campuses.

Local authorities have not yet responded for comment.

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