For the most part, the Occupy movement has been peaceful, with occasional exceptions, marked by police violence. The worst of it to date occurred in Oakland, California. Lets look at what happened through an article about the veteran police left in critical condition, two videos and a third video on how the Republican Ministry of Propaganda, aka Fox, is informing their viewers about OWS.
A 24-year old Marine Corps corporal and Iraqi war veteran remained in critical condition at Highland Hospital on Wednesday night after friends said he was hit in the head with a police projectile in Tuesday’s Occupy Oakland confrontation.
Scott Thomas Olsen, 24, of Onalaska, Wisc., was admitted to Highland after he was hit on the head above his right eye during clashes with police, said hospital spokesman Curt Olsen, who is not related to the veteran.
Olsen appears to be the first serious injury nationwide of the Occupy Wall Street movement that has spread to virtually every major American city — and several smaller ones — as millions of people continue to express their rage and disappointment with the country’s banking, regulatory and health care systems.
"It’s absolutely unconscionable that our citizens are going overseas to protect other citizens just to come back and have our own police hurt them," said Joshua Shepherd, a six-year Navy veteran and friend of Scott Olsen’s, who attended a vigil late Wednesday afternoon for the injured man.
Fellow protesters brought him in after he failed to respond to basic questions. Doctors at the hospital said that Olsen had brain swelling and placed him under immediate supervision.
"He survived two tours in Iraq," said Adele Carpenter, a friend of Olsen’s and a member of the Civilian Soldier Alliance. "This struggle has high stakes, I really respect the fact that Scott was standing up for what he believes in. He’s really passionate about social justice causes."… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Mercury News>
Here is video of the incident.
The woman in the above photo is Jean Quan, once a victim of police violence herself, now the mayor of Oakland responsible for this atrocity. In a Special Comment on Countdown, Keith Olbermann calls for her resignation.
In addition, Keith also included a segment, with Sam Seder, on how Faux Noise is covering OWS instead of informing their sheeple about stories like this one. Would you believe it’s a conspiracy plotted by ACORN?
Is it any wonder that so many Republicans are clueless?
For this to be anything less than career-ending for the Oakland officials responsible would be a travesty!
22 Responses to “Police Riot in Oakland”
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Oakland Police shoot an unarmed veteran in the head – putting him in critical medical condition – and my first reaction was, “This can’t be happening in America.” But for those of us of a certain age, we remember our days protesting the Vietnam War, and recall exactly what atrocities the “authorities” are capable of.
Yes indeed, Ames is still fresh in my mind! How tragically ironic that the victim is twice a hero! I hope Tom is right and the perpetrators are run from office!
Thanks, Lee.
I’m sure Scott and his family and friends would enjoy getting a card of support:
U.S.M.C Scott Olsen
Highland General Hospital
1411 East 31st Street
Oakland, CA 94602
Donations for medical care can be sent here, set up by Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Thanks Nameless and Critter aka Gollum. Won’t you join me tonight at 7 pm PDT for a meditation for Scott Olsen.
At 7 pm PDT tonight, I will be praying and meditating for the recovery of Scott Olsen using this phrase “The Creator’s healing love flows in your body.”. All you have to do is find a quiet place, close your eyes and repeat the simple phrase over and over. Won’t you join me?
Thanks to all three of you. Major kudos!!!
Lynn, I would have, but I had my hands full with 100+ prisoners at the time, I did remember him in prayer when I returned.
I’m sorry. Nameless. I had to delete your photo. AP does not permit photos with their © to be distributed without permission.
Thoroughly disgusting and irresponsible behavior by both the police and the mayor. These oppressors should all be jailed!
Jack, I agree.
Sign petitions. Call for Quan’s resignation. Call for an investigation into police brutality. Get out on the streets yourself if you’re able.
There are several petitions on Change.org. Just go there and look up petitions in economic justice. They are all there.
It is ironic how he served 2 tours overseas and came home unharmed only to be injured by those sworn to “Serve & Protect”. They must take their oath to the 1% and forget the rest of us.
Thanks Patty. Going to Change.org re economic justice
Thanks Patty!
It is sickening– and really is a fear of mine– that the police will initiate violence– once that begins — violence escalates- every time—
Sadly, that’s what happened in the 1960s. Chicago broke the control that non-violent elements had in the peace movement, especially in SDS. When the Weather faction took control, I resigned. Violence escalated and the end result was Kent State..
Where we are and how we got here I just don’t understand why, (but I think I have a little bit of understanding as to how).
Further than that I don’t understand the law working so hard against us.
Don’t they know that any machine that works against itself will fail to function within a short amount of time?
I have spoken to police about many things similar to this and they always have the same answer, “I’m just doing my job.”. That excuse has been used many times by many people as an excuse by people for acting excessively in situations to show off their abilities and advance themselves, not for those who are “just” doing their jobs.
Later what has to happen is it does become one against one and in this case the government even has to protect those police, even if they went too far, because they are working in partnership (one as one) with them.
I don’t think we need to teach policy, politics or even recruit the next generation into this mess. I think that if we stop lying to our children and students about history and teach them a little based on reality, then they will see for themselves what is going on and from the past, what will happen if these things continue to go on.
This might sound off topic, but it isn’t. Our news media is our adult education. Right now it’s nothing but propaganda supporting out governments bad decisions and policies, but it get’s even worse than that. Our education system is getting them in the classrooms with the same load of bull. We have this “No Child Left Behind” rule, sounds good, doesn’t it? Read the fine print! What it really means is that every child has to study the propaganda issued to them in school, learn it and learn it well enough to pass a test on the information when tested on it, (I call that “FORCE FEEDING”, others call it “Brainwashing”). If a child does not learn the common social views and study the model social trends well enough to be tested on it’s content, then the child will be removed from the family and taught under different circumstances.
Call this what you want, but I call it “Social Education” and read your history to see where this is going to take you!
Well said David Rice
Welcome David.:-)
Well said indeed. I wish Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States was required reading in every high school.
Most movements in our History became violent before change. MacArthur burned the camps built by WW I vets in Washington. Civil Rights, Vietnam protests, etc. Seems Americans need some outrageous behavior from authorities before they empathize with protesters. Of course authorities abuse power, that’s human nature and eventually it works against them (the authorities). As ugly as riots are they are needed for change.
Tom, I agree up to a point. It depends on what the demonstrators do. The public lost much of their empathy when the peace movement turned violent in 1969 as a reaction to Chicago 1968. I firmly believe that had this change not happened, we would have brought the war to an end years sooner. Just as police riots foster change, so does expressing and spreading outrage about them.
Having just read and listened to the whole presentation, my first reaction was to pray and meditate for Scott Olsen, and I did for about 10 minutes. Then my anger took over at this out right abuse of power and position.
It is interesting to note from Keith Olbermann that Quan, as a city council member, protested against a jury verdict in the shooting and killing of an African American by a Transit cop in 2010 . Later in July 2010, an investigation was opened by the Oakland Police into Quan. It was following this that Quan started taking the Police road. What is it in this investigation that is being used to hold her hostage? What threats are being made against her? To me, this is the only thing that can account for her 180 degree change.
The officer who fired the shot at Olsen should be charged with assault, or murder if the young man dies. The police chief should resign as he is no longer, if he ever was, capable of leading a police force to ‘serve and protect’. Quan must, through city council declare that the protesters have the right to peacefully protest, which is their 1st ammendment right, and then she must resign too. She has undone any previous good work by allowing herself to be coöpted by the police thugs.
At 7 pm PDT tonight, I will be praying and meditating for the recovery of Scott Olsen using this phrase “The Creator’s healing love flows in your body.”. All you have to do is find a quiet place, close your eyes and repeat the simple phrase over and over. Won’t you join me?
I also found it very telling that Faux Noise aka the Department of Propaganda for the Republican Party, is trying to create boogeymen in closets to use against OWS. Seder and Olbermann both mentioned of course ACORN (which according to Olbermann is dead), the Muslim Brotherhood, some others and even the Red Army. Talk about masking the truth. Faux Noise wouldn’t even recognise the truth if it came up and bit them on the ass. These are just scare tactics and people need to realise this. People need to start thinking intelligently about such nonesense.
Lynn, let me say well said, but disagree on one small point. Faux Noise knows the truth. Propaganda that blatant cannot be produced without the specific intent to deceive.