Scott Olsen, U.S. Vet Wounded at Occupy Oakland, on Recovery, Protests, Iraq and Bradley Manning. This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. JUAN GONZALEZ: As we broadcast our last show of 2011, we turn to someone who became one of the faces of the global Occupy movement. His name is Scott Olsen. While his name made headlines around the globe this past year, his voice has seldom been heard. Just over two months ago, on October 25th, the 24-year-old Iraq war veteran was taking part in a protest in defense of the Occupy Oakland encampment. By the time the night ended, Olsen was hospitalized in critical condition with a fractured skull and brain swelling. He had been shot in the head by a police projectile while the police were firing bean bags and tear gas to clear the Occupy protesters.
At the time of the shooting Olsen, who served two deployments in Iraq, was wearing military fatigues and a Veterans for Peace T-shirt. PROTESTER 1: Medic! PROTESTER 2: We need a medic! PROTESTER 3: What happened? PROTESTER 2: He got [bleep] shot! PROTESTER 3: What’s your name? [break] Port truck drivers thank ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters. By Agence France-PresseMonday, December 12, 2011 18:36 EDT A group of port truck drivers thanked the “99 Percenters” on Monday for bringing attention to their profession, which they claim is rife with labor abuses. “Occupy” protesters disrupted traffic at ports along the U.S. west coast on Monday, as a small number were arrested for seeking to shut down the major trade cargo hub, officials said. The port truck drivers, who were affiliated with the Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports, stopped short of supporting the effort to shut down the ports. But they were “humbled and overwhelmed” by the attention the action brought.
“Normally we are invisible,” they said. The biggest action was in Oakland, California where the anti-Wall Street demonstrators closed the major U.S. port for 24 hours last month, as protests were called from southern California up to Alaska. But port authorities said operations continued despite some disruption and delays. With reporting by Eric W. Agence France-Presse. OT - Shot by police with rubber bullet at Occupy Oakland - Antiprocon. Occupy Protesters Seek to Shut West Coast Ports. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Anti-Wall Street protesters along the West Coast joined an effort Monday to blockade some of the nation's busiest ports from Anchorage, Alaska, to San Diego, with the thought that if they cut off the ports, they cut into corporate profits. Demonstrators were to gather to march on the Port of Oakland, which Occupy protesters successfully shut down in November.
Marchers also descended on the sprawling port complex spanning Los Angeles and Long Beach as the work day begins. Occupy groups also planned blockades in Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia, and in Portland, Ore. The protests being billed as action against "Wall Street on the waterfront" are perhaps the Occupy movement's most dramatic gesture since police raids sent most remaining camps scattering last month. Demonstrators began forming those camps around the country about two months ago to protest what they call corporate greed and economic inequality. Video Evidence Suggests Oakland PD Violated CA State Law, Federal Consent Decree in Violent Confrontation With Occupy Oakland Demonstrators. In the wake of a violent, night-time confrontation with Occupy Oakland demonstrators last week by the Oakland Police Department (OPD) and some 15 other law enforcement agencies, questions have arisen about the legality of the tactics used by the agency during mass arrests which led to serious injuries, including the fractured skull of a two-tour Iraq vet.
Oakland's Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan has maintained that the use of chemical agents and other so-called "less than lethal" weapons were required in order to defend law enforcement officials from demonstrators. Moreover, evidence in several of the videos suggests that the multi-agency task force may have violated both CA Penal Code Section 407 and an OPD Training Manual [PDF] that had been adopted pursuant to a federal consent decree signed by the Oakland PD after another confrontation with protestors some years ago. Jordan: 'We had to deploy gas' Videos depict unprovoked police assault I am Sgt. Bates [sp?] It states: Deadly shooting near Occupy Oakland encampment. OAKLAND, Calif. — A man was shot and killed Thursday just outside the Oakland encampment that anti-Wall Street protesters have occupied for the last month, causing a scream-filled commotion in the City Hall plaza where the camp stands and turning a planned anniversary celebration into a somber, candlelit memorial.
With opinions about Occupy Oakland and its effect on the city having become more divided in recent days, supporters and opponents immediately reacted to the homicide -- the city's 101st this year. Camp organizers said the attack was unrelated to their activities, while city and business leaders, cited the death as proof that the camp itself either bred crime or drained law enforcement resources from other parts of the Oakland.
Mayor Jean Quan, who has been criticized by residents on both sides for issuing mixed signals about the local government's willingness to tolerate the camp, issued a statement Thursday providing a clear eviction notice. Occupy Oakland's new target - foreclosed buildings. Now that their general strike is over, Occupy Oakland activists are looking for a new initiative to keep the momentum rolling - and their gaze is turning toward taking over foreclosed or abandoned buildings. The subject came up in earnest in group meetings over the past couple of days, and conversations have narrowed down not to whether Occupy activists should take over empty buildings, but when and how. "It's a very important front for the Occupy movement all over this country, and if any one city can set a precedent for taking over foreclosed buildings, the idea will then quickly spread," said Adrian Dyer, an Occupy organizer.
"The key is to improve what we occupy, to do it right, to set a good example. " 'It will not be tolerated' City officials are predictably unenthusiastic. The one takeover so far of an empty building left a bad taste. That takeover came late Wednesday after tens of thousands of people had staged a largely peaceful general strike, shutting down the Port of Oakland.
Police State in Oakland? One Reporter's Arrest Contradicts Official Story. November 6, 2011 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. "Everybody on the ground, you're under arrest! Everybody on the ground, you're under arrest! " the officer yelled through his gas mask, gesturing with his baton. As I slipped my camera in my pocket and dropped to the ground, I couldn't help but think: This wasn't part of the plan. At least not my plan. A series of escalations at Occupy Oakland following Wednesday, November 2nd's General Strike culminated in 101 arrests between 1 and 2 am on Thursday morning -- including my own. Interim Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan called the arrestees "generally anarchists and provocateurs" in a statement later Thursday. While police from around the Bay Area geared up for a confrontation, Occupy Oakland was shifting strategies.
At the same time, barricades were built up at either end of 16th street. 12:06 a.m. 12:09 a.m. She hasn't updated since. Watch: ‘Occupy Oakland’ protester shot by rubber bullet while filming cops. By Stephen C. WebsterMonday, November 7, 2011 8:58 EDT In a video published to YouTube, an unidentified protester holding a video camera, filming a police line during the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 3, is apparently shot with a rubber bullet even after repeatedly asking officers, “Is this okay?” Rubber bullets, though considered non-lethal, have killed people before. They can also cause serious internal injuries and even break bones. The incident took place following Thursday’s call to general strike, which saw tens of thousands of protesters shut down one of the city’s major highway overpasses.
Police were heavily criticized for their alleged role in beating Iraq veteran Kayvan Sabehgi with nightsticks as he was walking home from the protest. He was the second Iraq veteran to be seriously injured by riot police in Oakland amid recent protests. This video was published to YouTube on Nov. 5, 2011. Stephen C. Stephen C. Jean Quan's About-Face: Oakland Mayor Now Supports the Occupy Movement, Orders "Minimal Police Presence" Oakland Spends Millions in Attack on Occupy Protesters, Closes 5 Schools Next Day - Occupy Oakland. On Tuesday evening at 5pm Occupy Oakland gathered at the foot of the Oakland Library on 14th Avenue before setting off on a march past the jail and onward to Frank Ogawa Plaza. The peaceful gathering swelled as it marched through downtown, growing upwards of 1,000 people strong. Along their route were police from 17 jurisdictions in California, decked out in riot gear and weaponry.
Just before 8pm the police began throwing concussion grenades and tear gas directly into the crowd, injuring several nonviolent protesters. Weapons were aimed and fired at people as they attempted to help the injured and bring them to safety. The crowd reconvened a block away and continued to peacefully occupy the streets outside the plaza. The city has spent several million dollars in this campaign to shut down free speech in Oakland. Occupy Oakland will reconvene every day at 6pm at 14th & Broadway until the camp is reestablished.
Tear gas! Thrown at Occupy Oakland! Oakland's interim police chief gives press conference | Video. Awesome photos of anti-police-brutality shields in Oakland for Halloween. Boxing body protector. I used to box when I was a teen and am currently studying something called Crazy Monkey Defense (a type of self-defense boxing adapted for the street and MMA). We use these when we spar. You'd probably still feel the impact of a rubber bullet or other less lethal projectile, but I guarantee you you'd feel a A LOT LESS than you would if you weren't wearing it. They run anywhere from $50 to $100. Boxing groin protection. It goes without saying that the one place you DON'T want to get by a rubbet bullet is in the groin. These can run anywhere from $20 to $100. Tactical paintball helmet. Paintball neck protector.
That covers the most vital areas of the body.