Scott Olsen Suing Oakland PD For Causing Permanent Brain Damage During Occupy Protest Update: Video

[Fire Walk With Me]

Last edited Sun Dec 23, 2012, 03:49 PM - Edit history (3)

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/12/14/scott-olsen-suing-oakland-pd-for-causing-permanent-brain-damage-during-occupy-protest/

Most of us remember this image from last year’s Occupy Oakland during which the police instigated a riot and then used excessive force.

On October 25, 2011, Olsen was shot while standing still, facing forward and only twenty feet away from a line of police in riot gear. Even with tensions running high that night, there was no way to interpret Olsen’s actions, or lack thereof, as hostile or threatening. Rather, an unknown officer apparently took offense at his defiance (he was not cowering, you see) and simply shot him in the head with ammunition specifically prohibited from being used for crowd control due to its potential for serious injury. This, of course, begs the question of why the police, preparing for a riot, had it with them in the first place.

According to Court House News:

“The impact fractured Mr. Olsen’s skull and caused severe hemorrhaging of his brain. As a result of his injuries, Mr. Olsen lost his ability to speak and perform basic mental and physical functions. Although he has recovered much of his speech and functions through intensive therapy, he still frequently has difficulty speaking, concentrating, and remembering things.”

All that just for passively standing up to police? It’s a wonder that Oakland has a reputation for police brutality with such restraint on the part of law enforcement.

(More at the link.)

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Scott Olsen ‏@OlsenVet

Yesterday I filed a federal suit v. City of #Oakland, #OPD #RobertRoche and 50 J. Does (unknown officers). Read here:
http://www.scottolsen.org/Olsen%20v.%20City%20of%20Oakland%20Complaint.pdf …
Retweeted by #pUNkBoYpROdUcTioNs

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Political Fail Blog ‏@PFailBlog

VIDEO: Scott Olsen (vet shot by OPD during protest) Speaks on his Lawsuit Against the Oakland Police Department
http://bit.ly/T70lgE | #YAN

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Olsen is a hero.

It amazed me that, IIRC, only one national politician decried the crime against him.

[rhett o rick]

5. .

[doc03]

2. I hope he wins n/t

[Kalidurga]

3. I hope he gets millions...

and I hope other protesters follow suit. I saw in real time on live stream cops using excessive force against protesters. It was horrible watching that happen and not be able to do anything about it.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

4. The use of the unnecessary and excessive force was a violation of his civil rights. Yet, where is

Holder?

Why isn't Holder and the DOJ going after the thug who was wearing the police uniform? Why aren't they prosecuting him?

Holder has the time, the energy, and the resources to go after state-approved medical marijuana dispensaries. But why not a cop where there is videotape evidence which clearly shows unnecessary and excessive force by a cop?

Why is such inaction a policy of the Obama Administration?

[BlueCaliDem]

7. You're right! Why doesn't Olsen sue the Federal gov't for what an OAKLAND POLICE OFFICER

did to him? Forget the Mayor, who is their direct boss. Or Governor Brown because, well, he's just the Gov. and you don't have a beef with either of those two. Naw. GET OBAMA!

Or, what about those New York young women who were pepper-sprayed? Why don't they sue President Obama, too? Weren't their civil rights infringed upon as well? Hey, they should do a class action together with all OWS members and sue Obama personally for not sending the DoJ to each and every crime committed in each and every state. Sue him for every penny he's got, which is around $11 million. That'll show'em!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

8. You have purposely misrepresented what I have said.

As you have before.

Go talk to yourself.

[BlueCaliDem]

11. Uh . . . no.

I was trying to point out to you that your suggestion that this is somehow AG Holder's fault for not cracking down on an OAKLAND POLICE OFFICER IN CALIFORNIA is ridiculous and just more of your bellyaching against the Obama Administration - which appears to be your favorite pastime.

This is a STATE tragedy, not Federal. Had the Oakland Police-asshat continued lobbing ammo at Olsen while crossing state lines then yes, this would be a Federal issue. I thought you understood at least that.

The blame should be squarely placed on that useless Mayor Quan and a much-too-silent Governor Brown. Quan is chief executive of Oakland and depending on whether she's a "strong mayor" or a "weak mayor" (she appears to be the "strong mayor" type since she's replaced the head of the Oakland Police Dept), she can or cannot come down hard on the Oakland Police Dept. Gov. Brown is the chief executive of California. Also, we have a tough State Attorney General - Kamala Harris. These people should be contacted FIRST and foremost to get Olsen justice.

If Quan's too chicken-shit to do anything about it then Gov. Brown should step in and send his AG Kamala Harris. Also, it's surprising that the people of Oakland haven't risen up in anger. They should. They should rise up against this horrid display of militaristic brutality and march on City Hall demanding, not asking, but demanding justice, NOT twist themselves into pretzels to be able to take another gratuitous swipe at President Obama, as you have.

Your heart is in the right place, but too bad your innate loathing for this president and the U.S. AG - as you've displayed all too clearly in your past posts - is clouding your rational thought and the political realities.

And when it comes to debating you, yes, it sure does feel as if I'm talking to myself.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

12. In 1964, LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act. It was in the news. Many people know about it.

Since other Administrations have had the interest, the energy, and resources to prosecute out-of-control cops under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it should not be unusual for anyone to call for a similar prosecution.

For example, even under a Republican Administration after the police officers who beat Rodney King in 1991 were acquitted in a State-court proceeding,

"In August 1992, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging that Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind and Theodore Briseno, while under colour of law, deprived Rodney King of his federally protected civil rights. The first count of the indictment charged three of the defendants -- Powell, Wind, and Briseno -- with violating King's federal constitutional rights by wilfully using unreasonable force against him while arresting him. The second count of the indictment charged Koon, then a sergeant of the Los Angeles Police Department, with violating King's federal constitutional rights by wilfully permitting the three other officers to unlawfully assault him, thereby wilfully depriving him of his right to be kept free from harm while in official custody. Both counts charged violations of 18 U.S.C. 242, which, if injury results to the victim, is punishable by a maximum term of ten years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. As previously noted, section 242 generally makes it a crime for anyone under colour of law to deprive any inhabitant of any state, territory or district of any rights protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. The jury in this instance was composed of nine white persons, two black persons and one Hispanic person."

http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/canada/justice/hate-motivated-violence/hmv-006-00.html

Somehow, however, you do not want the Oakland perpetrator to not be prosecuted under the Civil Rights laws and you cannot articulate a good reason for not prosecuting him for his criminal actions that were videotaped. Instead, you want to dilute the attention given to this cop by directing it elsewhere to people who were not participants and cannot be criminally prosecuted for violating his Civil Rights.

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. A Veteran was nearly killed by cops and has suffered permanent brain damage

and you're rolling around smilies. Why exactly are you in the Occupy Underground forum? Are you aware that only days after Scott nearly died, those same cops nearly killed another Veteran? And that Oakland "mayor" Quan leaked that 18 mayors were on a conference call about what to do to/about Occupy camps in their cities? And that there was Federal-level involvement in that, and that DHS has been watching Occupy since day 1, according to FOI documents obtained by Michael Moore and others? And that DHS overlord Peter King calls Occupiers "losers" and stated that they must not be allowed to gain credibility and thus affect legislation as did the hippies? And that even after 7400+ arrests and brutal beatings of Occupiers by cops (and always the DHS presence), Obama has not said one single word either way (even after telling Egypt to respect the rights of their protesters)?

I agree. Sue Obama, sue DHS, sue Peter King, sue Quan and all the "democratic" mayors who brutally attacked Occupy camps and Occupiers for more than a year. The Bill of Rights is obviously dead and buried.

Oh, that's right. Chris Hedges DID sue Obama over section 1021 of the NDAA Obama signed, which allows for indefinite detention of US citizens even suspected of terrorism or terrorist alliance, without trial or representation. And won. It was struck down by a judge as unConstitutional, as it should be, as it must be.

Obama sent lawyers to get it re-instated, and they did. Congratulations. BTW, a Doj document is said to call protesting "low-level terrorism". I haven't seen it but I've heard it discussed. Occupiers have no friends there.

[kooljerk666]

10. every one who inflicted violence on law abiding protesters should be looking over there shoulders...

the rest of the wretched lives....................

Every mayor in on the carnage is on my eat a turd sandwich list.

Bloomberg, Nutter, LA guy BTW who invited him to the DEM convention? Quan of oakland, all of them........................

SUE THEM ALL!!

Holder should be Chief of Dog Catchers or Garbage Collection, most useless tool of them all.

In these lawsuits the pensions for the police should be cleaned out first.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

13. I agree about the pensions.

If even a token amount (like 1%) of the cop's pensions funds were paid out each time there is a case of systemic police brutality, then I think cops would start to self-police their own actions. As it stands right now, tax payers foot the bill when Police departments come begging at budget time, and nothing ever changes.

[tama]

15. The violent attack against Occupy

was called and coordinated by Obama Administration Homeland Security. DOJ has been actively stopping all legal actions against war criminals of former admin and pushing unconstitutional police state measures and legislation. So "where the buck stops" is just another tool and representative of police state fascism.

That answer your question "why" clearly enough?

[KT2000]

6. Good for him

It will be along fight but he needs to do this.

[Fire Walk With Me]

14. Added link to Scott's own story/webpage at the end of the original post.